Bloody Mary – English Lyrics

• By: Lady Gaga
• Album: Born This Way

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the layers of meaning in Lady Gaga's "Bloody Mary," a song that blends religious allegory with modern pop sensibilities. For language learners, this track offers a unique opportunity to explore vocabulary related to faith, love, and inner strength. The song's dramatic and narrative-driven lyrics make it a compelling piece for understanding storytelling through music. Its viral resurgence also highlights the power of pop culture to breathe new life into art, making it a fascinating case study in music history.

[English]

The category is dance or die

Put your paws up, NYC!

Love is just a history that they may prove

And when you're gone, I'll tell them my religion's you

When Punktious comes to kill the king upon his throne

I'm ready for their stones

I'll dance, dance, dance

With my hands, hands, hands

Above my head, head, head

Like Jesus said

I'm gonna dance, dance, dance

With my hands, hands, hands above my head

Hands together, forgive him before he's dead because

I won't cry for you

I won't crucify the things you do

I won't cry for you, see

When you're gone, I'll still be Bloody Mary

We are not just art for Michelangelo to carve

He can't rewrite the agro of my furied heart

I'll wait on mountain tops in Paris, cold

J'veux pas mourir toute seule

Like the words of a song I hear you call

Like a thief in my heart you crept in all

You stole my thoughts before I dreamed them all

And you killed my queen with just one palm

That's why I won't be

Yeah, I'll keep on dancing till the end

Dancing until the end

Dancing until the end

Yeah, I'll keep on dancing till the end

Dancing until the end

Dancing until the end

'Cause when you killed me inside, that's when I came alive

I came alive, I came alive

The spirit's gonna set me free from dancing

Dancing till the end

Dancing until the end

Dancing until the end

Dancing till the end

Dancing till the end

Dancing until the end

'Cause when you killed me inside, that's when I came alive

I came alive, I came alive

The spirit's gonna set me free from dancing

You've created a creature of the night

Now I'm haunting your grounds close your eyes

That's why I won't be

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music
hands /hændz/ A1	noun - the end parts of the arms
head /hɛd/ A1	noun - the upper part of the body containing the brain
cry /kraɪ/ A2	verb - to shed tears from emotion
crucify /ˈkruːsɪfaɪ/ C1	verb - to execute by nailing to a cross; metaphorically to criticize severely
Bloody /ˈblʌdi/ B2	adjective - covered in blood; violent
art /ɑːrt/ A2	noun - creative expression through visual or performing mediums
carve /kɑːrv/ B1	verb - to shape material by cutting
agro /ˈæɡroʊ/ C2	noun - aggression or anger (slang)
furied /ˈfjʊərid/ C2	adjective - filled with intense anger
thief /θiːf/ B1	noun - one who steals
crept /krɛpt/ B2	verb - moved stealthily or slowly
stole /stoʊl/ B1	verb - took without permission
killed /kɪld/ B1	verb - caused death
queen /kwiːn/ A2	noun - female ruler or monarch
spirit /ˈspɪrɪt/ B1	noun - non-physical essence of a person
free /friː/ A1	adjective - not imprisoned or constrained
creature /ˈkriːtʃər/ B1	noun - a living being, often mysterious or unnatural
haunting /ˈhɔːntɪŋ/ C1	verb - appearing as a ghost; persistently disturbing

Key Grammar Structures

• Put your paws up, NYC!

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ Direct command using base verb form without subject. "Put" is an order.

• Love is just a history that they may prove

  ➔ Relative Clause

  ➔ "that they may prove" modifies "history". Introduced by relative pronoun "that".

• I'll tell them my religion's you

  ➔ Contraction & Future Simple

  ➔ "I'll" = contraction of "I will" (future simple). "religion's" = contraction of "religion is".

• I'm ready for their stones

  ➔ Preposition "for" (Purpose)

  ➔ "for" indicates purpose or preparedness. Shows readiness "for" something.

• Like Jesus said

  ➔ Simile & Reported Speech Fragment

  ➔ "Like" establishes comparison. "said" implies reported speech without full clause.

• I won't crucify the things you do

  ➔ Future Simple Negative

  ➔ "won't" = "will not" shows future refusal/negative action.

• We are not just art for Michelangelo to carve

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ "to carve" explains the purpose of "art" (Why it exists).

• Cause when you killed me inside, that's when I came alive

  ➔ Adverbial Time Clause & Demonstrative Pronoun

  ➔ "when you killed me inside" acts as time adverb. "that's" refers back to previous clause.

• The spirit's gonna set me free from dancing

  ➔ Informal Future (gonna) & Phrasal Verb

  ➔ "gonna" = informal "going to" (future). "set free" is inseparable phrasal verb meaning liberate.