Protect – English Lyrics

• By: NLE Choppa
• Album: From Dark To Light

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the English language through NLE Choppa's "Protect," a song that marks a significant shift in his artistic journey. This track offers a unique opportunity to learn vocabulary related to spirituality, wellness, and self-preservation. What makes "Protect" special is its departure from typical rap themes, providing a more mindful and introspective lyrical landscape for language learners.

[English]

Yeah, NLE the Top Shotta

Got the bombs like Al-Qaeda

I said I'm the booth with pneumonia symptoms

But they might say it's Corona symptoms

Reminiscin' 'bout the old days

Back when the Grizzlies had O.J., yeah

When I had me a bald fade

Wanted all the J's and I couldn't get no play

Times fly by when you having fun

But back then I ain't feel like I had nothin'

Back when a nigga didn't need a mask on

But I kept a ski mask and my cash grew long

Mom bumpin' Jodeci, Jodesay

Pop drink the rosé on a Sunday

I had school on Monday

Contemplatin' droppin' out

I was only in the tenth grade

I'm a boss, they was tryna make us slaves

A lotta souls been lost since pre-k

Our thoughts create our reality

Confirmation, it came from the CIA

There's a topic that need to be unmuted

But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it

Couple miles away, we ain't gotta run to it

Marathon gettin' shorter

We gon' break through it

I'd rather teach wellness, to kings and queens

Matter of fact, gods and goddesses

I'm pickin' they brains, put facts in they head

They callin' me a cosmetologist

Why the Bible similar to astrology?

Prophet makin' prophecies

How many days the sun goin' down on the 21st?

I say, "About three"

Vaccines, the mark of the beast

Can't put no chip in me

Tryna break spirituality

Tryna fuck up DNA and my genes

Protect the mind and soul

Protect your body too

Don't leave the house without my crystals

VVS's can't protect my soul

Protect the mind and soul

Protect your body too

Don't leave the house without my crystals

To make a long story short you would have to book the words in courts

Nothing less, nothing more, playin' chess with the boards

Tell a nigga pick the poison, abortion or orphan

Had to take me to Maury

Oh Lordy, the majority of the kids I may have been mournin'

Tell me grand risin', don't tell me good morning

Words put a spell on my conscience

I'm risin' and I'm horny

Had to come fresh with a girl named Lauren

But she was too borin'

Ignorin' outpouring of the pain, in her heart, she was storin'

Her head's in the clouds, she was soaring, and she was foreign

Will I ever find love one day

Before they put me in my grave?

People been temporary

Can I just get my way, can I just get my way?

If you come in my life just stay

Can you stay? Baby, stay for me

I changed my ways, did you wait?

I hate to say, you didn't wait for me

All the shit I felt been fake

It left me baked, call me bakery

Don't check on me, I'm doin' fine

Everything been divine, just pray for me

Slow and steady win the race, but I've been pickin' up the pace

I had to lace up my laces

I'm lookin' behind me, they chasin', they chasin', they chasin'

The finish line been awaitin'

The people, they clap and they wavin'

Congragulatin', praisin' me 'cause I just conquered Satan

I'm praisin' this feeling, amazin'

I was stuck up in a basement then I started elevatin'

Protect the mind and soul

Protect your body too

Don't leave the house without my crystals

VVS's can't protect my soul

Protect the mind and soul

Protect your body too

Don't leave the house without my crystals

VVS's can't protect my soul

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
protect /prəˈtɛkt/ A2	verb - to keep someone or something safe from harm or injury
mind /maɪnd/ A1	noun - the part of a person that thinks, feels, and remembers
soul /soʊl/ A2	noun - the spiritual part of a person believed to live on after the body dies
crystal /ˈkrɪstəl/ A2	noun - a clear, transparent mineral, often used in jewelry or for its healing properties
spirituality /ˌspɪrɪtʃuˈælɪti/ B2	noun - the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things
wellness /ˈwɛlˌnɛs/ B1	noun - the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal
elevate /ˈɛləˌveɪt/ B1	verb - to raise to a higher level or position
conquer /ˈkɒŋkər/ B1	verb - to overcome or defeat
basement /ˈbeɪsmənt/ A2	noun - a room or floor of a building partly or entirely below ground level
temporary /ˈtɛmpərɛri/ A2	adjective - lasting for a limited time; not permanent
divine /dɪˈvaɪn/ B1	adjective - of or like a god
chase /tʃeɪs/ A1	verb - to follow and try to catch someone or something
praise /preɪz/ A2	verb - to express approval or admiration for someone or something
amazing /əˈmeɪzɪŋ/ A2	adjective - causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing
contemplate /ˈkɒntəmˌpleɪt/ B2	verb - to think about something carefully, especially over a period of time
prophecy /ˈprɒfəsi/ B1	noun - a prediction of what will happen in the future

Key Grammar Structures

• I had school on Monday

  ➔ Simple Past Tense

  ➔ The verb "had" is the past form of "have" and shows that the action happened in the past.

• I’m a boss, they was tryna make us slaves

  ➔ Subject‑verb agreement & informal contraction (was tryna = was trying to)

  ➔ The verb "was" does not agree with the plural subject "they"; in standard English it should be "were". "was tryna" is a colloquial contraction of "was trying to".

• We gon’ break through it

  ➔ Informal future construction with "gon'" (going to)

  ➔ "gon'" is a slang contraction of "going to" used to express a future intention: "We are going to break through it."

• I’d rather teach wellness, to kings and queens

  ➔ Modal verb "would rather" + infinitive

  ➔ "rather" follows the modal "would" and is followed by the infinitive "teach" to express a preference: "I would rather teach..."

• Can I just get my way, can I just get my way?

  ➔ Modal verb "can" in a yes/no question

  ➔ "Can" is used at the beginning of the sentence to ask for permission or possibility: "Can I get my way?"

• If you come in my life just stay

  ➔ First conditional (real future) – present simple in if‑clause

  ➔ "If" introduces a possible future situation (present simple "come"), followed by the result "just stay".

• Don't leave the house without my crystals

  ➔ Negative imperative with "don't"

  ➔ "Don't" + base verb "leave" forms a command telling someone not to do something.

• VVS's can't protect my soul

  ➔ Negative modal "can't" (cannot) + simple present

  ➔ "can't" is the contraction of "cannot" and expresses inability in the present: "VVS's cannot protect my soul."

• I’m pickin’ they brains, put facts in they head

  ➔ Pronoun case error (they → their) & gerund "pickin’"

  ➔ The possessive pronoun should be "their" ("their brains", "their head"); "pickin’" is a colloquial gerund of "pick" used as a verb.