You Know I'm No Good – English Lyrics

• By: Amy Winehouse

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good" offers a unique opportunity to delve into colloquial British English and raw, emotional storytelling. The song's conversational and candid lyrics provide a glimpse into modern slang and expressions. What makes this song special for learners is its narrative clarity and the authentic emotion in Winehouse's delivery, making the language both memorable and contextually rich.

[English]

(footsteps clacking)

(lively upbeat music)

♪ Meet you downstairs in the bar and hurt ♪

♪ Your rolled up sleeves in your skull T-shirt ♪

♪ You say, "What did you do with him today" ♪

♪ And sniffed me out like I was Tanqueray ♪

♪ 'Cause you're my fella, my guy ♪

♪ Hand me your Stella and fly ♪

♪ By the time I'm out the door ♪

♪ You tear me down like Roger Moore ♪

♪ I cheated myself ♪

♪ Like I knew I would ♪

♪ I told you I was trouble ♪

♪ You know that I'm no good ♪

(lively upbeat music continues)

♪ Upstairs in bed with my ex-boy ♪

♪ He's in a place, but I can't get joy ♪

♪ Thinking on you in the final throes ♪

♪ This is when my buzzer goes ♪

♪ Run out to meet your chips and pita ♪

♪ You say when we're married ♪

♪ 'Cause you're not bitter ♪

♪ There'll be none of him no more ♪

♪ I cried for you on the kitchen floor ♪

♪ I cheated myself ♪

♪ Like I knew I would ♪

♪ I told you I was trouble ♪

♪ You know that I'm no good ♪

(lively upbeat music continues)

♪ Sweet reunion, Jamaica and Spain ♪

♪ We're like how we were again ♪

♪ I'm in the tub, you on the seat ♪

♪ Lick your lips as I soak my feet ♪

♪ Then you notice little carpet burn ♪

♪ My stomach drop, yeah, and my guts churn ♪

♪ You shrug and it's the worst ♪

♪ Who truly stuck the knife in first ♪

♪ I cheated myself ♪

♪ Like I knew I would ♪

♪ I told you I was trouble ♪

♪ You know that I'm no good ♪

♪ I cheated myself ♪

♪ Like I knew I would ♪

♪ I told you I was troubled ♪

♪ Yeah, you know that I'm no good ♪

(lively upbeat music fades)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
meet /miːt/ A1	verb - to come together with someone
hurt /hɜːrt/ B1	verb - to cause pain or injury
cheat /tʃiːt/ B2	verb - to act dishonestly to gain an advantage
trouble /ˈtrʌb.əl/ B1	noun - problems or difficulties
joy /dʒɔɪ/ B2	noun - a feeling of great happiness
place /pleɪs/ A1	noun - a particular position or point in space
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - a point of time as measured in hours and minutes
fly /flaɪ/ B1	verb - to move through the air using wings
stomach /ˈstʌmək/ B2	noun - the organ in the body where food is digested
drop /drɒp/ B1	verb - to let something fall
bitter /ˈbɪtər/ B2	adjective - having a sharp, pungent taste or smell
reunion /ˌriːˈjuːniən/ B2	noun - the act of coming together again after a period of separation
notice /ˈnoʊtɪs/ B1	verb - to become aware of something
shrink /ʃrɪŋk/ B2	verb - to become smaller in size or amount

Key Grammar Structures

• I cheated myself

  ➔ Past simple tense

  ➔ The phrase "I cheated" indicates a completed action in the past.

• You know that I'm no good

  ➔ Present simple tense

  ➔ The phrase "You know" expresses a general truth or fact.

• I told you I was trouble

  ➔ Past simple tense with reported speech

  ➔ The phrase "I told you" indicates that the speaker is reporting what they said in the past.

• You tear me down like Roger Moore

  ➔ Simile

  ➔ The phrase "like Roger Moore" compares the action to something familiar, enhancing the imagery.

• Thinking on you in the final throes

  ➔ Present participle

  ➔ The phrase "Thinking on you" uses the present participle to indicate an ongoing action.

• There'll be none of him no more

  ➔ Future simple with 'there will be'

  ➔ The phrase "There'll be none" indicates a future situation or condition.

• Sweet reunion, Jamaica and Spain

  ➔ Noun phrase

  ➔ The phrase "Sweet reunion" serves as a subject, describing a positive event.