luther

• By: Kendrick Lamar, SZA
• Album: GNX

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
dreams /driːmz/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep
enemies /ˈɛnəmiz/ B1	noun - a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible
vibe /vaɪb/ B2	noun - a person's emotional state or the atmosphere of a place as communicated to and felt by others
dance /dæns/ A1	noun - an act of performing a series of rhythmic body movements to music verb - move rhythmically to music
world /wɜːrld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries, peoples, and natural forces
flowers /ˈflaʊərz/ A1	noun - the seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs
grow /ɡroʊ/ A1	verb - to increase in size or develop
heartache /ˈhɑːrteɪk/ B2	noun - emotional anguish or grief, typically caused by the loss of a loved one or a romantic relationship
days /deɪz/ A1	noun - the period of time between sunrise and sunset
pain /peɪn/ A2	noun - physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury
moonlight /ˈmuːnlaɪt/ B1	noun - the light of the moon
inspiration /ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃən/ B2	noun - the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative
star /stɑːr/ A1	noun - a fixed luminous point in the night sky
time /taɪm/ A1	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - have a strong affection for noun - an intense feeling of affection

Grammar:

• IF THIS WORLD WERE MINE, I'D TAKE YOUR DREAMS AND MAKE THEM MULTIPLY

  ➔ Second Conditional

  ➔ The "if + past simple, would + infinitive" structure expresses a hypothetical situation and its likely result. "If this world were mine" sets up the unreal condition, and "I'd take your dreams and make them multiply" is the consequence.

• INTRODUCE THEM TO THAT LIGHT, HIT THEM STRICTLY WITH THE FIVE

  ➔ Imperative Mood with emphasis on adverbs

  ➔ "Introduce" and "Hit" are imperatives, directives or commands. The adverb "strictly" emphasizes how the action of "hitting" is to be performed.

• IT'S A VIBE, DO YOUR DANCE, LET 'EM WATCH

  ➔ Imperatives and Reduced Relative Clause

  ➔ "Do your dance" and "Let 'em watch" are imperatives. "Let 'em watch" is short for "Let them watch", and "'em" is a colloquialism for "them".

• HE A FLOP, THEY JUST WANNA KUMBAYA, NAH

  ➔ Ellipsis and Colloquial Negation

  ➔ "He a flop" is elliptical for "He is a flop". "Nah" is a colloquial substitute for "no".

• HEARTACHE, SHE ONLY DOIN' WHAT SHE KNOW

  ➔ Reduced Relative Clause and Nonstandard Verb Conjugation

  ➔ "She only doin' what she know" employs a reduced relative clause where "what she know" is the object of "doin'". "Doin'" is also a non-standard conjugation of "doing".

• BETTER DAYS COMIN' FA SHO (IF THIS WORLD WERE)

  ➔ Future Continuous with Colloquialism and Ellipsis

  ➔ "Better days comin'" implies "Better days are coming". "Fa sho" is a colloquialism for "for sure". "If this world were" is an incomplete thought, implying a continuation of the conditional sentence.

• I WOULDN'T GIVE THESE NOBODIES NO SYMPATHY

  ➔ Double Negative (Non-Standard)

  ➔ The sentence uses a double negative, "wouldn't give... no sympathy", which is grammatically incorrect in standard English, where it would typically be "I wouldn't give these nobodies any sympathy". Double negatives are sometimes used for emphasis in certain dialects.

• I TURN IT OFF JUST SO I CAN TURN YOU ON

  ➔ Subordinate Clause of Purpose

  ➔ The phrase "just so I can turn you on" is a subordinate clause expressing the purpose of the action in the main clause, "I turn it off". "So that" can also be used, but "so" is common in less formal contexts.