When I Grow Up – English Lyrics

• By: NF
• Album: The Search

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language can be an inspiring journey, much like the one NF describes in his song "When I Grow Up." This track is perfect for English learners as it tells a clear and motivational story of pursuing a dream against all odds. The lyrics are filled with everyday language and relatable emotions, offering a glimpse into the struggles and determination of an aspiring artist. By listening to this song, you can not only improve your English but also be inspired to chase your own aspirations.

[English]

WHEN I GROW UP, I WANNA BE A DENTIST

WHEN I GROW UP, I WANNA BE A BALLERINA TEACHER

WHEN I GROW UP, I WANNA BE A POLICE OFFICER

WHEN I GROW UP, I WOULD LIKE TO BE A VETERINARIAN

WHEN I GROW UP, I'M GONNA BE A RAPPER

♪♪♪

♪ YA, WHEN I GROW UP YOU KNOW WHAT I WANNA BE ♪

♪ TAKE A SEAT LET ME TELL YOU MY RIDICULOUS DREAMS ♪

♪ I WANNA RAP YEAH I KNOW IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE ♪

♪ I CAN TELL YOU'RE ALREADY THINKIN I WILL NEVER SUCCEED ♪

♪ BUT I'M OK WITH IT ... I ADMIT THE LYRICS ARE WEAK ♪

♪ I BEEN WORKIN ON EM I'LL BE GOOD EVENTUALLY ♪

♪ I UNDERSTAND YOU GOTTA CRAWL BEFORE YOU GET TO YOUR FEET ♪

♪ BUT I BEEN RUNNIN FOR WHILE THEY AIN'T READY FOR ME ♪

♪ AHHH ♪

♪ I KNOW THIS PROLLY ISN'T REALLY REALISTIC ♪

♪ AND HONESTLY I MIGHT NOT EVER MAKE A DIFFERENCE ♪

♪ BUT THAT DON'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE I'MA HAVE TO RISK IT ♪

♪ I BEEN CRUNCHIN NUMBERS YOU AIN'T GOTTA BE A MATHEMATICIAN ♪

♪ TO SEE THE ODDS AIN'T ROOTIN FOR ME ♪

♪ I CAN'T LIE THOUGH THAT'S KINDA HOW I LIKE TO BE ♪

♪ THE UNDERDOG YEAH YOU PROLLY THINK YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN ♪

♪ BUT WHAT I'MA SAYIN IS THEY EVER PUSH ME I'MA GONNA SWING ♪

♪ YEAH ♪

♪ I COULD GO TO COLLEGE GET IN DEBT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE ♪

♪ GRADUATE AND PROLLY GET A JOB THAT DOESN'T PAY THE BILLS ♪

♪ THAT DON'T MAKE A LOT SENSE TO ME FORGET THE HAPPY MEALS ♪

♪ I DON'T LIKE THE DOLLAR MENU I WOULD RATHER MAKE A MEAL ♪

♪ HUH? ♪

♪ MAKE A MILL? ♪

♪ NA I SAID MAKE A MEAL ♪

♪ HOME COOKIN ♪

♪ GET THE GRILL HOW YOU WANT IT PRETTY WELL ♪

♪ EVERYTHING I SEE IS OVER DONE TO ME I'M NOT ADELE ♪

♪ BUT I'MA GET A RECORD DEAL ♪

♪ AND SAY HELLO TO MASS APPEAL ♪

♪ WHEN I GROW UP ♪

♪ I JUST WANNA PAY MY BILLS ♪

♪ RAPPIN ABOUT THE WAY I FEEL (OH YEA) ♪

♪ I JUST WANNA MAKE A COUPLE MILL ♪

♪ LEAVE IT TO THE FAM IN THE WILL (OH YEA)♪

♪ I JUST WANNA SIGN A RECORD DEAL ♪

♪ MAYBE BUY A HOUSE UP IN THE HILLS (OH YEA)♪

♪ MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST IN MY FIELD ♪

♪ BUT I GUARANTEE THAT I'MA DIE REAL ♪

♪ WHEN I GROW UP ♪

♪ YA, AYE ♪

♪ WHEN I GROW UP ♪

♪ YA, YA , AYE ♪

♪ I'MA MAKE UM NOTICE ME ♪

♪ RHYMIN LIKE IT'S POETRY ♪

♪ EVERYTHING I OVERSEE ♪

♪ I JUST LIKE TO OVER THINK ♪

♪ MOCKING ME YOU PAY THE FEE ♪

♪ NO RETURN AND NO RECEIPTS ♪

♪ THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T BELIEVE ♪

♪ QUIET YOU DON'T KNOW A THING ♪

♪ QUIET WHEN I'M TRYN TO SING ♪

♪ QUIET WHEN I'M MAKING BEATS ♪

♪ QUIET WHEN I'M TRYN TO THINK ♪

♪ SORRY I DON'T MEAN TO SCREAM ♪

♪ I JUST FEEL LIKE NO ONE REALLY GETS ME, ♪

♪ AND IT'S SAD TO SEE CAUSE SOMEDAY I'MA GROW UP ♪

♪ AND SHOW ALL OF YOU IT'S MEANT TO BE ♪

♪ YO ♪

♪ ANYBODY WANNA HEAR ME RAP ♪

♪ NO ♪

♪ C'MON LET ME PLAY A COUPLE TRACKS ♪

♪ NO ♪

♪ C'MON I CAN SPIT IT REALLY FAST ♪

♪ NO ♪

♪ YOU THINK I SHOULD THROW THIS IN THE TRASH ♪

♪ NO?!! ♪

♪ TRICKED YA!!! ♪

♪ HATERS GO AWAY BEFORE I HIT YA ♪

♪ I AM NOT A BEGGAR OR A KISS UP ♪

♪ YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WELL I FORGIVE YA ♪

♪ I AM NOT A QUITTER ♪

♪ YOU AIN'T REALLY THINK THAT DID YA? ♪

♪ MAYBE SOMEDAY I COULD EVEN BE UP ON THE RADIO ♪

♪ HAVE A TOUR BUS AND MAYBE EVEN PLAY A COUPLE SHOWS ♪

♪ EVERYBODY IN THE CROWD SINGING EVERY WORD I WROTE ♪

♪ TELLIN ME THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT FEELS ALONE ♪

♪ HUH ♪

♪ YOU FEEL ALONE ♪

♪ YEAH I KINDA FEEL ALONE ♪

♪ WONDER IF THAT FEELIN EVER GOES AWAY WHEN YOU GET OLD ♪

♪ WILL I EVER MAKE IT AS ARTIST I DON'T REALLY KNOW ♪

♪ MIGHT NOT MAKE A LOT OF DOUGH ♪

♪ I'MA HAVE TO TRY IT THOUGH ♪

♪ WHEN I GROW UP ♪

♪ I JUST WANNA PAY MY BILLS ♪

♪ RAPPIN ABOUT THE WAY I FEEL (OH YEA) ♪

♪ I JUST WANNA MAKE A COUPLE MILL ♪

♪ LEAVE IT TO THE FAM IN THE WILL (OH YEA) ♪

♪ I JUST WANNA SIGN A RECORD DEAL ♪

♪ MAYBE BUY A HOUSE UP IN THE HILLS (OH YEA) ♪

♪ MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST IN MY FIELD ♪

♪ BUT I GUARANTEE THAT I'MA DIE REAL ♪

♪ WHEN I GROW UP ♪

♪ I JUST WANNA PAY MY BILLS ♪

♪ RAPPIN ABOUT THE WAY I FEEL (OH YEA) ♪

♪ I JUST WANNA MAKE A COUPLE MILL ♪

♪ LEAVE IT TO THE FAM IN THE WILL (OH YEA) ♪

♪ I JUST WANNA SIGN A RECORD DEAL ♪

♪ MAYBE BUY A HOUSE UP IN THE HILLS (OH YEA) ♪

♪ MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST IN MY FIELD ♪

♪ BUT I GUARANTEE THAT I'MA DIE REAL ♪

♪ WHEN I GROW UP ♪

♪♪♪

♪ (WHEN I GROW UP) ♪

♪♪♪

[CROWD CHEERING]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
grow /ɡroʊ/ A2	verb - to increase in size, amount, or degree
dream /driːm/ B1	noun - a series of pictures and ideas in your mind while you sleep verb - to have a series of thoughts or images in your mind during sleep
be /biː/ A1	verb - to exist or live
want /wɒnt/ A2	verb - to desire something
become /bɪˈkʌm/ B1	verb - to begin to be or turn into
teacher /ˈtiːtʃər/ A2	noun - a person who teaches others
police /pəˈliːs/ A2	noun - the civil force responsible for law enforcement
officer /ˈɒfɪsər/ B1	noun - a member of the police force or a person in a position of authority
veterinarian /ˌvetərɪˈnɛəriən/ C1	noun - a professional who treats animals' health
rapper /ˈræpər/ B2	noun - a person who performs rap music
seat /siːt/ A1	noun - a thing you sit on
dreams /driːmz/ B1	noun - visions or ideas you hope to achieve
success /səkˈsɛs/ B2	noun - the achievement of a goal or aim
chance /tʃæns/ B2	noun - the possibility of something happening
money /ˈmʌni/ A2	noun - coins, banknotes, or other forms of currency

Key Grammar Structures

• I'M GONNA BE A RAPPER

  ➔ Future Simple (gonna)

  ➔ "Gonna" is a colloquial contraction of "going to", used to express a plan or intention for the future.

• I CAN TELL YOU'RE ALREADY THINKIN I WILL NEVER SUCCEED

  ➔ Modal verb (will) for future prediction; Adverb of degree (never)

  ➔ "Will" is used to make a prediction about the future. "Never" is an adverb that means 'at no time in the past or future'.

• I UNDERSTAND YOU GOTTA CRAWL BEFORE YOU GET TO YOUR FEET

  ➔ "Gotta" colloquialism for "got to" (have to)

  ➔ "Gotta" is an informal contraction of "got to", which is similar in meaning to "have to" and expresses obligation or necessity.

• I BEEN RUNNIN FOR WHILE THEY AIN'T READY FOR ME

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous ("I been running"); Negative contraction "ain't"

  ➔ "I been running" is a colloquial way of saying "I have been running", indicating an action that started in the past and continues to the present. "Ain't" is a non-standard contraction often used in informal speech, meaning 'am not', 'is not', 'are not', 'has not', or 'have not'.

• I COULD GO TO COLLEGE GET IN DEBT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE

  ➔ Conditional sentence (could + infinitive); Comparison (like)

  ➔ "Could" expresses a possibility or a hypothetical situation. "Like" is used for comparison, showing similarity.

• THAT DON'T MAKE A LOT SENSE TO ME FORGET THE HAPPY MEALS

  ➔ Double Negative (colloquial use of "don't" with "sense")

  ➔ While grammatically incorrect in standard English, using "don't make sense" reinforces the idea that something is illogical or confusing.

• EVERYTHING I SEE IS OVER DONE TO ME I'M NOT ADELE

  ➔ Passive Voice ("is over done"); Pronoun "I'm"

  ➔ "Is over done" indicates that something has been done excessively. "I'm" is a contraction of "I am".

• MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST IN MY FIELD, BUT I GUARANTEE THAT I'MA DIE REAL

  ➔ Modal verb of possibility ("might"); Future Simple ("I'ma")

  ➔ "Might" expresses a possibility or uncertainty. "I'ma" is a colloquial contraction of "I am going to", indicating a future intention.