Automaton – English Lyrics

• By: Jamiroquai
• Album: Automaton

Lyrics & Translation

Learning English through Jamiroquai's 'Automaton' offers a unique opportunity to engage with contemporary social commentary wrapped in an electrifying funk and disco package. The song's lyrics delve into the modern anxieties surrounding technology and artificial intelligence, providing a rich vocabulary for discussions on this relevant topic. What makes 'Automaton' special is its blend of thought-provoking themes with an irresistibly danceable rhythm, a signature of Jamiroquai's style. By exploring this song, you can not only improve your English but also gain insight into a prominent cultural conversation, all while enjoying some of the finest funk music of the modern era.

[English]

In my love

Every heart is beating

I'm all love

Can't you feel me feeling?

Take my hand

Cold like a junkie

I'm an ice cold man

(I'm an ice cold man)

Why am I crying for you?

All this love I felt for you

Has gone away to another place

(It's a digital life)

I put my faith in a digital world

When they've given me

Eyes without a face

I'd steal the moon on silver nights

Remind myself I am someone

My soul is numb and for tonight

I'm automaton

I'm so tough

Can't you see me running?

See, I can touch

Can you feel me coming?

I see the world

In claws of freedom

These metal eyes, they can't disguise

The fact that I

Need something to believe in

But then I drug him for you

I said goodbye to the world I knew

And took off into inner space

(It's a digital life)

Weren't you the ones who promised me

A very different place?

I've powered up, get my program set

And turn my head toward the sun

Inside I know, I'm not a void

I'm automaton

Automaton

Automaton

Automaton

Automaton

Hey, you got me down underground

Gettin' holed up in my cyber lounge

As if I had time to break that down

(Automaton)

Whatever you can do I can override it

Got a million ways to synthesize it

Digital android, I can fight it

Fight it out

Automaton

(It's a digital life)

Automaton

(Digital life)

Automaton

(A digital life)

Automaton

Feel like a man who said to us

That this is not where I belong

They rule my life from a metal box

That's windowless

And I wonder where it all goes wrong

Maybe this dream will stay alive

But can the madness be undone?

Am I the new intelligence?

I'm automaton

I'm automaton

I'm automaton

I'm automaton

I'm automaton

I'm automaton

I'm automaton

It's a digital life

It's a digital life

You know I need something I can hold onto, hold onto

(You were all I knew)

(I'm automaton)

I need something

I can hold onto, hold onto

(This was all I knew)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - the organ that pumps blood through the body
feeling /ˈfiː.lɪŋ/ A2	noun - an emotion or sensation
digital /ˈdɪdʒɪtəl/ B1	adjective - using or relating to electronics that generate, store, and process data
world /wɜːrld/ A2	noun - the earth, nations, or the universe
face /feɪs/ A2	noun - the front part of the head, including the eyes, nose, and mouth
moon /muːn/ A2	noun - the satellite that orbits the Earth
automaton /ɔːˈtɒm.ətɒn/ C1	noun - a machine or robot that performs tasks automatically
program /ˈproʊ.ɡræm/ B2	noun - a set of instructions for a computer to perform a specific task
life /laɪf/ A2	noun - the period during which someone or something exists or is active
energy /ˈɛn.ər.dʒi/ B2	noun - the strength or power to do things
fight /faɪt/ B2	verb - to engage in a struggle or combat
box /bɒks/ A2	noun - a container with flat sides and a lid
power /ˈpaʊər/ A2	noun - the ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way

Key Grammar Structures

• Why am I crying for you?

  ➔ Interrogative sentence with auxiliary 'am' used for questions with the present continuous tense.

  ➔ The sentence asks a question about the speaker's emotional state, using the question word 'Why' and the auxiliary 'am' to form a question in the present tense.

• I'm an ice cold man

  ➔ Use of 'am' + article 'an' + adjective to describe a characteristic in a predicate nominative structure.

  ➔ The phrase describes the speaker's emotional coldness by combining the subject 'I' with the predicate 'an ice cold man', indicating a state or characteristic.

• All this love I felt for you

  ➔ Use of a relative clause with 'I felt' to specify the love experienced by the speaker.

  ➔ The phrase emphasizes the love that the speaker experienced, with 'I felt' indicating the personal emotional experience.

• And took off into inner space

  ➔ Past simple tense with 'took off' meaning to depart or launch into a different realm or state.

  ➔ The phrase describes the action of departing or launching into a different realm, metaphorically indicating moving into a new mental or emotional space.

• Inside I know, I'm not a void

  ➔ Use of 'I know' (present simple) to indicate awareness or certainty, contrasted with 'I'm not a void' implying self-awareness.

  ➔ The phrase reflects self-awareness and confidence, asserting the speaker's understanding of their true nature, contrasting with emptiness.