No.1 – English Lyrics

• By: Tyla, Tems
• Album: TYLA

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Tyla and Tems' collaboration "No.1" to experience a powerful expression of self-worth in English. This track, rooted in Afropop rhythms, perfectly captures the universal language of setting boundaries and choosing self-love over toxic entanglements, making its message crystal clear.

[English]

It wasn't working

I pretended

Tried to finish

You wanna turn it all around

Dodging feelings

I'm too real to forget

I don't reason

No compromising

Okay, I'm leaving tonight

Okay, I'm good in my life

I gotta put me number one

No compromising

Free from your grip in the world

Feel like a million girl

I gotta put me number one

You don't give me nothing

Not begging you for something, something

Virtually wasted

Virtually tainted

But it's not worth it

You're not my safety

How dare you call me, babe, when you can't be trusted?

Holding me back, boy, when you make me exhausted

I won't do it

Time is up for you

I gotta prioritize

No more compromising me

Okay, I'm leaving tonight

Okay, I'm good in my life

I gotta put me number one

No compromising

Free from your grip in the world

Feel like a million girl

I gotta put me number one

No compromising

Okay, I'm leaving tonight

Okay, I'm good in my life

I gotta put me number one

No compromising

Free from your grip in the world

Feel like a million girl

I gotta put me number one

No compromising

...

No compromising

...

I gotta put me number one

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
leave /liːv/ A1	verb - to go away from someone or somewhere
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - of high quality or satisfactory
put /pʊt/ A1	verb - to place something somewhere
number /ˈnʌmbə(r)/ A1	noun - a word or symbol representing a quantity
one /wʌn/ A1	noun - the number 1
compromise /ˈkɒmprəmaɪz/ B2	verb - to agree to something that is not what you really want noun - an agreement where both sides give up something
free /friː/ A2	adjective - not under control or constraint
grip /ɡrɪp/ B1	noun - a firm hold or control verb - to hold tightly
world /wɜːld/ A1	noun - the planet Earth
million /ˈmɪljən/ B1	noun - the number 1,000,000
girl /ɡɜːl/ A1	noun - a female child or young woman
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the state of being alive
worth /wɜːθ/ B1	noun - the value of something adjective - having a certain value
trust /trʌst/ A2	verb - to believe in the reliability of someone noun - belief in someone's honesty
dare /deə(r)/ A2	verb - to have the courage to do something
pretend /prɪˈtend/ A2	verb - to act as if something is true when it is not
try /traɪ/ A1	verb - to make an attempt or effort
feeling /ˈfiːlɪŋ/ A2	noun - an emotion or sensation
real /rɪəl/ A2	adjective - actually existing or happening
prioritize /praɪˈɒrɪtaɪz/ B2	verb - to treat something as more important

Key Grammar Structures

• You wanna turn it all around

  ➔ Contraction

  ➔ "wanna" is a contraction of "want to", "wanna" being common in informal speech.

• You don't give me nothing

  ➔ Double negative

  ➔ The phrase "don't give me nothing" uses a double negative to intensify the statement, meaning "give me nothing" in standard English; in casual dialects, it conveys "anything".

• How dare you call me, babe, when you can't be trusted?

  ➔ Inversion

  ➔ "How dare" triggers inversion, resembling question form, to express strong disapproval or daring.

• I gotta put me number one

  ➔ Modal verb contraction

  ➔ "gotta" is a contraction of "got to", meaning "have to" or obligation, informal.

• No more compromising me

  ➔ Reflexive pronoun

  ➔ "me" is a reflexive pronoun, emphasizing the subject "me" in compromising oneself.

• Feel like a million girl

  ➔ Ellipsis

  ➔ Ellipsis of "million-dollar", implying "feel like a million-dollar girl".

• No compromising

  ➔ Imperative negative

  ➔ "No" acts as negation in an imperative form, implying "There is no compromising".

• Virtually wasted

  ➔ Adverb placement

  ➔ "Virtually" is placed at the beginning for emphasis, meaning almost "wasted".

• when you make me exhausted

  ➔ Causative construction

  ➔ "make" is used causatively, meaning "cause me to be exhausted".