I Can Love You – English Lyrics

• By: Mary J. Blige, Lil' Kim

Lyrics & Translation

"I Can Love You" by Mary J. Blige featuring Lil' Kim is an iconic 90s R&B and Hip Hop track that offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in the English language through its powerful vocals and assertive lyrics. This song not only delivers a compelling narrative of love and devotion but also showcases the unique blend of soulful singing and sharp rapping that defined an era. By listening closely to the lyrical storytelling and the dynamic interplay between Mary J. Blige's emotive singing and Lil' Kim's confident flow, you can explore nuanced expressions of emotion and conviction in English. Its memorable hooks and engaging narrative make it a special and accessible entry point for language learners to appreciate the artistry of two music legends.

[English]

[HIP HOP MUSIC]

♪ BACK IN THE HOUSE ONCE AGAIN ♪

[CROWD LAUGHING] [CROWD CHATTERING]

[UPBEAT MUSIC]

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU BETTER THAN SHE CAN ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU BETTER THAN SHE CAN ♪

♪ SITTING HERE ♪

♪ WONDERING WHY YOU DON'T LOVE ME ♪

♪ THE WAY THAT I LOVE YOU ♪

♪ AND BABY HAVE NO FEAR ♪

♪ 'CAUSE I WOULD NEVER EVER HURT YOU ♪

♪ AND YOU KNOW MY LOVE IS REAL, BOY I CAN ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU BETTER THAN SHE CAN ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU BETTER THAN SHE CAN ♪

♪ I KNOW SOME TIMES ♪

♪ CAN GET ROUGH BUT WE'LL MAKE IT ♪

♪ WE'LL MAKE IT THROUGH THE STORM ♪

♪ AND I KNOW I WILL TRY ♪

♪ TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAN TRUST ME ♪

♪ AND YOU KNOW THE REASON WHY THAT I SAY ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ A LITTLE BETTER THAN SHE CAN, OH ♪

♪ I KNOW THAT YOU, I KNOW THAT YOU ♪

♪ WISH THAT YOU COULD BE MY MAN ♪

♪ WISH THAT YOU COULD BE MY MAN ♪

♪ 'CAUSE I CAN LOVE YOU BETTER THAN SHE CAN ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU BETTER THAN SHE CAN ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU BETTER THAN SHE CAN ♪

♪ IF I TOLD YOU ONCE, I TOLD YOU TWICE, ♪

♪ Q. B. THROW THE BOOTIE, LIKE A GROUPIE FOR MO' ICE ♪

♪ ARMOR TRUCK HEIST, HIT THE BONUS LIKE N'BUSHE ♪

♪ IN LOVE WIT' YOU SINCE THE DAYS OF JUICY ♪

♪ NOW I WATCH YOU PLAY COLUMBO, PICASSO ♪

♪ TRICKS INSIDE COLASSALS, TURN YOU CASTLES TO BROTHELS ♪

♪ WHO YOU LOVIN', WHO YOU WANNA BE HUGGIN' ♪

♪ DIPPIN' ON YA NINJA HONDA WITH TANISHA AND RHONDA, WHAT ♪

♪ YOU WORK MORE BODY THAN JANE FONDA ♪

♪ PHYSICAL FITNESS, MARY BLIGE BE MY WITNESS ♪

♪ UNDER PRESSURE, I LIE FOR YOU, DIE FOR YOU ♪

♪ RUGER BY THE THIGH FOR YOU, RIGHT HAND HIGH FOR YOU ♪

♪ BECAUSE OF YOU, I'M INHERITIN' TRILLIONS ♪

♪ BURYIN' BILLIONS, BENTLEY COUPES MILLIONS ♪

♪ AND NO ONE ♪

♪ PLAYIN' GOOD SAMARITAN IN THE SHERATON ♪

♪ CRACK THE DOM P'S AND REMY'S, YOU BETTER HURRY IN ♪

♪ WANT TO TELL ME WHO ♪

♪ WHO'S GON' LOVE YOU LIKE I DO, HUH, WHAT ♪

♪ WHO GON' TREAT YOU LIKE I DO, HUH, WHAT ♪

♪ NOBODY ♪

♪ NOBODY, NOBODY ♪

♪ MARY BLIGE, LIL' KIM, NOBODY, THE QUEEN B'S ♪

♪ WHO'S GONNA MAKE YOU FEEL THE WAY I DO ♪

♪ THAT'S ME, NOBODY ♪

♪ THAT'S RIGHT, THE MARY J, LIL' K, NOBODY ♪

♪ NOBODY, NO, THE QUEENS ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ NO, I DO ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU BETTER THAN SHE CAN ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I CAN LOVE YOU ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU BETTER THAN SHE CAN ♪

♪ YES, I DO ♪

♪ I CAN LOVE YOU, I DO ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - to have strong affection for someone noun - a strong feeling of affection
know /nəʊ/ A1	verb - to be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information
you /juː/ A1	pronoun - used to refer to the person or people that the speaker is talking to
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human
better /ˈbetər/ A2	adjective - of a higher quality or more desirable
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - to cause physical pain or injury to (someone) noun - physical pain or injury
try /traɪ/ A2	verb - to make an attempt or effort to do something
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
times /taɪmz/ A2	noun - a point of time
rough /rʌf/ B1	adjective - uneven or not smooth
trust /trʌst/ B1	verb - to believe in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something noun - firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something.
wish /wɪʃ/ B1	verb - to feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that cannot or probably will not happen. noun - a desire or hope for something to happen
hear /hɪər/ B1	verb - perceive with the ears the sound made by (someone or something)
say /seɪ/ A1	verb - to utter words in order to convey information, an opinion, a feeling or request
treat /triːt/ B1	verb - to behave towards or deal with in a specified way
nobody /ˈnəʊbɒdi/ B1	pronoun - no person; no one
queen /kwiːn/ B2	noun - the female ruler of an independent country
storm /stɔːrm/ B1	noun - a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow

Key Grammar Structures

• I CAN LOVE YOU BETTER THAN SHE CAN

  ➔ Comparative Adverb

  ➔ The phrase "Better than" is used to compare the quality of two actions, showing that one action (loving you) is performed to a higher standard than another. "Better" is the comparative form of the adverb "well".

• SITTING HERE WONDERING WHY YOU DON'T LOVE ME

  ➔ Present Participle (for ongoing action/state) + Indirect Question

  ➔ "Sitting" and "wondering" are present participles (verb + -ing) used to describe the subject's ongoing state and action. "Why you don't love me" is an indirect question embedded within the sentence.

• THE WAY THAT I LOVE YOU

  ➔ Relative Clause (with implied 'that')

  ➔ "That I love you" is a relative clause modifying "the way". In this context, "that" could be omitted, as it acts as a conjunction introducing the clause describing how the loving is done.

• 'CAUSE I WOULD NEVER EVER HURT YOU

  ➔ Modal Verb 'would' (for strong negative intention/hypothetical)

  ➔ "Would never ever hurt" expresses a strong negative intention or a hypothetical situation (that the speaker would not do this under any circumstances). It softens the statement compared to a direct "I will never hurt you."

• WISH THAT YOU COULD BE MY MAN

  ➔ Wish Clause (expressing a desire for an unlikely/impossible present/future situation)

  ➔ The structure "Wish that you could be" uses the past modal "could" after "wish" to express a desire for a present or future situation that is contrary to fact or unlikely to happen.

• I WILL TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAN TRUST ME

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ "To make sure" is an infinitive phrase used to express the purpose or reason for the action "I will try". It explains why the speaker will try.

• NOW I WATCH YOU PLAY COLUMBO, PICASSO

  ➔ Verb of Perception + Bare Infinitive

  ➔ "Watch" is a verb of perception, followed by the object "you" and then the bare infinitive "play" (without 'to') to describe an action being observed.

• BECAUSE OF YOU, I'M INHERITIN' TRILLIONS

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase of Cause

  ➔ "Because of you" is a prepositional phrase indicating the reason or cause for the subsequent action or state (inheriting trillions). It answers the question 'Why?'.

• YOU BETTER HURRY IN

  ➔ 'Had better' (for strong advice or warning)

  ➔ "Better hurry in" is a shortened form of "You had better hurry in." "Had better" is used to give strong advice or a warning, suggesting that there will be negative consequences if the advice is not followed.

• WHO'S GONNA MAKE YOU FEEL THE WAY I DO

  ➔ Causative Verb 'make' + Bare Infinitive

  ➔ The phrase "make you feel" uses the causative verb "make" followed by an object "you" and then a bare infinitive "feel" (without 'to') to indicate that someone causes another person to do something.