popular – English Lyrics

• By: Jhené Aiko
• Album: sailing soul(s)

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical world of Jhené Aiko's "Popular," a compelling R&B track that showcases her raw, introspective songwriting from her foundational "Sailing Soul(s)" mixtape. This song offers a unique opportunity to explore English colloquialisms and emotional expressions of past relationships, revealing a potent narrative about shifting power dynamics and the true meaning of popularity. Immerse yourself in Jhené's distinctive storytelling and artistic control, which make this song a special entry point into her critically acclaimed discography.

[English]

I was the young girl

I was the dumb girl

I was the one who can never be your one girl

You were the fly guy

Never asked why guy

Running around, making all of the girls cry, guy

Layin' in your bed it gets so cold

You wonder why

You were such da man

Damn, what happened?

It's just so sad

They say mister popular

Why are you alone now?

Mister popular, where are all your hoes now?

Mister popular, why are you alone now?

Where did they all go now?

Mister popular, where did they all go now?

Why are you so lonely now?

Damn, homie

In high school you was the man, homie

The fuck happened to you?

Damn, homie

In high school you was the man, homie

The fuck happened to you?

He wanted things that he didn't need

And I was the one who was trying to make him see

That he had it all 'cause he had my all

But he's a lost 'cause

Guess you cannot save them all

And now he's at my show

Standing front row

He don't know how (how)

He messed up such a good thing

Look, who's popular now?

They say mister popular

Why are you alone now?

Mister popular, where are all your hoes now?

Mister popular, why are you alone now?

Where did they all go now? (Where did they all go?)

Mister popular, where did they all go now?

Why are you so lonely now?

Damn, homie

In high school you was the man, homie

The fuck happen to you?

Damn, homie

In high school you was the man, homie

The fuck happen to you?

Damn, homie

D-d-damn, homie

The fuck happen to you?

Damn, homie

In high school you was the man, homie

The fuck happen to you?

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
popular /ˈpɒp.jə.lər/ B1	adjective - liked, enjoyed, or supported by many people
girl /ɡɜːl/ A1	noun - a female child or young woman
guy /ɡaɪ/ A1	noun - a man or boy
happened /ˈhæp.ənd/ A1	verb - to take place or occur
homie /ˈhəʊ.mi/ C1	noun - a close friend or someone from your hometown or neighborhood
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human
running /ˈrʌn.ɪŋ/ A1	verb - moving quickly on foot
making /ˈmeɪ.kɪŋ/ A1	verb - creating or producing something
cry /kraɪ/ A1	verb - to produce tears from your eyes
cold /kəʊld/ A1	adjective - having a low temperature
sad /sæd/ A1	adjective - unhappy or feeling sorrow
alone /əˈləʊn/ A1	adjective - without other people
wanted /ˈwɒn.tɪd/ A1	verb - to desire or wish for something
trying /ˈtraɪ.ɪŋ/ A1	verb - making an effort to do something
lost /lɒst/ A1	adjective - unable to find one's way; not knowing one's whereabouts
messed /mest/ B1	verb - to make something dirty or untidy; to make a mistake
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - of high quality or standard

Key Grammar Structures

• I was the young girl

  ➔ Past Simple Tense; definite article

  ➔ Used to describe a past state or habit ('was') and the definite article 'the' specifying a particular girl.

• You were the fly guy

  ➔ Past Simple Tense; Adjective as a noun (fly)

  ➔ Past Simple Tense to describe the past state of being 'the fly guy' (cool/attractive guy). 'Fly' functions as a noun, standing in for a type of person.

• Running around, making all of the girls cry, guy

  ➔ Present Participle; Gerund; Object of a preposition

  ➔ 'Running around' acts as a present participle modifying the subject; 'making' is a gerund (verb acting as a noun) or part of a continuous action; 'of' is a preposition.

• Layin' in your bed it gets so cold

  ➔ Present participle; Subject-verb inversion (poetic license)

  ➔ 'Layin'' is a present participle. The sentence structure deviates from standard English; it is a poetic construction to create emphasis/rhyme. The subject (it) comes after the verb (gets).

• You wonder why

  ➔ Simple Present Tense; Question formation

  ➔ Simple present tense, indicating a general truth. The use of 'why' introduces a question, a type of indirect question.

• Damn, what happened?

  ➔ Exclamatory sentence; Past Simple Tense (happened); Interrogative Pronoun

  ➔ An exclamatory sentence expressing surprise or dismay. 'Happened' is past simple. 'What' is an interrogative pronoun asking for information.

• He wanted things that he didn't need

  ➔ Past Simple Tense (wanted, didn't need); Relative clause

  ➔ Both verbs are in past simple. 'That he didn't need' is a relative clause, providing further detail about the 'things'.

• But he's a lost 'cause

  ➔ Contraction (he's); Adjective (lost); Informal conjunction (cause)

  ➔ Uses the contraction 'he's' for 'he is'. 'Lost' functions as an adjective. 'Cause' is a colloquial/informal way of saying 'because'.

• Look, who's popular now?

  ➔ Imperative sentence (look); Question with subject inversion

  ➔ 'Look' is an imperative verb. The question is a rhetorical question implying a shift in circumstances. The subject 'who's' appears before the verb 'is' due to the structure.