a m a r i – English Lyrics

• By: J. Cole
• Album: The Off-Season

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Bada-ba, bada-ba, bada-ba, da-da

...

Off-Season

Let's work, hey

Plottin' my escape, this game ridin'-ridin' faith

Got a couple M's hidin' in the safe

Imagination turned a Honda into Wraith

I was doin' 80 on the interstate

Tryna make it back before my class started

Country n- never seen a passport

'Til I popped off and got a bag for it

Now I'm at the Gardens sittin' half court

Watchin' Jr. catch it off the backboard

'Ville n- never seen nothin'

'Cept a triple-triple bean jumpin'

Good-good leave a fiend crumpin'

Made it out, it gotta mean somethin'

Either you gon' hustle hard

A n- Uncle Sam got your a- re-enlisting

Two-six, murder scene pumpin'

Better leave it tucked, 'cause y'ain't dumpin'

Pow, pow, n-, he slumpy

12 comin', we ain't seen nothin'

Time change, n- ain't rumblin' no more

Nah, what for? Hungry for more

If you solo these vocals, listen close and you can hear grumblin'

Bow-tie and I'm still munchin'

Big bag, never fear fumblin'

Want smoke? N- don't choke

I'm a whole nico-nicotine company

Dreamville the only, not a Navy

How could you ever try to play me?

Kill 'em on a song walk up out the booth

Do the Westbrook rock-a-baby

I never fall out with the bro

Hate when your family turn into foe

We had a penthouse on the road

Interior decorated with the h-

Just like a multiple-choice getting chose

My n- like "Eenie, meenie, minee, moe"

Scoop up a dime-piece like we homeless

Then we gon' send 'em back pigeon-toed

Out of the concrete was a rose and windows was cold

Had to go over and stand by the stove

We from the Southeast, n- know

This where the opps creep real slow

Won't vote but they mob deep with the poles

I punch the time sheet, not no more

And now my assigned seat is a throne

Plottin' my escape, this game ridin'-ridin' faith

Got a couple M's hidin' in the safe

Imagination turned a Honda into Wraith

I was doin' 80 on the interstate

Tryna make it back before my class started

Country n- never seen a passport

'Til I popped off and got a bag for it

Now I'm at the Gardens sittin' half court

Watchin' Jr. catch it off the backboard

'Ville n- never seen nothin'

'Cept a triple-triple bean jumpin'

Good-good leave a fiend crumpin'

Made it out, it gotta mean somethin'

Made it out, it gotta mean somethin'

Made it out, it gotta mean somethin'

Bada-ba, bada-ba, bada-ba, ah-ah

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
escape /ɪˈskeɪp/ A2	noun - the act of getting away from a dangerous or undesirable situation verb - to break free from confinement or control
faith /feɪθ/ A1	noun - strong belief or trust in someone or something
imagination /ɪˌmædʒɪˈneɪʃən/ B1	noun - the ability to form mental images or concepts of things not present
hustle /ˈhʌsəl/ A2	verb - to work hard or move quickly, especially to achieve success noun - busy activity or work, especially to achieve success
throne /θroʊn/ B1	noun - a ceremonial chair for a monarch
concrete /ˈkɒnkriːt/ A2	noun - a building material made from cement, sand, gravel, and water adjective - specific and clear, not abstract
rose /roʊz/ A1	noun - a type of flower
assigned /əˈsaɪnd/ B1	verb - to allocate or designate for a specific purpose
decorate /ˈdɛkəreɪt/ A2	verb - to make something look more attractive by adding ornaments
multiple /ˈmʌltɪpl/ A2	adjective - many, more than one
homeless /ˈhoʊmlɪs/ A2	adjective - without a home or permanent place to live
opps /ɒps/ B2	noun - slang for opponents or rivals
sheet /ʃiːt/ A1	noun - a large rectangular piece of cloth
timesheet /ˈtaɪmʃiːt/ B1	noun - a record of hours worked by an employee
throne /θroʊn/ B1	noun - a ceremonial chair for a monarch

Key Grammar Structures

• Plottin' my escape, this game ridin'-ridin' faith.

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ In the phrase, **'Plottin' my escape'**, the action is ongoing.

• Country n- never seen a passport.

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense

  ➔ The phrase **'never seen'** indicates an experience up to the present.

• Imagination turned a Honda into Wraith.

  ➔ Simple Past Tense

  ➔ In **'turned'**, the past action shows a completed event.

• Good-good leave a fiend crumpin'.

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ The phrase **'leave a fiend crumpin''** commands someone to do something.

• Dreamville the only, not a Navy.

  ➔ Subject-Verb Agreement

  ➔ The subject **'Dreamville'** agrees with the verb in this phrase.