All Falls Down – English Lyrics

• By: Kanye West

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and Kanye West's 'All Falls Down' offers a unique opportunity to delve into colloquial English and cultural commentary. The song is rich with wordplay, metaphors, and social critique that can enhance your understanding of nuanced language. Its exploration of themes like materialism and self-consciousness provides a window into American culture and the complexities of the 'American Dream', making it a compelling and educational listening experience.

[English]

♪ Oh, when it all ♪

♪ It all falls down ♪

♪ This the real one, baby ♪

♪ I'm tellin' you all ♪

♪ It all falls down ♪ ♪ Chi-Town, stand up ♪

♪ Oh, when it all ♪ ♪ Southside, Southside ♪

♪ We gon' set this party off right ♪

♪ I'm tellin' you all ♪ ♪ Westside, Westside ♪

♪ It all falls down ♪

♪ We gon' set this party off right ♪

♪ Man, I promise, she's so self-conscious ♪

♪ She has no idea what she doin' in college ♪

♪ That major that she majored in don't make no money ♪

♪ But she won't drop out, her parents'll look at her funny ♪

♪ Now, tell me that ain't insecurr ♪

♪ The concept of school seems so securr ♪

♪ Sophomore, three yurrs, ain't picked a carurr ♪

♪ She like, "I'll just stay down hurr and do hair" ♪

♪ 'Cause that's enough money to buy her a few pairs ♪

♪ Of new Airs, 'cause her baby daddy don't really care ♪

♪ She's so precious with the peer pressure ♪

♪ Couldn't afford a car, so she named her daughter Alexis ♪

♪ She had hair so long that it looked like weave ♪

♪ Then she cut it all off, now she look like Eve ♪

♪ And she be dealin' with some issues that you can't believe ♪

♪ Single black female addicted to retail, and well ♪

♪ Oh, when it all, it all falls down ♪

♪ And when it falls down, who you gon' call now ♪

♪ I'm tellin' you all ♪ ♪ C'mon, c'mon ♪

♪ It all falls down ♪

♪ And when it falls down ♪

♪ Man, I promise ♪

♪ It all falls down ♪

♪ And when it falls down, who you gon' call now ♪

♪ I'm tellin' you all ♪ ♪ C'mon, c'mon ♪

♪ And when it falls down ♪

♪ Man, I promise I'm so self-conscious ♪

♪ That's why you always see me ♪

♪ With at least one of my watches ♪

♪ Rollies and Pashas done drove me crazy ♪

♪ I can't even pronounce nothin', pass that Ver-say-see ♪

♪ Then I spent 400 bucks on this ♪

♪ Just to be like, "You ain't up on this" ♪

♪ And I can't even go to the grocery store ♪

♪ Without some ones that's clean and a shirt with a team ♪

♪ It seem we livin' the American Dream ♪

♪ But the people highest up got the lowest self-esteem ♪

♪ The prettiest people do the ugliest things ♪

♪ For the road to riches and diamond rings ♪

♪ We shine because they hate us ♪

♪ Floss 'cause they degrade us ♪

♪ We tryna buy back our 40 acres ♪

♪ And for that paper, look how low we'll stoop ♪

♪ Even if you in a Benz, you still a in a coupe ♪

♪ Oh, when it all ♪ ♪ C'mon, c'mon ♪

♪ It all falls down ♪

♪ And when it falls down, who you gon' call now ♪

♪ I'm tellin' you all ♪ ♪ Come on, come on ♪

♪ It all falls down ♪

♪ I'm tellin' you all ♪ ♪ Come on, come on ♪

♪ And when it falls down, who you gon' call now ♪

♪ I'm tellin' you all ♪ ♪ Come on, come on ♪

♪ And when it all falls down ♪

♪ I say, "the police, " that's how I treat 'em ♪

♪ We buy our way out of jail, but we can't buy freedom ♪

♪ We'll buy a lot of clothes, but we don't really need 'em ♪

♪ Things we buy to cover up what's inside ♪

♪ 'Cause they made us hate ourself and love they wealth ♪

♪ That's why shorty's hollerin', "Where the ballers at" ♪

♪ Buy Jordan, crackhead buy crack ♪

♪ And the man get paid off of all of that ♪

♪ But I ain't even gon' act holier than thou ♪

♪ 'Cause it, I went to Jacob with twenty-five thou ♪

♪ Before I had a house and I'd do it again ♪

♪ 'Cause I wanna be on pushin' a Benz ♪

♪ I want to act ballerific like it's all terrific ♪

♪ I got a couple past-due bills, I won't get specific ♪

♪ I got a problem with spendin' before I get it ♪

♪ We all self-conscious, I'm just the first to admit it ♪

♪ Oh, when it all ♪ ♪ Yeah, c'mon, c'mon ♪

♪ And when it falls down, who you gon' call now ♪

♪ Now, Syleena, you just like a safe belt, you saved my life ♪

♪ Oh, when it all ♪

♪ It all falls down ♪

♪ I'm tellin' you all ♪ ♪ Come on, come on ♪

♪ And when it all falls down ♪

♪ Oh when it all, it all falls down ♪

♪ And when it falls down, who you gon' call now ♪

♪ I'm tellin' you all, it all falls down ♪

♪ And when it falls down ♪

♪ Oh when it all, it all falls down ♪

♪ I'm tellin' you all, it all falls down ♪

(airplane swooshing)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
falls /fɔːlz/ A2	verb - to drop down; descend.
promise /ˈprɒmɪs/ B1	verb - to assure someone that one will definitely do something noun - a declaration assuring that one will do something
conscious /ˈkɒnʃəs/ B2	adjective - aware of and responding to one's surroundings; awake.
college /ˈkɒlɪdʒ/ A2	noun - an educational institution or establishment, in particular one providing higher education.
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - a current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes.
parents /ˈpeərənts/ A1	noun - a father or mother.
school /skuːl/ A1	noun - an institution for educating children.
pressure /ˈpreʃər/ B1	noun - the exertion of force upon a surface by an object, fluid, etc., in contact with it.
issues /ˈɪʃuːz/ B1	noun - an important topic or problem for debate or discussion.
addicted /əˈdɪktɪd/ B2	adjective - physiologically or psychologically dependent on a substance or activity.
retail /ˈriːteɪl/ B1	noun - the sale of goods to the public in relatively small quantities for use or consumption rather than for resale.
watches /ˈwɒtʃɪz/ A1	noun - small timepiece worn typically on a strap on one's wrist
dream /driːm/ A1	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.
hate /heɪt/ A2	verb - feel intense dislike for. noun - intense dislike; hatred.
wealth /welθ/ B2	noun - an abundance of valuable possessions or money.

Key Grammar Structures

• That major that she majored in don't make no money

  ➔ Double Negative (Non-standard)

  ➔ Using "don't" and "no" creates a double negative. In standard English, it should be "doesn't make any money" or "makes no money". This is a feature of African American Vernacular English (AAVE).

• Her parents'll look at her funny

  ➔ Contraction + Adverbial use of adjective

  ➔ "Parents'll" is a contraction of "parents will". "Funny" is used as an adverb modifying "look". In standard English, it is more common to say "look at her funnily."

• Sophomore, three yurrs, ain't picked a carurr

  ➔ Non-standard spelling, negative contraction and omission of auxiliary verb

  ➔ "yurrs" is a non-standard spelling of "years", "ain't" is a negative contraction meaning "has not" and the auxiliary verb "has" is omitted at the beginning. The standard english version is "Sophomore, three years, (she) hasn't picked a career.

• We tryna buy back our 40 acres

  ➔ Contraction ('tryna')

  ➔ "Tryna" is a contraction of "trying to". This is common in informal speech and song lyrics.

• Even if you in a Benz, you still a in a coupe

  ➔ Omission of verb "are"/"is" and article 'are' before "in"

  ➔ The verb "are" or "is" is omitted before the word "in". In standard English, it should be "Even if you are in a Benz, you are still in a coupe".

• That's why shorty's hollerin', "Where the ballers at"

  ➔ Informal Contraction and Omission of Auxiliary Verb

  ➔ "Shorty's" is a contraction of "shorty is", which is acceptable in informal speech. The question "Where the ballers at?" omits the auxiliary verb "are." The standard form is "Where are the ballers at?".

• 'Cause it, I went to Jacob with twenty-five thou

  ➔ Contraction, informal language, omission of conjunction

  ➔ "Cause" is a contraction of "because". The sentence begins without the conjunction "because", and uses informal language. The word "thou" is used as an abbreviation for thousand. Standard English might be "Because of it, I went to Jacob with twenty-five thousand."