Holy Grail – English Lyrics

• By: JAY-Z, Justin Timberlake

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical depth of JAY-Z and Justin Timberlake's "Holy Grail" and unlock a fascinating perspective on the complexities of fame and success. This powerful song, with its iconic blend of hip hop, R&B, and a surprising rock interpolation, offers a rich vocabulary for discussing ambition, consequence, and personal reflection. Learning English through this track allows you to explore nuanced expressions of emotion and delve into culturally significant references, making your language journey both engaging and enlightening.

[English]

♪ BLUE TOLD ME TO REMIND YOU NIGGAS ♪

♪ FUCK THAT SHIT Y'ALL TALK ABOUT ♪

♪ I'M THE NIGGA ♪

♪ CAUGHT UP IN ALL THESE LIGHTS AND CAMERAS ♪

♪ BUT LOOK WHAT THAT SHIT DID TO HAMMER ♪

♪ GOD DAMN IT I LIKE IT ♪

♪ THE BRIGHT LIGHTS IS ENTICING ♪

♪ BUT LOOK WHAT IT DID TO TYSON ♪

♪ ALL THAT MONEY IN ONE NIGHT ♪

♪ 30 MILL FOR ONE FIGHT ♪

♪ BUT SOON AS ALL THAT MONEY BLOWS ♪

♪ ALL THE PIGEONS TAKE FLIGHT ♪

♪ FUCK THE FAME KEEP CHEATING ON ME ♪

♪ WHAT I DO I TOOK HER BACK FOOL ME TWICE ♪

♪ THAT'S MY BAD I CAN'T EVEN BLAME HER FOR THAT ♪

♪ ENOUGH TO MAKE ME WANT TO MURDER ♪

♪ MOMMA PLEASE JUST GET MY BAIL ♪

♪ I KNOW NOBODY TO BLAME ♪

♪ KURT COBAIN I DID IT TO MYSELF ♪

♪ AND WE ALL JUST ENTERTAINERS AND ♪

♪ WE'RE STUPID AND CONTAGIOUS ♪

♪ AND WE ALL JUST ENTERTAINERS ♪

♪ YOU TAKE THE CLOTHES OFF MY BACK ♪

♪ AND I LET YOU ♪

♪ YOU STEAL THE FOOD RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH ♪

♪ AND I WATCH YOU EAT IT ♪

♪ I STILL DON'T KNOW WHY ♪

♪ WHY OUR LOVE IS SO MUCH ♪

♪ OHHH ♪

♪ YOU CURSE MY NAME ♪

♪ IN SPITE TO PUT ME TO SHAME ♪

♪ AIR ALL MY LAUNDRY IN THE STREETS ♪

♪ DIRTY OR CLEAN ♪

♪ GIVE IT UP FOR FAME ♪

♪ BUT I STILL DON'T KNOW WHY ♪

♪ WHY I LOVE IT SO MUCH ♪

♪ YEA ♪

♪ AND BABY ♪

♪ IT'S AMAZING I'M IN THIS MAZE WITH YOU ♪

♪ I JUST CAN'T CRACK YA CODE ♪

♪ ONE DAY YOU SCREAMING YOU LOVE ME LOUD ♪

♪ THE NEXT DAY YOU'RE SO COLD ♪

♪ ONE DAY YOU HERE ♪

♪ ONE DAY YOU THERE ONE DAY YOU CARE ♪

♪ YOU'RE SO UNFAIR ♪

♪ SIPPIN FROM THE CUP ♪

♪ TILL IT RUNNITH OVER ♪

♪ HOLY GRAIL ♪

♪ NOW I GOT TATTOOS ON MY BODY ♪

♪ PSYCHO BITCHES IN MY LOBBY ♪

♪ I GOT HATERS IN THE PAPER ♪

♪ PHOTO SHOOTS WITH PAPARAZZI ♪

♪ CAN'T EVEN TAKE MY DAUGHTER FOR A WALK ♪

♪ SEE THEM BY THE CORNER STORE ♪

♪ I FEEL LIKE I'M CORNERED OFF ♪

♪ ENOUGH IS ENOUGH I'M CALLING THIS OFF ♪

♪ WHO THE FUCK I'M KIDDING THOUGH ♪

♪ I'M GETTING HIGH ♪

♪ SITTING LOW ♪

♪ SLIDING BY IN THAT BIG BODY ♪

♪ CURTAINS ALL IN MY WINDOW ♪

♪ THIS FAME HURT BUT THIS CHAIN WORKS ♪

♪ I THINK BACK ♪

♪ YOU ASKED THE SAME PERSON ♪

♪ IF THIS IS ALL YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH ♪

♪ NIGGA DEAL WITH IT ♪

♪ THIS SHIT AIN'T WORK ♪

♪ THIS LIGHT WORK ♪

♪ CAMERA SNAPPING MY EYES HURT ♪

♪ NIGGAS DYING BACK WHERE I WAS BIRTHED ♪

♪ FUCK YOUR IRIS AND IRS ♪

♪ GET THE HELL UP OFF OF YOUR HIGH HORSE ♪

♪ YOU GOT THE SHIT THAT NIGGAS WILL DIE FOR ♪

♪ DRY YOURS WHY U MAD ♪

♪ TAKE THE GOOD WITH THE BAD ♪

♪ DON'T THROW THAT BABY OUT WITH THAT BATH WATER ♪

♪ YOU'RE STILL ALIVE STILL THAT NIGGA NIGGA ♪

♪ YOU SURVIVED ♪

♪ YOU STILL GETTING BIGGER NIGGA ♪

♪ LIVING THE LIFE ♪

♪ VANILLA WAFERS IN A VILLA ♪

♪ ILLEST NIGGA ALIVE ♪

♪ MICHAEL JACKSON THRILLER ♪

♪ AND BABY ♪

♪ IT'S AMAZING I'M IN THIS MAZE WITH YOU ♪

♪ I JUST CAN'T CRACK YA CODE ♪

♪ ONE DAY YOU SCREAMING YOU LOVE ME LOUD ♪

♪ THE NEXT DAY YOU'RE SO COLD ♪

♪ ONE DAY YOU HERE ♪

♪ ONE DAY YOU THERE ONE DAY YOU CARE ♪

♪ YOU'RE SO UNFAIR ♪

♪ SIPPIN FROM YOUR CUP ♪

♪ TILL IT RUNNETH OVER ♪

♪ HOLY GRAIL ♪

♪ YOU GET THE AIR OUT MY LUNGS WHENEVER YOU NEED IT ♪

♪ AND YOU TAKE THE BLADE RIGHT OUT MY HEART ♪

♪ JUST SO YOU CAN WATCH ME BLEEDING ♪

♪ I STILL DON'T KNOW WHY ♪

♪ WHY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH ♪

♪ YEAH ♪

♪ DON'T KNOW WHY ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
lights /laɪts/ A1	noun - forms of energy that make it possible to see
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - a current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes
fame /feɪm/ B1	noun - the state of being known or talked about by many people
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection verb - feel deep affection for (someone)
cold /koʊld/ A1	adjective - of or at a low or relatively low temperature
cup /kʌp/ A1	noun - a small bowl-shaped container for drinking from
tattoos /tæˈtuːz/ B1	noun - a permanent mark or design made on the skin by pricking it and inserting ink
haters /ˈheɪtərz/ B1	noun - a person who greatly dislikes someone or something
paper /ˈpeɪpər/ A1	noun - a substance made from wood pulp or other fibrous material, used for writing on, printing on, or packaging
daughter /ˈdɔːtər/ A1	noun - a female child
corner /ˈkɔːrnər/ A2	noun - a place where two or more sides or edges meet
high /haɪ/ A1	adjective - of great vertical extent
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - organs of vision in human
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.
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation.
blade /bleɪd/ B1	noun - the flat cutting edge of a knife, tool, or weapon.

Key Grammar Structures

• BLUE TOLD ME TO REMIND YOU NIGGAS

  ➔ Imperative constructions with 'tell'/'ask' + object + infinitive

  ➔ The structure "told me to remind" demonstrates using "tell" to issue a command or instruction through an intermediary (Blue in this case). 'To remind' is the infinitive of purpose.

• LOOK WHAT THAT SHIT DID TO HAMMER

  ➔ Exclamatory sentence with "What"

  ➔ "Look what that shit did to Hammer" is an exclamatory sentence used to emphasize the negative outcome or consequence that befell Hammer. "What" here introduces the cause of astonishment or concern.

• ENOUGH TO MAKE ME WANT TO MURDER

  ➔ "Enough" + to-infinitive construction

  ➔ This phrase uses the "enough + to-infinitive" structure to express the extent or degree of something that leads to a particular action or feeling. Here, it means the situation is so overwhelming that it almost drives the speaker to murder.

• I KNOW NOBODY TO BLAME

  ➔ Infinitive phrase as adjective modifying "nobody"

  ➔ The infinitive phrase "to blame" acts as an adjective describing "nobody". It means "there is nobody that I can blame". The infinitive clause provides additional information about 'nobody'.

• YOU TAKE THE CLOTHES OFF MY BACK AND I LET YOU

  ➔ Simple sentence with coordination (and)

  ➔ Two independent clauses are joined by "and", showing two related actions or events. The second clause, 'I let you', implies permission or acceptance of the first action, 'You take the clothes off my back'.

• I FEEL LIKE I'M CORNERED OFF

  ➔ "Feel like" + clause indicating a feeling or perception; passive voice ("cornered off")

  ➔ "Feel like" introduces a subjective feeling. "I'm cornered off" is in passive voice, meaning the speaker is the recipient of the action of being isolated or trapped.

• I JUST CAN'T CRACK YA CODE

  ➔ Use of "can't" to express inability.

  ➔ "Can't" is a contraction of "cannot" and expresses the speaker's inability to understand or decipher the other person's behavior, thoughts, or feelings – here metaphorically described as a 'code'.