Blood On The Leaves – English Lyrics

• By: Kanye West
• Album: Yeezus

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the complex world of Kanye West's "Blood On The Leaves," a powerful track from 'Yeezus' that masterfully weaves profound samples with introspective lyrics. This song offers a rich tapestry of English expression, from its poignant exploration of heartbreak and the perils of fame to its daring commentary on societal issues. Learning English through this song will not only expose you to a diverse vocabulary and intricate storytelling but also allow you to appreciate how music can fuse personal narratives with potent historical references, making it a truly unique and thought-provoking listening experience.

[English]

Producer：Arca/TNGHT/Carlos"6 July"Broady/Mike Dean/88-Keys/Kanye West

Writer：CyHi The Prynce/The world Famous Tony Williams/Malik Yusef/Elon Rutberg/Kanye West

Strange fruit hangin' from the poplar trees

Blood on the leaves

I just need to clear my mind now

It's been racin' since the summertime

Now I'm holdin' down the summer now

And all I want is what I can't buy now

'Cause I ain't got the money on me right now

And I told you to wait

Yeah, I told you to wait

So I'ma need a little more time now

'Cause I ain't got the money on me right now

And I thought you could wait

Yeah, I thought you could wait

These b!tches surroundin' me

All want something out me

Then they talk about me

Would be lost without me

We could've been somebody

Thought you'd be different 'bout it

Now I know you not it

So let's get on with it

We could've been somebody

'stead you had to tell somebody

Let's take it back to the first party

When you tried your first molly

And came out of your body

And came out of your body

Running naked down the lobby

And you was screamin' that you love me

Before the limelight tore ya

Before the limelight stole ya

Remember we were so young

When I would hold you

Before the blood on the leaves

I know there ain't wrong with me

Something strange is happenin'

You could've been somebody

We could've, ugh, we could've been somebody

Or was it on the first party

When we tried our first molly

And came out of our body

And came out of our body

Before they call lawyers

Before you tried to destroy us

How you gon' lie to the lawyer?

It's like I don't even know ya

I gotta bring it back to the 'nolia

**** them other n!ggas 'cause I'm down with my n!ggas

**** them other n!ggas 'cause I'm down with my n!ggas

**** them other n!ggas 'cause I'm down with my n!ggas

I ride with my n!ggas, I'd die for my...

To all my second-string b!tches, tryin' get a baby

Tryin' get a baby, now you talkin' crazy

I don't give a damn if you used to talk to JAY-Z

He ain't with you, he with Beyoncé

You need to stop actin' lazy

She Instagram herself like #BadB!tchAlert

He Instagram his watch like #MadRichAlert

He only wanna see that a*s in reverse

Two-thousand-dollar bag with no cash in your purse

Now you sittin' courtside, wifey on the other side

Gotta keep 'em separated, I call that apartheid

Then she said she pregnant-ated, that's the night your heart died

Then you gotta go and tell your girl and report that

Main reason 'cause your pastor said you can't abort that

Now your driver say that new Benz, you can't afford that

All that c*caine on the table, you can't snort that

That go into that, all that money that the court got

All in on that alimony, uh

Yeah-yeah, she got you, homie, yeah

'Til death, but do your part, uh

Unholy matrimony

That summer night holdin' long and long, 'din long

Now waiting for the summer rose and (Breathe)

And breathe and breathe

And breathe and breathe

And breathe and breathe

And live and learn

And live and learn

And livin' and livin' like I’m lonely

Lonely, lonely

And livin' all I have

And livin' all

And live

And live

Samples：R U Ready—TNGHT

Strange Fruit—Nina Simone

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
clear klɪər A2	verb - to make something free from confusion or doubt
racin reɪsɪn B1	verb - to compete in a race; here used metaphorically for rapid thinking
holdin' hoʊldɪn A2	verb - to grasp or maintain something
surroundin' səˈraʊndɪn A2	verb - to be around or enclose something
somebody ˈsʌmˌbɒdi A1	noun - an important or unspecified person
molly ˈmɒli B2	noun - slang for MDMA, a psychoactive drug
limelight ˈlaɪmˌlaɪt B1	noun - public attention or fame
destroy dɪˈstrɔɪ A2	verb - to damage something beyond repair
n!ggas nɪɡəz B2	noun - a slang term, often used in African American Vernacular English (AAVE)
apartheid əˈpɑːrtaɪd B2	noun - a policy of racial segregation
alimony ˈælɪməni B2	noun - financial support paid by one spouse to the other after divorce
unholy ʌnˈhoʊli B1	adjective - not sacred or morally wrong
matrimony ˈmætrəməni B2	noun - the state of being married
lonely ˈloʊnli A2	adjective - sad because one has no friends or company

Key Grammar Structures

• Strange fruit hangin' from the poplar trees

  ➔ Present participle (-ing form)

  ➔ The word 'hangin'' is the present participle of 'hang,' used here to describe an ongoing or continuous action.

• I just need to clear my mind now

  ➔ Present simple with 'need'

  ➔ The verb 'need' is used in the present simple to express a current necessity or requirement.

• It's been racin' since the summertime

  ➔ Present perfect continuous

  ➔ 'It's been racin'' uses the present perfect continuous to describe an action that started in the past and continues to the present.

• All I want is what I can't buy now

  ➔ Present simple with 'want'

  ➔ The verb 'want' is used in the present simple to express a current desire or wish.

• We could've been somebody

  ➔ Past perfect modal (could have)

  ➔ 'Could've been' is a contraction of 'could have been,' used to express a past possibility that did not occur.

• Before the limelight tore ya

  ➔ Past simple with 'tore'

  ➔ 'Tore' is the past tense of 'tear,' used to describe a completed action in the past.

• I gotta bring it back to the 'nolia

  ➔ Modal verb 'gotta' (informal for 'have to')

  ➔ 'Gotta' is an informal contraction of 'have got to,' used to express necessity or obligation.

• She Instagram herself like #BadB!tchAlert

  ➔ Present simple with reflexive pronoun 'herself'

  ➔ 'Herself' is a reflexive pronoun used when the object of the sentence is the same as the subject.