Nothing To Lose – English Lyrics

• By: K'NAAN, Nas
• Album: MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN SILENCE

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the raw and inspiring narrative of K'NAAN and Nas's "Nothing to Lose." This powerful hip-hop track offers a unique opportunity to explore English lyrics that blend deeply personal war stories from Somalia with tales of urban struggle from Queensbridge. You'll learn vocabulary related to resilience, overcoming adversity, and the pursuit of dreams, all set to an infectious beat with a hopeful message. The song's vivid storytelling and cultural insights make it a compelling piece for understanding authentic narratives and the strength of the human spirit.

[English]

DROP OUTTA SCHOOL

SINGLE PARENT HOME

NO LEADERSHIP, NO DIRECTION

NO IDEA WHERE TO EAT, HOW TO EAT

SOON AS THEY STEP OUT THE DOOR, IT'S A DAMN ZOO

SO THEY GOTTA DO WHAT THEY DO, YA KNOW?

IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED. GOT NOTHIN' TO LOSE

♪♪♪

♪ K'NAAN: UH SOMEONE CALLED THE COPS ON HIM ♪

♪ PSH SOMEONE TOLD HIS POPS ON HIM HE WAS ♪

♪ TALKING CROOKED AND HE HAD SOME ROCKS ON HIM ♪

♪ TUCKED, TUCKED IN HIS SOCKS' CORNER CHUCKS, ♪

♪ CHUCKS AND THE CHARLOTTE HORNET CAP, WHEN HE FLOW ♪

♪ THEN THEY ALL SURPRISED ON HIM YES HE'S A FUGEE ♪

♪ BUT HE GO ALL NAS ON EM WELL, CAN'T GO PRAS ON ♪

♪ EM UH, AND HE GOT THAT CROSSOVER BUT HE FROM ♪

♪ THE STREET YOU DON'T CROSS OVER HUT, HUT TO ♪

♪ THE BLOCK SOLDIERS BUCK, BUCK TO THE COP VULTURES ♪

♪ NOPE, NO I DON'T KNOW PILOTS, UH, NIGGA I KNOW ♪

♪ PIRATES VIOLENCE, THE ISLANDS, SHOUT OUT TO MY ♪

♪ IDRENS PUT YOUR HANDS UP LIKE IT'S A MOTHAFUCKIN SIREN ♪

♪ WELL I PAID ALL MY DUES, ♪

THEY CHECKIN' FOR YOU

THEY CHECKIN FOR YOU IN OUR OWN HOODS

THEY SEE WHAT TIME IT IS,

ALL AROUND THE WORLD, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

WE GOT OUR OWN FLAVOR, WE GOT OUR OWN STRUGGLES

WE GOT OUR OWN VERSION OF HARD

WE DOIN' IT FOR ALL THOSE PEOPLE

♪ NAS: I USED TO STAND ON VERNON AND 10, ♪

♪ BURNIN' A SPLIFF, BURNER ON HIP, WISHING TO FLIP ♪

♪ A BIRD, YAC BURNING MY CHEST. BLACK CERTAINLY ♪

♪ I'M DRESSED , STRICTLY THAT ARMY SHIT FINISH MY ♪

♪ SHIFT, PACK GONE BEFORE THE DAWN HIT ANYTHING I ♪

♪ COULD EARN ON THE STRIP, TURN IT AND FLIP ♪

♪ WATCHING MY BACK, COOKING THAT POT, MAKING ♪

♪ IT STRETCH DISCUSSION WITH MY CLIQ SHOULD WE ♪

♪ DUCK TAPE THE CONNECT IT'S ROUGH AND, K'NAAN ♪

♪ KNOWS, HE HAD THE SAME WOES (YEP) I'M VOICING ♪

♪ MY OPINIONS, I FORGOT YA'LL WAS THERE I AIN'T ♪

♪ KNOW YA'LL WAS STILL LISTENIN, BE HONEST I ♪

♪ AIN'T CARE YA'LL DON'T GET MY INNUENDOS, MY ♪

♪ INTERESTS, YA'LL ON SOME SIMPLE SHIT THINKING I'M ♪

♪ PREACHY, YEAH MY CHURCH IS THE WORLD CHRISTIANS ♪

♪ SIP A CUP OF THIS HOLY WATER, STUCK AT THIS ♪

♪ PHONY BORDER IT'S CUSTOM TO ENTER THE MAIN STREAM ♪

♪ YOU MUST FRONT AND RECORD A POORER ORATORY, ♪

♪ YOUR LIFE STORY CORNY YO MY SOMALI NIGGAS KNOW ♪

♪ WHAT WAR BE, WE FAM! HOOK: WELL I PAID ALL MY ♪

♪ DUES, YEAH (NAS: YEA PAID MY DUES) ♪

I THINK ABOUT VERNON AND 10TH, YOU KNOW?

SO I WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT SOMALIA

♪ I WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT MOGADISHU, SUDAN,

UGANDA, KENYA, ETHIOPIA

I WANT THOSE STREETS TO BE FAMOUS LANDMARKS TOO

♪ YOU GOT NOTHING TO LOSE, YEAH ♪

♪ (UHH, NAS LET ME GET EM, LET ME GET EM) ♪

♪ K'NAAN: REMEMBER WHEN NIGGAS SAID NAS WAS ♪

♪ SOMALIAN BASEBALL CAPS HAD THE TAGS, ♪

♪ LIKE A YARDIE AND IT WAS WRITTEN JUST CAME ♪

♪ OUT, I WAS GNARLY THEN NIGGAS DREADED SEEING ME ♪

♪ LIKE A RASTAFARIAN WE DIDN'T KNOW THE DRESS ♪

♪ CODE THOUGH WE WAS BARGAINERS, THE KNOCKOFF ♪

♪ FILAS WITH THE PUMPS AND CHEAP CARDIGANS NIGGAS ♪

♪ LOOKED CORNY I ADMIT, WE WAS FOREIGNERS BUT THIS ♪

♪ CORNY KID QUICK TO SEND YOU TO THE CORONERS ♪

♪ YA'LL KNOW MY WAR STORY, I WON'T REPEAT IT IT'S ♪

♪ JUST A INJURY MY VICTORY'S UNDEFEATED ♪

♪ THOUGHT YOU KNEW ME WELL, GO BACK AND DELETE ♪

♪ IT I'M IN EVERY JOINT THIS YEAR, ORTHOPEDIC ♪

♪ AND YES THE AKS ARE INSTRUMENTS WE DO DRUM ♪

♪ EM I'M SOMEWHERE BETWEEN KILLA AND KING SOLOMON ♪

♪ AND THE SHADES TAKE HALF THE FACE WE OVER STUN EM ♪

♪ AND TREAT OBSTACLES LIKE ASS WE OVERCOME EM, UMM ♪

♪ MAN THEY REALLY MADE ME DO THIS I WAS PEACEFUL ♪

♪ LIKE A BUDDHIST BUT THEN NIGGAS CAME AND SCREWED ♪

♪ IT UP LIKE JUDAS NOW I'M SUITED UP WITH LUGERS ♪

♪ RUGERS SUDDENLY INTRUDERS TURN AROUND ♪

♪ LIKE HULA HOOPERS FUCKING LOSERS ♪

♪ WELL I PAID ALL MY DUES, YEAH (AND I PAID MY ♪

♪ DUES) SHONE A MILLION SHOES, YEAH (DIFFICULTY ♪

♪ IS AN EXCUSE, THAT HISTORY NEVER ACCEPTS) ♪

♪ 'CAUSE WHEN YOU GO NOTHING LEFT, YEAH (SO ♪

♪ WE TRIUMPH) YOU GOT NOTHING TO LOSE, YEAH ♪

♪ (NOTHING TO LOSE) IT'S K'NAAN, NAS: WHAT'S UP, ♪

♪ K: WHAT'S UP, NAS: WHAT'S UP, K: YEA THIS ♪

♪ ONE'S FOR THE WORLD THIS ONE'S FOR YOUR GIRL THIS ♪

♪ ONE'S FOR YOUR MAMA THIS ONE'S FOR YOUR NANA ♪

♪♪♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
kill /kɪl/ A2	verb - to cause the death of a living organism
leadership /ˈliːdərʃɪp/ B1	noun - the ability to lead or guide a group
direction /dəˈrɛkʃən/ A2	noun - a course along which someone or something moves
struggle /ˈstrʌɡəl/ B1	noun - a forceful or violent conflict or effort verb - to make a great effort to do something
flavor /ˈfleɪvər/ B1	noun - the distinctive taste of a food or drink
earn /ɜːrn/ A2	verb - to receive money in return for work
flip /flɪp/ A2	verb - to turn over or cause to turn over
discuss /dɪˈskʌs/ B1	verb - to talk about something in detail
connect /kəˈnɛkt/ B1	verb - to join or link together
opinion /əˈpɪnɪən/ A2	noun - a view or judgment formed about something
honest /ˈɑnɪst/ A2	adjective - free of deceit; truthful and sincere
interest /ˈɪntrəst/ A2	noun - a feeling of wanting to know or learn about something
preach /priːtʃ/ B1	verb - to give a sermon or religious instruction
border /ˈbɔrdər/ A2	noun - the line that separates two countries or areas
triumph /ˈtrɪəmf/ B2	noun - a great victory or achievement
overcome /ˌoʊvərˈkʌm/ B1	verb - to succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty
peaceful /ˈpiːsfəl/ A2	adjective - free from disturbance; tranquil
suit /suːt/ A2	verb - to be suitable or appropriate for noun - a set of clothes to be worn together

Key Grammar Structures

• It's kill or be killed.

  ➔ Infinitive passive construction

  ➔ The phrase uses the passive infinitive "be killed" to indicate a possible outcome.

• I paid all my dues.

  ➔ Simple past tense

  ➔ The verb "paid" is the simple past form of "pay", showing a completed action.

• We got our own flavor.

  ➔ Present simple with "got" meaning "have"

  ➔ The verb "got" functions like "have" – "We "got" our own flavor" = "We have our own flavor".

• You got nothing to lose.

  ➔ "nothing to + infinitive" construction

  ➔ The phrase "nothing to lose" uses "to lose" (infinitive) after "nothing" to express lack of risk.

• I want you to know about Somalia.

  ➔ Verb + object + infinitive (catenative) construction

  ➔ "want" is followed by the object "you" and the infinitive "to know" – "I want you to know".

• When you go, nothing left.

  ➔ Elliptical clause with omitted copula "is"

  ➔ The phrase "nothing left" omits the verb "is" – full form would be "nothing is left".

• I used to stand on Vernon and 10.

  ➔ "used to + base verb" for past habit

  ➔ "used to" indicates that standing on Vernon and 10 was a regular activity in the past.

• We do it for all those people.

  ➔ Prepositional phrase "for + noun phrase" expressing purpose/beneficiary

  ➔ The preposition "for" introduces the beneficiary: "for all those people".