Who Let The Dogs Out – English Lyrics

• By: Baha Men

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the surprising story behind Baha Men's hit, "Who Let The Dogs Out." More than just a catchy tune, this song offers a unique look at cultural phenomena and the evolution of language. Explore its deeper meaning and the story of how it became a worldwide sensation.

[English]

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

Well the party was nice, the party was pumping (hey, yippie-yi-yo)

And everybody having a ball (hah, ho, yippie-yi-yo)

Until the fellas started name-calling (yippie-yi-yo)

And the girls respond to the call, I heard a woman shout out

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Last year in the dance you had a ball

Called me mealybug and sketel

Get back gruffy, back scruffy

Get back, you flea-infested mongrel!

Gonna tell myself, "Hey man no get angry" (hey, yippie, yi, yo)

To any girls calling them canine, hey! (yippie, yi, yo)

But they tell me, "Hey Man, It's part of the Party!" (yippie yi, yo)

You put a woman in front and her man behind (yippie, yi, yo), I heard a woman shout out

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

Say, a doggy is nutting if he don't have a bone!

(Oh, doggy hold ya' bone, oh doggy hold it)

A doggy is nutting if he don't have a bone!

(Oh, doggy hold ya' bone, oh doggy hold it)

...

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Last year in the dance you had a ball

Called me mealybug and sketel

Get back gruffy, back scruffy

Get back you flea-infested mongrel!

Well, if I am a dog, the party is on

I gotta get my groove cause my mind done gone

Do you see the rays coming from my eye

Walking through the place

That Diji man is breakin' it down?

Me and my white short shorts

And I can't see color, any color will do

I'll stick on you, that's why they call me Pitbull

Cause I'm the man of the land

When they see me, they say Woo!

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

(Who, who, who, who)

Who let the dogs out?

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
dogs /dɔgz/ A2	noun - a domesticated carnivorous mammal
party /ˈpɑːrti/ A2	noun - a social gathering for celebration
call /kɔːl/ A2	verb - to give a name or shout out
woman /ˈwʊmən/ A2	noun - an adult human female
call /kɔːl/ A2	verb - to shout out or request attention
doggy /ˈdɒg.i/ A2	noun - a small or cute dog
bone /boʊn/ A2	noun - the rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates
party /ˈpɑːrti/ A2	noun - a social event for entertainment and gathering
land /lænd/ A2	noun - the ground or soil of the earth
groove /gruːv/ B2	noun - a rhythmic pattern of music or dance
mind /maɪnd/ B1	noun - the part of a person that thinks, perceives, feelings, and wills
break /breɪk/ A2	verb - to separate into parts by force

Key Grammar Structures

• Who let the dogs out?

  ➔ Interrogative sentence structure with a transitive verb.

  ➔ This is a basic question form. "Let" is the transitive verb meaning to allow something to go out. "Who" is the interrogative pronoun.

• Well the party was nice, the party was pumping.

  ➔ Simple past tense; use of continuous tense as adjective.

  ➔ "Was" is the past form of "be". "Pumping" is used as an adjective to describe the party, indicating it was lively and energetic.

• And everybody having a ball.

  ➔ Reduced relative clause/participle clause (everybody who was having a ball).

  ➔ The full clause could be "everybody *who was* having a ball". The relative pronoun "who" and the auxiliary verb "was" are omitted for brevity.

• Get back gruffy, back scruffy.

  ➔ Imperative form used repeatedly.

  ➔ "Get back" is an imperative, meaning it's a command. The adjectives "gruffy" and "scruffy" describe the subject being told to move back.

• Gonna tell myself, "Hey man no get angry".

  ➔ Informal contraction of "going to"; double negative (non-standard).

  ➔ "Gonna" is a contraction of "going to". The phrase "no get angry" is grammatically incorrect; standard English would be "don't get angry". This is an example of double negative and is used for emphasis in some dialects.

• Say, a doggy is nutting if he don't have a bone!

  ➔ Non-standard grammar. Incorrect use of "nutting" and double negative "don't have".

  ➔ "Nutting" is likely a mispronunciation or slang term used for emphasis, and its intended meaning is unclear in standard English. The double negative "don't have" should be "doesn't have".

• I gotta get my groove cause my mind done gone

  ➔ Informal contraction 'gotta'; non-standard past participle ('done gone').

  ➔ "Gotta" is an informal contraction of "got to". "Done gone" is non-standard English; standard English would be "has gone" or "is gone" depending on context. The use of "done" is a feature of some dialects.