Reefer Madness – English Lyrics

• By: G-Eazy
• Album: The Endless Summer

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Yeah.

Just that Nawtyme flow.

The like confidential in the air.

You know what I mean?

Yeah.

From '94 to '99.

You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

Uh, you couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer

Or in the whip without some tents and some bumpin' speakers

You couldn't catch me on the beat without a ton of ether

That's why I draw a fat crowd like a double feature

So what we twistin' up? I got me a variety

Homegrown medicinal strains, come take a ride with me

Can recite Illmatic in its entirety

'Cause growin' up that album definitely inspired me

Imaginin' me chillin' in New York City in '94, coppin' nickel bags in the park

Rootin' for the Knicks, watchin' Ewing pass it to Starks

Visualizin' when hip-hop was back on the charts, yo

You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

That's like Malcolm X, catchin' the jungle fever.

You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

That's like Malcolm X, catchin' the jungle fever.

Spendin' every day chillin' in July gettin' high

There's no jobs at all, we just tryin' to get by

And then the tree kicks and I'm like, "Why even try?"

But they're retroin' some 3s that I'm dyin' to buy

I'm tryin' to increase my revenue off of music

'Cause that shit really feel like free money when I use it

Maybe that's why it seems I get it then I lose it

Tryin' to vacation on an island or a cruise ship

G makes songs that you can roll up and cruise to

If rap was a sport I'd be the guy you always lose to

You drop tapes that everybody hits the snooze to

And wonder why 'loser' is how everybody views you

You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

That's like Malcolm X, catchin' the jungle fever.

You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

That's like Malcolm X, catchin' the jungle fever.

You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

That's like Malcolm X, catchin' the jungle fever.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
flow /floʊ/ B2	noun - the continuous and smooth movement of something
confidential /ˌkɒnfɪˈdɛnʃəl/ C1	adjective - intended to be kept secret or private
reefer /ˈriːfər/ C2	noun - slang for a marijuana cigarette
street /striːt/ A2	noun - a public road in a city or town
ton /tʌn/ B1	noun - a large amount or quantity
whip /wɪp/ B2	noun - slang for a car
tent /tɛnt/ A2	noun - a portable shelter made of cloth
bumpin' /ˈbʌmpɪn/ C1	adjective - colloquial for loud, energetic (usually music)
speaker /ˈspiːkər/ A2	noun - a device that produces sound
beat /biːt/ B1	noun - the basic unit of rhythm in music
crowd /kraʊd/ A2	noun - a large group of people
variety /vəˈraɪəti/ B2	noun - a number of different types of something
strain /streɪn/ C1	noun - a particular type or breed of a plant, animal, or microorganism
album /ˈælbəm/ B1	noun - a collection of music tracks released together
inspire /ɪnˈspaɪər/ B2	verb - to motivate or influence someone positively
root /ruːt/ B2	verb - to support or encourage enthusiastically
jungle /ˈdʒʌŋɡəl/ B1	noun - a dense forest in tropical areas
fever /ˈfiːvər/ B1	noun - an abnormally high body temperature
revenue /ˈrɛvəˌnuː/ C1	noun - income generated from business activities
vacation /veɪˈkeɪʃən/ A2	noun - a period of time spent away from work or school for rest or travel

Key Grammar Structures

• You couldn't catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

  ➔ Modal verb 'could' + negative form expressing past ability/inability; 'without' + noun phrase as an adverbial condition.

  ➔ You "couldn't" catch me in the streets without a ton of reefer.

• If rap was a sport I'd be the guy you always lose to.

  ➔ Second conditional (unreal present) – 'If + past simple, would + base verb'.

  ➔ "If" rap was a sport "I'd" be the guy you always lose to.

• That's like Malcolm X, catchin' the jungle fever.

  ➔ Simile using 'like' as a preposition to compare two ideas.

  ➔ That"'s" like Malcolm X, catchin' the jungle fever.

• I got me a variety.

  ➔ Colloquial use of 'got' meaning 'obtain' with object pronoun 'me' for emphasis (double object construction).

  ➔ I "got" "me" a variety.

• Maybe that's why it seems I get it then I lose it.

  ➔ Causative 'that's why' + noun clause 'it seems' introducing a perception; sequential adverb 'then' linking two actions.

  ➔ "Maybe" that's why "it seems" I get it "then" I lose it.

• I'm tryin' to increase my revenue off of music.

  ➔ Infinitive phrase 'to increase' as purpose; prepositional phrase 'off of' indicating source.

  ➔ I'm tryin' "to increase" my revenue "off of" music.

• You drop tapes that everybody hits the snooze to.

  ➔ Relative clause with object pronoun 'that' and preposition stranded at the end ('to').

  ➔ You drop tapes "that" everybody hits the snooze "to".

• Imaginin' me chillin' in New York City in '94, coppin' nickel bags in the park.

  ➔ Gerund‑participle clause used as subject; present participle 'coppin'' forming a parallel action.

  ➔ "Imaginin'" me chillin' in New York City in '94, "coppin'" nickel bags in the park.