ROLLING STONE – English Lyrics

• By: Brent Faiyaz
• Album: wasteland

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the raw honesty of Brent Faiyaz's "ROLLING STONE," a track that offers a candid glimpse into the artist's world. Through its smooth R&B melody and introspective lyrics, you can explore complex themes of identity and the pressures of a public life. This song is a great opportunity to learn English vocabulary related to emotions and self-reflection, all while experiencing the unique storytelling that makes Brent Faiyaz a standout artist.

[English]

I'm a rolling stone

I'm too wild for you to own

In a whip that's meant to speed

If i hurt you would you leave?

I learned the game from some heavyweights

Catching buses, making change from another play

I still got demons from my younger days

I wish I could shake 'em but they follow me

I wish I could take it easy but these fans watch

Ask my mama, I been hustlin' since the sand box

I'm a rolling stone

...

I'm sorry in advance if I let you down

I'm sorry in advance if I let you down

Bitch you just spilled Louis 13 on my McQueens

(Damn, Back then fuck up)

I got all this pimp shit up in my Genes

...

Blame that on my mother

I can't go nowhere that's less than me

Ask my lovers, I'm troubled

First I'm exciting then I'm gaslighting, make up your mind

I'm rich as fuck and I ain't nothing at the same time

...

People hate me & they love me at the same time

(Damn, damn, damn)

I guess I'm everything & nothing at the same time

...

I'm sorry in advance if I let you down

(I'm a rolling stone)

I'm sorry in advance if I let you down

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
stone /stoʊn/ A2	noun - a hard solid nonmetallic material of mineral matter
wild /waɪld/ B1	adjective - not controlled or tamed
speed /spiːd/ A2	noun - the rate at which someone or something moves verb - to move quickly
hurt /hɜːrt/ A2	verb - to cause pain to noun - physical or emotional pain
heavyweights /ˈheviweɪts/ B2	noun - people who are important or influential
demons /ˈdiːmənz/ B2	noun - troubling or destructive thoughts or feelings
shake /ʃeɪk/ A2	verb - to move back and forth or up and down
fans /fænz/ A2	noun - people who admire or support someone
hustlin' /ˈhʌslɪn/ B1	verb - working hard and being resourceful
sand /sænd/ A1	noun - small grains of rock
spilled /spɪld/ A2	verb - to cause or allow liquid to flow over the edge of its container
pimp /pɪmp/ C1	noun - (slang) a man who exploits people, often prostitutes adjective - stylish and attractive
genes /dʒiːnz/ B2	noun - units of heredity
nowhere /ˈnaʊweər/ A2	adverb - not to any place
troubled /ˈtrʌbld/ B1	adjective - worried, unhappy, or having problems
exciting /ɪkˈsaɪtɪŋ/ B1	adjective - causing great enthusiasm and eagerness
gaslighting /ˈɡæslaitiŋ/ C1	verb - manipulating someone into questioning their own sanity
rich /rɪtʃ/ A2	adjective - having a great deal of money
hate /heɪt/ A2	verb - to dislike intensely noun - intense dislike

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm too wild for you to own

  ➔ `too... for (someone) to (do something)` structure

  ➔ This structure expresses that something is excessive, making an action impossible or undesirable. Here, the speaker is "too wild" for the listener "to own." The phrase highlights that the speaker's nature prevents them from being possessed.

• If i hurt you would you leave?

  ➔ Second Conditional

  ➔ The "Second Conditional" is used to talk about hypothetical or unlikely situations in the present or future. "If I hurt you" (past simple in the if-clause) describes an imagined situation, and "would you leave?" (would + base verb) describes the hypothetical result.

• I wish I could shake 'em but they follow me

  ➔ `I wish I could` (unreal wish)

  ➔ The phrase "I wish I could" expresses a desire for a change in an unreal or impossible present/future situation. The speaker wishes they had the ability to "shake 'em" (get rid of the demons), but they cannot.

• I been hustlin' since the sand box

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous (informal) + `since`

  ➔ "I **been hustlin'**" is an informal contraction of "I have been hustling." The "Present Perfect Continuous" tense is used with "since" to indicate an action that started in the past ("since the sand box") and continues up to the present.

• In a whip that's meant to speed

  ➔ Relative Clause + `be meant to` (passive voice)

  ➔ "**that's meant to speed**" is a relative clause modifying "whip" (an informal term for a car). "**meant to speed**" uses the passive structure "be meant to (do something)," indicating the intended purpose or design of the car.

• I'm sorry in advance if I let you down

  ➔ `in advance` (adverbial phrase) + `let down` (phrasal verb)

  ➔ "**in advance**" means "beforehand" or "ahead of time." "**let you down**" is a phrasal verb meaning to disappoint someone. The speaker is apologizing for a potential future disappointment.

• I can't go nowhere that's less than me

  ➔ Double Negative (informal)

  ➔ "**can't go nowhere**" is an informal double negative. In standard English, it would be "can't go anywhere" or "can go nowhere." It emphasizes the speaker's refusal to go to any place that is beneath their perceived status.

• First I'm exciting then I'm gaslighting, make up your mind

  ➔ Idiom: `make up your mind`

  ➔ The idiom "**make up your mind**" means to decide or choose something. The speaker is telling someone to reach a decision, implying their own contradictory nature makes it difficult for others to understand them.

• I'm rich as fuck and I ain't nothing at the same time

  ➔ Informal Intensifier (`as fuck`) and Double Negative (`ain't nothing`)

  ➔ "**as fuck**" is an informal, strong intensifier used to emphasize the preceding adjective or adverb. "**ain't nothing**" is an informal double negative, meaning "am not anything" or "am nothing." Both are used to powerfully convey the speaker's contradictory state.

• Blame that on my mother

  ➔ Phrasal Verb: `blame (something) on (someone)`

  ➔ "**Blame that on my mother**" uses the phrasal verb "blame (something) on (someone)," meaning to attribute responsibility for something negative to a person or cause. Here, the speaker attributes their "pimp shit" (characteristics) to their mother.