History – English Lyrics

• By: Dave, James Blake
• Album: The Boy Who Played the Harp

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and 'History' by Dave and James Blake offers a rich tapestry of modern British English, infused with slang and profound storytelling. Through Dave's intricate lyricism, you can learn about cultural references, wordplay, and the nuances of expression in UK rap. What makes this song special for learners is its narrative depth, which provides context to the language and makes it more memorable. It's an opportunity to engage with authentic, contemporary language in a musically compelling way.

[English]

This is God's plan, He said it to me

An angel either side of my bed in a dream

Singin', "You don't know what you've yet to achieve

And you're destined for some shit you would never believe"

Now the garden same size as Adam and Eve's

I got trees, a forest, you better believe

For the bass and the treble, I treble the fee

I can't wish my ex the best, she would end up with me

How can I sleep when there's money to get with the team?

You disrespect the 16, your head on a beam

For the lust of the money, the head of the Queen

I done shit I didn't think I could ever redeem

I'm from South where they struggle with sayin' your name

But it's easy when pronouncin' you dead on the scene

So when you see me on these stages steppin' in clean

I hope

You know it's history in the makin'

Shall we make it? Oh, God

Yeah

And when they talk on my name in this country, they gon' tell you that I'm already a legend (can we make it?)

Streatham that I'm reppin', clean steppin', bro, you need to forget it

Fuck eco-friendly, my car eco-aggressive (yeah)

And my ego aggressive (yeah), you better leave me a message

Yeah, you've done it for a year, but that ain't impressive

I give a fuck about success if it ain't successive, that ain't (history)

City's gonna listen on repeat (yeah)

Gone a couple summers, so they miss me on the beat (whoo)

It don't matter if she pretty and petite

If she ain't B, she can't even kiss me on the cheek (yeah)

Mum said, "Never build a house on sand"

But I don't think I listen cah the villas by the beach

And I did it off of beats (yeah), I just whip it and I screech (yeah)

Any time you see my niggas in the streets

You know it's history in the makin' (makin')

Shall we make it? Oh, God

Did I, did I get addicted to the life?

Well, it's all that I wanted

And it was fun for a while

But history smiles on us

Now we're on to somethin'

On to somethin' higher (ah)

Now hold my hand close

I'm inspired

And I'm holdin' on to a version of our lives

Where you're still mine

You know it's history in the makin' (ooh)

Shall we make it? Oh, God

...

Yeah

My mum told me what my name really means and the powers just kicked in

Got me thinkin' back to days when I was a victim to this ting

Thinkin' I was keepin' it balanced

I was even embarrassed, sellin' CDs in Paris

But this music gave me everything I need in a marriage

I can't speak sideways on grime, jungle or garage

When I know that it's the reason we managed to make (history)

Don't be a hero, I ain't lookin' to hurt anyone

I got a clean one, and I got a dirtier one

I never see a man late to his own funeral, but

I done see a man show up early to one

I prefer the one that's slim, but I don't mind me the curvier one, yeah

And I'm comin' from the South of the river, where the sky is black

If not for the history that we made, they wouldn't like rap

Niggas tryna water down our ting, it's time to fight back

For 70 hours, I've been steppin' with powers, and it's definitely ours, it's time

You mention my name, better know that you're playin' with pepper

You borrowed a mil', and I told him to pay me whenever

Knew it was different from the moment we came in

And you can call me 'cause I said it verbatim

The woman with me like a renaissance paintin'

I'm Michelangelo's David

And any time you mention me in a statement, you better know that it's

History

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep
believe /bɪˈliːv/ A2	verb - to accept something as true
money /ˈmʌni/ A2	noun - a current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes; collectively, wealth.
sleep /sliːp/ A1	verb - a condition of body and mind which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended.
head /hed/ A1	noun - the part of the body above the neck where the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth are
history /ˈhɪstəri/ B1	noun - the study of past events
legend /ˈledʒənd/ B2	noun - a traditional story or group of stories told about a particular person or place
forget /fəˈɡet/ A2	verb - fail to remember.
message /ˈmesɪdʒ/ A2	noun - a communication containing some information, news, advice, etc., sent by post or transmitted electronically or by phone.
success /səkˈses/ B1	noun - the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.
beat /biːt/ B1	noun - a rhythmic pulse in music.
house /haʊs/ A1	noun - a building for human habitation, especially one that is lived in by a family or small group of people.
street /striːt/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town, typically with houses and buildings on one or both sides.
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
fun /fʌn/ A1	noun - enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure.
power /ˈpaʊər/ B1	noun - the ability to do something or act in a particular way.
fight /faɪt/ A2	verb - take part in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical blows or the use of weapons.
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
woman /ˈwʊmən/ A1	noun - an adult female human being.
paint /peɪnt/ A2	verb - cover (a surface or object) with paint.

Key Grammar Structures

• Singin', "You don't know what you've yet to achieve"

  ➔ Present perfect with future reference using 'yet to'

  ➔ This uses the present perfect tense to express an action not yet completed, with "yet to" indicating future have yet to achieve.

• And you're destined for some shit you would never believe

  ➔ Subjunctive mood in a conditional structure

  ➔ The word "would" is used in the subjunctive to express hypotheticals, as in "you would never believe" for disbelief.

• How can I sleep when there's money to get with the team?

  ➔ Inversion in rhetorical questions for emphasis

  ➔ The structure inverts the subject and auxiliary to emphasize impossibility, as in "wouldn't you." Conversely for "how can I."

• I done shit I didn't think I could ever redeem

  ➔ Past perfect with modal 'could ever'

  ➔ This combines past perfect "done" (informal for had done) with modality "could ever" to express surprise or impossibility.

• But it's easy when pronouncin' you dead on the scene

  ➔ Present participle used as gerund after preposition

  ➔ The word "pronouncin'" is a gerund form after "when" functioning as a preposition here.

• And when they talk on my name in this country, they gon' tell you that I'm already a legend

  ➔ Future continuous with contracted 'gon'' for informal intent

  ➔ The phrase "they gon' tell you" uses future progressive to indicate ongoing action, with "gon'" as informal for "going to."

• I give a fuck about success if it ain't successive, that ain't

  ➔ Negative conditional using double negatives for emphasis

  ➔ "Ain't" is repeated for emphasis, creating a double negative to stress that success must be cumulative.

• Mum said, "Never build a house on sand"

  ➔ Reported speech with imperative structure

  ➔ This shifts from direct "Never build" to reported speech, using "said" with the original imperative form.

• If not for the history that we made, they wouldn't like rap

  ➔ Third conditional for hypothetical past situations

  ➔ "Wouldn't like" in the main clause and the past perfect "made" in the if-clause express regret or counterfactuality.

• You mention my name, better know that you're playin' with pepper

  ➔ Imperative with conditional adverbial clause

  ➔ The imperative "better know" implies a conditional threat, equivalent to "if you mention, then you'd better know."