Word Up! – English Lyrics

• By: Korn

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the energetic world of Korn's "Word Up!" and experience how a legendary nu-metal band reinterprets a funk classic. This song, with its catchy chorus and powerful delivery, offers a unique opportunity to explore English colloquialisms and expressions like "Word Up!" in a dynamic musical context. Its blend of genres makes it a fascinating listen and a great way to grasp informal language usage through music.

[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

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
word /wɜːrd/ A1	noun - A single unit of language; news or a message. In the context 'Word up!', it's an informal exclamation showing agreement or as a call for attention.
pretty /ˈprɪti/ A1	adjective - Attractive in a delicate or charming way.
ladies /ˈleɪdiz/ A1	noun - A polite or formal term for women (plural of 'lady').
weird /wɪərd/ B1	adjective - Very strange or unusual, often in a disturbing way.
wave /weɪv/ A2	verb - To move one's hand or something held in one's hand to and fro, typically in greeting or as a signal.
glide /ɡlaɪd/ B1	verb - To move with a smooth, continuous motion, typically in a graceful or effortless manner.
stare /steər/ B1	verb - To look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something with wide open eyes. noun - A long, fixed, and often impolite look.
dance /dæns/ A1	verb - To move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps. noun - A series of steps and movements that you make to music; a social gathering at which people dance.
quick /kwɪk/ A1	adjective - Moving or doing something with great speed. adverb - (Informal) Quickly; in a quick manner.
code /koʊd/ B1	noun - A system of words, letters, figures, or other symbols used to represent others, especially for the purposes of secrecy or communication.
sucker /ˈsʌkər/ B2	noun - (Informal, derogatory) A person who is easily deceived or exploited; a fool.
fly /flaɪ/ B2	adjective - (Slang) Stylish, fashionable, or excellent.
airs /eərz/ B2	noun - (Plural, usually in the idiom 'put on airs') An artificial or affected manner intended to impress others, often indicating conceit.
fools /fuːlz/ B1	noun - Persons who act unwisely or stupidly (plural of 'fool').
psychological /ˌsaɪkəˈlɒdʒɪkl/ C1	adjective - Of, affecting, or arising in the mind; relating to psychology.
romance /ˈroʊmæns/, /rəʊˈmæns/ B1	noun - A feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love; a quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life.
heard /hɜːrd/ A2	verb - Past participle of 'hear'; perceived with the ear. In context, often implies being acknowledged or understood.

Key Grammar Structures

• 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.