Cradles – English Lyrics

• By: Sub Urban

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the dark and atmospheric world of 'Cradles' by Sub Urban. This song is a fantastic tool for learning English through its use of metaphors and evocative imagery, offering a unique look at how simple vocabulary can be used to create a complex, unsettling mood.

[English]

I live inside my own world of make-believe

Kids screaming in their cradles, profanities

I see the world through eyes covered in ink and bleach

Cross out the ones who held my cries and watched me weep

I love everything

Fire's spreading all around my room

My world's so bright

It's hard to breathe, but that's alright

Hush!

Shh

Tape my eyes open to force reality (oh, no, no)

Why can't you just let me eat my weight in glee?

I live inside my own world of make-believe

Kids screaming in their cradles, profanities

Somedays, I feel skinnier than all the other days

Sometimes, I can't tell if my body belongs to me

I love everything

Fire's spreading all around my room

My world's so bright

It's hard to breathe, but that's alright

Hush

Shh

I wanna taste your content

Hold your breath and feel the tension

Devils hide behind redemption

Honesty is a one-way gate to hell

I wanna taste consumption

Breathe faster to waste oxygen

Hear the children sing aloud

It's music 'til the wick burns out

Hush

Just wanna be carefree lately, yeah

Just kicking up daisies

Got one too many quarters in my pocket

Count 'em like the four-leaf clovers in my locket

Untied laces, yeah

Just tripping on daydreams

Got dirty little lullabies playing on repeat

Might as well just rot around the nursery and count sheep

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
cradles /ˈkreɪdlz/ B2	noun - beds for babies, usually rocking
profanities /prəˈfænɪtiz/ C2	noun - offensive or obscene language
bleach /bliːtʃ/ B2	noun/verb - a chemical used to whiten or disinfect
weep /wiːp/ C1	verb - to cry, especially because of sadness
reality /riˈæləti/ B1	noun - the state of things as they actually exist
glee /ɡliː/ C2	noun - great delight or happiness
content /ˈkɒntɛnt/ B2	noun - the things that are held or included inside something
tension /ˈtɛnʃən/ B2	noun - mental or emotional strain
redemption /rɪˈdɛmpʃən/ C2	noun - the action of saving or being saved from error
consumption /kənˈsʌmpʃən/ B2	noun - the using up of a resource
carefree /ˈkeəfriː/ B2	adjective - free from anxiety or responsibility
daisies /ˈdeɪziz/ B2	noun - small flowers with white petals
locket /ˈlɒkɪt/ C1	noun - a small ornamental case worn on a chain
lullabies /ˈlʌləbaɪz/ B2	noun - soothing songs for children
nursery /ˈnɜːsəri/ B1	noun - a room for the use of young children

Key Grammar Structures

• I see the world through eyes covered in ink and bleach

  ➔ Past Participle as an Adjective Clause (Reduced Relative Clause)

  ➔ 'Covered' is a reduced form of 'which are covered', describing the noun 'eyes'.

• Cross out the ones who held my cries and watched me weep

  ➔ Relative Pronoun 'who' with Past Tense Verbs

  ➔ 'Who' acts as the subject of the relative clause, followed by the past tense verbs 'held' and 'watched'.

• It's hard to breathe, but that's alright

  ➔ Adjective + Infinitive structure

  ➔ The structure 'It is + adjective + to-infinitive' is used to express the difficulty of an action.

• Why can't you just let me eat my weight in glee?

  ➔ Modal verb 'can' in negative interrogative form

  ➔ 'Can't' is used here to challenge or question the subject's ability or willingness.

• Sometimes, I can't tell if my body belongs to me

  ➔ Subordinate clause with 'if' (as whether)

  ➔ 'If' is used here as a conjunction to introduce an indirect question, meaning 'whether'.

• Devils hide behind redemption

  ➔ Simple Present Tense for General Truths/States

  ➔ The simple present 'hide' denotes a recurring, habitual, or universal state.

• Hear the children sing aloud

  ➔ Bare infinitive after verbs of perception

  ➔ 'Hear' is a perception verb followed by the object 'children' and the bare infinitive 'sing'.

• Might as well just rot around the nursery and count sheep

  ➔ Modal phrase 'might as well'

  ➔ 'Might as well' is used to suggest that doing something is a reasonable or acceptable option, even if it's not ideal.