I Will NOT Be a SLAVE – English Lyrics

• By: Tinashe

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

I'm on a road to riches and paper

Get a, get another job now

And then it goes

Strength is running out

But I keep going on

Taxman he gonna give me what's mine

I've been working so hard

And then it goes

Strength is running out

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stand it, no

Ooh, I'm gonna break it down, break it down

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stay

Till they're making nothing by

Taxman he gonna give me what's mine

But I've been working so hard

And then it goes

Strength is running out

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stand it, no

Ooh, I'm gonna break it down, break it down

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stay

Till they're making nothing by

Taxman he gonna give me what's mine

But I've been working so hard

And then it goes

Strength is running out

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stand it, no

Ooh, I'm gonna break it down, break it down

But I keep going on

I've been working for my family

But he ain't gonna make it by

Taxman he gonna give me what's mine

And when it goes

Strength is running out

But I keep working hard

And then it goes

Strength is running out

But I keep working hard

Ooh, and then it goes, strength is running out, but I keep going on

And I've been working so hard

Work, work, work

Yeah, and I've been working so hard

Work, work, work

And then it goes, strength is running out, but I keep going on

And I've been working so hard

Work, work, work

Yeah, and I've been working so hard

Work, work, work

I will not be a slave now

I want to be free

Yeah, I will not be a slave now

I want to be free

So I've been working for my family

But he ain't gonna make it by

Taxman he gonna give me what's mine

I've been working so hard

And then it goes

Strength is running out

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stand it, no

Ooh, I'm gonna break it down, break it down

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stay

Till they're making nothing by

Taxman he gonna give me what's mine

But I've been working so hard

And then it goes

Strength is running out

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stand it, no

Ooh, I'm gonna break it down, break it down

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stay

Till they're making nothing by

Taxman he gonna give me what's mine

But I've been working so hard

And then it goes

Strength is running out

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stand it, no

Ooh, I'm gonna break it down, break it down

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stay

Till they're making nothing by

Taxman he gonna give me what's mine

But I've been working so hard

And then it goes

Strength is running out

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stand it, no

Ooh, I'm gonna break it down, break it down

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stay

Till they're making nothing by

Taxman he gonna give me what's mine

But I've been working so hard

And then it goes

Strength is running out

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stand it, no

Ooh, I'm gonna break it down, break it down

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stay

Till they're making nothing by

Taxman he gonna give me what's mine

But I've been working so hard

And then it goes

Strength is running out

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stand it, no

Ooh, I'm gonna break it down, break it down

But I keep going on

'Cause I can't stay

Till they're making nothing by

Taxman he gonna give me what's mine

But I've been working so hard

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
road /roʊd/ A1	noun - a way or path for traveling
riches /ˈrɪtʃɪz/ B2	noun - wealth, especially in money or valuable possessions
paper /ˈpeɪpər/ B1	noun - banknote; a piece of paper used as money
job /dʒɒb/ A1	noun - a paid position of regular employment
strength /strɛŋθ/ B2	noun - the quality or state of being strong
taxman /ˈtæksmən/ C1	noun - a person who collects taxes
hard /hɑrd/ A2	adjective - difficult; requiring great effort
slave /sleɪv/ B2	noun - a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey
free /friː/ A2	adjective - not under the control or in the power of another; able to act or move as one wishes
family /ˈfæməli/ A1	noun - a group consisting of parents and their children
work /wɜrk/ A1	noun - activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a result verb - to do a job or activity; to be employed
give /ɡɪv/ A1	verb - to hand over something to someone
stand /stænd/ A2	verb - to be in an upright position on the feet
break /breɪk/ B1	verb - to separate into pieces or fragments, often suddenly
running /ˈrʌnɪŋ/ B1	verb - to move quickly on foot; to operate continuously
nothing /ˈnʌθɪŋ/ A1	noun - the absence of anything; no thing

Key Grammar Structures

• I'm on a road to riches and paper

  ➔ Present Simple of "to be" + Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ "I'm" is a contraction of "I am", showing the present state. The phrase "on a road to..." indicates a journey or path towards a goal.

• Strength is running out

  ➔ Present Continuous (for an ongoing process/change)

  ➔ "is running out" describes an action happening now and continuing, indicating a gradual process of depletion.

• But I keep going on

  ➔ Verb + Gerund (keep + -ing) + Phrasal Verb

  ➔ "keep going on" combines the verb "keep" followed by a gerund ("going") to express continuous action, and "going on" is a phrasal verb meaning to continue.

• Taxman he gonna give me what's mine

  ➔ Informal Future ("gonna" = going to)

  ➔ "gonna give" is an informal way of saying "going to give," used to express a future action or intention. "What's mine" is a possessive pronoun phrase.

• I've been working so hard

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous

  ➔ "I've been working" indicates an action that started in the past, has continued up to the present, and emphasizes the duration and ongoing nature of the work.

• 'Cause I can't stand it, no

  ➔ Modal Verb "can't" + Idiomatic Expression

  ➔ "can't stand it" uses the modal verb "can't" (cannot) to express an inability or strong dislike/intolerance for something.

• I will not be a slave now

  ➔ Future Simple (with "will" for determination/resolve)

  ➔ "will not be" uses "will" in its negative form to express a strong determination or firm decision about a future state.

• I want to be free

  ➔ Verb + Infinitive (want + to + base verb)

  ➔ "want to be" is a common structure where the verb "want" is followed by an infinitive ("to be") to express a desire or aspiration.

• Till they're making nothing by

  ➔ Conjunction "Till" + Present Continuous for Future

  ➔ "Till" means "until." The phrase "they're making nothing by" uses the present continuous tense to refer to an action that will continue up to a specific point in the future. (Note: "making nothing by" is a bit colloquial and could mean 'achieving nothing' or 'earning nothing from it').