Old Town Road – English Lyrics

• By: Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the rhythmic world of 'Old Town Road' to master modern English slang and the unique cadence of hip-hop storytelling. This song is special because it breaks all the rules of musical genre, making it a perfect tool for understanding how contemporary culture blends different styles together!

[English]

♪ Yeah, I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road ♪

♪ I'm gonna ride 'til I can't no more ♪

♪ I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road ♪

♪ I'm gonna ride 'til I can't no more ♪

♪ I got the horses in the back ♪

♪ Horse tack is attached ♪

♪ Hat is matte black ♪

♪ Got the boots that's black to match ♪

♪ Ridin' on a horse, ha ♪

♪ You can whip your Porsche ♪

♪ I been in the valley ♪

♪ You ain't been up off that porch, now ♪

♪ Can't nobody tell me nothin' ♪

♪ You can't tell me nothin' ♪

♪ Can't nobody tell me nothin' ♪

♪ You can't tell me nothin' ♪

♪ Ridin' on a tractor ♪

♪ Lean all in my bladder ♪

♪ Cheated on my baby ♪

♪ You can go and ask her ♪

♪ My life is a movie ♪

♪ Bull ridin' and boobies ♪

♪ Cowboy hat from Gucci ♪

♪ Wrangler on my booty ♪

♪ Can't nobody tell me nothin' ♪

♪ You can't tell me nothin' ♪

♪ Can't nobody tell me nothin' ♪

♪ You can't tell me nothin' ♪

♪ Yeah, I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road ♪

♪ I'm gonna ride 'til I can't no more ♪

♪ I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road ♪

♪ I'm gonna ride 'til I can't no more ♪

♪ Hat down, cross town, livin' like a rockstar ♪

♪ Spent a lot of money on my brand new guitar ♪

♪ Baby's got a habit: diamond rings and Fendi sports bras ♪

♪ Ridin' down Rodeo in my Maserati sports car ♪

♪ Got no stress, I've been through all that ♪

♪ I'm like a Marlboro Man so I kick on back ♪

♪ Wish I could roll on back to that old town road ♪

♪ I wanna ride 'til I can't no more ♪

♪ Yeah, I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road ♪

♪ I'm gonna ride 'til I can't no more ♪

♪ I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road ♪

♪ I'm gonna ride 'til I can't no more ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
horse /hɔːrs/ A1	noun - A large plant-eating domesticated mammal
ride /raɪd/ A2	verb - To sit on and control the movement of an animal or vehicle
tack /tæk/ B2	noun - Equipment used in horse riding (saddle, bridle)
matte /mæt/ B2	adjective - Dull and flat, without a shine
whip /wɪp/ B2	verb - To move, take, or drive something suddenly or violently (slang: to drive a car)
valley /ˈvæli/ A2	noun - Low area of land between hills or mountains
porch /pɔːrtʃ/ B1	noun - A covered shelter projecting in front of the entrance of a house
tractor /ˈtræktər/ B1	noun - A powerful vehicle for pulling farm machinery
bladder /ˈblædər/ B2	noun - A membranous sac in humans and animals for urine
cheat /tʃiːt/ A2	verb - To act dishonestly in order to gain an advantage or be unfaithful
cowboy /ˈkaʊbɔɪ/ B1	noun - A man who herds cattle, typically in the US
booty /ˈbuːti/ C1	noun - Slang for buttocks
rockstar /ˈrɒkstɑːr/ B2	noun - A famous and successful rock musician
habit /ˈhæbɪt/ A2	noun - A settled or regular tendency or practice
stress /stres/ A2	noun - State of mental or emotional strain

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm gonna take my horse

  ➔ Future intention using 'be going to'

  ➔ 'Gonna' is a colloquial contraction of "going to", used to express planned actions or future intentions.

• I'm gonna ride 'til I can't no more

  ➔ Double negative for emphasis

  ➔ While non-standard, the "can't no more" structure uses a double negative to place heavy emphasis on the subject's inability to continue.

• I been in the valley

  ➔ Present perfect without auxiliary (AAVE style)

  ➔ In African American Vernacular English, 'been' is often used without 'have' to indicate a state that has persisted for a long time.

• You ain't been up off that porch

  ➔ Negative present perfect with 'ain't'

  ➔ 'Ain't' serves as a general-purpose contraction for "am not", "is not", "are not", or "has not".

• Can't nobody tell me nothin'

  ➔ Negative concord/Double negative

  ➔ The use of multiple negatives in one clause ("can't", "nothin'") is common in informal dialects to intensify the negative meaning.

• I've been through all that

  ➔ Present perfect for experience

  ➔ The present perfect "I've been" is used here to describe past experiences that have shaped the speaker's current status.

• Wish I could roll on back

  ➔ Conditional/Subjunctive mood for wishes

  ➔ "Wish" is followed by the modal "could" to express a desire for something that is currently impossible or hypothetical.

• Ridin' down Rodeo in my Maserati

  ➔ Participial phrase describing action

  ➔ The present participle ("Ridin'") introduces a phrase that provides context or simultaneous action to the main subject's state.