Brenda's Got A Baby – English Lyrics

• By: 2Pac

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music can be a powerful experience, and 2Pac's "Brenda's Got a Baby" offers a unique and impactful way to engage with English. This song is a masterclass in storytelling, using vivid and emotional language to paint a picture of a difficult social issue. By studying the lyrics, you can learn vocabulary related to family, community, and social problems, while also understanding the power of narrative in music. What makes this song special is its raw honesty and the empathy it generates, making it a memorable and thought-provoking piece of art.

[English]

(slow hip hop music)

♪ Yeah ♪

♪♪♪

♪ Brenda ♪

♪ Brenda's ♪

♪ Got a ♪

♪ Baby ♪

♪ Say that one more time Brenda ♪

♪ Brenda's ♪

♪ Got a ♪

♪ Baby ♪

♪ I hear Brenda's got a baby ♪

♪ But Brenda's barely got a brain ♪

♪ A damn shame ♪

♪ The girl can hardly spell her name ♪

♪ That's not our problem ♪

♪ That's up to Brenda's family ♪

♪ Well let me show ya how it affects the whole community ♪

♪ Now Brenda really never knew her moms ♪

♪ And her dad was a junkie ♪

♪ Puttin' in death to his arms ♪

♪ It's sad 'cause I bet Brenda doesn't even know ♪

♪ Just 'cause you're in the ghetto ♪

♪ Doesn't mean you can't grow ♪

♪ But oh that's a thought ♪

♪ My own revelation ♪

♪ Do whatever it takes to resist the temptation ♪

♪ Brenda got herself a boyfriend ♪

♪ Her boyfriend was her cousin ♪

♪ Now let's watch the joy end ♪

♪ She tried to hide her pregnancy from her family ♪

♪ Who really didn't care to see ♪

♪ Or give a damn if she ♪

♪ Went out and had a church of kids ♪

♪ As long as when the check came they got first dibs ♪

♪ Now Brenda's belly's getting bigger ♪

♪ But no one seems to notice any change in her figure ♪

♪ She's twelve years old and she's having a baby ♪

♪ In love with a molester who's sexing her crazy ♪

♪ And yet and she thinks that he'll be with her forever ♪

♪ And dreams of a world where the two of them are together ♪

♪ Whatever ♪

♪ He left her and she had the baby solo ♪

♪ She had it on the bathroom floor and didn't know so ♪

♪ She didn't know what to throw away and what to keep ♪

♪ She wrapped the baby up and threw him in a trash heap ♪

♪ I guess she thought she'd get away wouldn't hear the cries ♪

♪ She didn't realize how much the little baby had her eyes ♪

♪ Now the baby's in the trash heap bawlin' ♪

♪ Momma can't help her but it hurts to hear her calling ♪

♪ Brenda wants to run away ♪

♪ Momma say you making me lose pay ♪

♪ And social workers here every day ♪

♪ Now Brenda's gotta make her own way ♪

♪ Can't go to her family they won't let her stay ♪

♪ No money no babysitter she couldn't keep a job ♪

♪ She tried to sell crack but end up getting robbed ♪

♪ So now what's next there ain't nothing left to sell ♪

♪ So she sees sex as a way of leaving hell ♪

♪ It's paying the rent so she really can't complain ♪

♪ Prostitute found slain ♪

♪ And Brenda's her name ♪

♪ She's got a baby ♪

♪ Baby ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a baby ♪

♪ She's had a baby ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a baby ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a baby ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a baby ♪

♪ She's got no food to eat ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a baby ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a ♪

♪ Don't you know she's got a baby ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
pregnancy /ˈprɛɡnənsi/ B2	noun - the condition of having a baby inside the body
adolescent /ˌædə'lesənt/ B1	noun - a young person in the stage of developing from a child to an adult
community /kəˈmjuːnəti/ B1	noun - a group of people living in the same area or with common interests
poverty /ˈpɒvərti/ B2	noun - the state of being extremely poor
addiction /əˈdɪkʃən/ B2	noun - a condition of being unable to stop doing something harmful
crack /kræk/ B2	noun - a form of cocaine made into small crystals
prostitute /ˈprɒstɪtjuːt/ C1	noun - a person who has sex in exchange for money
abuse /əˈbjuːs/ B2	verb - to use something wrongly or improperly noun - cruel or violent treatment of a person or animal
criminal /ˈkrɪmɪnəl/ B2	noun - a person who commits a crime
poverty /ˈpɒvərti/ B2	noun - the state of being extremely poor
desperate /ˈdɛspərət/ B2	adjective - having an urgent need or despair
struggle /ˈstrʌɡəl/ B2	verb - to try hard to do or achieve something difficult noun - a difficult effort to do something

Key Grammar Structures

• I hear Brenda's got a baby

  ➔ Present Simple with Possessive ('s')

  ➔ The line uses the present simple tense to state a fact and the possessive "'s" to indicate that Brenda has a baby. "Brenda's" is a contraction of "Brenda has".

• The girl can hardly spell her name

  ➔ Adverb of Degree (hardly)

  ➔ "Hardly" is an adverb of degree which means "almost not" or "barely". It indicates that the girl has very little ability to spell her name. The sentence uses it to emphasize the lack of education of Brenda.

• Just 'cause you're in the ghetto, doesn't mean you can't grow

  ➔ Subordinate Clause (Just 'cause), Negative Contraction (doesn't)

  ➔ The line starts with "Just 'cause," a shortened form of "just because," introducing a subordinate clause expressing a reason. "Doesn't" is a negative contraction of "does not".

• Now let's watch the joy end

  ➔ Imperative Mood (let's)

  ➔ "Let's" is a contraction of "let us" and is used to make a suggestion or invitation, forming an imperative mood.

• She's twelve years old and she's having a baby

  ➔ Present Continuous (is having)

  ➔ The use of the present continuous "is having" suggests that the pregnancy is ongoing at the time of speaking. It emphasizes that the event is in progress.

• She wrapped the baby up and threw him in a trash heap

  ➔ Past Simple (wrapped, threw)

  ➔ The verbs "wrapped" and "threw" are in the past simple tense, indicating actions that were completed in the past. They describe the immediate actions taken by Brenda after giving birth.

• Momma say you making me lose pay

  ➔ Present Continuous (making) - Non-Standard English

  ➔ The phrase "Momma say you making me lose pay" uses "making" in a way that is grammatically non-standard. A more standard construction would be "Momma says you are making me lose pay" or "Momma says you make me lose pay". This usage reflects informal or dialectal speech.

• Prostitute found slain

  ➔ Past Participle as Adjective (slain)

  ➔ The word "slain" is the past participle of "slay" and is used here as an adjective to describe the prostitute. It conveys that the prostitute was murdered. It creates a concise and impactful statement.