Stop The Hatred – English Lyrics

• By: MC Jin, Wyclef Jean

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the impactful message behind “Stop The Hatred” by MC Jin and Wyclef Jean, a song born from a critical moment in the fight against anti-Asian hate. Explore the song's origins, its message of unity, and how it became an anthem for change, offering valuable insights into cultural understanding and social justice.

[English]

(gentle music)

♪ Rain love on me ♪

♪ Rain love on me ♪

♪ Open up your eyes and finally see ♪

♪ My grandma passed away at the top of last year ♪

♪ Last year ♪

♪ At the funeral drowning ♪

♪ 'Cause I couldn't hold back tears ♪

♪ But after all that's happened this past year ♪

♪ Part of me sees grace in the fact that she's not here ♪

♪ As a grandson, this statement's a fact ♪

♪ No elderly should ever be victim of such a heinous attack ♪

♪ Prey on the weak; only cowards ♪

♪ Would take advantage of that ♪

♪ No more staying meek ♪

♪ It's time to take a stand and react ♪ ♪ Stand and react ♪

♪ A simple trip to the market, thought the streets were safe ♪

♪ Turned targets, I speak up for my people's sake ♪

♪ From this pandemic, I'm hopeful that we'll see escape ♪

♪ Until then, love's the only vaccine for hate ♪

♪ Vaccine for hate ♪

♪ Now when my folks leave the house, it's quite the norm ♪

♪ My mind's flooded with thoughts of what might go wrong ♪

♪ Truthfully, I wish I didn't have to write this song ♪

♪ But it's only right I recite it since this mic is on ♪

♪ What if we went a little bit out of our way ♪

♪ To stop the hatred ♪

♪ Imagine that ♪

♪ Stop the hatred ♪

♪ What if we took a little time out of our day ♪

♪ To stop the hatred ♪

♪ Could it be ♪

♪ Stop the hatred ♪

♪ Rain love on me ♪

♪ Uhh, he cold like Antarctica ♪

♪ It don't matter if you black and white ♪

♪ Says the man in the mirror ♪

♪ The squad's facing the terror ♪

♪ I'm talking mother, father, sister ♪

♪ Brother, grandma, and grandpapa ♪

♪ All doomed 'cause of skin color ♪

♪ Paranoid like my mind playing tricks on this ghetto boy ♪

♪ So I gotta scream for my mama like I'm George Floyd ♪

♪ Now I'm all in linen like John imagining ♪

♪ But he ain't give peace a chance ♪

♪ He took eight lives with him ♪

♪ Where the love go still unanswered ♪

♪ Politicians, they be flipping Gabby Douglas ♪

♪ Divide so they can conquer then they chain our ancestors ♪

♪ Come together like the Beatles remastered ♪

♪ What if we went a little bit ♪

♪ Out of our way to stop the hatred ♪

♪ Imagine that ♪

♪ Stop the hatred ♪

♪ What if we took a little time out of our day ♪

♪ To stop the hatred ♪

♪ Could it be ♪

♪ Stop the hatred ♪

♪ Rain love on me ♪

♪ It's new footage every other day ♪

♪ Every bit of it hard to watch ♪

♪ I'm talking to my son, he's eight-listen to your pops ♪

♪ I said don't fall for the bait; the actions of a few ♪

♪ Don't reflect the nature of an entire race ♪

♪ Maybe the past is full of lessons but we missed it ♪

♪ History shows, indeed, tension has existed ♪

♪ Between the two communities, but here's a fact ♪

♪ Beyond colors, we're humans, not just yellow or black ♪

♪ Like Chris Rock, I ain't liberal or conservative inside ♪

♪ I just know the enemy would love to further the divide ♪

♪ Media don't care how the story is told ♪

♪ They're more concerned with how the story is sold ♪

♪ Preconceived notions make it harder to see ♪

♪ Together there's much power ♪

♪ Rush Hour, look at Carter and Lee ♪

♪ Hopefully, through dialogue we'll start to agree ♪

♪ More light for you doesn't make the world darker for me ♪

♪ What if we went a little bit out of our way ♪

♪ To stop the hatred ♪

♪ Imagine that ♪

♪ Stop the hatred ♪

♪ What if we took a little time out of our day ♪

♪ To stop the hatred ♪

♪ Could it be ♪

♪ Stop the hatred ♪

♪ Rain love on me ♪

♪ Rain love on me, rain ♪

♪ Rain love on me ♪

♪ Open up your eyes and finally see ♪

♪ Open up your eyes and finally see ♪

♪ Rain love on me, rain love on me ♪

♪ Rain love on me ♪

♪ Open up your eyes and finally see ♪

♪ I want you to say exactly what's on your heart ♪

♪ Right now, say it ♪

♪ Stop the hatred ♪

♪ Say it one more time, chance ♪

♪ Stop the hatred ♪

(whooshing)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - a deep affection for someone or something verb - to feel deep affection for
hate /heɪt/ B1	noun - intense or violent dislike verb - to feel intense dislike for
victim /ˈvɪktɪm/ B2	noun - a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event
attack /əˈtæk/ B1	noun - an aggressive and violent action against a person or place verb - to act aggressively toward someone or something
prey /preɪ/ B2	noun - an animal that is hunted and killed by another for food verb - to exploit or victimize someone, often in a manipulative way
coward /ˈkaʊəd/ B2	noun - a person who lacks courage adjective - showing a lack of bravery
stand /stænd/ B1	verb - to be upright on the feet; to hold a position noun - a place where something is placed or occurs
react /riˈækt/ B1	verb - to respond to a stimulus or situation
pandemic /pænˈdɛmɪk/ B2	noun - an epidemic that spreads over several countries or continents adjective - relating to a worldwide disease outbreak
vaccine /ˈvæksiːn/ B2	noun - a preparation that stimulates the body's immune system to protect against disease
peace /piːs/ B1	noun - a state of calm and freedom from conflict
divide /dɪˈvaɪd/ B2	verb - to separate into parts, groups, or sections noun - a separation or split between people or things
tension /ˈtɛnʃən/ B2	noun - mental or emotional strain; a state of being stretched tight
community /kəˈmjuːnɪti/ B2	noun - a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common
race /reɪs/ B1	noun - a group of people classified according to physical characteristics or shared ancestry
media /ˈmiːdiə/ B2	noun - the means of communication, such as newspapers, television, and the internet, that reach a large audience
story /ˈstɔːri/ A2	noun - a narrative of real or imagined events, spoken or written
dialogue /ˈdaɪəˌlɒɡ/ B2	noun - a conversation between two or more people as a way of solving a problem or sharing ideas
truth /truːθ/ B1	noun - the quality or state of being true; a fact or belief that is accepted as true

Key Grammar Structures

• But after all that's happened this past year

  ➔ Present Perfect (Passive)

  ➔ Uses the present perfect tense ('has happened') to describe an action that started in the past and continues to have relevance in the present. The passive voice ('that's happened') emphasizes the state resulting from the event rather than the agent.

• No elderly should ever be victim of such a heinous attack

  ➔ Modal Verb 'should' + Passive voice

  ➔ Expresses a strong recommendation or moral obligation, combined with the passive voice to emphasize the recipient of the action.

• It's time to take a stand and react

  ➔ It's time + to-infinitive

  ➔ Expresses that now is the appropriate moment to do something.

• I'm hopeful that we'll see escape

  ➔ Adjective clause with "that"

  ➔ Uses "that" to introduce a clause that describes or provides more information about the noun it modifies. "Hopeful" is the adjective, and "that we'll see escape" is the clause modifying it.

• Truthfully, I wish I didn't have to write this song

  ➔ Wish + past simple (for unreal past)

  ➔ Uses "wish" followed by the past simple tense to express a desire that something in the present situation were different or that something in the past had been different. It is a hypothetical situation.

• What if we went a little bit out of our way

  ➔ Conditional Sentence (Type 2) - hypothetical situation

  ➔ Uses "what if" followed by the past simple to introduce a hypothetical situation and what might happen as a result. Focus is on the unreality or improbability of the action.

• I just know the enemy would love to further the divide

  ➔ Modal verb 'would' + Infinitive (for future in the past)

  ➔ Using 'would' indicates a hypothetical or potential action from a past perspective. 'Would love to further the divide' suggests an action that was possible or expected in the past.

• Maybe the past is full of lessons but we missed it

  ➔ Past simple (in a hypothetical/general statement) + simple past of the verb 'to miss'

  ➔ Uses the past simple to discuss a past state ('is full') and a completed action ('missed'). This creates a reflective tone about a missed opportunity.