luther – English Lyrics

• By: Kendrick Lamar, SZA
• Album: GNX

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical artistry of "luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA! This soulful blend of hip-hop and R&B offers a unique opportunity to explore English through its evocative storytelling and rich emotional depth. You can learn modern American slang and expressions from Kendrick's intricate verses, while SZA's smooth vocals provide exposure to contemporary R&B phrasing. The song's heartfelt message about hope and support, delivered through compelling verses and a harmonious chorus, makes it a powerful piece for language learners to connect with and understand authentic English in a musical context.

[English]

♪♪♪

♪ IF THIS WORLD WERE MINE ♪

♪ HEY, ROMAN NUMERAL SEVEN, BAE, DROP IT LIKE IT'S HOT ♪

♪ IF THIS WORLD WAS MINE, I'D TAKE YOUR DREAMS AND MAKE THEM MULTIPLY ♪

♪ IF THIS WORLD WAS MINE, I'D TAKE YOUR ENEMIES IN FRONT OF GOD ♪

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

♪ FIVE-FIVE, FIVE-FIVE-FIVE, FIVE-FIVE, FIVE ♪

[DOOR OPENING]

[FOOTSTEPS]

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

[DOOR OPENING]

♪♪♪

♪ HEY, ROMAN NUMERAL SEVEN, BAE, DROP IT LIKE IT'S HOT ♪

♪ IF THIS WORLD WAS MINE, I'D TAKE YOUR DREAMS AND MAKE THEM MULTIPLY ♪

♪ IF THIS WORLD WAS MINE, I'D TAKE YOUR ENEMIES IN FRONT OF GOD ♪

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

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

♪ SHE A FAN, HE A FLOP, THEY JUST WANNA KUMBAYA, NAH ♪

♪ IN THIS WORLD, CONCRETE FLOWERS GROW ♪

♪ HEARTACHE, SHE ONLY DOIN' WHAT SHE KNOW ♪

♪ WEEKENDS, GET IT POPPIN' ON THE LOW ♪

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

♪ IF IT WAS UP TO ME ♪

♪ I WOULDN'T GIVE THESE NOBODIES NO SYMPATHY ♪

♪ I'D TAKE AWAY THE PAIN, I'D GIVE YOU EVERYTHING ♪

♪ THAT YOU WANNA SEE WHEN YOU WANNA SEE IT ♪

♪ AND IF YOU WANTED THE MOONLIGHT I'D GIVE YOU THAT TOO ♪

♪ IF THIS WORLD WERE MINE, OH, BABY ♪

♪ I'D GIVE YOU ANYTHING ♪

♪ OH, BABY, YOU'RE MY INSPIRATION, AND THERE'S NO HESITATION ♪

♪ WHEN YOU ♪

[CAR APPROACHING]

♪ IT GO IN (WHEN YOU), OUT (RIDE IT), DO IT REAL SLOW (SLIDE) ♪

♪ BABY, YOU A STAR, STRIKE, POSE (RIGHT) ♪

♪ WHEN I'M (WHEN YOU), WITH YOU (WITH ME), EVERYTHING GLOWS (SLOW) ♪

♪ COME AND (PUT THAT), PUT THAT (ON MY), ON MY (TITI), SOUL (SOUL) ♪

♪ RARI (RED), CROWN (STACK), WRIST (STAY), FROZE (REALLY) ♪

♪ CHECK (TELL ME), THE TIME (IF YOU), ON THE WAY HOME (LOVE ME) ♪

♪ IN THIS WORLD, CONCRETE FLOWERS GROW ♪

♪ HEARTACHE, SHE ONLY DOIN' WHAT SHE KNOW ♪

♪ WEEKENDS, GET IT POPPIN' ON THE LOW ♪

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

♪ IF IT WAS UP TO ME ♪

♪ I WOULDN'T GIVE THESE NOBODIES NO SYMPATHY ♪

♪ I'D TAKE AWAY THE PAIN, I'D GIVE YOU EVERYTHING ♪

♪ THAT YOU WANNA SEE WHEN YOU WANNA SEE IT (IF THIS WORLD) ♪

♪ I CAN'T LIE, I TRUST YOU, I LOVE YOU, I WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME ♪

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

♪ IMMA MAKE YOU SAY IT LOUD ♪

♪ I'M NOT EVEN TRIPPEN, I WON'T STRESS YOU OUT ♪

♪ I MIGHT EVEN SETTLE DOWN FOR YOU, I'M A SHOW YOU I'M A PRO ♪

♪ I'M A TAKE MY TIME AND TURN IT ON ♪

♪ JUST SO I CAN TURN YOU ON, BABY ♪

♪ WEEKENDS, GET IT POPPIN' ON THE LOW ♪

♪ BETTER DAYS COMIN' FA SHO ♪

♪ I KNOW YOU'RE COMIN' FOR ♪

♪♪♪

♪ IF THIS WORLD WERE MINE ♪

♪♪♪

♪ I'D PLACE AT YOUR FEET ♪

♪ ALL THAT I OWN, YOU'VE BEEN SO GOOD TO ME ♪

♪ IF THIS WORLD WERE MINE ♪

♪ I'D GIVE YOU THE FLOWERS ♪

♪ THE BIRDS AND THE BEES ♪

♪ AND IT'D BE YOUR LOVE BESIDE ME ♪

♪ THAT WOULD BE ALL I NEED ♪

♪ IF THIS WORLD WERE MINE ♪

♪ I'D GIVE YOU ANYTHING ♪

Key Vocabulary

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

Key Grammar Structures

• 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.