Back It Up – English Lyrics

• By: Prince Royce, Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant world of "Back It Up" by Prince Royce, Jennifer Lopez, and Pitbull! This track is a fantastic entry point for language learners, offering a blend of English and Spanish lyrics (in its Spanglish version). Its catchy, dance-hall inspired beat and clear vocal delivery make it easy to follow along, pick up new vocabulary, and immerse yourself in the energetic rhythm of contemporary Latin-influenced pop music.

[English]

What's up, baby?

It's your new boyfriend

Royce

Oh, yeah

Yo, it's got that dancehall, feel to it

Prince Royce, Mr. Worldwide, J-Lo, let's ride

Girl, your body is timeless (yeah)

Girl, your body got me like

Oh my gosh, oh my God

Oh, mama

And you're making me earn it (yeah)

Girl, you're making me earn it

Oh my gosh, oh my God

Oh, mama

Ain't nothing fake on you

You so, so real (so real)

Try playing cool

But can't help how I feel

I love it when you drop it down

Baby, back, back, back it up

Dámelo, papi chulo

Dámelo, papi chulo

You turn around and make it bounce

Baby, back, back, back it up

Dámelo, papi chulo

Dámelo, papi chulo

Tú me dejas sin aire (yeah)

Tú me tienes a mí like

Oh my gosh, oh my God

Oh, mama

Esto no tiene nombre (yeah)

Say it over and over

Oh my gosh, oh my God

Oh, mama

Ain't nothing fake on you

You so, so real

Try playing cool

But can't help how I feel

I love it when you drop it down

Baby, back, back, back it up

Dámelo, papi chulo

Dámelo, papi chulo

You turn around and make it bounce

Baby, back, back, back it up

Dámelo, papi chulo

Dámelo, papi chulo

Boom, boom, mami, mami, mami

Damn, you're sexy

Boom, boom, daddy, daddy, daddy

Damn, you're fine

Boom, boom, mami, mami, mami

You on fire

Boom, boom, daddy, daddy, daddy

Let's ride

Now back it up, push your booty out

Move it in, move it out

Now wind it up while I grind it up

Like a 20 sack, and roll it out

You can go anywhere in the world

And you know that they know about me

I don't think you really wanna ask your girl

If she knows anything about me

Nah, nah, you don't

Word of advice, want a happy life?

Don't look for what you don't want to find

But before your boyfriend finds out

Back it up one more time, dale

Dámelo, mami chula

Dámelo, mami chula

Dámelo, papi chulo (yeah)

Dámelo, papi chulo

So back, back, back it up

You love it when I drop it down

Baby, back, back, back it up

Dámelo, papi chulo (yeah)

Dámelo, papi chulo

I turn around and make it bounce

Baby, back, back, back it up

Dámelo, papi chulo

Dámelo, papi chulo

I love it when you drop it down

Baby, back, back, back it up

Dámelo, papi chulo

Dámelo, papi chulo

You turn around and make it bounce

Baby, back, back, back it up

Dámelo, papi chulo

Dámelo, papi chulo

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
boyfriend /ˈbɔɪˌfrɛnd/ A2	noun - a male partner in a romantic relationship
body /ˈbɑːdi/ A1	noun - the physical structure of a person or animal
dancehall /ˈdænsˌhɔːl/ B2	noun - a genre of Jamaican popular music and a style of dance
real /ˈriːəl/ A1	adjective - genuine; not fake
cool /kuːl/ A1	adjective - fashionably attractive or impressive
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - to feel deep affection for someone noun - deep affection or strong liking
drop /drɒp/ A2	verb - to let something fall noun - a sudden fall or a small amount
bounce /baʊns/ B1	verb - to rebound off a surface noun - a rapid upward movement
sexy /ˈsɛksi/ B1	adjective - sexually attractive
fire /ˈfaɪə(r)/ A1	noun - combustion that gives heat and light verb - to discharge a weapon or ignite something
ride /raɪd/ A2	verb - to sit on and travel on a vehicle or animal noun - a journey on a vehicle
push /pʊʃ/ A1	verb - to exert force on something to move it away
booty /ˈbuːti/ B1	noun - the buttocks; a person's rear end
move /muːv/ A1	verb - to change position or go from one place to another noun - an act of moving; a change of place
grind /ɡraɪnd/ B2	verb - to crush or reduce to small particles by friction noun - the act of grinding; a repetitive motion
roll /roʊl/ A2	verb - to turn over and over on a surface noun - a cylindrical piece; a rolling motion
world /wɜːld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries and peoples
advice /ədˈvaɪs/ B1	noun - guidance or recommendations offered regarding prudent action
happy /ˈhæpi/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing pleasure and contentment
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the existence of an individual human being or animal
turn /tɜːn/ A1	verb - to move so as to face a different direction noun - an act of rotating or a change in direction

Key Grammar Structures

• What's up, baby?

  ➔ informal interrogative with contraction

  ➔ The phrase "What's up" is a shortened form of "What is up" used as a casual greeting.

• Ain't nothing fake on you

  ➔ double negative (negative concord) in colloquial English

  ➔ The word "Ain't" is a contraction of "is not" and together with "nothing" creates a double negative, which in informal speech means "there is nothing fake on you".

• Try playing cool but can't help how I feel

  ➔ imperative + gerund; modal verb "can't help" + noun clause

  ➔ The verb "Try" is an imperative urging the listener to "playing" (gerund) cool. "Can't help" is a modal phrase meaning "unable to refrain from" followed by the noun clause "how I feel".

• I love it when you drop it down

  ➔ zero conditional clause "when + present simple"

  ➔ The structure "when you drop it down" uses the present simple after "when" to express a habitual or generally true situation that the speaker loves.

• You can go anywhere in the world

  ➔ modal verb "can" + bare infinitive

  ➔ "Can" expresses ability or permission. It is followed directly by the base form of the verb "go" without "to".

• Don't look for what you don't want to find

  ➔ negative imperative; relative clause with double negative

  ➔ "Don't" is the negative form of the imperative "look". The clause "what you don't want to find" is a relative clause where "don't" appears twice, creating a double negative that still conveys a negative meaning.

• But before your boyfriend finds out

  ➔ subordinate clause with present simple after "before"

  ➔ "Before" introduces a time clause. In English, the verb in a time clause after "before" is usually in the present simple, even if the main clause refers to the future.

• Dámelo, papi chulo

  ➔ imperative verb in Spanish (command) with direct object pronoun

  ➔ "Dámelo" combines the verb "dar" (to give) in the imperative "da" with the clitic pronouns "me" (to me) and "lo" (it), meaning "Give it to me!".