Who Will Survive In America – English Lyrics

• By: Kanye West
• Album: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the profound and challenging language of Gil Scott-Heron's powerful spoken word, sampled on Kanye West's "Who Will Survive In America." This track is special because it forces you to confront complex socio-political commentary through evocative English poetry, learning about American history, critique, and the enduring power of the spoken word to challenge the status quo.

[English]

Us living as we do upside down

And the new word to have is revolution

People don't even want to hear the preacher

Spill or spiel because God's whole card has been thoroughly piqued

And America is now blood and tears instead of milk and honey

The youngsters who were programmed to continue

Fucking up, woke up one night digging

Paul Revere and Nat Turner as the good guys

America stripped for bed and we had not all yet closed our eyes

The signs of Truth were tattooed across our open ended vagina

We learned to our amazement the untold tale of scandal

Two long centuries buried in the musty vault

Hosed down daily with a gagging perfume

America was a bastard, the illegitimate daughter of the mother country

Whose legs were then spread around the world

And a rapist known as freedom, free doom

Democracy, liberty, and justice were revolutionary code names

That preceded the bubbling, bubbling, bubbling, bubbling, bubbling

In the mother country's crotch

What does Webster say about soul?

All I want is a good home and a wife

And a children and some food to feed them every night

After all is said and done, build a new route to China if they'll have you

Who will survive in America?

Who will survive in America?

Who will survive in America?

Who will survive in America?

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
revolution ˌrɛv.əˈluː.ʃən B1	noun - a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving
preacher ˈpriː.tʃər A2	noun - a person who preaches, especially a member of the Christian clergy
piqued piːkt C1	verb - to arouse (interest, curiosity, etc.)
programmed ˈproʊ.ɡræmd B2	verb - to plan or prepare for a specific purpose
scandal ˈskæn.dl̩ B1	noun - a disgraceful or discreditable action, circumstance, etc.
bastard ˈbæstərd B2	noun - a person born of unmarried parents
illegitimate ˌɪl.ɪˈdʒɪt.ə.mət C1	adjective - not allowed or acceptable according to law or rules
rapist ˈreɪ.pɪst B2	noun - a person who commits rape
democracy dəˈmɑː.krə.si B1	noun - a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state
liberty ˈlɪb.ər.ti B1	noun - the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views
justice ˈdʒʌs.tɪs A2	noun - just behavior or treatment
survive sərˈvaɪv A2	verb - to continue to live or exist, especially after coming close to dying or being destroyed or terminated
amendment əˈmɛnd.mənt B2	noun - a change or addition to the constitution of a country
tattooed tæˈtuːd B1	verb - to mark the skin with a design by pricking and staining it with indelible ink
musty ˈmʌs.ti B2	adjective - having a stale, moldy smell or quality

Key Grammar Structures

• Us living as we do upside down

  ➔ Present participle phrase as subject

  ➔ The phrase 'Us living' acts as the subject of the sentence, using the present participle form to describe an ongoing state.

• And the new word to have is revolution

  ➔ Subject-verb inversion with 'to have'

  ➔ The sentence uses inversion with 'to have' for emphasis, placing 'revolution' at the end for impact.

• Because God's whole card has been thoroughly piqued

  ➔ Perfect passive voice

  ➔ The phrase 'has been thoroughly piqued' uses the perfect passive voice to indicate a completed action with ongoing relevance.

• America is now blood and tears instead of milk and honey

  ➔ Contrast using 'instead of'

  ➔ The phrase 'instead of' is used to contrast the current state of America with its idealized past.

• We learned to our amazement the untold tale of scandal

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose

  ➔ The phrase 'to our amazement' uses the infinitive to express the purpose or result of learning the tale.

• America was a bastard, the illegitimate daughter of the mother country

  ➔ Appositive phrase

  ➔ The phrase 'the illegitimate daughter of the mother country' is an appositive that explains or renames 'bastard'.

• And a rapist known as freedom, free doom

  ➔ Appositive with 'known as'

  ➔ The phrase 'known as freedom, free doom' is an appositive that renames or describes 'rapist'.

• Who will survive in America?

  ➔ Interrogative sentence with auxiliary verb

  ➔ The sentence uses the auxiliary verb 'will' to form a question about future survival.