Ready to Die – English Lyrics

• By: The Notorious B.I.G.
• Album: Ready to Die

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and The Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Ready to Die' offers a deep dive into the raw, unfiltered slang and storytelling of 1990s Brooklyn. This song is special because of its unflinching honesty and complex lyricism, providing a window into a specific cultural moment and the socio-economic pressures that shaped a generation. By studying these lyrics, you can learn not just the language of the streets, but also the art of vivid, multi-layered narrative that made Biggie a legend.

[English]

Yeah...

Yeah...

(You ready motherfucker?)

...

(We gon' kill your ass)

As I grab the glock, put it to your headpiece

One in the chamber, the safety is off release

Straight at your dome homes, I wanna see cabbage

Biggie smalls the savage, doin your brain cells much damage

Teflon is the material for the imperial

Mic ripper girl stripper the henny sipper

I drop lyrics off and on like a lightswitch

Quick to grab the right bitch and make her drive

The q-45, glocks and tecs are expected when I wreck shit

Respect is collected, so check it

I got techniques drippin out my buttcheeks

Sleep on my stomach so I don't fuck up my sheets, huh

My shit is deep, deeper than my grave g

I'm ready to die and nobody can save me

Fuck the world, fuck my moms and my girl

My life is played out like a jheri curl, I'm ready to die

...

As I sit back and look when I used to be a crook

Doin whatever it took from snatchin chains to pocketbooks

A big bad motherfucker on the wrong road

I got some drugs tried to get the avenue sold

I want it all from the rolexes

To the lexus gettin paid, is all I expected

My mother didn't give me what I want, what the fuck?

Now I got a glock, makin motherfuckers duck

Shit is real, and hungry's how I feel

I rob and steal because that money got that whip appeal

Kickin niggaz down the steps just for rep

Any repercussion lead to niggaz gettin wet

The infrared's at your head real steady

You better grab your guns cause I'm ready, ready

...

I'm ready to die!

(Nah we ain't gon' kill your ass yet)

(We gonna make you suffer)

In a sec I throw the tec to your fuckin neck

Everybody hit the deck, biggie bout to get some wreck

Quick to leave you in a coffin, for slick talkin

You better act like cece, and keep on walkin

When I hit ya, I split ya to the white meat

You swung on like you slumber right you fell to the conrete

Your face, my feet, they meet, we're stompin

I'm rippin mc's from tallahassee, to compton

Biggie smalls on a higher plane

Niggaz say I'm strange deranged because I put the 12 gauge to your brain

Make your shit splatter

Mix the blood like batter then my pocket gets fatter

After the hit, leave you on the street with your neck split

Down your backbone to where your motherfuckin cheek drip

The shit I kick, rip it through the vest

Biggie smalls passin any test, I'm ready to die!

...

I'm ready

(Time to go, we gonna put you out your misery motherfucker)

Niggaz definitely know what time it is

The notorious one in full effect

For ninety-three!

Suicidal, I'm ready!

...

(Now I lay me down to sleep)

Yeah

(Pray the lord my soul to keep)

(If I should die before I wake)

(I pray the lord my soul to take)

(Cause I'm ready to die)

...

(All y'all motherfuckers come with me if you want to)

(Biggie smalls the biggest man)

(Rockin on and on in ninety-three, easy mo bee)

(Third eye, and the rest of the bad boy fam)

(I don't wanna see no cryin at my funeral)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
die /daɪ/ A1	verb - to stop living
grab /ɡræb/ B1	verb - to take hold of something suddenly and roughly
kill /kɪl/ A1	verb - to cause the death of a person, animal, or plant
damage /ˈdæmɪdʒ/ B1	noun - physical harm that impairs the value, usefulness, or normal function of something verb - to inflict physical harm on something so as to impair its value, usefulness, or normal function
rip /rɪp/ B2	verb - to tear (something) quickly or forcibly away from something or someone
wreck /rɛk/ B2	verb - to destroy or severely damage (a structure, vehicle, or other object)
respect /rɪˈspɛkt/ B1	noun - a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements verb - to admire (someone or something) deeply as a result of their abilities, qualities, or achievements
sleep /sliːp/ A1	verb - to be in a state of rest when your eyes are closed, your body is inactive, and your mind is unconscious
save /seɪv/ A2	verb - to keep someone or something safe from harm or danger
fuck /fʌk/ B2	verb - to have sexual intercourse
crook /krʊk/ B2	noun - a person who is dishonest or a criminal
steal /stiːl/ A2	verb - to take (another person's property) without permission or legal right and without intending to return it
real /riːəl/ A1	adjective - actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact
suffer /ˈsʌfər/ B1	verb - experience or be subjected to (something bad or unpleasant)
hit /hɪt/ A2	verb - to strike (someone or something) forcefully
split /splɪt/ B1	verb - to divide or cause to divide into parts or groups
deranged /dɪˈreɪndʒd/ C1	adjective - mad; insane.

Key Grammar Structures

• As I grab the glock, put it to your headpiece

  ➔ Simple Present Tense as narrative technique.

  ➔ The present tense ("grab", "put") is used to create immediacy and a sense of action happening in real-time. It is a common technique in storytelling, especially in genres like hip-hop, to make the listener feel present in the scene. It's not literally happening *now*, but is narrating what's happening.

• I got techniques drippin out my buttcheeks

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense with slang.

  ➔ "drippin" is a slang term (derived from "dripping") used to describe something abundant or overflowing. The present continuous emphasizes the ongoing nature of the "techniques" being so good/plentiful, they're almost physically leaking from him. It's hyperbole for effect.

• Sleep on my stomach so I don't fuck up my sheets, huh

  ➔ Subordinating conjunction "so" expressing purpose. Informal language ("fuck up").

  ➔ "so" connects two clauses, where the second clause (I don't fuck up my sheets) is the reason for the first (Sleep on my stomach). The informal language reinforces the gritty, street-level tone of the song.

• My shit is deep, deeper than my grave g

  ➔ Comparative adjectives. Slang ("g").

  ➔ "deeper than" shows a comparison between the depth of his "shit" (complex issues, problems) and his grave. "g" is a slang term for gangster or friend.

• My life is played out like a jheri curl, I'm ready to die

  ➔ Simile using "like". Past participle "played out" as an adjective.

  ➔ "like a jheri curl" compares his life to the hairstyle (popular in the 80s) which was known to be greasy, messy, and eventually lose its appeal. "played out" means that his life has lost its excitement and purpose. The past participle acts as an adjective modifying "life".

• Doin whatever it took from snatchin chains to pocketbooks

  ➔ Gerunds as objects of the preposition "from". Informal contraction ("doin'").

  ➔ "snatchin" and "pocketbooks" are gerunds (verbs acting as nouns) that follow the preposition "from". They function as examples of what he did to get by. The slang contraction "doin'" is grammatically incorrect but reflects the speaker's dialect.

• You better grab your guns cause I'm ready, ready

  ➔ Conditional sentence with implied 'if'. "Better" + base form of verb for advice or warning. Repetition for emphasis.

  ➔ The implied 'if' is 'if you know what's good for you'. "You better grab" is a shortened, more direct way of saying "You had better grab". The repetition of "ready" emphasizes his state of preparedness and impending violence.