B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad) – English Lyrics

• By: OutKast

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Outkast's groundbreaking hit, "B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)," a sonic explosion that defies genre . Explore the meaning behind the lyrics, the blend of musical styles, and the cultural impact of this iconic track. Discover how this song captured the energy of a new millennium and continues to resonate today .

[English]

(futuristic hip-hop beat)

♪ One, two ♪

♪ One, two, three ♪

♪ Yeah, inslumnational, underground ♪

♪ Thunder pounds when I stomp the ground (woo) ♪

♪ Like a million elephants or silverback orangutans ♪

♪ You can't stop a train ♪

♪ Who want some? Don't come unprepared ♪

♪ I'll be there, but when I leave there ♪

♪ Better be a household name ♪

♪ Weather man tellin' us it ain't gon' rain ♪

♪ So now we sittin' in a drop-top, soakin' wet ♪

♪ In a silk suit, tryin' not to sweat ♪

♪ Hit somersaults without the net ♪

♪ But this'll be the year that we won't forget ♪

♪ 1-9-9-9, Anno Domini, anything goes ♪

♪ Be whatchu wanna be ♪

♪ Long as you know consequences are given for livin' ♪

♪ The fence is too high to jump in jail ♪

♪ Too low to dig, I might just touch hell, hot ♪

♪ Get a life, now they on sale ♪

♪ Then I might cast you a spell ♪

♪ Look at what came in the mail ♪

♪ A scale and some Arm & Hammer ♪

♪ Soul-gold grill and a baby mama ♪

♪ Black Cadillac and a pack of Pampers ♪

♪ Stack of question with no answers ♪

♪ Cure for cancer, cure for AIDS ♪

♪ Make a... wanna stay on tour for days ♪

♪ Get back home, things are wrong ♪

♪ Well, not really, it was bad all along ♪

♪ Before you left adds up to a ball of power ♪

♪ Thoughts at 1,000 miles per hour ♪

♪ Hello, ghetto, let your brain breathe ♪

♪ Believe there's always mo', ow ♪

♪ Don't pull the thang out, unless you plan to bang ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad (yeah, yeah) ♪

♪ Don't even bang unless you plan to hit something ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad (yeah, uh) ♪

♪ Don't pull the thang out, unless you plan to bang ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad (ha, ha, ha, yeah) ♪

♪ Don't even bang unless you plan to hit something ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad ♪

♪ Don't pull the thang out, unless you plan to bang ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad (ha, ha, ha, yeah) ♪

♪ Don't even bang unless you plan to hit something ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad ♪

♪ Uno, dos, tres, it's on ♪

♪ Did you ever think a pimp rock a microphone? ♪

♪ Like that there Boi and will still stay street ♪

♪ Big things happen every time we meet ♪

♪ Like a track team, crack fiend, dyin' to geek ♪

♪ Outkast bumpin' up and down the street ♪

♪ Slam back, Cadillac, 'bout five... deep ♪

♪ 75 emcee's freestylin' to the beat ♪

♪ 'Cause we get crunk, stay drunk, at the club ♪

♪ Should have bought an ounce, but you copped a dub ♪

♪ Should have held back, but you throwed the punch ♪

♪ 'Spose to meet your girl but you packed a lunch ♪

♪ No D to the U to the G for you ♪

♪ Got a son on the way by the name of Bamboo ♪

♪ Got a little baby girl, four year, Jordan ♪

♪ Never turn my back on my kids for them ♪

♪ Should have... it, quit it, rag-top ♪

♪ Before you re-up, get a laptop ♪

♪ Make a business for yourself, boy, set some goals ♪

♪ Make a fat diamond out of dusty coals ♪

♪ Record number four, but we on a roll ♪

♪ Hold up, slow up, stop, control ♪

♪ Like Janet, Planet, Stankonia's on ya ♪

♪ Movin' like Floyd, comin' straight to Florida ♪

♪ Lock all your windows, then block the corridors ♪

♪ Pullin' off my belt 'cause a whipping's in order ♪

♪ Like a three-piece fish before I... your daughter ♪

♪ Yo quiero Taco Bell, then I hit the border ♪

♪ Pitty-pat rappers tryin' to get the five ♪

♪ I'm a microphone fiend tryin' to stay alive ♪

♪ When you come to ATL, boy, you betta not hide ♪

♪ 'Cause the Dungeon Family gon' ride, ha ♪

♪ Don't pull the thang out, unless you plan to bang ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad (ha, yeah) ♪

♪ Don't even bang unless you plan to hit something ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad (uh, yeah) ♪

♪ Don't pull the thang out, unless you plan to bang ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad (y'all heard me, yeah) ♪

♪ Don't even bang unless you plan to hit something ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad, yeah ♪

♪ Don't pull the thang out, unless you plan to bang ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad (y'all heard me, yeah) ♪

♪ Don't even bang unless you plan to hit something ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad ♪

(guitar playing over hip-hop beat)

♪ Bombs over Baghdad, yeah ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad, yeah ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad, yeah ♪

♪ Bombs over Baghdad, yeah ♪

(record scratching)

♪ B-I-G B-O-I ♪

(percussion and guitar playing over record scratching)

♪ Bob your head, rag-top ♪

♪ Bob your head, rag-top ♪

♪ Bob your head, rag-top ♪

♪ Bob your head, rag-top ♪

♪ Bob your head, rag-top ♪

♪ Bob your head, rag-top ♪

♪ Bob your head, rag-top (one, two) ♪

♪ Bob your head, rag-top (one, two, three, let's go) ♪

♪ Power music, electric revival ♪

♪ Power music, electric revival ♪

♪ Power music, electric revival ♪

♪ Power music, electric revival ♪

♪ Power music, electric revival ♪

♪ Power music, electric revival ♪

♪ Power music ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
thunder /ˈθʌndər/ B1	noun - a loud crash of sound that comes from a storm verb - to make a loud noise like thunder
ground /ɡraʊnd/ A1	noun - the surface of the earth
stop /stɒp/ A1	verb - to cease moving noun - a cessation of movement
name /neɪm/ A1	noun - a word or words by which someone or something is known verb - to give a name to
rain /reɪn/ A1	noun - water falling in drops from vapor in the atmosphere verb - to fall as rain
wet /wet/ A1	adjective - covered or saturated with water or another liquid
forget /fərˈɡet/ A1	verb - to fail to remember
living /ˈlɪvɪŋ/ A2	noun - the state of being alive verb - to be alive
jail /dʒeɪl/ A2	noun - a place for the confinement of people accused or convicted of a crime verb - to put someone in jail
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic matter, including capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal
black /blæk/ A1	adjective - of the darkest color or shade
question /ˈkwɛstʃən/ A2	noun - a sentence worded or expressed so as to elicit information verb - ask questions of someone
cure /kjʊər/ B1	verb - relieve (a person or animal) of the symptoms of a disease or condition noun - a substance or treatment that cures a disease or condition
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives
wrong /rɒŋ/ A1	adjective - not correct or true
power /ˈpaʊər/ A2	noun - the ability to do something or act in a particular way verb - supply (a device) with mechanical or electrical energy.
brain /breɪn/ A2	noun - an organ of soft nervous tissue contained in the skull of vertebrates, functioning as the coordinating center of sensation and intellectual and nervous activity
bombs /bɒmz/ B1	noun - a container filled with explosives, incendiary material, smoke, gas, or other destructive substances, designed to explode on impact or when detonated by a timing mechanism, remote control, or proximity fuse verb - attack (a place or person) with bombs
meet /miːt/ A1	verb - to encounter someone unexpectedly
kids /kɪdz/ A1	noun - a child or young person
business /ˈbɪznɪs/ A2	noun - a person's regular occupation, profession, or trade.

Key Grammar Structures

• Weather man tellin' us it ain't gon' rain

  ➔ Non-standard Contractions and Double Negatives

  ➔ This line uses colloquial contractions like "tellin'" (telling) and "gon'" (going to). "Ain't" is a non-standard contraction for "is not," and using it with "rain" creates a double negative, common in some dialects but grammatically incorrect in Standard English. This is used for stylistic effect.

• Long as you know consequences are given for livin'

  ➔ "Long as" as a conjunction

  ➔ "Long as" is a colloquial equivalent of "as long as". This conjunction introduces a condition. The sentence means: "As long as you know consequences are given for living, you can be what you want to be."

• The fence is too high to jump in jail

  ➔ "Too + adjective + to + verb" structure

  ➔ This structure expresses that something is impossible or very difficult because of an excessive quality. Here, the fence's height makes it impossible to jump and escape being in jail (although it's already presupposing being in jail, the sentence is more figurative).

• Don't pull the thang out, unless you plan to bang

  ➔ Imperative with "unless"

  ➔ This is an imperative sentence (Don't pull the thang out) followed by a conditional clause using "unless". It means, "Do not reveal your weapon (implied), except if you intend to use it (cause violence)". "Unless" introduces a negative condition; it is similar to saying "if you don't plan to bang, don't pull the thang out."

• Should have bought an ounce, but you copped a dub

  ➔ "Should have + past participle" for regret and contrast with "but"

  ➔ "Should have bought" expresses regret that the action (buying an ounce) did not occur. "But" contrasts this with what actually happened (you copped a dub). It indicates a missed opportunity or poor decision. "Cop" is slang for buying and "dub" means twenty dollars worth of marijuana

• S'pose to meet your girl but you packed a lunch

  ➔ Contraction "S'pose to" and past simple for unfulfilled intention

  ➔ "S'pose to" is a colloquial contraction for "supposed to," indicating an expectation or obligation. The use of the past simple ("packed a lunch") contrasts with the expected action (meet your girl), highlighting a deviation from the original plan. The expectation (meet girl) didn't happen.

• Before you re-up, get a laptop

  ➔ Imperative with "before" clause

  ➔ This line uses an imperative (get a laptop) with a "before" clause (Before you re-up). This structure indicates an action that should occur prior to another. "Re-up" refers to restocking on drugs.