The Joy – English Lyrics

• By: Jay-Z, Kanye West, Curtis Mayfield
• Album: Watch the Throne (Deluxe)

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the sophisticated wordplay of Jay-Z and the soulful production of Kanye West. This song is a perfect gateway for learners to explore conversational English, metaphors of success, and the rich influence of 70s soul music on modern songwriting.

[English]

A little sugar, honey suckle lamb

Great expression of happiness

Boy, you could not miss with a dozen roses

Such would astound you

The joy of children laughing around you

These are the makings of you

It is true, the makings of you, oh

I do it for the fore-fathers and the street authors

That are not A&R's in the cheap office

Rappers that never got signed but they keep offers

Girls thats way too fine for us to keep off us

Gave her a handshake only for my man's sake

She in her birthday suit cause of the damn cake

Now there's crumbs all over the damn place

And she want me to cum all over her damn face

I never understood planned parenthood

Cause I never met nobody plan to be a parent in the hood

Taking refills of that plan B pill

Another shorty that won't make it to the family will

If I don't make it, can't take it, hope the family will

They aint crazy they don't know how insanity feel

Don C just had a shorty so it's not that bad

But I still hear the ghosts of the kids I never had

A little sugar, honey suckle lamb

Great expression of happiness

Boy, you could not miss with a dozen roses

Such would astound you

The joy of children laughing around you

These are the makings of you

It is true, the makings of you, oh

No Electro, no metro, a little retro, I perfecto

You know the demo, ya boy act wild

You aint get the memo, Yeezy's back in style

Now when Rome go Gidget the other got Bridget

What's more tripped out though is they sisters

Nah, you aint listen, they black, they sisters

They momma, named them after white bitches

So next time you see me on your fallopian

Though the Jewelry's Egytian, know the hunger's Ethiopian

Stupid questions like "Is he gon be dope again?

Have You seen him? has anybody spoke to him?"

This beat deserves Hennessy,

A bad bitch and a bag of weed the Holy Trinity

In the mirror where I see my only enemy,

Your life's cursed, well mine's an obscenity

A little sugar, honey suckle lamb

Great expression of happiness

Boy, you could not miss with a dozen roses

Such would astound you

The joy of children laughing around you

These are the makings of you

It is true, the makings of you, oh

This is my momma sh-t

I used to hear this through the walls in the hood

When I was back in my pyjama sh-t

Afro's and marijuana sticks,

Seeds and the ganja hat will be popping like the sample that I'm rhyming with

Pete Rock, let the needle drop

I seen so much as a kid they surprised I don't needle pop

Taking sips of pop, six packs of millanips

Pink champel, Valentine L

Bally's on my feet help me balance out well

That and the sh-t I used to balance on the scale

I got it honest from the parties from my momma's

Virgin Mary's try to judge her, I'm like "where the Madonna's now?"

Give all glory to Gloria, they said

"You raised that boy too fast, but you was raising a warrior"

We victorious, they'll never take the joy from us

Keep you hands up, get mine up

Don't let them take your fire

Keep you hands up, get mine up

Don't let them take your fire

Keep you hands up, get mine up

Don't let them take your fire

Keep you hands up, get mine up

Yeaaaah, okay

It's Pete Rock, Kanye, One, two, okay

It's Pete Rock, Kanye, One, two, okay

It's Pete Rock, Kanye, One, two, okay

It's Pete Rock, Kanye, One, two, okay

...

Key Grammar Structures

• Boy, you could not miss with a dozen roses

  ➔ Modal verb of possibility/past ability (could)

  ➔ "Could" is used here to indicate a hypothetical certainty or strong possibility.

• Girls thats way too fine for us to keep off us

  ➔ Relative clause with omitted relative pronoun (that/who)

  ➔ "Girls (who are) way too fine" uses an elliptical construction common in casual speech.

• If I don't make it, can't take it, hope the family will

  ➔ First Conditional (If + present simple, future simple)

  ➔ The "will" at the end acts as a substitute for the main verb "make it".

• I still hear the ghosts of the kids I never had

  ➔ Relative clause modifying 'kids' with implied 'that'

  ➔ The phrase "(that) I never had" defines the specific type of kids mentioned.

• Stupid questions like "Is he gon be dope again?"

  ➔ Informal contraction (gon = going to)

  ➔ "Gon" is a phonetic reduction of "going to", commonly used in AAVE (African American Vernacular English).

• I seen so much as a kid they surprised I don't needle pop

  ➔ Non-standard verb usage (I seen vs I have seen)

  ➔ In many dialects, the simple past "seen" is used in place of the present perfect "have seen".

• You raised that boy too fast, but you was raising a warrior

  ➔ Subject-verb agreement variation (you was vs you were)

  ➔ Using "you was" is common in regional dialects and informal African American English.

• They'll never take the joy from us

  ➔ Future Simple (will/shall)

  ➔ The contraction "they'll" indicates a future intention or certainty.