– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

I was born and raised in Ghana.

But I actually didn't feel like I was from there.

Because I always looked different.

My parents are divorced.

I grew up with my mom, and Daddy’s from Lebanon.

My brows are actually the one Middle Eastern thing that I have,

and they are there so happily

and so strong.

I love them thick.

I always say, ‘I like my brows as thick as my curves.’

All my siblings are gorgeous and skinny.

So I was like, the little chubby girl and was always like,

‘oh, the one with the big cheeks.’

Bullying is accepted in the African culture.

I became very aware of my body because of other people.

All my friends wore different sizes, but I wasn’t really aware of size.

I was just like, ‘backless tops are in vogue!’

And then someone was just like, ‘ah you know, you can’t wear that.

Your friends can wear that, but you can’t wear that,

because you have back rolls or you have arms.’

The fact that no one defended me

helped me understand that that was accepted.

I don’t want women, even young girls, to grow up

emotionally holding all that stuff in the way I did.

I just want people to know all sides of me.

The bad stuff, the good stuff.

Because then, when they see me here, and you know,

I’m all confident and I love myself,

I want them to understand that it wasn’t easy and it still isn’t easy

and they’re not alone.

Confidence isn’t great if it’s not unapologetic.

The beauty about confidence is there is no room for opinions,

there is no room for you to even waver in it.

I think my creative side reveals really, truly how I think.

When I paint or when I, you know, take pictures,

you’ll know how I feel, you’ll know what the inside of me looks like.

Being a part of the European Wax Strut Society just felt like an amazing energy.

We’re all confident in our own ways.

I walk around a lot of times without makeup on,

and it’s one of those things where I had to really understand

that confidence wasn’t about

pretending to be something

or hoping to be something else.

And it also didn’t mean you had to love every single thing about you.

It’s just the world gets what I give them every day.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
divorced /dɪˈvɔːrst/ B1	adjective - having ended a marriage
gorgeous /ˈɡɔːrdʒəs/ B2	adjective - very beautiful or attractive
culture /ˈkʌltʃər/ B1	noun - the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or group.
aware /əˈwer/ B1	adjective - having knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.
accepted /əkˈseptɪd/ A2	adjective - generally approved or considered satisfactory.
emotionally /ɪˈmoʊʃənəli/ B2	adverb - relating to or influenced by the emotional state of someone.
confident /ˈkɒnfɪdənt/ B1	adjective - feeling or showing confidence in oneself or one's abilities.
unapologetic /ˌʌnəpəˈlɒdʒɪtɪk/ C1	adjective - not showing regret or remorse.
creative /kriˈeɪtɪv/ B1	adjective - relating to or involving the use of the imagination or original ideas to create something.
reveals /rɪˈviːlz/ B1	verb - make (previously unknown or secret information) known to others.
pretending /prɪˈtendɪŋ/ A2	verb - behave as if something is true when it is not.
energy /ˈenərdʒi/ A2	noun - the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity.
waver /ˈweɪvər/ B2	verb - hesitate between different opinions or actions.
sides /saɪdz/ A2	noun - a face of something.
rolls /roʊlz/ A2	noun - a small rounded mass.
strut /strʌt/ B1	noun - a supporting part of something.

Key Grammar Structures

• I was born and raised in Ghana.

  ➔ Past Simple Tense

  ➔ The verb 'was born' and 'raised' are in the past simple tense, indicating completed actions in the past.

• Because I always looked different.

  ➔ Past Simple with 'always'

  ➔ The use of 'always' with the past simple tense emphasizes a habitual action in the past.

• My parents are divorced.

  ➔ Present Simple Tense

  ➔ The verb 'are' is in the present simple tense, indicating a current state.

• I love them thick.

  ➔ Adverbial Complement

  ➔ 'Thick' functions as an adverbial complement, describing how the subject loves 'them'.

• I wasn’t really aware of size.

  ➔ Past Continuous with Negation

  ➔ The past continuous tense with 'wasn’t' indicates an ongoing action in the past that was interrupted or not happening.

• Confidence isn’t great if it’s not unapologetic.

  ➔ Conditional Sentence (Type 1)

  ➔ This is a type 1 conditional sentence, expressing a general truth or a likely result if the condition is met.

• The beauty about confidence is there is no room for opinions.

  ➔ Zero Conditional Sentence

  ➔ This is a zero conditional sentence, used to express a general truth or fact.

• I walk around a lot of times without makeup on.

  ➔ Present Simple with Adverbial Phrase

  ➔ The present simple tense is used with the adverbial phrase 'a lot of times' to indicate frequency.