Snowchild – English Lyrics

• By: The Weeknd
• Album: After Hours

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the world of The Weeknd's 'Snowchild,' an intensely personal and autobiographical track that offers a unique window into the artist's life and evolution. Through its reflective lyrics and atmospheric production, you can explore nuanced expressions of ambition, struggle, and the complexities of fame, making it an excellent song to deepen your understanding of English vocabulary and narrative storytelling in modern R&B.

[English]

I used to pray when I was 16

If I didn't make it, then I'd probably make my wrist bleed

Not to mislead, turn my nightmares into big dreams

Whole squad mobbing even though we only six deep

I was singing notes while my niggas played with six keys

Walking in the snow before I ever made my wrist freeze

I was blowing smoke, had me dizzy like Gillespie

Niggas had no homes, we were living in the dead streets

You couldn't find me like I'm Hoffa

Cover girls jumping out the page like they pop ups

Spending all my money on these niggas that I brought up

Taking care of families for my brothers when they locked up

And I had nothing to believe in

Double cup leaning

Couldn't even breathe, and

For that money, I was fiending

Cali was the mission, but now a nigga leaving

Leaving, leaving into the night

Now a nigga leaving

Leaving, leaving into the night

She like my futuristic sounds in the new spaceship

Futuristic sex, give her Phillip K dick

She never need a man, she what a man need

So I keep on fallin' for her daily

We was at Coachella going brazy

Stack a couple M's like I was Shady

Now I'm in Tribeca like I'm Jay-Z

Rockin' Sorayama like he pay me

I just signed a new deal with Mercedes

Got me movin' dirty like I'm Swayze

All my diamonds dancing like they Swayze

All my diamonds hitting like they Swae Lee

Jet so big, got a business and a coach

Always livin' on the road

Rockin' Louis à la mode, nigga

And for that money, I been fiending

Cali was the mission, but now a nigga leaving

Leaving, leaving into the night

Now a nigga leaving

Leaving, leaving into the night

20 mill' mansion, never lived in it

Zero edge pool, never dipped in it

Superstar neighbor in my business

Paparazzi tryna catch me slippin', and

Goin' on tour is my vacation

Every month, another accusation

Only thing I'm phobic of is failing

I was never blessed with any patience

So a nigga leaving

Leaving, leaving into the night

Now a nigga leaving

Leaving, leaving into the night

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
pray /preɪ/ A2	verb - to address a solemn request or expression of thanks to a deity or other object of worship
nightmare /ˈnaɪt.mer/ B1	noun - a very unpleasant dream
dream /driːm/ A1	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep verb - to indulge in daydreams or fantasies.
snow /snoʊ/ A1	noun - atmospheric water vapor frozen into ice crystals and falling in light white flakes or lying on the ground as a white layer verb - to fall as snow.
dead /ded/ A1	adjective - no longer alive
mission /ˈmɪʃ.ən/ B1	noun - an important assignment, often involving travel
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period from sunset to sunrise in each twenty-four hours
spaceship /ˈspeɪs.ʃɪp/ B1	noun - a vehicle used for traveling in outer space
futuristic /ˌfjuː.tʃəˈrɪs.tɪk/ B2	adjective - having or appearing to have the style of the future; modern and innovative.
money /ˈmʌn.i/ A1	noun - a current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes
fall /fɔːl/ A1	verb - to drop or descend under the force of gravity
business /ˈbɪz.nɪs/ A2	noun - a person's regular occupation, profession, or trade
road /roʊd/ A1	noun - a wide way leading from one place to another, especially one with a specially prepared surface that vehicles can use
vacation /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ A2	noun - an extended period of recreation, especially when spent away from home or in traveling
failing /ˈfeɪ.lɪŋ/ B2	noun - weaknesses; flaws.
patience /ˈpeɪ.ʃəns/ B1	noun - the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset

Key Grammar Structures

• I used to pray when I was 16

  ➔ "Used to" for past habits

  ➔ The structure "used to + verb" indicates a past habit or state that is no longer true. In this case, it shows that the singer prayed regularly when he was 16.

• If I didn't make it, then I'd probably make my wrist bleed

  ➔ Second conditional (If + past simple, would + infinitive)

  ➔ This sentence uses the second conditional to describe a hypothetical situation in the past and its likely consequence. "If I didn't make it" (past simple) describes the hypothetical situation, and "then I'd probably make my wrist bleed" (would + infinitive) describes the likely outcome.

• Cover girls jumping out the page like they pop ups

  ➔ Simile (like)

  ➔ The simile uses "like" to compare cover girls jumping out of the page to pop ups, emphasizing the sudden and surprising nature of their appearance.

• Now I'm in Tribeca like I'm Jay-Z

  ➔ Simile (like)

  ➔ The simile uses "like" to compare the speaker's presence in Tribeca to that of Jay-Z, implying wealth, status, and familiarity with the area.

• Got me movin' dirty like I'm Swayze

  ➔ Simile (like) with ellipsis

  ➔ This simile uses "like" to compare the speaker's "dirty" movement to that of Patrick Swayze (likely referencing his dance moves). The "Got me" implies a causative structure, something is causing the movement.

• Rockin' Louis à la mode, nigga

  ➔ French loanword/phrase

  ➔ "À la mode" is a French phrase meaning "fashionable" or "in style." The phrase adds a touch of sophistication or high fashion to the description.

• 20 mill' mansion, never lived in it

  ➔ Ellipsis

  ➔ The sentence is an example of ellipsis where the auxiliary verb 'have' is omitted: "(I've) never lived in it." This is common in informal speech and song lyrics.

• Only thing I'm phobic of is failing

  ➔ Subject complement (noun)

  ➔ "Failing" is a gerund (verb acting as a noun) that serves as the subject complement, describing what the subject (the only thing he's phobic of) is. It renames or describes the subject.