Water Slide – English Lyrics

• By: Janelle Monáe
• Album: The Age of Pleasure

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant world of Janelle Monáe's "Water Slide," a captivating track that celebrates pleasure, self-love, and liberation. This song, with its sensual metaphors and a blend of R&B, Afrobeat, and reggae, offers a fantastic opportunity to explore English in a context of uninhibited joy and self-expression. Learn how Monáe masterfully uses language to convey deep themes of identity and desire, making "Water Slide" a truly special and empowering listening experience.

[English]

All of the girls dem, wine

All of the girls dem, wine

If you have to, wine (uh)

If you have to, all of the girls dem (all of the, all of the girls)

If I could fuck me right here, right now

I would do that (do that)

Lookin' in the mirror at me, my God

Like, who that? (All of the girls dem)

Feelin' myself, wanna play in it

Splash, make a wave in it

I could spend the whole day in it

And I'ma do that (all of the girls dem)

Backstroke (backstroke), freestyle (freestyle)

Surfin' on that thang like it's high tide (hide tide)

Deep stroke (deep stroke), butterfly (butterfly)

Lazy river runnin' down the water slide

Baby, dive in 'cause the water feels fine

Feelin' this high vibration (wine)

Slippin' down the water slide

Now it's time for me to

Backstroke (stroke), freestyle (freestyle)

Surfin' on that thang like it's high tide (let me see you)

Deep stroke (stroke), butterfly (butterfly)

Lazy river runnin' down the water slide (water slide)

I'm holdin' my breath with my eyes closed

I can swim solo (solo)

Feelin' all around for the right spot

Playin' Marco Polo (Polo)

All the girls wanna play in it

Boys wanna lay in it

But I'ma spend the day in it

And take a real cute photo

Baby, dive in, the water feels fine ('cause the water feels fine)

Feelin' this high vibration (wine)

Slippin' down the water slide (wine)

Now it's time for me to

Backstroke (stroke), freestyle (freestyle)

Surfin' on that thang like it's high tide (let me see you)

Deep stroke (stroke), butterfly (butterfly)

Lazy river runnin' down the water slide (stroke)

Backstroke (stroke), freestyle (stroke)

Surfin' on that thang like it's high tide (let me see you)

Deep-stroke (stroke), butterfly (butterfly)

Lazy river runnin' down the water slide (stroke)

Baby, dive in

The water feels fine ('cause the water feels fine)

I'm feelin' this high vibration (stroke, stroke)

Slippin' down the waterslide (stroke, stroke)

Stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke

Stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke, stroke

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
water /ˈwɔːtər/ A1	noun - a clear, colorless liquid that forms seas, lakes, and rivers
slide /slaɪd/ B1	noun - a smooth surface for gliding down verb - to move smoothly down a surface
dive /daɪv/ B1	verb - to plunge into water head‑first noun - a sudden steep descent
wave /weɪv/ B1	noun - a moving ridge on the surface of water verb - to move one's hand back and forth as a greeting
backstroke /ˈbækstroʊk/ C1	noun - a swimming style performed on the back
freestyle /ˈfriːstaɪl/ C1	noun - a swimming stroke performed on the stomach, often called the front crawl adjective - without restriction or set rules
butterfly /ˈbʌtərflaɪ/ C1	noun - a swimming stroke where the arms move symmetrically, resembling a butterfly's wings noun - an insect with large, often colorful wings
river /ˈrɪvər/ A2	noun - a large natural stream of water flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another river
vibration /vaɪˈbreɪʃən/ B2	noun - a rapid back‑and‑forth movement of an object or a feeling of such movement noun - a sensed energy or atmosphere, often described as 'good vibes'
high /haɪ/ A2	adjective - of great vertical extent; tall adjective - intense or extreme, especially in feeling or emotion
lazy /ˈleɪzi/ B1	adjective - unwilling to work or use energy; idle
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to experience an emotion or physical sensation noun - a particular emotional state or sensation
spend /spɛnd/ A2	verb - to use time or money for a particular purpose
solo /ˈsoʊloʊ/ B2	adjective - performed by one person alone noun - a piece performed by a single performer
photo /ˈfoʊtoʊ/ B1	noun - a picture captured by a camera
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - to engage in activity for enjoyment or recreation noun - a dramatic performance
girls /ɡɜːrlz/ A1	noun - young female children or adolescents
boys /bɔɪz/ A1	noun - young male children or adolescents
swim /swɪm/ A1	verb - to move through water by moving the arms and legs
breath /brɛθ/ A2	noun - the air taken into or expelled from the lungs

Key Grammar Structures

• If I could fuck me right here, right now, I would do that

  ➔ Second Conditional

  ➔ Expresses hypothetical situations: 'If I could' (past ability) + 'I would' (imagined result)

• Lookin' in the mirror at me, my God, Like, who that?

  ➔ Ellipsis & Informal Question

  ➔ Omits verbs ('who that?' instead of 'who is that?') for colloquial effect

• Feelin' myself, wanna play in it

  ➔ Contractions & Informal Reduction

  ➔ Informal speech: 'Feelin'' = feeling, 'wanna' = want to

• Surfin' on that thang like it's high tide

  ➔ Simile & Slang

  ➔ Uses 'like' for comparison ('as if it were') and slang 'thang' for 'thing'

• I'm holdin' my breath with my eyes closed

  ➔ Present Continuous + Participle Phrase

  ➔ Ongoing action ('I'm holding') with descriptive phrase ('with my eyes closed')

• I can swim solo

  ➔ Modal Verb for Ability

  ➔ 'Can' expresses physical/mental ability to perform an action

• Feelin' all around for the right spot

  ➔ Phrasal Verb

  ➔ 'Feel around for' means to search by touch ('feel around' + preposition 'for')

• Playin' Marco Polo

  ➔ Gerund as Object

  ➔ Verb-ing form ('Playin'') functions as noun referring to an activity