Meanwhile... – English Lyrics

• By: Gorillaz, Jelani Blackman, Barrington Levy

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a vibrant musical journey with Gorillaz's "Meanwhile..." This track, a lively tribute to London's Notting Hill Carnival, offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in contemporary English and Patois spoken word, delivered by Jelani Blackman and Barrington Levy. Its blend of reggae, dub, and electronic sounds, coupled with its themes of community and resilience, makes it a culturally rich and melodically engaging song perfect for language learners.

[English]

Hey

I don’t mind change

I don’t like hate

See when the sound system break

We make the system shake

When a girl wanna swing my way

Play street with the street that I played

But I’m on a street over here, all saints

Imagine no saints when you wake

Hey, that’s a good taste

Hm, that’s a good space

Hey, ain’t my place

Like that’s some real wave

I’m missing so deeply

Or put that shit on my grave

I buck and sway

Ten toes for the rave in the ring

Hey, I love carnival beers

It don’t feel the same

That’s cool, don’t get in my way

In fact, don’t migrate

Yeah, and we like champagne

Probably like Red Stripe, probably like rave

It don’t feel the same

That’s cool, don’t get in my way

I'm back in bed

Not in hell, right, no froths

Tell the boys on my granddad outside

Buy it back, take 'cuz his bones like stone

Salon in Ireland, they were really out there in the field

When the vibe was real, that’s why I get out of my feels

I know that I can’t fucking live here still

It don’t feel the same

That’s cool, don’t get in my way

In fact, don’t migrate

Yeah, and we like champagne

Probably like Red Stripe, probably like rave

It don’t feel the same

That’s cool, don’t get in my way

Yeah, it’s just the same as I

Thought it would be

When I was in carnival

I followed your principal

Do you really think I’d leave you

Meanwhile

I love carnival beers

It don’t feel the same

That’s cool, don’t get in my way

In fact, don’t migrate

Yeah, we like champagne

Probably like Red Stripe, probably like rave

It don’t feel the same

That’s cool, don’t get in my way

Yeah, it’s just the same as I

Thought it would be

When I was in carnival

Dancing on protocol

Do you really think I’d forget you

Meanwhile

Meanwhile

Meanwhile

Meanwhile

Said, I love carnival beers

It don’t feel the same

That’s cool, don’t get in my way

In fact, don’t migrate

Yeah, we like champagne

Probably like Red Stripe, probably like rave

It don’t feel the same

That’s cool, don’t get in my way…

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A1	verb - to make or become different noun - the act of becoming different
hate /heɪt/ A1	verb - to dislike intensely noun - intense dislike
break /breɪk/ A1	verb - to separate into pieces noun - a gap or interruption
shake /ʃeɪk/ A1	verb - to move with short, quick movements
swing /swɪŋ/ A2	verb - to move backward and forward
saint /seɪnt/ A2	noun - a person recognized for holiness
taste /teɪst/ A1	noun - the flavor of something verb - to perceive flavor
space /speɪs/ A1	noun - a continuous area or expanse
wave /weɪv/ A1	noun - a movement on the surface of water verb - to move one's hand to signal
grave /ɡreɪv/ B1	noun - a place where a dead person is buried
rave /reɪv/ B1	noun - a wild party with electronic music verb - to speak wildly or incoherently
migrate /ˈmaɪɡreɪt/ B2	verb - to move from one region to another
champagne /ʃæmˈpeɪn/ A2	noun - a sparkling white wine
carnival /ˈkɑːrnɪvəl/ B1	noun - a festive celebration with parades
protocol /ˈproʊtəkɒl/ C1	noun - a set of rules or procedures
vibe /vaɪb/ B1	noun - a distinctive emotional atmosphere