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♪ Da, da, da ♪ 00:31
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪ 00:33
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 00:36
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪ 00:38
♪ Da da da da ♪ 00:41
♪ Rockets ♪ 00:42
♪ Moon shots ♪ 00:44
♪ Spend it on ♪ 00:46
♪ The have-nots ♪ 00:49
♪ Money ♪ 00:51
♪ We make it ♪ 00:54
♪ Before we see it ♪ 00:57
♪ You take it ♪ 00:59
♪ Oh, make me wanna holler ♪ 01:01
♪ The way they do my life ♪ 01:04
♪ Make me wanna holler ♪ 01:07
♪ The way they do my life ♪ 01:09
♪ This ain't living, this ain't living ♪ 01:11
♪ No, no baby ♪ 01:15
♪ This ain't living ♪ 01:17
♪ No, no, no, no, no ♪ 01:19
♪ Inflation ♪ 01:22
♪ No chance ♪ 01:25
♪ To increase ♪ 01:28
♪ Finance ♪ 01:30
♪ Bills pile up ♪ 01:33
♪ Sky high ♪ 01:35
♪ Send that boy off ♪ 01:38
♪ To die ♪ 01:40
♪ Oh, make me wanna holler ♪ 01:42
♪ The way they do my life ♪ 01:44
♪ Yeah, make me wanna holler ♪ 01:48
♪ The way they do my life ♪ 01:49
♪ Oh, baby ♪ 01:52
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 01:54
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 01:56
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 01:58
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 02:01
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 02:04
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 02:06
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 02:09
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 02:11
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 02:14
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 02:16
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 02:19
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 02:21
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 02:24
♪ Da, da, da ♪ 02:26
♪ Hang ups ♪ 02:29
♪ Let downs ♪ 02:31
♪ Bad breaks ♪ 02:34
♪ Set backs ♪ 02:37
♪ Natural ♪ 02:39
♪ Fact is ♪ 02:42
♪ Oh, honey that I can't pay my ♪ 02:43
♪ Taxes ♪ 02:47
♪ Oh, make me wanna holler ♪ 02:49
♪ And throw up both my hands ♪ 02:51
♪ Yeah, it make me wanna holler ♪ 02:54
♪ And throw up both my hands ♪ 02:56
♪ Crime is ♪ 02:59
♪ Increasing ♪ 03:02
♪ Trigger happy ♪ 03:04
♪ Policing ♪ 03:07
♪ Panic ♪ 03:10
♪ Is spreading ♪ 03:12
♪ God knows where ♪ 03:15
♪ We're heading ♪ 03:17
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ Oh, it make me wanna holler ♪ 03:20
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ And throw up both my hands ♪ 03:21
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ Yeah, make me wanna holler ♪ 03:24
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ And throw up both my hands ♪ 03:26
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪ 03:30
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪ 03:32
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪ 03:35
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪ 03:38
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪ 03:40
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪ 03:43
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪ 03:45
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪ 03:48
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪ 03:51
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪ 03:53
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪ 03:55
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪ 03:58
♪ Doo doo doo ♪ 04:00
♪ Doo doo doo ♪ 04:03
♪ Doo doo doo ♪ 04:05
♪ Doo doo doo ♪ ♪ Ow-ooh ♪ 04:08
♪ Doo doo doo ♪ 04:11
♪ Doo doo doo ♪ 04:13
♪ Doo doo doo ♪ 04:15
♪ Doo doo doo ♪ 04:17
♪ Doo doo doo ♪ 04:20
♪ Mother, mother ♪ 04:30
♪ Everybody thinks we're wrong ♪ 04:37
♪ Mother, mother ♪ 04:40
♪ Who are they to judge us ♪ 04:42
♪ Mother, mother ♪ 04:45
♪ Simply because wear our hair long ♪ 04:48
♪ Mother, mother ♪ 04:52
♪ Ooh ♪ 04:53
♪ Ah ya ya ♪ 05:01
♪ Ah ya ya ♪ 05:03
♪ Oh ya ♪ 05:11

Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) – English Lyrics

🎧 Learn and chill with "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" – open the app to catch every cool phrase and structure!
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Marvin Gaye
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Lyrics & Translation

[English]
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da, da ♪
♪ Da da da da ♪
♪ Rockets ♪
♪ Moon shots ♪
♪ Spend it on ♪
♪ The have-nots ♪
♪ Money ♪
♪ We make it ♪
♪ Before we see it ♪
♪ You take it ♪
♪ Oh, make me wanna holler ♪
♪ The way they do my life ♪
♪ Make me wanna holler ♪
♪ The way they do my life ♪
♪ This ain't living, this ain't living ♪
♪ No, no baby ♪
♪ This ain't living ♪
♪ No, no, no, no, no ♪
♪ Inflation ♪
♪ No chance ♪
♪ To increase ♪
♪ Finance ♪
♪ Bills pile up ♪
♪ Sky high ♪
♪ Send that boy off ♪
♪ To die ♪
♪ Oh, make me wanna holler ♪
♪ The way they do my life ♪
♪ Yeah, make me wanna holler ♪
♪ The way they do my life ♪
♪ Oh, baby ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Da, da, da ♪
♪ Hang ups ♪
♪ Let downs ♪
♪ Bad breaks ♪
♪ Set backs ♪
♪ Natural ♪
♪ Fact is ♪
♪ Oh, honey that I can't pay my ♪
♪ Taxes ♪
♪ Oh, make me wanna holler ♪
♪ And throw up both my hands ♪
♪ Yeah, it make me wanna holler ♪
♪ And throw up both my hands ♪
♪ Crime is ♪
♪ Increasing ♪
♪ Trigger happy ♪
♪ Policing ♪
♪ Panic ♪
♪ Is spreading ♪
♪ God knows where ♪
♪ We're heading ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ Oh, it make me wanna holler ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ And throw up both my hands ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ Yeah, make me wanna holler ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ And throw up both my hands ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪
♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ La da da ♪
♪ Doo doo doo ♪
♪ Doo doo doo ♪
♪ Doo doo doo ♪
♪ Doo doo doo ♪ ♪ Ow-ooh ♪
♪ Doo doo doo ♪
♪ Doo doo doo ♪
♪ Doo doo doo ♪
♪ Doo doo doo ♪
♪ Doo doo doo ♪
♪ Mother, mother ♪
♪ Everybody thinks we're wrong ♪
♪ Mother, mother ♪
♪ Who are they to judge us ♪
♪ Mother, mother ♪
♪ Simply because wear our hair long ♪
♪ Mother, mother ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Ah ya ya ♪
♪ Ah ya ya ♪
♪ Oh ya ♪

Key Vocabulary

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Vocabulary Meanings

rocket

/ˈrɒkɪt/

A2
  • noun
  • - a vehicle propelled by a rocket engine

money

/ˈmʌni/

A1
  • noun
  • - a current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes

inflation

/ɪnˈfleɪʃən/

B2
  • noun
  • - a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money

increase

/ɪnˈkriːs/

B1
  • verb
  • - become or make larger

finance

/faɪˈnæns/

B2
  • noun
  • - the management of money and other assets

bills

/bɪlz/

A2
  • noun
  • - a request for payment

die

/daɪ/

A2
  • verb
  • - stop living

hang

/hæŋ/

A2
  • verb
  • - to suspend from above

breaks

/breɪks/

A2
  • noun
  • - an interruption or cessation of something

tax

/tæks/

B1
  • noun
  • - a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed upon a taxpayer

crime

/kraɪm/

B1
  • noun
  • - an act committed in violation of the law

increasing

/ɪnˈkriːsɪŋ/

B1
  • verb
  • - becoming larger or more numerous

policing

/pəˈliːsɪŋ/

B2
  • noun
  • - the activity of maintaining order in a society

panic

/ˈpænɪk/

B1
  • noun
  • - sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety

spreading

/ˈspredɪŋ/

A2
  • verb
  • - extend over a larger area or to a larger number of people

mother

/ˈmʌðər/

A1
  • noun
  • - a female parent

judge

/dʒʌdʒ/

B1
  • verb
  • - form an opinion or conclusion about

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Key Grammar Structures

  • Money, we make it before we see it

    ➔ Present Simple for habitual action, 'before' as a subordinating conjunction introducing a time clause.

    ➔ The sentence describes a common experience – earning money quickly but not having time to enjoy it. The use of the present simple, "make" and "see", suggests this is a recurring pattern. The word "before" connects the two actions, showing the order in which they happen: you **make** the money **before** you get to spend it.

  • Oh, make me wanna holler, the way they do my life

    ➔ Infinitive phrase ('to holler') functioning as an object complement, colloquial 'wanna' for 'want to'.

    ➔ This line expresses frustration and a desire to express that frustration vocally. The phrase "make me wanna" is a common colloquialism meaning "makes me want to". The 'they' is vague, representing systemic forces causing hardship. The word **life** is the object of the verb 'do'.

  • Hang ups, let downs, bad breaks, set backs

    ➔ Noun phrases used as subjects, listing of nouns to create a sense of overwhelming negativity.

    ➔ This line uses a series of nouns to represent the difficulties and disappointments of life. Each noun – **hang ups**, **let downs**, **bad breaks**, **set backs** – represents a different type of obstacle. The parallel structure emphasizes the constant barrage of negative experiences.

  • Mother, mother, everybody thinks we're wrong

    ➔ Direct address using 'Mother', repetition for emphasis, 'think' as a stative verb expressing belief.

    ➔ This line introduces a new theme – societal judgment. The repetition of **Mother** creates a sense of pleading and vulnerability. The phrase 'everybody thinks' indicates a widespread negative perception. 'Wrong' is a general term, leaving the specific reason for the judgment ambiguous.