Criminal
Fiona Apple Lyrics

I've been a bad, bad girl
I have behaved wrongly

I've been careless with a delicate man
I haven't taken the necessary care with a sensitive person

And it's a sad, sad world
The world is a miserable place

When a girl will break a boy just because she can
It's disheartening for someone to cause harm to someone just because they can.

Don't you tell me to deny it
I should not deny what I've done

I've done wrong and I want to suffer for my sins
I have committed a grave sin and I am willing to go through the consequences of my actions.

I've come to you 'cause I need guidance to be true
I seek your help to be honest and faithful.

And I just don't know where I can begin
I don't know where to start from.

Ooh, what I need is a good defense
I need a strong justification

'Cause I'm feeling like a criminal
Because I feel guilty for my actions

And I need to be redeemed
I need to be forgiven and find salvation

To the one I've sinned against
To the one I have committed wrong

Because he's all I ever knew of love
Because he is everything I have ever learned to love

Heaven help me for the way I am
May God assist me for who I am

Save me from these evil deeds before I get them done
Rescue me from committing any acts of wickedness before it's too late.

I know tomorrow brings the consequence at hand
I am aware of what tomorrow will bring as a consequence of my actions.

But I keep living this day like the next will never come
But I continue to live today as if tomorrow will never arrive.

Oh, help me but don't tell me to deny it
Please aid me, but do not ask me to deny my action.

I've got to cleanse myself of all these lies, 'til I'm good enough for him
It is my responsibility to clear myself of all the untruths or misdeeds, so I can be worthy of him.

I've got a lot to lose and I'm bettin' high so I'm begging you
I am taking a significant risk and risking a lot of things, so I plead with you.

Before it ends, just tell me where to begin
Before it's too late, suggest where I should start from.

Let me know the way
Guided me towards the right path

Before there's hell to pay
Before having to experience the consequences of my actions.

Give me room to lay the law and let me go
Give the freedom to obey the rule and allow me to leave.

I've got to make a play
I must make a move

To make my lover stay
To make my partner remain by my side

So what would an angel say the devil wants to know?
What answers would a righteous person give to a suspicious person?

Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh
Expression of sound

Ah, ah, ah-yeah
Expression of sound

Yeah
Expression of agreement or affirmation