It Is What It Is – English Lyrics

• By: Milky Chance
• Album: Trip Tape II

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

It is what it is, what it is, what it is

It is what it is, what it is, what it is

It is what it is

New day, it's okay, I'ma jump in the river

Underwater dreams, good God, they give me shivers, hmm-mmm

My fantasies been good to me

I used to care if they were true and wonder what they mean

Now I just let it go

It is what it is, and I know it's all that we got

It is what it is, and I know it feels like a lot

It is what it is, what it is

And I'm tired of trying to make it be what it's not

...

Do you remember those skies on the day that we made it?

I can't help thinking that I have to let go, and I hate it, hmm-mmm

My enemy is a friend of me

I used to care if you were there, but now I let it be

Now late to turn around

It is what it is, and I know it's all that we got

It is what it is, and I know it feels like a lot

It is what it is, what it is

And I'm tired of trying to make it be what it's not

...

It is what it is (doo-doo), what it is (doo-doo), what it is (doo-doo)

It is what it is (doo-doo), what it is (doo-doo), what it is (doo-doo)

It is what it is (it is what it is)

...

Key Grammar Structures

• It is what it is, what it is, what it is

  ➔ present simple of the verb “to be” used in the idiomatic expression “It is what it is”.

  ➔ The verb "is" is the present simple form of "to be" that creates the idiom "It is what it is".

• I'ma jump in the river

  ➔ informal contraction of “I am going to” + base verb (future intention).

  ➔ "I'ma" = "I am going to" showing a future intention to "jump".

• My fantasies been good to me

  ➔ present perfect (have/has + past participle) – omitted auxiliary “have”.

  ➔ "been" is the past participle of “be” that should be preceded by “have”, as in “My fantasies have been good to me”.

• I used to care if they were true and wonder what they mean

  ➔ past habit with “used to” + infinitive; mixed past and present simple in the same clause.

  ➔ "used to" shows a past habit (“used to care”), while "were" is past simple and "wonder" is present simple.

• Now I just let it go

  ➔ causative verb “let” + bare infinitive (no ‘to’) indicating permission or allowance.

  ➔ "let" is followed by the bare infinitive "go" to mean “allow it to go”.

• It is what it is, and I know it's all that we got

  ➔ conjunction “and” joining two independent clauses; colloquial “got” = present perfect of “get”.

  ➔ "and" links the clause "It is what it is" with "I know it's all that we got"; "got" = "have got" (possess).

• Do you remember those skies on the day that we made it?

  ➔ question formation with auxiliary “do”; relative clause introduced by “that”.

  ➔ "Do" is the auxiliary that creates the question; "that" introduces the relative clause "that we made it".

• My enemy is a friend of me

  ➔ simple present of “to be”; prepositional phrase “of me” (possessive relationship).

  ➔ "is" is the present simple of “to be”; the phrase "of me" shows a possessive relationship (friend belonging to me).