PRECIOUS THINGS – English Lyrics

• By: Lupe Fiasco
• Album: DRILL MUSIC IN ZION

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical mastery of Lupe Fiasco with "PRECIOUS THINGS," a track that showcases the artist's unparalleled ability to weave complex metaphors and profound social commentary into his music. This song offers a rich linguistic landscape, personifying the human hand to explore themes of creation, destruction, and self-reflection. By dissecting its dense wordplay and allusive references, listeners can gain a deeper appreciation for English's expressive power and Lupe's sophisticated narrative style, making it an exceptional piece for language and literary exploration.

[English]

These precious things

All these things that we love

All these precious things

How they turn, how they turn

All these precious things

All these things that we love

All these precious things

How they turn, how they turn

On me

Never bite the hands that feed

But when those same hands grab the gats and up their sleeves

They gather traps and apparatus for your grave

They catch you lackin', rap around yo' hatch and squeeze

I swear my hands were pure, I gave 'em manicures

Became my adversaries, became my sabateurs

I put karats on them just like rabbit lures

My middle finger's like, "Fuck this nigga, what happened to us?"

Used to be clappin' for us, thumbs up and then snappin' poets

Now they be dappin' fo's and grabbin' Moet

And they know that I don't drink, at least I don't think

I asked for peace signs, they gave me Leon Spinks

I asked for "okays", I got, "uh, yours" and "go aways"

Shoe gestures and throat slicers, the motion's made

Give me a sign when we can talk through a plan

But my hands was like, "Fam, you can talk to the hand," damn

And these precious things

All these things that we love

All these precious things

How they turn, how they turn

All these precious things

All these things that we love

All these precious things

How they turn, how they turn

On me

Who put the arms in arms?

I put arms in palms

We was hand in hand, Allstate

Pinky speaker, thumb receiver how we used to call make

All shakes

Now it's fingers crossed over small stakes

No taller than the crawl space

Give scissors to my paper, we not on the same page

We was back catcher and pitcher, now you don't even wave

We used to throw the shock at Honolulu from the stage

Now you just wanna throw hands and technicals on my plays (goddamn)

And these precious things (yeah, yeah)

All these things that we love

All these precious things (these precious little things)

How they turn, how they turn

All these precious things (yeah, yeah)

All these things that we love

All these precious things

How they turn, how they turn

On me

It's like you could've done more than try and keep us out them handcuffs

It's like we only matter when fans is putting they hands up

You got popular, treated us like the Yakuza

You was Vampire Hunter D, now you Alukah

See that's the thing 'cause we was praying for you

Air guitar and playing for you

You turned a deaf ear to what we was saying to you

We was here, can't go back to before

The problem is, you don't use us to right the raps anymore

Yeah (yeah)

Precious, precious, precious, precious

Things that we love

They love, they love

Yeah, yeah

Precious things

Love, love, love, love

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
precious /ˈpreʃəs/ A2	adjective - of great value; not to be wasted or treated carelessly
turn /tɜːrn/ A1	verb - to move in a circle or change direction
bite /baɪt/ A1	verb - to use the teeth to cut into something
grab /ɡræb/ A1	verb - to take or hold something quickly and firmly
adversary /ˈædvərˌsɛri/ B2	noun - an opponent or enemy
sabotage /ˈsæbətɑːʒ/ B2	verb - to deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct something
karat /ˈkærət/ B1	noun - a unit of fineness for gold alloys
gesture /ˈdʒɛstʃər/ A2	noun - a movement of the body, especially the hands, to express an idea or meaning
slicer /ˈslaɪsər/ B1	noun - a tool or device used to cut something into slices
apparatus /ˌæpəˈrætəs/ B2	noun - a set of materials or equipment designed for a particular purpose
lure /lʊr/ B1	verb - to attract or tempt someone to do something
technical /ˈtɛknɪkəl/ B2	adjective - relating to the practical, especially mechanical, details of a subject
pray /preɪ/ A2	verb - to speak to a god or deity, often in worship or request
deaf /dɛf/ A2	adjective - unable to hear, either partially or completely
rap /ræp/ A2	noun - a type of music with rhyming lyrics spoken rhythmically