Bustin' Out (On Funk) – English Lyrics

• By: Rick James
• Album: The Definitive Collection

Lyrics & Translation

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
smoke /smoʊk/ A2	verb - to inhale and exhale the smoke of burning tobacco or a drug.
fire /ˈfaɪər/ A2	verb - to discharge a firearm or explosive. noun - combustion or burning, in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air and typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke.
funk /fʌŋk/ B2	noun - a genre of music characterized by a strong rhythmic groove and often featuring syncopated bass lines and percussive instrumentation. verb - to perform or dance to funk music.
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps.
sing /sɪŋ/ A1	verb - to produce musical sounds with the voice.
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - to feel deep affection for someone.
hands /hændz/ A1	noun - the end part of a person's arm beyond the wrist, including the palm, fingers, and thumb.
air /eər/ A1	noun - the invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth, a mixture mainly of oxygen and nitrogen.
serious /ˈsɪəriəs/ B1	adjective - demanding or characterized by careful thought or consideration.
joint /dʒɔɪnt/ B2	noun - a place where two or more bones are fitted together in the body. noun - (slang) a place of business or entertainment, especially one of disreputable character.
free /friː/ A1	adjective - not under the control or power of someone else; able to act or be done as one wishes.
hair /heər/ A1	noun - any of the fine threadlike strands growing from the skin of humans or animals.
mind /maɪnd/ A2	verb - be annoyed or disturbed by something.
damn /dæm/ B2	verb - condemn (someone) to eternal punishment in hell. interjection - used to express anger, frustration, or disappointment.
stuff /stʌf/ A2	noun - matter, material, articles, or activities of a specified or indeterminate kind that are being referred to.
wait /weɪt/ A1	verb - stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or event.
communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ B1	verb - share or exchange information, news, or ideas.
stoned /stoʊnd/ B2	adjective - under the influence of drugs, especially marijuana.
freak /friːk/ B2	verb - behave in a wild and irrational way.

Key Grammar Structures

• Well, alright you squares, it's time we smoked

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood (Slightly Archaic)

  ➔ The phrase "it's time we smoked" uses the subjunctive mood. It expresses that it is time for an action to occur, even though it might not be happening yet. The structure is "it's time + subject + past simple verb" to suggest an action is overdue. Modern English might prefer "it's time for us to smoke."

• Freaks like you and I could never funk from there

  ➔ Subject Pronoun vs. Object Pronoun

  ➔ It should be "Freaks like you and *me* could never funk from there." "I" is a subject pronoun, while "me" is an object pronoun. In this sentence, "you and I/me" are part of the prepositional phrase "like you and I/me". Thus, the object pronoun "me" is required. A simple trick is to remove 'you and' to see if the remaining pronoun sounds correct: "like I" or "like me"? "Like me" is correct.

• We done braided our hair, we don't mind if you stare

  ➔ Non-standard Use of "done" as Auxiliary Verb

  ➔ "Done" is used here as an auxiliary verb, similar to "have," but in a non-standard way, common in African American Vernacular English (AAVE). The standard English equivalent would be "We *have* braided our hair." This usage emphasizes the completed action.

• If you don't like our funky then take your stuff and scram

  ➔ Ellipsis (Omission of words)

  ➔ The word "funk" is used as a noun here, but grammatically it could be argued that a noun is omitted from the phrase "our funky". We can infer that it actually means "our funky music" or "our funky style." The ellipsis adds a colloquial feel.