Revenge – English Lyrics

• By: Dave

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical mastery of Dave's "Revenge," a compelling track that offers a window into the rich storytelling and impactful language of UK rap. Through its vivid narrative and intricate wordplay, you can explore contemporary English slang and powerful expressions of ambition and perseverance, making it an excellent song to deepen your understanding of the language and modern British culture.

[English]

They won't appreciate your ambition, nah

They'll just love everything that can come from it

You see risk, I run with it, you run from it

And that's the major difference

Even though I made money to try and make a difference

It never made me different

It's just funny that people love to say I'm distant

And cry about the way I move, sitting in the same position

You hold it there, I'll run up in your crack spot

And really press pause on the white like polar bears

Ricardo Quaresma, I got a load of flair

Still go to war over a rack like Tony Blair

You talk a lot

I'm from Streatham Vale, that's where iron hides in cars like Autobots

I got love from superstars in America, before I got love from guys I chilled with at the corner shop

And that's what bothers me

Like I was focusing on quality

Just waiting for my time to shine while you was online tryna kill them with quantity

Fake girls onto me

I put three on my TNs and some Rocky jeans

And now the girl's dying for a title like Apollo Creed

That's super long, I'll tell her that I'm moving on, honestly

I lose love for what I'm doing lots to find my passion lying in a drink like Rubicon

This is some movie shit

We just spank groupie chicks and give them red bottoms like I bought the girls Louboutins

If her boyfriend comes back tryna do his job

I'll give her baby wings like I went and drew Cupid

On God, I am not the one

I don't have a lot of time

Quick decline when your label doesn't offer right

And if your head of office isn't on my other line with Di María's wages

Then I wouldn't even bother trying

I ain't gotta sign deals on blind faith

Studying Braille's the last time I touched a dotted line

I'm 19 this year, I lost a lot of time

I'm on the 109, I really need to get a car

Bait face, sittin' on the tube like I went and got the Northern Line to uni in the morning for a seminar

You remind me of Boxing Day and January

Black Friday too, your sales are all regular

But still you're online, stuntin' with your chain

While you struggle to recoup what you made on your dead advance

I don't really need to sit down with a label

'Cause me and Jack are on our own island with Benny Scars

I remember when I rapped in school for the love

And my teachers never thought that it would get me far

I remember when they said I couldn't sing

And now Wanna Know has taken over cities like Genghis Khan

Success is sweet, but revenge is ours

I'm living on the edge like the house on the hills of L.A. where we stayed with our rented cars

Our friend's yard, so I thank them

But you can ask Jack Street, SG and Jimmy Napes if it's all luck or if there's method to my madness

You ain't got money on your mind like the Sam song

And me and you can't chill out, so why latch on?

It's like we never turned the ends into a jackpot

And had dots scattered 'round the side like a match box

It's like I never turned my room into a trap spot

And whip 40K with my piano, it's my crackpot

I got a crazy drive, I'm afraid to fail

And ask anyone when I was there in Maida Vale

I done over 100 takes to make sure I played it well

As for the love of the music and not the ends

I ain't lookin' for respect, I'm lookin' for revenge

I was spinnin' tracks, my Gs were fixin' cats

I used to think that I was chillin' with some vets

Content with your life on the block, you're a mess

No vision

(Final round)

You don't have the fucking ambition

And for me and my friends

The only thing I need is revenge

...

(Game over)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ambition /æmˈbɪʃən/ B2	noun - a strong desire to achieve something
revenge /rɪˈvɛndʒ/ B2	noun - the act of retaliating for a wrong or injury
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a deep affection or strong feeling of attachment verb - to feel deep affection for someone or something
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - currency used as a medium of exchange
risk /rɪsk/ B1	noun - the possibility of loss or danger verb - to expose to danger, harm, or loss
difference /ˈdɪfərəns/ B1	noun - a point or way in which things are not the same
passion /ˈpæʃən/ B2	noun - a strong, barely controllable emotion or enthusiasm
label /ˈleɪbəl/ B2	noun - a company that produces and markets music recordings
war /wɔːr/ B1	noun - organized armed conflict between groups or nations
flair /flɛər/ C1	noun - a natural talent, aptitude, or instinctive ability
Rubicon /ˈruːbɪkɒn/ C2	proper noun - the river crossed by Julius Caesar, used metaphorically for an irreversible step
Louboutins /luːˈbuːtæn/ C1	proper noun - high‑end luxury shoes designed by Christian Louboutin
Braille /breɪl/ B2	noun - a tactile writing system used by blind people
Genghis /ˈgɛŋɡɪs/ C1	proper noun - refers to Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire
Apollo /əˈpɒloʊ/ B2	proper noun - the Greek god of music, poetry and the sun; also a NASA space program
blind /blaɪnd/ A2	adjective - unable to see; lacking visual perception
faith /feɪθ/ B2	noun - complete trust or confidence in someone or something
method /ˈmɛθəd/ B1	noun - a systematic way of doing something
madness /ˈmædnəs/ B2	noun - the state of being mentally ill or extremely foolish

Key Grammar Structures

• Even though I made money to try and make a difference

  ➔ Concessive clause with *even though* + past simple; infinitive of purpose (*to try* and *to make*)

  ➔ The word "made" is in the past simple to show a completed action. The infinitive "to try" (and "to make") expresses the purpose of making money.

• You hold it there, I'll run up in your crack spot

  ➔ Future simple with contraction *I'll* (will) + base verb; present simple in the first clause

  ➔ "I'll" is a contraction of "I will," showing a future intention. "hold" is present simple, describing a current action.

• I got love from superstars in America, before I got love from guys I chilled with at the corner shop

  ➔ Past simple *got* used twice; temporal clause with *before* + past simple

  ➔ "got" is the past simple of "get," indicating completed actions. The word "before" introduces a time reference, linking two past events.

• I put three on my TNs and some Rocky jeans

  ➔ Simple past *put*; coordination with *and*; quantifier *some* before a plural noun

  ➔ "put" is the past simple of "put" (same form). "some" modifies the plural noun "jeans," indicating an indefinite amount.

• I lose love for what I'm doing lots to find my passion lying in a drink like Rubicon

  ➔ Present simple *lose*; relative clause *what I'm doing*; infinitive of purpose *to find*; present participle *lying* as a reduced clause

  ➔ "lose" is present simple, showing a habitual or current state. The phrase "what I'm doing" is a relative clause acting as the object of "love for". "to find" expresses purpose, and "lying" (present participle) describes the state of the passion.

• I ain't gotta sign deals on blind faith

  ➔ Colloquial negative modal *ain't gotta* = "don't have to"; infinitive *sign* following modal

  ➔ "ain't gotta" is informal for "do not have to". The verb "sign" follows directly as an infinitive without "to".

• I'm 19 this year, I lost a lot of time

  ➔ Present simple of "to be" (*I'm*); past simple *lost*; contrastive use of two different tenses in one sentence

  ➔ "I'm" (I am) states a current fact. "lost" is past simple showing an action that happened before now.

• I don't really need to sit down with a label

  ➔ Negative modal verb phrase *don't need to* + infinitive; adverb *really* modifying the verb phrase

  ➔ "don't need to" expresses lack of necessity. The adverb "really" adds emphasis, meaning "not at all".

• I was spinnin' tracks, my Gs were fixin' cats

  ➔ Past continuous *was spinnin'*; past continuous *were fixin'*; colloquial dropping of -g in -ing forms

  ➔ "was spinnin'" and "were fixin'" are past continuous, showing ongoing actions in the past. The apostrophe indicates the dropped "g" typical in informal speech.