I'm A Mess – English Lyrics

• By: Omah Lay
• Album: Boy Alone

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw honesty of Omah Lay's 'I'm A Mess' and explore authentic expressions of emotion in Afrobeats. This song offers a unique opportunity to learn how artists articulate vulnerability and complex feelings in English, making it special for its candid lyrics and relatable themes of mental health and self-discovery.

[English]

(soft, slow music)

(singers vocalizing)

♪ Niphkeys, Niphkeys ♪

(slow percussive music)

♪ Oh, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Oh, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Sometimes I'm happy, sometimes I'm sad ♪

♪ I don't know what's over me ♪

♪ Sometimes I'm good, sometimes I'm wild ♪

♪ I don't know what's over me ♪

♪ I don't know what's over me ♪

♪ I'm overthinking everything ♪

♪ At time it feel like nobody ♪

♪ Can understand the way I feel ♪

♪ 'Cause I'm fucked up totally ♪

♪ I don't know how to keep company ♪

♪ So, I've been drinking cognac ♪

♪ I've been drinking too many shots of cognac ♪

♪ One for the belly, another for a broken heart ♪

♪ Three for addiction, four so I don't go back ♪

♪ I'm looking for somebody who could watch my shoulders ♪

♪ So, I can never be sober ♪

♪ I can never be so, so, oh, oh ♪

♪ I can never be so, oh ♪

♪ Yes, I did it ♪

♪ How many million I make for a living ♪

♪ Wear my Louis Vuitton, post for the pic, yeah ♪

♪ Let the camera light hit my teeth, you know ♪

♪ Nobody's better than me ♪

♪ Nobody's better than me ♪

♪ I do it differently ♪

♪ Everybody can see ♪

♪ But I don't know what's over me ♪

♪ I'm overthinking everything ♪

♪ At time it feel like nobody ♪

♪ Can understand the way I feel ♪

♪ 'Cause I am fucked up totally ♪

♪ I don't know how to keep company ♪

♪ So I've been drinking cognac ♪

♪ I've been drinking too many shots of cognac ♪

♪ One for the belly, another for a broken heart ♪

♪ Three for addiction, four so I don't go back ♪

♪ I'm looking for somebody who could watch my shoulders ♪

♪ So, I can never be sober ♪

♪ I can never be so, so ♪

(music fades)

♪ I can never be sober ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
overthinking /ˌoʊvərˈθɪŋkɪŋ/ C1	noun - the act of thinking about something too much or for too long
cognac /ˈkɒn.jæk/ B2	noun - a type of brandy made from distilled wine, usually served as an alcoholic beverage
sober /ˈsoʊbər/ B2	adjective - not intoxicated or drunk; not affected by alcohol
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - the organ that pumps blood through the body; emotional center of a person
breakup /ˈbreɪkˌʌp/ B2	noun - the end of a romantic relationship
addiction /əˈdɪk.ʃən/ C1	noun - a condition of being unable to stop using a substance or engaging in a behavior
feel /fiːl/ A2	verb - to experience an emotion or physical sensation
company /ˈkʌm.pə.ni/ A2	noun - a group of people who work together or are together socially
happy /ˈhæp.i/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing pleasure or contentment
wild /waɪld/ B2	adjective - living or growing in the natural environment; not domesticated
happy /ˈhæp.i/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing pleasure or contentment

Key Grammar Structures

• Sometimes I'm happy, sometimes I'm sad

  ➔ Present Simple Tense

  ➔ The phrase uses the present simple tense to describe recurring states of being happy or sad.

• I don't know what's over me

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense (with 'what's' as a subject)

  ➔ The sentence uses the present continuous tense with 'what's' as the subject to express an ongoing state of uncertainty.

• I've been drinking cognac

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous Tense

  ➔ The sentence uses the present perfect continuous tense to emphasize the ongoing action of drinking cognac over a period of time.

• One for the belly, another for a broken heart

  ➔ Parallel Structure

  ➔ The phrase uses parallel structure to create a balanced and rhythmic effect between 'one for the belly' and 'another for a broken heart'.

• I'm looking for somebody who could watch my shoulders

  ➔ Relative Clause with 'who could'

  ➔ The sentence uses a relative clause with 'who could' to describe the type of person the speaker is looking for.

• So, I can never be sober

  ➔ Modal Verb 'can' for Ability/Possibility

  ➔ The sentence uses the modal verb 'can' to express the speaker's inability to be sober.

• Yes, I did it

  ➔ Past Simple Tense with Emphasis

  ➔ The sentence uses the past simple tense with emphasis to assert that the action was completed.

• Nobody's better than me

  ➔ Contraction and Comparative Adjective

  ➔ The phrase uses a contraction ('Nobody's') and a comparative adjective ('better') to express superiority.