Can't Hold Us – English Lyrics

• By: Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Ray Dalton
• Album: The Heist (Deluxe Edition)

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the themes of perseverance and triumph in Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' hit song, “Can't Hold Us.” Learn about the meaning behind the lyrics, the creative process, and the song's impact on listeners around the world. Discover how this song inspires individuals to overcome challenges and reach for their dreams.

[English]

[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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hey

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[Music]

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[Music]

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all right okay

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all right

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[Music]

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what it is what it does what it is what

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is it looking for a better way to get up

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out of bed instead of getting on the

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internet and checking the new hippie get

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up this shot come straight walking a

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little bit of humble a little bit of

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cautious somewhere between like rocky

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and cosby's for the game nope y'all

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[Music]

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light go and shine on down got that bob

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barker soup game and plinko in my style

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money stay on my craft and stick around

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for those pounds but i do that to pass

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the twitch and put on for my tail trust

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me

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[Music]

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[Music]

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we give that to the people spread it

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across the country labels out here now

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they can't tell me nothing we give it to

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the people spread it across the country

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can we go back this is the moment

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tonight is the night we'll fight till

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it's over so we put our hands up like

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the ceiling can't hold us

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like the ceiling can't hold up can we go

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back this is the moment tonight is

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[Music]

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but that's what you get when wu tang

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raised you y'all can't stop me go hard

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like i gotta it went in my heartbeat and

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i'm eating at the beat like it gave a

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little speed to a great white shark on

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shark week raw tryna go up a girl says

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goodbye i got a world to see my girl she

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wanna see rome sees her make

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this is our party we came here to live

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life like nobody was watching i got my

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[Music]

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like the ceiling can't hold us

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like the ceiling can hold us

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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oh

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[Music]

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that's right

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ain't what my people say

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[Applause]

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the fears

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exist

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[Applause]

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oh

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[Music]

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you

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot
fight /faɪt/ A2	verb - to take part in a violent struggle involving physical force or weapons
hold /hoʊld/ A1	verb - to grasp, carry, or support (something) with one's hands
go /ɡoʊ/ A1	verb - move from one place to another; travel.
spread /sprɛd/ B1	verb - to open out (something) so that it covers a wider area.
raise /reɪz/ B1	verb - bring up (a child).
shine /ʃaɪn/ B1	verb - to emit light.
trust /trʌst/ B1	verb - believe in the reliability, truth, or ability of.
watch /wɑːtʃ/ A1	verb - look at something for a period of time
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible. adjective - having little weight.
people /ˈpiːpl/ A1	noun - human beings in general or considered collectively.
heartbeat /ˈhɑːrtbiːt/ B2	noun - a single pulsation of the heart.
world /wɜːrld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural features.
moment /ˈmoʊmənt/ A2	noun - a very brief period of time
ceiling /ˈsiːlɪŋ/ B1	noun - the upper interior surface of a room or other similar compartment.

Key Grammar Structures

• what it is what it does what it is what

  ➔ Repetition for emphasis

  ➔ The repetition of "what it is" emphasizes the speaker's questioning and searching for meaning or purpose.

• looking for a better way to get up out of bed instead of getting on the internet

  ➔ Gerunds (looking, getting) and prepositional phrases (out of bed, on the internet)

  ➔ "Looking" and "getting" function as nouns showing the action that's being considered. Prepositional phrases provide context and location. "Instead of" introduces an alternative action.

• labels out here now they can't tell me nothing

  ➔ Double negative (can't tell me nothing)

  ➔ While grammatically incorrect in formal English, the double negative is used for emphasis in informal speech and adds to the colloquial feel. It's meant to strongly convey that labels have no influence.

• we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us

  ➔ Simile (like the ceiling can't hold us)

  ➔ Uses "like" to compare the feeling of freedom and limitlessness to a ceiling being unable to contain their energy. Illustrates a feeling of unbounded energy and success.

• Wu Tang raised you y'all can't stop me

  ➔ Informal language ("y'all"), declarative sentence with a strong assertion

  ➔ "Y'all" is a contraction of "you all," common in Southern American English. The sentence expresses confidence and defiance.

• go hard like i gotta it

  ➔ Informal phrasing, Simile ("like I gotta it")

  ➔ "Gotta" is a colloquial contraction of "got to." The simile emphasizes the necessity and intensity of his effort.

• eating at the beat like it gave a little speed to a great white shark on shark week

  ➔ Simile (eating at the beat like it gave speed...)

  ➔ This simile compares the intense rhythm and energy of rapping to a great white shark on Shark Week being given a boost of speed, highlighting its powerful and aggressive nature.