Laugh Now Cry Later – English Lyrics

• By: Drake, Lil Durk

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the nuances of modern slang and cultural references in hip-hop through Drake's "Laugh Now Cry Later." The song's lyrics offer a window into contemporary rap beefs and the language of success, making it a dynamic way to engage with the English language as it's used in popular music today.

[English]

♪ ♪

♪ SOMETIMES WE LAUGH AND SOMETIMES WE CRY ♪

♪ BUT I GUESS YOU KNOW NOW ♪

♪ ♪

♪ BABY ♪

♪ I TOOK A HALF AND SHE TOOK THE WHOLE THING SLOW DOWN ♪

♪ BABY ♪

♪ WE TOOK A TRIP, NOW WE ON YOUR BLOCK ♪

♪ AND IT'S LIKE A GHOST TOWN ♪

♪ BABY ♪

♪ WHERE DO THESE NIGGAS BE AT ♪

♪ WHEN THEY SAY THEY DOING ALL THIS AND ALL THAT ♪

♪ TIRED OF BEEFING WITH BUMS ♪

♪ YOU CAN'T EVEN PAY ME ENOUGH ME TO REACT ♪

♪ BEEN WAKING UP IN THE CRIB AND SOMETIMES I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE I'M AT ♪

♪ PLEASE DON'T PLAY THAT NIGGAS SONGS IN THIS PARTY I CAN'T EVEN LISTEN TO THAT ♪

♪ ANYTIME THAT I RUN INTO SOMEBODY ♪

♪ IT MUST BE A VICTORY LAP EH ♪

♪ SHAWTY COME SIT ON MY LAP EH ♪

♪ THEY SAYING DRIZZY JUST SNAP ♪

♪ DISTANCE BETWEEN US IS NOT LIKE A STORE THIS ISN'T A CLOSE ABLE GAP ♪

♪ I'VE SEEN SOME NIGGAS ATTACK ♪

♪ AND DON'T END UP MAKING IT BACK ♪

♪ I KNOW THAT THEY AT THE CRIB GOING CRAZY DOWN BAD ♪

♪ WHAT THEY HAD DIDN'T LAST DAMN BABY ♪

♪ SOMETIMES WE LAUGH AND SOMETIMES WE CRY ♪

♪ BUT I GUESS YOU KNOW NOW ♪

♪ BABY ♪

♪ I TOOK A HALF AND SHE TOOK THE WHOLE THING SLOW DOWN ♪

♪ BABY ♪

♪ WE TOOK A TRIP NOW WE ON YOUR BLOCK AND IT'S LIKE A GHOST TOWN ♪

♪ BABY ♪

♪ WHERE DO THESE NIGGAS BE AT WHEN THEY SAY THEY DOING ALL THIS AND ALL THAT ♪

♪ I'M IN THE TRENCHES RELAX ♪

♪ CAN YOU NOT PLAY THAT LIL BOY IN THE CLUB CAUSE WE DO NOT LISTEN TO RATS ♪

♪ WE IN THE LINE I BUY HER A WIG SHE TELLIN ME TAY IS THE BEST ♪

♪ POINT AT THAT NIGGA WHO ACT LIKE A KILLER ♪

♪ BUT YOU ONLY WANT FROM THE NECK ♪

♪ I'M LIKE THE BABY I'M NOT JUST A RAPPER YOU PLAY WITH ME YOU GON GET STRESSED ♪

♪ OOOOH ♪

♪ BRING DRAKE TO THE HOOD ♪

♪ SURROUND DRAKE AROUND DRAKES ♪

♪ EVEN THOUGH I GOT A CASE ♪

♪ IMMA DO WHAT IT TAKES ♪

♪ AND I NEVER BEEN EMBRACED ♪

♪ AND THE MONEYS HARD TO MAKE ♪

♪ SO I BET THEY ON THEY FACE RIGHT NOW ♪

[TACKLE. THUD}

"GET THE FUCK OFF THE BLOCK MAN"

"FUCK WRONG WITH YOU?"

♪ I KNOW THAT THEY AT THE CRIB GOING CRAZY ♪

♪ DOWN BAD WHAT THEY HAD DIDN'T LAST DAMN BABY ♪

♪ SOMETIMES WE LAUGH AND SOMETIMES WE CRY BUT I GUESS YOU KNOW NOW ♪

♪ BABY ♪

♪ I TOOK A HALF AND SHE TOOK THE WHOLE THING SLOW DOWN ♪

♪ BABY ♪

♪ WE TOOK A TRIP NOW WE ON YOUR BLOCK AND IT'S LIKE A GHOST TOWN ♪

♪ BABY ♪

♪ WHERE DO THESE NIGGAS BE AT WHEN THEY SAY THEY DOING ALL THIS AND ALL THAT ♪

♪ WHEN HE TELL THE STORY THAT'S NOT HOW IT WENT ♪

♪ KNOW THEY BE LYING 100 PERCENT ♪

♪ MOVE OUT THE RITZ FORGOT BOUT THE BENT ♪

♪ VALET JUST CALLED TO TELL ME COME GET IT ♪

♪ I KNOCKED THAT BOY OFF I DON'T WANT NO CREDIT ♪

♪ IF IT WAS ME THEY WOULDN'T REGRET IT ♪

♪ LEFT ME FOR DEAD AND NOW THEY WANT DEAD IT ♪

♪ YEAH,HEART IS STILL BEATING ♪

♪ MY NIGGAS STILL EATING ♪

♪ THE BACKYARD IT LOOK LIKE THE GARDEN OF EDEN ♪

♪ PILLOW TALK WITH ME SHE SPILLING THE TEA ♪

♪ AND THEN SHAWTY CAME BACK AND SAID SHE DIDN'T MEAN IT ♪

♪ ITS HARD TO BELIEVE IT ♪

♪ I KNOW THAT THEY AT THE CRIB GOING CRAZY DOWN BAD WHAT THEY HAD DIDN'T LAST DAMN BABY ♪

♪ SOMETIMES WE LAUGH AND SOMETIMES WE CRY BUT I GUESS YOU KNOW NOW ♪

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

WHAT?

WAIT... YO, YOU STRAIGHT?

YEAH, I'M GOOD

WE LITERALLY ON THERE LIKE ME, ODEL. WE GOT [BEEP]

NAW I WAS JUST- IT'S JUST BEEN, IT'S BEEN A LONG FIGHT

IT'S BEEN A LONG FIGHT AND I HAVE TO HAVE A WARRIOR SPIRIT

AND THAT'S ALL. SO I'M JUST-

DON'T START. DON'T START THAT [BEEP]

NAW, I'M GOOD. I'M GOOD. I'M JUST REGROUPING

-YOU SURE? YOU GOT A TISSUE?

[BEEP] NO WHY WOULD-

OKAY

BRO, LET'S GET THE F-

♪ ♪

♪ BABY ♪

♪ I TOOK A HALF AND SHE TOOK THE WHOLE THING SLOW DOWN ♪

♪ BABY ♪

♪ WE TOOK A TRIP NOW WE ON YOUR BLOCK AND IT'S LIKE A GHOST TOWN ♪

♪ BABY ♪

♪ WHERE DO THESE NIGGAS BE AT WHEN THEY SAY THEY DOING ALL THIS AND ALL THAT ♪

♪ ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
laugh /læf/ A1	verb - to smile and make sounds with your voice showing happiness or amusement
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to weep or shed tears, often from sadness
trip /trɪp/ A2	noun - a journey or excursion
ghost /ɡoʊst/ A2	noun - the soul of a dead person, often believed to appear as a shadowy form adjective - resembling a ghost town, deserted
block /blɒk/ A2	noun - a segment of a street or area
beefing /biːfɪŋ/ B1	verb - to have a dispute or conflict with someone
react /riˈækt/ B1	verb - to respond to something
victory /ˈvɪktəri/ B1	noun - a win or success in a struggle or contest
distance /ˈdɪstəns/ A2	noun - the amount of space between two places
attack /əˈtæk/ A2	verb - to take aggressive action against someone or something
stress /strɛs/ B1	noun - pressure or tension
embrace /ɪmˈbreɪs/ B2	verb - to accept or support something willingly
regret /rɪˈɡrɛt/ B1	verb - to feel sad or sorry about something that has happened
pillow /ˈpɪloʊ/ A1	noun - a soft bag filled with feathers, foam, or air, used to rest the head
spilling /ˈspɪlɪŋ/ A2	verb - to cause or allow liquid to flow out of a container
warrior /ˈwɔriər/ B1	noun - a person who fights in battles

Key Grammar Structures

• I took a half and she took the whole thing slow down

  ➔ Coordinating conjunctions (and), imperative mood (slow down), simple past tense

  ➔ The sentence uses "and" to connect two independent clauses. "Slow down" is an imperative, directly addressing the listener. The verb "took" is in the simple past tense, indicating a completed action. The phrase uses a colloquial tone.

• Tired of beefing with bums

  ➔ Gerund as object of preposition (of), colloquial language/slang

  ➔ "Beefing" is a gerund (verb acting as a noun) functioning as the object of the preposition "of". "Bums" is slang for people considered worthless or contemptible. The sentence expresses frustration.

• I'm in the trenches relax

  ➔ Prepositional phrase (in the trenches), imperative mood (relax)

  ➔ "In the trenches" is a metaphorical phrase meaning facing difficult circumstances. "Relax" is a direct command, suggesting a calm demeanor despite the situation.

• Can you not play that lil boy in the club cause we do not listen to rats

  ➔ Negative imperative (Can you not...), colloquial language (lil boy, rats), use of 'cause' for 'because'

  ➔ The phrase "Can you not..." is a polite but firm negative command. "Lil boy" and "rats" are slang terms used to denigrate someone. "Cause" is an informal contraction of "because".