Ol' Time Killin' – English Lyrics

• By: Kardinal Offishall

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant world of Canadian hip-hop with Kardinal Offishall's iconic track, "Ol' Time Killin'." This song not only showcases impressive lyrical skill and cultural fusion but also offers a glimpse into the early 2000s hip-hop scene and Kardinal's rise as a prominent figure in Canadian music.

[English]

E'rebody ah talk 'bout sound killing

When they dun know, we are original sound killer

Fassyhole you know we

Anytime we start dance-dance a fi lock

Girl follow back a we

We have e'rething pon cock

Can't chant to we

We start dance from 19-o-long

Pick a only firefighter a we collect

A dub plate we have

Anytime we drop Kardinal, IRS and Wio

A blood clot big tune dat

[Kardinal Offishall]

Yes

Oh me oh me oh my (what)

Them a try run Mr. Kardi-ni, flavours you can't deny (what)

'Cause them Circle cats rhyme so fly

Them tracks stay do or die and (what) as (what)

When them write a murder song before a cats can't turn around

I jump and beg for they live (what)

Lick off a style, me-a-fi put dem all back

Rap from T-dot to the Bronx and Bricks and come back

(Will you wake me up?)

[Wio-K]

If an emcee step outta line,I feel them affi get cut up

But up, lick up, fist up, sound get brek up

Beat up and kick up until they boy start hiccup

(Girlfriend what's your name?)

How ya look, so sweet with your horse legs acting like you're strange

It's full time, now you come off on dat range

My name's Wio, bareback rhyming in the plains

[Allistair]

Blessin' this, effortless, mess with this, eff with this

If you think you got a chance to dance with your devilish messages

Stressing this can only lead to battery

You rattle me, request to battle me I take as flattery

I see ya, grip your bible,I'm the lyrically homicidal idol

Who's liable to take your title with a single recital, it's vital

You respect the steez, I get vexed with ease

Don't make me ask you to respect me please

CHORUS [Jully Black & BlackKat?]

It's an old time, ol' time killing

We a deal with, run and get your money clip

For another day in another way

De man dem, nuh take the ray ray

We are a murderahs

Killas...murder

[BlackKat]

Yo, 1-8-7

Cold blood I meant to do it ruthless

Knew it was murder since Da Grassroots produced it

Now we got some ax-murderers upon the track

Burning murder onto wax

So you can witness the attack, it's Black... Kat

The nigga who writes to burn flavour

So hype the Source should give us 5 mics and 2 turntables

We spitting this with beats so ridiculous

And rhyme style limitless, let's see if they can get with this

[Kardinal Offishall]

Wio - you're crazy, your tough talk don't amaze me

Imaginary gats busting just don't faze me

Lick a shot, wave your flag, gunfinga in the air

Headstone on your 12" says Mr. Kardinal and the Monolith was there

From '94 to now, the beats run wild in the East

Leaving 'nuff man decease, I got two middle fingers that's made for 5-0

Babylon fi get dust and let my people dem go

[CHORUS]

[Kardinal Offishall]

Call me a sound (killa), gut (filla), rhyme (spilla)

Don't date vanilla, hip hop guerilla

Mind (chilla), don't drink Miller Lite

Night thrilla, spite might fill ya

Bite and you invite with a recite to kill ya

[Wio -K]

The tox licker, shot licker

Girls flock quicker, since my crop got bigger

Get yanked like a glock trigger, just to make the plot thicker

Girls got thicker, I'm run up in the spot quicker

(Don't let them watch me so)

I'm the nigga your son really wants to chill with and know

You must think it's me that make that nigga act so

Vexed 'cause your church friends gossip on the low

(Wio - let me say)

Now for the people who don't know what's gwaning

They sleeping on the whole city, stretching in your heart

Not knowing that T-dot's about to shake your ass out your dreams

So (wake up) before you end up in a pine box

Seen

[CHORUS]

You better run go and get your money clip

[Jully Black]

Run go get your money clip

Run go get your money clip

The emcee killa, killa killa

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
kill /kɪl/ A1	verb - to cause the death of a living organism
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - to move rhythmically to music
sound /saʊnd/ A1	noun - vibrations that travel through the air and can be heard
murder /ˈmɜːrdər/ A2	noun - the crime of deliberately killing someone
rhyme /raɪm/ A2	noun - correspondence of sound between words
track /træk/ A2	noun - a song or recording on an album
style /staɪl/ A2	noun - a manner of doing something
lick /lɪk/ B1	verb - to pass the tongue over verb - to defeat or surpass
vexed /vɛkst/ B2	adjective - annoyed or frustrated
homicidal /hoʊˈmɪsədəl/ C1	adjective - relating to or characterized by a desire to kill
ridiculous /rɪˈdɪkjələs/ B1	adjective - deserving or inviting derision or mockery
flattery /ˈflætəri/ B2	noun - excessive and insincere praise
guerilla /gəˈrɪlə/ B2	noun - a member of a small independent group performing irregular military operations
vex /vɛks/ B2	verb - to annoy or frustrate
steez /stiːz/ C1	noun - style or swagger, often in hip-hop culture
dub /dʌb/ B1	noun - a version of a recording, especially one used by DJs
faze /feɪz/ B2	verb - to disturb or disconcert
recital /rɪˈsaɪtəl/ B2	noun - a performance of music or poetry

Key Grammar Structures

• When they dun know, we are original sound killer

  ➔ Adverbial clause of time (when) + Present Simple; colloquial negation "dun" = "don't"

  ➔ The word "when" introduces a time clause. "dun" is a non‑standard contraction of "don't" and the sentence uses the present simple "are".

• Anytime we start dance‑dance a fi lock

  ➔ Adverbial clause of time (anytime) + Present Simple; bare infinitive after "start"

  ➔ "Anytime" works like "whenever" and introduces a time clause. After the verb "start" the following verb appears in the bare infinitive form "dance‑dance".

• We have e'rething pon cock

  ➔ Present Simple with "have" (possessive) + non‑standard noun phrase

  ➔ "We have" uses the present simple to express possession. The object "e'rething pon cock" is a non‑standard way of saying "everything on top".

• Can't chant to we

  ➔ Modal verb "can't" + base verb (negative); object pronoun error (should be "us")

  ➔ The modal "can't" means "cannot" and is followed by the base verb "chant". The pronoun after the preposition should be the objective form "us", not "we".

• Pick a only firefighter a we collect

  ➔ Imperative mood (command) + article usage; non‑standard word order

  ➔ The verb "Pick" is in the imperative, giving a command. The sentence mixes articles "a" oddly and the word order "a we collect" is non‑standard.

• Anytime we drop Kardinal, IRS and Wio

  ➔ Adverbial clause of time (anytime) + Present Simple; verb "drop" with a list of objects

  ➔ "Anytime" introduces a time clause. The present simple verb "drop" is followed by three objects: "Kardinal", "IRS" and "Wio".

• Them a try run Mr. Kardi‑ni, flavours you can't deny

  ➔ Present continuous (are trying) expressed as "a try"; modal verb "can't" + infinitive

  ➔ "a try" is a Jamaican‑English way of saying "are trying" (present continuous). The clause "you can't deny" uses the modal "can't" followed by the base verb "deny".

• If an emcee step outta line, I feel them affi get cut up

  ➔ First conditional (If + present simple) + modal "affi" (have to) + passive infinitive "get cut up"

  ➔ The clause begins with "If" and uses the present simple "step" to express a possible future condition. "Affi" is a Jamaican‑English contraction of "have to". The phrase "get cut up" is a passive‑voice infinitive meaning "be cut up".

• Call me a sound (killa), gut (filla), rhyme (spilla)

  ➔ Imperative verb "Call"; noun phrase with appositive list; use of parenthetical nicknames

  ➔ The sentence starts with the imperative "Call", telling the listener to address the speaker in a certain way. The nouns "sound", "gut" and "rhyme" are followed by parenthetical nicknames "killa", "filla", "spilla".