Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker) – English Lyrics

• By: Parliament

Lyrics & Translation

"Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)" by Parliament is an iconic funk masterpiece, perfect for immersing yourself in the vibrant language of groove. Through its repetitive, catchy chants and energetic delivery, you'll pick up expressive phrases about dancing, excitement, and communal celebration, making it a fun and infectious way to learn about the power of rhythm and metaphorical language. Its unique blend of musical complexity and simple, powerful refrains makes it a special and memorable song.

[English]

Tear the roof off

We're gonna tear the roof off the mother sucker

Tear the roof off the sucker

Tear the roof off

We're gonna tear the roof off the mother sucker

Tear the roof off the sucker

Tear the roof off

We're gonna tear the roof off the mother sucker

Tear the roof off the sucker

Tear the roof off

We're gonna tear the roof off the mother sucker

Tear the roof off the sucker

You've got a real type of thing goin' down, gettin' down

There's a whole lot of rhythm goin' 'round

You've got a real type of thing goin' down, gettin' down

There's a whole lot of rhythm goin' 'round

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have the funk

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have the funk

La la la la la

Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo oww

La la la la la

Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo oww

You've got a real type of thing goin' down, gettin' down

There's a whole lot of rhythm goin' 'round

You've got a real type of thing goin' down, gettin' down

There's a whole lot of rhythm goin' 'round

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have that funk

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have that funk

La la la la la

Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo oww

La la la la la

Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo oww

We're gonna turn this mother out

We're gonna turn this mother out

You've got a real type of thing goin' down, gettin' down

There's a whole lot of rhythm goin' 'round

You've got a real type of thing goin' down, gettin' down

There's a whole lot of rhythm goin' 'round

You've got a real type of thing goin' down, gettin' down

There's a whole lot of rhythm goin' 'round

You've got a real type of thing goin' down, gettin' down

There's a whole lot of rhythm goin' 'round

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have that funk

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have that funk

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have that funk (let us in, we'll tear this mother out)

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have that funk (let us in, we'll tear this mother out)

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have that funk

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have that funk

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have that funk

(We're gonna turn this mother out) We want the funk, give up the funk

(We're gonna turn this mother out) We need the funk, we gotta have that funk

(We're gonna turn this mother out) We want the funk, give up the funk

(We're gonna turn this mother out) We need the funk, we gotta have that funk

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have that funk (Let us in, we'll tear this mother out)

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have that funk (Let us in, we'll tear this mother out)

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

We need the funk, we gotta have that funk

We want the funk, give up the funk

We need the funk, we gotta have that funk

We want the funk, give up the funk

We need the funk, we gotta have that funk

La la la la la

Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo oww

La la la la la

Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo oww

(You've got a real type of thing goin' down, gettin' down)

You've got a real type of thing goin' down, gettin' down

There's a whole lot of rhythm goin' 'round

You've got a real type of thing goin' down, gettin' down

There's a whole lot of rhythm goin' 'round

Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have that funk (Let us in, we'll tear this mother out)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
tear /tɛr/ B1	verb - to damage by pulling apart or ripping noun - a hole or split caused by tearing
roof /ruːf/ A1	noun - the covering top of a building
sucker /ˈsʌkər/ B2	noun - a person easily tricked or deceived
rhythm /ˈrɪðəm/ B1	noun - a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound
funk /fʌŋk/ B2	noun - a style of popular music characterized by a strong rhythmic groove
give /ɡɪv/ A1	verb - to freely transfer the possession of (something) to (someone)
need /niːd/ A2	verb - require (something) because it is essential or very important
mother /ˈmʌðər/ A1	noun - a female parent
want /wɑːnt/ A1	verb - have a desire to possess or do (something); wish for
turn /tɜːrn/ A2	verb - move in a circular direction wholly or partly around an axis or point

Key Grammar Structures

• We're gonna tear the roof off the mother sucker

  ➔ Future with "gonna"

  ➔ "Gonna" is a colloquial shortening of "going to", used to express future intention. It's common in informal speech and song lyrics. Here, it indicates a planned action: "We are going to tear the roof off..."

• You've got a real type of thing goin' down, gettin' down

  ➔ Present Continuous for ongoing actions + colloquial usage of "got"

  ➔ "Goin' down" and "gettin' down" are shortened forms of "going down" and "getting down", using the present continuous to describe actions happening at the moment. "You've got" is an informal way of saying "You have".

• There's a whole lot of rhythm goin' 'round

  ➔ Existential "There is" + Present Continuous (shortened form)

  ➔ "There's" is a contraction of "There is", indicating the existence of something. "Goin' 'round" is the short form of "going around" (Present Continuous), indicating that the rhythm is pervasive and surrounding.

• Oww, we want the funk, give up the funk

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ "Give up" is an imperative, a direct command or request. It expresses a strong desire for someone to surrender the funk.

• Oww, we need the funk, we gotta have the funk

  ➔ Modal verb "need" + colloquial "gotta"

  ➔ "Need" expresses necessity. "Gotta" is a shortened form of "got to", which is used informally to express obligation or necessity similar to "have to" or "must".

• We're gonna turn this mother out

  ➔ Future with "gonna" + phrasal verb

  ➔ "Gonna" (going to) expresses future intention. "Turn out" is a phrasal verb, with a variety of meanings depending on context; here, it likely means to energize and excite the place or the people within it.