Criminal
Ward ZZ Lyrics
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I toss and turn, got the sheets untucked,
You broke right in, yeah, you stole, you took,
With dirty fingerprints, you no-good crook,
You shatter my heart like a Tiffany glass,
I knew from the start he was a thief in a mask,
And now I'm alone, cleaning up his mess,
There ain't nothin' left,
He's just a criminal,
He's just a criminal,
I can't get back what he stole,
He's just a criminal,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
I hear the rain on this old tin roof,
The rusty nails in the boards comin' loose,
Spend my last two dollars on you,
You robbed me blind and you left no proof,
Poof, poof, mmm, disappear,
You should be sentenced for a thousand years,
You should pay me back for a thousand tears,
Insulting,
He's just a criminal,
He's just a criminal,
I can't get back what he stole,
He's just a criminal,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
He's just a criminal,
He's just a criminal,
I can't get back what he stole,
He's just a, just a, just a, just a, just a, just a criminal
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Insulting, oh
Insulting, oh
Insulting, oh
Insulting, oh
Insulting, oh
Insulting, oh
Insulting, oh
Insulting
The song Criminal by Ward ZZ is a heartbreakingly vivid depiction of a woman's pain as she is robbed by a man she trusted. The song starts with the singer unable to sleep, her mind racing with the betrayal she has just experienced. She describes the thief as a "no-good crook" with "dirty fingerprints," painting him as a despicable person who has shattered her heart like a delicate Tiffany glass. She knew from the start that he was wearing a mask and is now left alone, cleaning up the mess he has created. The chorus repeats that he is just a criminal and she can't get back what he has stolen from her.
The song continues with the singer describing her dire situation; she has no money left, and the only thing she spent her last two dollars on was this thief. Despite leaving no proof, the thief has robbed her blind, and she is left with a thousand tears to cry. She, therefore, wishes that the criminal would be sentenced to prison for a thousand years and pay her back for her heartache.
Overall, the song Criminal is a poignant and extremely relatable take on being burned in love. It is a pop song with a hard-hitting delivery that perfectly captures the feeling of betrayal with the use of powerful vocal performance and vivid imagery.
Line by Line Meaning
It's 3:00 AM, got my eyes wide shut,
Despite it being 3 am, the singer is wide awake with worry.
I toss and turn, got the sheets untucked,
The singer is unable to sleep and is restless.
You broke right in, yeah, you stole, you took,
Referring to an intruder who broke in and stole from the singer.
With dirty fingerprints, you no-good crook,
The intruder left physical evidence of his crime.
You shatter my heart like a Tiffany glass,
The artist's heart is broken beyond repair, like a fragile piece of glass.
I knew from the start he was a thief in a mask,
The singer was aware that the intruder was untrustworthy.
And now I'm alone, cleaning up his mess,
The singer is left with the consequences of the intruder's actions.
There ain't nothin' left,
Everything valuable has been stolen and the artist is left with nothing.
He's just a criminal,
The intruder is nothing more than a criminal.
I can't get back what he stole,
The losses cannot be recovered.
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
A repetitive melody to emphasize the gravity of the situation.
I hear the rain on this old tin roof,
The sound of the rain is perhaps the only comfort amid the turmoil.
The rusty nails in the boards comin' loose,
The dilapidated state of the fixed roof is symbolic of the singer's own life falling apart.
Spend my last two dollars on you,
The singer gave all that they had to the thief - whether literally, figuratively or emotionally.
You robbed me blind and you left no proof,
The intruder did not leave behind any evidence to help track or prosecute them.
Poof, poof, mmm, disappear,
The intruder vanished without a trace, leaving the artist in their misery.
You should be sentenced for a thousand years,
The artist wishes that the intruder should receive a harsh and fitting punishment.
You should pay me back for a thousand tears,
The losses and hurt caused by the intruder are significant and warrant just compensation.
Insulting,
The situation is hurtful and demeaning.
He's just a, just a, just a, just a, just a, just a criminal
The artist repeats the same message in a crescendo to drive home their point.
Insulting, oh
Reiterating that the situation is hurtful and demeaning.
Insulting, oh
The same message is repeated for emphasis.
Insulting, oh
The hurtful and demeaning nature of the situation continues to weigh on the singer.
Insulting, oh
The monotonous repetition accentuates the hopelessness felt by the artist.
Insulting, oh
The situation is both insulting and inescapable.
Insulting, oh
Repeating the same message one last time to drive home the point.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Walt Disney Music Company, INGROOVES MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC C/O SOVEREIGN MUSIC
Written by: EVAN BOGART, FREDDIE GIBBS, JONATHAN KELLER, RICHARD PARRY, BERNARD FREEMAN, EVAN INGERSOLL, CHARLES WORTH, DAN AUERBACH, ZZ WARD, BRENDAN JOYCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
c.aungz_
It's 3:00 AM, got my eyes wide shut,
I toss and turn, got the sheets untucked,
You broke right in, yeah, you stole, you took,
With dirty fingerprints, you no-good crook,
You shatter my heart like a Tiffany glass,
I knew from the start he was a thief in a mask,
And now I'm alone, cleaning up this mess,
There ain't nothin' left,
He's just a criminal,
He's just a criminal,
I can't get back what he stole,
He's just a criminal,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no,
I hear the rain on this old tin roof,
The rusty nails in the boards comin' loose,
Spend my last two dollars on you,
You robbed me blind and you left no proof,
Poof, poof, mmm, disappear,
You should be sentenced for a thousand years,
You should pay me back for a thousand tears,
Insulting,
He's just a criminal,
He's just a criminal,
I can't get back what he stole,
He's just a criminal,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no,
Adam Ward
I love this song so much!! Can't get enough!!
Zanne5454
This woman is amazingly talented and the band is perfection as well. Thanks to craigyferg for the intro! Saw 'em in Orlando and I'll never miss her when she comes to Florida.
Nielen Emhof
One of her best.
Uriah Acosta
Love how Freddie says "criminalll" at the end 😁
c.aungz_
It's 3:00 AM, got my eyes wide shut,
I toss and turn, got the sheets untucked,
You broke right in, yeah, you stole, you took,
With dirty fingerprints, you no-good crook,
You shatter my heart like a Tiffany glass,
I knew from the start he was a thief in a mask,
And now I'm alone, cleaning up this mess,
There ain't nothin' left,
He's just a criminal,
He's just a criminal,
I can't get back what he stole,
He's just a criminal,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no,
I hear the rain on this old tin roof,
The rusty nails in the boards comin' loose,
Spend my last two dollars on you,
You robbed me blind and you left no proof,
Poof, poof, mmm, disappear,
You should be sentenced for a thousand years,
You should pay me back for a thousand tears,
Insulting,
He's just a criminal,
He's just a criminal,
I can't get back what he stole,
He's just a criminal,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no,
savannah dawn
asaulted* not insulting
Taylah Allen
SayagoWest always sounded like that to me too 😂
LOCAAA
my fav song of ZZ Ward! :)
Casey Cardinal
sick, needs to be promoted
Terrance J.
Do u promote