Sue Me – English Lyrics

• By: Wale, Kelly Price
• Album: Wow... That’s Crazy

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical depth and cultural commentary of Wale's "Sue Me" featuring Kelly Price! This song offers an engaging way to explore contemporary American English, particularly its use in hip-hop and discussions around social justice. By listening to Wale's intricate rhymes and Kelly Price's soulful contributions, you can grasp nuanced expressions and cultural references while experiencing a powerful narrative about identity and solidarity. What makes this song special is its bold message and its groundbreaking music video, which uses a unique approach to challenge perspectives on race, making it a compelling piece for both language learning and critical thought.

[English]

Beam, gotta go to work.

Take care of your brother.

White-on-white crime is up 40% in the city.

Community leaders and police are growing concerned.

The situation is slowly spiraling out of control.

The streets are getting more dangerous every day.

Do you know when this happened?

Just a few days ago, less than a week ago.

Saying, "Is this city normal?"

And the experts are saying, "No, don't worry about it.

It's gonna pull back. It's gonna correct itself."

Now we're beginning to wonder if this is the new normal.

Oh, maybe for the foreseeable future.

As we head into the close here, the last 15 minutes

we've seen

On my way to Bootsy Bellows with hella the hoes

Try and think what I'ma tell 'em when they get alone

I'm a glutton for women I shouldn't yearn for

Shouldn't be tempted, but baby, I like to hurt, or

Maybe 'cause I was searchin', I found me the perfect person

But me and her didn't work out, she buried what she worked for

And I carried the bitterness of a kola nut

Nigerian shit, my parents never showed much

Womanizer, probably could've been a feminist

'Cause I respect 'em, but Lord, I got polygamy problems

The hoodie come from Barneys, spendin' money is therapeutic

To wear the shit they don't think that you care to buy

So we buying Prada, Balenciaga like it is nada

In the Ferrari, my fear is God and tax problems

Pierre Moss, I dropped ten on my last visit

And half that up at Saks, I favor black businesses

Sue me, l'm rootin' for everybody that's black, yeah, uh huh, yeah

Uh-huh, yeah

Sue me, I'm rootin' for everybody that's black, yo, yo yo, look, look

Sue me, I'm rootin' for everybody that's black

Spent 'bout two racks on handmade durags

Sue me, I'm rootin' for everybody that's black

That's everybody from sports to college class to rap, and back

I want to let you know

In my soul

I won't let you down

And I won't let you down

I want to let you know

And I won't let you down

I want to let you know

In my soul

I'll be there for sure

I won't let you down

And I won't let you down

In my soul

I'll be there for sure

And I won't let you down

Oh, I won't let you down

I want to let you know

And I won't let you down

I want to let you know

In my soul

I'll be there for sure

And I won't let you down

I won't let you down

I want to let you know

In my soul

I'll be there for sure

And I won't let you down

Oh, I won't let you down

I want to let you know

In my soul

I'll be there for sure

And I won't let you down

Oh, I won't let you down

I need you to know

You're so beautiful

Hold up, yo, look

People, people, the high life is a movie, we ain't promised a sequel

Ambition, my second album, how was you sleepin'?

Dropped the album with Seinfeld, they thought I was tweakin'

A prophet, a genius

I'm flyin' with Lena, I'm ridin' with Nina

One write for the Chi, one right where I need her

The funny thing is I'll always be single

I love me some Logan, I love me some Issa

I'll never get either, no one Venice Queens me

I'm a drunk, I'm a demon

Heaven knows I'm a dreamer

I seen Taraji and Kelvin, always hope I could be that

I fell in love with an actress actin' like she don't need me

Polarizin' the sun, underrated again

Show business will never love you the way you love it

You come and we go, they quick to forget

So every boujee event I attend, I tell 'em this

Sue me, l'm rootin' for everybody that's black, yeah, uh huh, yeah

Uh-huh, yeah

Sue me, I'm rootin' for everybody that's black, yo, yo yo, look, look

Sue me, I'm rootin' for everybody that's black

Spent 'bout two racks on handmade durags

Sue me, I'm rootin' for everybody that's black

That's everybody from sports to college class to rap, and back

I have two gentlemen in my café that are refusing to make a purchase or leave.

I've met those standards.

[04:00.67] Starbuck's, you need to call 9-1-1.

I need you to know

You're so beautiful

I need you to know

You're so beautiful, oh

Oh

Okay, sue me, I'm rootin' for everybody that's black

Everybody be asking my sixth album my last

I'm super sick of this business

My daughter missin' me, nigga

The whip is bullet repellent

But they gon' kill me with tax

Niggas really on clout, they ain't checkin' for stats

Who a decade or better, givin' niggas decadent rap

Respect is in order, hate me, better do it loud

Root for everybody black, haters say "That's crazy, wow"

That's crazy, wow

I want to let you know

In my soul

I'll be there for sure

And I won't let you down

Oh, I won't let you down

I need you to know

In my soul

I'll be there for sure

And I won't let you down

Oh, I won't let you down

No touch!

You look good, son.

Thank you.

There's one.

Your mom let you do that?

Mm.

Um,

What's up?

So, I want to talk to you about something,

and it's... it it it it's good news.

It's really good news.

So, I want you to listen to me.

Um, there are laws being passed right now.

Listen to me.

There are laws being passed right now

specifically catered to people over the age of 50

with non-violent drug offenses to be reviewed,

to be appealed, to be looked at again.

People like us?

People!

What?

Not all the same.

Well, I'm I'm letting you know that there's hope,

that there's...

There's no hope for people that look like us.

Okay?

I've got four more years left.

Right?

We're here to play chess.

Let's just play chess.

Why are you saying

make a move?

White goes first.

This motherfucker literally in this bitch dying, bro.

The motherfuckers who ain't sick, you know, like me.

They just leaving us in this bitch.

I'm about to show y'all this tent, shit.

Hold on.

That's a big tent, y'all see on the basketball court.

That tent right there.

They literally putting the dead bodies in that motherfucker.

That's what they doing.

Nah, they got this fucking law

called the Care Act for niggas like me who not sick, right?

The Care Act is for people who not a gang member,

not a sexual offender,

and is not on death row.

If you at risk of fucking catching this shit and dying.

Like, three people I know already caught this shit and died.

They can send you home on home confinement, right?

So, I went to talk to these motherfuckers to get on home confinement.

They not gonna let us on home confinement.

Why?

Because they gotta make money off of us,

because they not gonna make no money if we at home on home confinement.

You know what I'm saying?

So, I'm in this bitch.

You feel me?

And so, the nurse came in this bitch today.

I talked to this motherfucker.

This bitch tell me,

motherfucker, be prepared, you know.

Half the unit 'bout to die in this bitch.

You know, I got less than a year left.

I don't wanna die in this bitch.

You feel me?

I don't mean to cuss and none.

Y'all might not see me again.

I might catch this shit and die, so, you know.

It's crazy, man.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sue /suː/ B1	verb - To make a legal claim against someone, usually for money, because they have harmed you in some way.
root /ruːt/ B1	verb - To support a team or person in a competition or difficult situation (often used with 'for').
glutton /ˈɡlʌtən/ B2	noun - A person who eats or drinks too much, or who has an excessive desire for something.
yearn /jɜːrn/ B2	verb - To have a strong and earnest desire for something, especially something that is difficult to achieve or obtain.
bitterness /ˈbɪtərnəs/ B2	noun - A feeling of anger, hurt, or resentment because of unfair treatment.
polygamy /pəˈlɪɡəmi/ C1	noun - The practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time.
therapeutic /ˌθerəˈpjuːtɪk/ C1	adjective - Relating to the healing of disease; having a good effect on the body or mind.
prophet /ˈprɒfɪt/ B2	noun - A person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God.
genius /ˈdʒiːniəs/ B1	noun - Exceptional intellectual or creative power or natural ability.
dreamer /ˈdriːmər/ B1	noun - A person who is dreaming or who spends a lot of time thinking about things that they would like to happen but that are not very likely.
underrated /ˌʌndərˈreɪtɪd/ B2	adjective - Not rated or valued highly enough.
sequel /ˈsiːkwəl/ B2	noun - A published, broadcast, or recorded work that continues the story or develops the theme of an earlier one.
refuse /rɪˈfjuːz/ A2	verb - To indicate that one is unwilling to do something requested or offered.
repellent /rɪˈpelənt/ C1	adjective - Able to repel a particular substance; causing distaste or aversion.
clout /klaʊt/ B2	noun - Influence or power, especially in politics or business; (informal) social influence or recognition.
decadent /ˈdekədənt/ C1	adjective - Characterized by or reflecting a state of moral or cultural decline; luxuriously self-indulgent.
confinement /kənˈfaɪnmənt/ B2	noun - The state of being confined; imprisonment or restriction within limits.
appeal /əˈpiːl/ B2	verb - To apply to a higher court for a reversal of the decision of a lower court. verb - To make a serious or urgent request, typically to the public.
offense /əˈfens/ B1	noun - An illegal act; a crime.
chess /tʃes/ A2	noun - A strategy board game for two players, played on a checkered board with specially designed pieces.

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm a glutton for women I shouldn't yearn for

  ➔ Modal verb: shouldn't, should + infinitive

  ➔ The modal verb "shouldn't" indicates a lack of obligation or a negative recommendation. "Should" is used for recommendation. The infinitive "yearn" follows.

• Sue me, l'm rootin' for everybody that's black

  ➔ Present simple tense with stative verb, demonstrative pronoun

  ➔ "Rootin'" is used in the present simple tense to express a habitual action. The demonstrative pronoun "that" refers to the antecedent.

• That's everybody from sports to college class to rap, and back

  ➔ Prepositional phrases, parallelism

  ➔ The sentence uses prepositional phrases ("from sports", "to college class", "to rap") to expand on "everybody". It demonstrates parallelism with the similar grammatical structure.

• Dropped the album with Seinfeld, they thought I was tweakin'

  ➔ Past simple tense, reported speech

  ➔ Uses the past simple to describe a past action. "They thought I was tweakin'" is reported speech, relaying what others believed about the subject.

• Polarizing' the sun, underrated again

  ➔ Present participle used as a verb, adverb of time

  ➔ "Polarizing" acts as the main verb describing an ongoing action, followed by an adverb of time "again".

• You come and we go, they quick to forget

  ➔ Second-person pronoun, simple present, adjective and infinitive.

  ➔ The second-person pronoun "you" starts the sentence. "Come" and "go" are present simple tense. "Quick" is an adjective describing how fast.

• Sue me, I'm rootin' for everybody that's black

  ➔ Present continuous tense (rooting), relative clause

  ➔ "I'm rootin'" uses the present continuous tense to emphasize the ongoing nature of the support. "That's black" is a relative clause describing "everybody".

• I'm super sick of this business

  ➔ Adjective, prepositional phrase

  ➔ "Super" is an intensifier, and "sick" is an adjective. "Of this business" is a prepositional phrase that modifies "sick".