What Does It Take – English Lyrics

• By: Jr Walker & The All Stars

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the soulful depths of Jr. Walker & The All Stars' hit song, "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)." This classic Motown track offers a rich opportunity to explore themes of love, longing, and the lengths one will go to for affection. Dive in to learn about the song's history, meaning, and the musical elements that made it a timeless favorite.

[English]

What does it take (what does it take)

To win your love for me? (To win your love for me?)

How can I make (how can I make)

This dream come true for me? (Come true for me)

Whoa, I just got to know (got to know)

Ooh, baby, 'cause I love you so

Gonna blow for you

I tried, I tried, I tried, I tried

In every way I could (every way I could)

To make you see how much I love you (see how much I love you)

Woo, I thought you understood (thought you understood)

So you gotta make me see (make me see)

What does it take to win your love for me?

Gonna blow again for you

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
shotgun /ˈʃɒtɡʌn/ B1	noun - a long gun that fires a large number of small pellets
shoot /ʃuːt/ A2	verb - to fire a weapon
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot
jerk /dʒɜːrk/ B2	noun - a sudden, sharp, or awkward movement verb - to move with a sudden, sharp, or awkward movement
dress /dres/ A1	noun - a piece of clothing worn by a woman or girl
downtown /ˌdaʊnˈtaʊn/ A2	noun - the main business area of a town or city
break /breɪk/ A1	verb - to separate into pieces
load /loʊd/ B1	verb - to put a load on or in (something)
high /haɪ/ A1	adjective - of great vertical extent
heel /hiːl/ A2	noun - the back part of the foot
shoes /ʃuːz/ A1	noun - footwear
listen /ˈlɪsən/ A1	verb - to pay attention to sound
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation
blues /bluːz/ B1	noun - a type of music
dig /dɪɡ/ A2	verb - to break up and move earth
potatoes /pəˈteɪtoʊz/ A1	noun - plural of potato
pick /pɪk/ A2	verb - to remove (something) from a place
tomatoes /təˈmeɪtoʊz/ A1	noun - plural of tomato
twine /twaɪn/ B2	noun - strong thread or string consisting of two or more strands twisted together.

Key Grammar Structures

• Shoot 'em for he run now

  ➔ Non-standard use of "for" as "before"

  ➔ Here, "for" is used colloquially to mean "before". A more standard phrasing would be "Shoot 'em before he runs now."

• Do the jerk baby

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The phrase "Do the jerk" is a direct command. It uses the base form of the verb to give an instruction.

• Put on your red dress

  ➔ Imperative mood with a phrasal verb

  ➔ "Put on" is a phrasal verb meaning "to wear". The sentence "Put on your red dress" is another command.

• And then you go downtown now

  ➔ Simple present tense used for future events/plans

  ➔ The use of "go" in the simple present tense implies a plan or intention. It's common in informal speech.

• I said buy yourself a shotgun now

  ➔ Imperative embedded in reported speech

  ➔ "I said buy yourself a shotgun now" is an example of reported speech where the direct command "Buy yourself a shotgun!" is embedded.

• We're gonna break it down, baby now

  ➔ Future with "gonna" (informal)

  ➔ "Gonna" is a shortened, informal form of "going to", used to express future intention.

• We're gonna dig potatoes

  ➔ Future with "gonna" (informal) expressing future action

  ➔ Similar to the previous example, "We're gonna dig potatoes" indicates a future action, again using the informal "gonna" for "going to."

• Hey, what'd I say?

  ➔ Contraction of "what did" + Interrogative form

  ➔ "What'd" is a common contraction of "what did". This is an interrogative sentence used rhetorically for emphasis or engagement.