Who Will Survive In America – English Lyrics

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

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the complex linguistic layers of this track to master modern American English idioms and sociopolitical vocabulary. Its rhythmic flow and emotive delivery make it a unique tool for understanding how tone and emphasis can convey profound cultural critique.

[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 /ˌrɛvəˈluːʃən/ B2	noun - a forcible overthrow of a government or social order
preacher /ˈpriːtʃər/ C1	noun - a person who gives religious sermons
piqued /piːkt/ C2	verb - aroused interest or curiosity
programmed /ˈproʊɡræmd/ B2	verb - instructed to behave in a specific way
amazement /əˈmeɪzmənt/ B2	noun - a feeling of great surprise or wonder
scandal /ˈskændəl/ B2	noun - an action or event that causes public outrage
musty /ˈmʌsti/ C2	adjective - having a stale, moldy, or damp smell
bastard /ˈbæstərd/ C1	noun - a person born to parents not married to each other
illegitimate /ˌɪlɪˈdʒɪtɪmɪt/ C2	adjective - not authorized by the law; born of parents not married
rapist /ˈreɪpɪst/ C1	noun - a person who commits rape
democracy /dɪˈmɒkrəsi/ B1	noun - a system of government by the whole population
liberty /ˈlɪbərti/ B2	noun - the state of being free
justice /ˈdʒʌstɪs/ B2	noun - just behavior or treatment
revolutionary /ˌrevəˈluːʃənəri/ C1	adjective - involving or causing a complete change
survive /sərˈvaɪv/ B1	verb - to continue to live or exist

Key Grammar Structures

• Us living as we do upside down

  ➔ Gerund phrase as a subject/theme

  ➔ Using "living" as a gerund to describe a state of being.

• People don't even want to hear the preacher

  ➔ Infinitive phrase with direct object

  ➔ The verb "want" is followed by the infinitive "to hear".

• The youngsters who were programmed to continue

  ➔ Passive voice relative clause

  ➔ "who were programmed" describes the youngsters in the passive voice.

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

  ➔ Past Perfect Tense

  ➔ "had not ... closed" indicates an action completed before another past event.

• Two long centuries buried in the musty vault

  ➔ Past participle as an adjective

  ➔ "buried" modifies the noun "centuries".

• Hosed down daily with a gagging perfume

  ➔ Reduced relative clause

  ➔ "Hosed" implies "It was hosed down", shortening the sentence.

• Who will survive in America?

  ➔ Future Simple Interrogative

  ➔ The auxiliary verb "will" is used to ask about the future.