Word Up!
Lyrics:
[English]
Yo, pretty ladies around the world
Got a weird thing to show ya, so tell all the boys and girls
Tell your brother, your sister and your mama too
We're about to go down, and you know just what to do
Wave your hands in the air like you don't care
Glide by the people as they start to look and stare
Do your dance, do your dance, do your dance quick, mama
Come on, baby, tell me what's the word
Oh, word up, everybody say
When you hear the call, you've got to get it on the way
Word up, it's the code word
No matter where you say it, you know that you'll be heard
Now all you sucker DJs who think you're fly
There's got to be a reason, and we know the reason why
You try to put on those airs and act real cool
But you got to realize that you're acting like fools
If there's music, we can use it, be free to dance
We don't have the time for psychological romance
No romance, no romance, no romance for me, mama
Come on, baby, tell me what's the word
Oh, word up, everybody say
When you hear the call, you've got to get it on the way
Word up, it's the code word
No matter where you say it, you know that you'll be heard
...
Word up, everybody say
When you hear the call, you've got to get it on the way
Word up, it's the code word
No matter where you say it, you know that you'll be heard
Word up, everybody say
When you hear the call, you've got to get it on the way
Word up, it's the code word
No matter where you say it, you know that you'll be heard
...
Vocabulary in this song:
Vocabulary | Meanings |
---|---|
word /wɜːrd/ A1 |
|
pretty /ˈprɪti/ A1 |
|
ladies /ˈleɪdiz/ A1 |
|
weird /wɪərd/ B1 |
|
wave /weɪv/ A2 |
|
glide /ɡlaɪd/ B1 |
|
stare /steər/ B1 |
|
dance /dæns/ A1 |
|
quick /kwɪk/ A1 |
|
code /koʊd/ B1 |
|
sucker /ˈsʌkər/ B2 |
|
fly /flaɪ/ B2 |
|
airs /eərz/ B2 |
|
fools /fuːlz/ B1 |
|
psychological /ˌsaɪkəˈlɒdʒɪkl/ C1 |
|
romance /ˈroʊmæns/, /rəʊˈmæns/ B1 |
|
heard /hɜːrd/ A2 |
|
Grammar:
-
We're about to go down
➔ 'Be about to' (Imminent Future)
➔ The phrase "we're about to" means that an action is going to happen very soon. It emphasizes the immediacy of the event.
-
Wave your hands in the air like you don't care
➔ 'Like' as a Conjunction (as if)
➔ In this context, "like" functions as a conjunction meaning "as if" or "in the way that". It introduces a clause that describes how the action (waving hands) is performed. This usage is common in informal English and song lyrics.
-
When you hear the call, you've got to get it on the way
➔ 'Have got to' (Obligation/Necessity)
➔ "You've got to" (or "you have got to") is an informal way to express a strong obligation or necessity, similar to "you have to" or "you must". It often conveys that something is crucial or unavoidable.
-
No matter where you say it, you know that you'll be heard
➔ 'No matter where' (Concessive Clause) + Passive Voice (Future Simple)
➔ "No matter where" introduces a concessive clause, indicating that something is true regardless of the location. The phrase "you'll be heard" is in the future simple passive voice, meaning that the action of "hearing" will be performed upon "you" by someone else.
-
Now all you sucker DJs who think you're fly
➔ Relative pronoun 'who' (Defining Relative Clause)
➔ The word "who" is a relative pronoun that introduces a defining relative clause ("who think you're fly"). This clause provides essential information about "sucker DJs," specifying which DJs are being referred to.
-
There's got to be a reason
➔ 'There's got to be' (Informal Necessity/Certainty of Existence)
➔ "There's got to be" is an informal expression indicating that something must exist or must be true. It's similar to "There must be" but carries a slightly more emphatic or colloquial tone, conveying a strong belief or certainty.
-
You try to put on those airs and act real cool
➔ Phrasal verb 'put on airs' (Idiom) + 'real' as an informal adverb
➔ "To put on airs" is an idiomatic phrasal verb meaning to behave in a way that shows you think you are more important or superior than you really are. "Real cool" uses "real" informally as an adverb meaning "really" or "very," modifying the adjective "cool."
-
If there's music, we can use it, be free to dance
➔ First Conditional + 'be free to'
➔ This sentence uses the first conditional to express a real possibility in the present or future: if music exists, then an action (using it and dancing freely) can happen. "Be free to" means having the permission or ability to do something without restriction.
-
you know just what to do
➔ Wh-word + infinitive (Noun Clause)
➔ The structure "what to do" is a noun clause, functioning as the object of the verb "know." It's a shortened form of an indirect question like "what you should do," providing information about a necessary action.