Criminal – English Lyrics

• By: Britney Spears

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the world of modern English pop with 'Criminal.' This song is perfect for learners to practice vocabulary related to emotions, conflict, and descriptive adjectives, all set to a catchy, cinematic beat that makes language acquisition engaging.

[English]

He is a hustler, he's no good at all

He is a loser, he's a bum, bum, bum, bum

He lies, he bluffs, he's unreliable

He is a sucker with a gun, gun, gun, gun

I know you told me I should stay away

I know you said he's just a dog astray

He's a bad boy with a tainted heart

And even I know this ain't smart

But mama, I'm in love with a criminal

And this type of love isn't rational it's physical

Mama, please don't cry, I will be alright

All reason aside I just can't deny, love the guy

He is a villain by the devil's law

He is a killer just for fun, fun, fun, fun

The man's a snitch and unpredictable

He's got no conscience he got none, none, none, none

Oh, I know, should've let go, but no

'Cause he's a bad boy with a tainted heart

And even I know this ain't smart

But mama, I'm in love with a criminal

And this type of love isn't rational it's physical

Mama, please don't cry, I will be alright

All reason aside I just can't deny, love the guy

And he's got my name

Tattooed on his arm, his lucky charm

So I guess it's okay, he's with me

And I hear people talk

Try to make remarks, keep us apart

But I don't even hear, I don't care

'Cause mama I'm in love with a criminal

And this type of love isn't rational it's physical

Mama, please don't cry I will be alright

All reason aside I just can't deny, love the guy

Mama I'm in love with a criminal

And this type of love isn't rational It's physical

Mama, please don't cry, I will be alright

All reason aside I just can't deny, love the guy

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
hustler /ˈhʌslər/ C1	noun - a person who employs fraudulent or unscrupulous methods to obtain money
unreliable /ˌʌnrɪˈlaɪəbl/ B2	adjective - not able to be relied upon
sucker /ˈsʌkər/ B2	noun - a person who is easily deceived or tricked
astray /əˈstreɪ/ C1	adjective - away from the correct path or direction
tainted /ˈteɪntɪd/ C2	adjective - contaminated or morally corrupted
criminal /ˈkrɪmɪnl/ B1	noun - a person who has committed a crime
rational /ˈræʃənl/ B2	adjective - based on or in accordance with reason or logic
physical /ˈfɪzɪkl/ B1	adjective - relating to the body as opposed to the mind
villain /ˈvɪlən/ B2	noun - a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot
snitch /snɪtʃ/ C2	noun - an informer
unpredictable /ˌʌnprɪˈdɪktəbl/ B2	adjective - not able to be foreseen or known beforehand
conscience /ˈkɒnʃəns/ B2	noun - an inner feeling viewed as acting as a guide to the rightness of one's behavior
tattooed /tæˈtuːd/ B2	adjective - marked with a tattoo
charm /tʃɑːrm/ B2	noun - a trinket thought to bring good luck
remark /rɪˈmɑːrk/ B2	noun - a comment or statement

Key Grammar Structures

• I know you told me I should stay away

  ➔ Modal verb for advice (should)

  ➔ "Should" is used here to indicate that staying away is a recommended course of action.

• And even I know this ain't smart

  ➔ Colloquial negation (ain't)

  ➔ "Ain't" is a non-standard contraction often used in pop music for "is not".

• This type of love isn't rational

  ➔ Subject-verb agreement (singular)

  ➔ The singular subject "This type of love" requires the singular verb "is".

• All reason aside I just can't deny

  ➔ Infinitive structure after modal verb

  ➔ The base form of the verb "deny" follows the modal verb "can't".

• And he's got my name

  ➔ Present perfect for possession (has got)

  ➔ "He's got" is a common informal way to say "He has" indicating possession.

• Should've let go

  ➔ Modal perfect (should have + past participle)

  ➔ Used to express a regret about an action that did not happen in the past.

• I don't even hear

  ➔ Adverb placement (even)

  ➔ "Even" is placed before the verb to emphasize the negative condition.

• He's a bad boy with a tainted heart

  ➔ Prepositional phrase modifying a noun

  ➔ "With a tainted heart" provides extra detail to describe the noun phrase "bad boy".