You Give Love A Bad Name – English Lyrics

• By: Bon Jovi

Lyrics & Translation

Unlock the raw emotion of 80s rock with Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name." This classic track is a perfect vehicle for learning English through its powerful, direct lyrics about love and betrayal. The song's anthemic chorus and clear storytelling make it an engaging way to pick up new vocabulary and practice pronunciation, all while experiencing a pivotal piece of music history.

[English]

(crowd cheering)

♪ Shot through the heart ♪

♪ And you're to blame ♪

♪ Darlin', you give love a bad name ♪

('You Give Love a Bad Name")

♪ An angel's smile is what you sell ♪

♪ You promise me heaven, then put me through hell ♪

♪ Chains of love got a hold on me ♪

♪ When passion's a prison, you can't break free ♪

♪ Oh, you're a loaded gun ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Oh, there's nowhere to run ♪

♪ No one can save me ♪

♪ The damage is done ♪

♪ Shot through the heart ♪

♪ And you're to blame ♪

♪ You give love a bad name, bad name ♪

♪ I play my part and you play your game ♪

♪ You give love a bad name, bad name ♪

♪ You give love ♪

♪ A bad name ♪

♪ Paint your smile on your lips ♪

♪ Blood red nails on your fingertips ♪

♪ A school boy's dream, you act so shy ♪

♪ Your very first kiss was your first kiss goodbye ♪

♪ Whoa, you're a loaded gun ♪

♪ Whoa, there's nowhere to run ♪

♪ No one can save me ♪

♪ The damage is done ♪

♪ Shot through the heart ♪

♪ And you're to blame ♪

♪ You give love a bad name, bad name ♪

♪ I play my part and you play your game ♪

♪ You give love a bad name, bad name ♪

♪ You give love, oh ♪

♪ Oh, shot through the heart ♪

♪ And you're to blame ♪

♪ You give love a bad name ♪

♪ I play my part and you play your game ♪

♪ You give love a bad name, bad name ♪

♪ Shot through the heart ♪

♪ And you're to blame ♪

♪ You give love a bad name, bad name ♪

♪ I play my part and you play your game ♪

♪ You give love a bad name, bad name ♪

♪ You give love ♪

♪ Whoa, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ You give love, bad name ♪

♪ You give love ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ You give love, oh, oh, bad name ♪

♪ You give love, oh, oh, oh ♪

♪ You give love, bad name ♪

♪ You give love ♪

(crowd cheering)

Key Grammar Structures

• ♪ Shot through the heart ♪

  ➔ Past participle used in a passive construction

  ➔ The phrase 'Shot through the heart' uses the past participle 'shot' to describe an action done to the subject, implying a passive voice.

• ♪ You promise me heaven, then put me through hell ♪

  ➔ Sequential actions using commas and contrasting ideas

  ➔ The use of commas separates two contrasting actions: 'promise me heaven' and 'put me through hell', showing a sequence of events.

• ♪ When passion's a prison, you can't break free ♪

  ➔ Contraction and negation in a conditional clause

  ➔ The contraction 'passion's' (passion is) and the negation 'can't' (cannot) are used in a conditional clause to express a hypothetical situation.

• ♪ Oh, you're a loaded gun ♪

  ➔ Simile using 'be' as a linking verb

  ➔ The phrase 'you're a loaded gun' uses 'be' to compare the subject directly to a loaded gun, creating a simile.

• ♪ You give love a bad name, bad name ♪

  ➔ Redundancy for emphasis

  ➔ Repeating 'bad name' emphasizes the negative impact of the action, adding intensity to the statement.