Criminal – English Lyrics

• By: TAEMIN
• Album: Never Gonna Dance Again : Act 1

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the alluring darkness of Taemin's 'Criminal,' a synthwave masterpiece that explores the fine line between love and obsession. By unraveling the lyrics and dynamic music video, you'll gain insight into Korean expressions of duality and the artistry of performance.

[English]

I know well that you're bad for me

Your eyes and the way you move

I try to get away from you

But being brainwashed, all I can do is nod

I don’t hate how your words make my feet entangled and dance

Cause I don’t want to deny the truth that it was destined to be you from the beginning

So elegant, a Criminal who hurts me

It’s okay You soothe me just to torture me again

Ooh I’m on a leash called you

It’s painful as much as I can’t breathe but also magnificent

So elegant, a Criminal who destroys me

Not okay I try and shake my head

Ooh but I’m only getting dragged in more deeply

The moment I fall for you, is the end of my innocence

The Syndrome called you

You lure me in and shake me

Behind your childlike innocent face

A frightening side of you, gives me goose bumps

My heart with an open wound is already full of your fingerprints

My hands holding yours that stabbed me are not clean either

So elegant, a Criminal who hurts me

It’s okay You soothe me just to torture me again

Ooh I’m on a leash called you

It’s painful as much as I can’t breathe but also magnificent

So elegant, a Criminal who destroys me

Not okay I try and shake my head

Ooh but I’m only getting dragged in more deeply

The moment I fall for you, is the end of my innocence

Destroy me more

So elegant, a Criminal who hurts me

It’s okay You soothe me just to torture me again

Ooh I’m on a leash called you

It’s painful as much as I can’t breathe but also magnificent

So elegant, a Criminal who destroys me

Not okay I try and shake my head

Ooh but I’m only getting dragged in more deeply

I don’t want to get away, destroy me completely

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
know /noʊ/ A2	verb - to have information or understanding about something
bad /bæd/ A1	adjective - not good; unpleasant
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - the organs of sight
move /muːv/ A1	verb - to change position or place
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music
truth /truːθ/ B1	noun - the quality or state of being in accordance with fact or reality
elegant /ˈɛlɪɡənt/ B2	adjective - graceful and stylish in appearance or manner
painful /ˈpeɪnfl/ B1	adjective - causing physical or emotional pain
magnificent /mæɡˈnɪfɪsənt/ C1	adjective - extremely beautiful or impressive
destroy /dɪˈstrɔɪ/ B2	verb - to cause to be destroyed; to ruin
innocence /ˈɪnəsəns/ C1	noun - the state of being free from sin or moral wrong
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood in the body; often used to refer to emotions
wound /wuːnd/ B2	noun - an injury to the body
fingerprints /ˈfɪŋɡərprɪnts/ B2	noun - the unique patterns on the tips of fingers used for identification
leash /liːʃ/ B2	noun - a strap for restraining an animal
drag /dræɡ/ B1	verb - to pull something along the ground

Key Grammar Structures

• I try to get away from you

  ➔ Use of 'try to' + base verb to express attempt or effort.

  ➔ 'try to' is used to indicate an effort to do something.

• It's okay

  ➔ Use of the contraction 'it's' (it is) + adjective to reassure or accept.

  ➔ 'It's' is a contraction of 'it is,' often used with adjectives to express feelings or states.

• What you move

  ➔ Use of noun + 'you' as the subject performing the action.

  ➔ The phrase indicates the acting of the noun through 'you.'

• I don’t hate how your words make my feet entangled and dance

  ➔ Use of 'how' + clause to describe the manner in which something occurs.

  ➔ 'how' introduces a subordinate clause that explains the manner of the main verb.

• Cause I don’t want to deny the truth

  ➔ Use of 'cause' as a colloquial abbreviation for 'because' to introduce a reason.

  ➔ 'cause' is a casual form of 'because,' used in speech to give a reason.

• The moment I fall for you

  ➔ Use of 'the moment' + clause to specify the exact point in time when something happens.

  ➔ 'the moment' introduces a time clause indicating the precise instant when the action occurs.

• You lure me in and shake me

  ➔ Use of 'lure' + object + 'in' to indicate attraction or temptation.

  ➔ 'lure' + object + 'in' describes attracting someone inward or into a trap.

• A frightening side of you

  ➔ Use of adjective + 'of' + pronoun to describe a characteristic belonging to someone.

  ➔ 'adjective + of' + pronoun constructs a phrase describing a trait or characteristic associated with someone.