Price – English Lyrics

• By: Meek Mill

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the language of resilience and introspection with Meek Mill's 'Price.' This song offers a powerful opportunity to learn English through its raw and honest storytelling. By exploring the lyrics, you can grasp the nuances of expressing complex emotions related to success, loyalty, and the pressures of fame. 'Price' is special because it provides a candid look into the artist's personal struggles, making the language both compelling and deeply human.

[English]

Shit, ever since I got money

I ain't been happy like I used to

They say, "You got pay the cost to be a boss"

Check this

When you the nigga with the money

Somebody go to jail, you gotta pay they bail

Somebody die, they gon' turn to you for the funeral

But I just be thinking like, "When I'm gon' be able gon' able to turn to somebody, shit"

Bosses got feelings too

I done did shit for niggas a thousand times

Told 'em no one time and watch 'em talk about me crazy, run and bite my back out

But I still stood tall

Uh, when you sitting at the top and you think you seen it all

Caught up with your dreams with nobody else to call

With tears up on my face, 'cause I know I'm gon' be straight

Had to cut a couple homies

Had to learn from my mistakes

This the price of being great

Oh, this the price of being great

They hate you when you're winning

But they love you when you're broke

This the price of being great

This the price of being great

Oh, this the price of being great

They hate you when you're winning

But they love it when you when you break

This the price of being great

This the price of having money

And the price of being great

Had to cut a couple homies

Never heard them tell me thanks

I've been washing all my problems

With these perks and all this drank

All that shit just made me tank

Had me drawn let me paint

4 in the morning 88

Graveyard shiftin' it

A dollar to my name and I remembered it

A niggas said I owe 'em. How?

That shit the sound ridiculous

Tell a nigga "No", and they gon' show you who they really is

Trappin' since little kid, did a little bid, but I bounced back like the bullet did when it ricocheted, hit the little kid

This what it is, when the ice cream truck come through

Ain't have a dollar, that shit just made me to a boss

Word to my father, woah

Uh, when you sitting at the top and you think you seen it all

Caught up with your dreams with nobody else to call

With tears up on my face, 'cause I know I'm gon' be straight

Had to cut a couple homies

Had to learn from my mistakes

This the price of being great

Oh, this the price of being great

They hate you when you're winning

But they love you when you break

This the price of being great

This the price of being great

Oh, this the price of being great

They hate you when you're winning

But they love it when you when you break

This the price of being great

Yeah, ain't no price on the money

Ain't no price in the Lord

I got outta the system, I jumped right on the Forbes

When I got out the ghetto, I jumped right on the tour

When I stunt on that Instagram, I'm just showing them more

I'm just showing them better see how to make it through any weather

Back when I said I would make it they was telling me never

Only get one chance better take it, only one shot, boy, you betta

How you survive in the jungle

He be movin' so clever

I'm talkin' Tony Baretta to make it back to my son

Talkin' crab in the barrel, they pull you back where I'm from

That's why we loadin' extendos up in the back of the gun

Posted up on that corner see the paddy wagon, we run, whoa

This the price of being great

Oh, this the price of being great

They hate you when you're winning

But they love you when you're break

This the price of being great

This the price of being great

Oh, this the price of being great

They hate you when you're winning

But they love it when you when you break

This the price of being great

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
money /ˈmʌni/ B1	noun - currency used as a medium of exchange
price /praɪs/ B1	noun - the amount of money required to purchase something verb - to set the cost of something
great /ɡreɪt/ B1	adjective - excellent; of high quality
hate /heɪt/ B1	verb - to feel intense dislike
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - deep affection verb - to feel deep affection for
winning /ˈwɪnɪŋ/ B2	verb - to achieve victory
broke /broʊk/ B2	adjective - having no money
cut /kʌt/ B1	verb - to divide with a sharp instrument
homies /ˈhoʊmiz/ B2	noun - close friends or companions (slang)
mistakes /mɪˈsteɪks/ B1	noun - errors or faults
boss /bɒs/ B1	noun - person in charge; manager
jail /dʒeɪl/ B1	noun - prison; place of confinement
dreams /driːmz/ B1	noun - thoughts or images during sleep; aspirations
tears /tɪərz/ B1	noun - drops of liquid from the eyes
straight /streɪt/ B1	adjective - not curved; direct
lord /lɔːrd/ B2	noun - a title for a noble or deity
system /ˈsɪstəm/ B2	noun - a set of connected parts forming a whole
ghetto /ˈɡɛtoʊ/ B2	noun - a poor urban area, often segregated
survive /sərˈvaɪv/ B2	verb - to continue living despite hardship
jungle /ˈdʒʌŋɡəl/ B1	noun - dense forest, especially in the tropics

Key Grammar Structures

• Ever since I got money, I ain't been happy like I used to.

  ➔ Use of "ever since + past simple" to mark a starting point in the past, and present perfect negative "ain't been" to talk about a state that began then and continues.

  ➔ The phrase "ever since" marks the starting point, and "ain't been" is a colloquial negative present perfect meaning "have not been".

• They say, "You gotta pay the cost to be a boss."

  ➔ Modal verb "gotta" (colloquial for "have to") + infinitive expresses obligation.

  ➔ "gotta" is a colloquial contraction of "have to", showing that something is necessary.

• Somebody go to jail, you gotta pay their bail.

  ➔ Imperative/indefinite subject "Somebody go" (elliptical) and modal "gotta" + infinitive; possessive pronoun "their" for gender‑neutral reference.

  ➔ "gotta" shows obligation, and "their" is used as a gender‑neutral possessive pronoun.

• I’ve been washing all my problems with these perks and all this drank.

  ➔ Present perfect continuous (have/has + been + -ing) to describe an action that started in the past and is still ongoing.

  ➔ "I’ve been washing" uses the present perfect continuous to show an ongoing activity that began earlier.

• When you’re sitting at the top and you think you’ve seen it all.

  ➔ Present continuous (be + -ing) for a temporary situation, and present perfect (have + past participle) for an experience up to now.

  ➔ "you’re sitting" shows a temporary state, while "you’ve seen" expresses an experience that has relevance now.

• They hate you when you’re winning, but they love you when you break.

  ➔ Zero conditional with simple present in both clauses to talk about a general truth or habit.

  ➔ "when you’re winning" and "when you break" are time clauses using the simple present to state a regular pattern.

• I had to cut a couple homies.

  ➔ Past modal "had to" expresses necessity or obligation in the past.

  ➔ "had to" is the past form of "have to", showing that cutting friends was required at that time.

• Tell a nigga "No", and they gon’ show you who they really are.

  ➔ "gon’" (going to) + base verb for future intention, and subject‑verb agreement with plural "they are".

  ➔ "gon’" is a colloquial contraction of "going to", indicating a future action; "they are" matches the plural subject.

• Only get one chance, better take it, only one shot.

  ➔ Imperative verbs "get", "take" give commands or advice; ellipsis of subject "you" is common in spoken English.

  ➔ "Only get" and "better take" are imperatives; the subject "you" is understood.

• I’m just showing them better see how to make it through any weather.

  ➔ Present continuous "I’m showing" for an ongoing action; infinitive "to make" expresses purpose.

  ➔ "I’m showing" uses the present continuous to indicate a current activity, while "to make" shows the reason or purpose.