Used To – English Lyrics

• By: Drake, Lil Wayne
• Album: If You're Reading This It's Too Late

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the modern slang and rhythmic cadence of contemporary hip-hop with 'Used To.' By listening to this track, learners can pick up on mid-2010s American rap vernacular, idiomatic expressions about success, and the distinct phrasing styles of two of rap’s most iconic figures.

[English]

Yeah, sound, sound, sound

Yeah, real 6 side shit

Sickos, ah man

Yeah, when you get to where I'm at

You gotta remind 'em where the fuck you at

Every time they talkin' it's behind your back

Gotta learn to line 'em up and then attack

They gon' say your name on them airwaves

They gon' hit you up right after like it's only rap

Jewels look like I found a motherfuckin' treasure map

And ain't told no one where the fuck it's at

Shout out to the G's from the ends

We don't love no girls from the ends

I'ma hit 'em with the wham once again

I'ma always end up as a man in the end, dog

It's just apparent every year

Only see the truth when I'm staring in the mirror

Lookin' at myself like, there it is there

Yeah, like there it is there man, woo!

I ain't tryna chance it

I be with the bands like a nigga went to Jackson State or Grambling

Young Nick Cannon with the snare drum, dancin'

Watch the way I handle it, uh

Bring it to the bedroom, you know that shit is candle lit

She know I'm the man with it, uh

With the bands like I must've went to Clark, went to Hampton

I ain't playin' with it

I ain't felt the pressure in a little while

It's gon' take some getting used to (what you say?)

Floatin' all through the city with the windows down

Puttin' on like I used to (what you say?)

They never told me when you get the crown

It's gon' take some getting used to (what you say?)

New friends all in their old feelings now

They don't love you like they used to man

Way more gully gully than buddy buddy

Never needed your acceptance, never needed nothin'

Y'all don't understand, I'm the only one to hear from

Y'all don't understand that it's me or nothin'

Yeah, I'm fuckin' glowin' up

Shaq postin' up on niggas that I used to have posters of

Real quick man, you couldn't have hated that

Let's be real nigga, you couldn't have made it that

Woo, dance our dance, watch me dance

You're fuckin' with the best man, I'm too advanced

After this drop I got new demands

Can't meet the terms, keep it movin' then

Make sure the plane got a phone now

So when we 'bout to land I can call to tell the woes I'm home now

I'll tell 'em link up at the valley at the Hazy

Think I got the shit that had the city going crazy

I ain't felt the pressure in a little while

It's gon' take some getting used to (what you say?)

Floatin' all through the city with the windows down

Puttin' on like I used to (what you say?)

They never told me when you get the crown

It's gon' take some getting used to (what you say?)

New friends all in their old feelings now

They don't love you like they used to man

When you get to where the fuck I'm at

You gotta remind 'em about where you been

About all of the money that done came and went

About the two cents I ain't never spent

When they say you're too famous to pack a gat

I gotta remind 'em about where I'm from

Not about where I'm going, about where I've gone

Stepping on a Swisher roach like a stepping stone

Goin' at a nigga throat like a herringbone

Boy, do I smell beef? Mmm, pheromones

Got a fuckin' halo over my devil horns

Trap pumpin' all night like Chevron

Suck a nigga dick for a iPhone 6

Fuck my nigga Terry for a new Blackberry

You can get buried for a ounce of Katy Perry

I was only five but still remember the drought in '87

Lord tell 'em bitches I ain't got no times to play games with 'em

I ain't got no time

Tell her that I love her and I hate her in the same sentence

I'm fuckin' her mind

I got, mind control over Deebo

Parmesan my panino

Promethazine over Pinot

And when my bloods start shootin' that's B-roll bitch

I ain't felt the pressure in a little while

It's gon' take some getting used to (what you say?)

Floatin' all through the city with the windows down

Puttin' on like I used to (what you say?)

They never told me when you get the crown

It's gon' take some getting used to (what you say?)

New friends all in their old feelings now

They don't love you like they used to man

Yeah, they don't love you like they used to (what you say?)

In the city with the-, windows down

Like I used to (what you say?)

Like I

Take some to getting used to (what you say?)

Man, they don't love you like they used to, man

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
remind /rɪˈmaɪnd/ A2	verb - to cause someone to remember something
attack /əˈtæk/ B1	verb - to take aggressive action against someone or something
treasure /ˈtreʒ.ər/ B1	noun - a quantity of precious metals, gems, or other valuable objects
apparent /əˈpær.ənt/ B2	adjective - clearly visible or understood; obvious
pressure /ˈpreʃ.ər/ B1	noun - the use of persuasion, influence, or intimidation
crown /kraʊn/ A2	noun - a circular head ornament worn by a monarch
acceptance /əkˈsep.təns/ B2	noun - the action of consenting to receive or undertake something offered
advanced /ədˈvɑːnst/ B1	adjective - far on in development or progress
demands /dɪˈmɑːndz/ B1	noun - insistent and peremptory requests
famous /ˈfeɪ.məs/ A2	adjective - known about by many people
drought /draʊt/ C1	noun - a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall
sentence /ˈsen.təns/ A2	noun - a set of words that is complete in itself
control /kənˈtroʊl/ B1	noun - the power to influence or direct people's behavior

Key Grammar Structures

• Every time they talkin' it's behind your back

  ➔ Gerunds used as present participles

  ➔ The word "talkin'" (talking) is used here to describe an ongoing action performed by 'they'.

• I must've went to Clark, went to Hampton

  ➔ Modal perfect (Must have + past participle)

  ➔ The phrase "must've went" expresses a logical deduction about a past state.

• It's gon' take some getting used to

  ➔ Idiomatic structure: get used to + gerund

  ➔ The phrase "getting used to" refers to the process of becoming familiar or comfortable with something new.

• Puttin' on like I used to

  ➔ Used to (past habit)

  ➔ The expression "used to" indicates an action that happened repeatedly in the past but is not happening now.

• You couldn't have made it that

  ➔ Modal perfect in the negative

  ➔ The structure "couldn't have made it" speculates about the impossibility of a past event.

• Not about where I'm going, about where I've gone

  ➔ Present Perfect

  ➔ The use of "have gone" emphasizes experiences or places already reached up to the present moment.

• Stepping on a Swisher roach like a stepping stone

  ➔ Simile (using 'like')

  ➔ A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things using the word "like".

• Tell her that I love her and I hate her in the same sentence

  ➔ Coordinating conjunctions

  ➔ The conjunction "and" connects two contrasting emotional states within the same grammatical unit.