Diamonds From Sierra Leone – English Lyrics

• By: Kanye West
• Album: Late Registration

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into Kanye West's seminal track "Diamonds From Sierra Leone," a song that masterfully blends opulent production with sharp social commentary. This song is special because it uses the grandeur of a sampled James Bond theme to draw attention to the harsh reality of blood diamonds, teaching listeners about global ethical consumption through powerful, layered lyricism.

[English]

Diamonds are forever

They won't leave in the night

I've no fear that they might

Desert me

Diamonds are forever

Throw your diamonds in the sky if you feel the vibe

Diamonds are forever

The Roc is still alive every time I rhyme

Forever ever? Forever ever? Ever, ever?

Ever, ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever?

Close your eyes and imagine, feel the magic

Vegas on acid

Seen through Yves St. Laurent glasses

And I've realized that I've arrived, 'cause

It take more than a magazine to kill my Vibe

Does he write his own rhymes, so sort of, I think, um

That mean I forgot better shit than you ever thought up

Damn, is he really that caught up?

I ask if you talkin' bout classics, do my name get brought up?

I remember I couldn't afford a Ford Escort or even a four-track recorder

So it's only right that I let the top drop on a drop-top Porsche

It's for yourself that's important

If a stripper named Porscha and you get tips from many men

Then your fat friend her nickname is Minivan

Excuse me, that's just the Henny, man, I smoke

I drink, I'm supposed to stop I can't because

Diamonds are forever

Throw your diamonds in the sky if you feel the vibe

Diamonds are forever

The Roc is still alive every time I rhyme

Forever ever? Forever ever? Ever, ever?

Ever, ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever?...

I was sick about awards, couldn't nobody cure me

Only playa that got robbed but kept all his jewelry

Alicia Keys tried to talk some sense to them

30 minutes later seems there's no convincing them

What more could you ask for?

The international asshole

Who complain about what he is owed?

And throw a tantrum like he is three years old

You gotta love it though, somebody still speaks from his soul

And wouldn't change by the change, or the game, or the fame

When he came, in the game, he made his own lane

Now all I need is y'all to pronounce my name

It's Kanye, but some of my plastic still say Kane

Got family in the D, Kin-folk from Motown

Back in the Chi, them folks ain't from Motown

Life movin' too fast, I need to slow down

Girl ain't give me no ass, ya need to go down

My father Ben said I need Jesus

So he took me to church and let the water wash over my ceaser

The preacher said we need leaders

Right then my body got still like a paraplegic

You know who you can call you gotta best believe it

The Roc stand tall and you would never believe it

Take your diamonds and throw 'em up like you bulimic

Yeah the beat cold but the flow is anemic

After debris settles and the dust get swept off

Big K pick up where young Hov left off

Right when magazines wrote Kanye West off

I dropped my new shit, it sound like the best of

A&R's lookin' like "Pssh, we messed up"

Grammy night, damn right, we got dressed up

Bottle after bottle 'til we got messed up

In the studio, where really though, yeah he next up

People askin' me if I'm gon' give my chain back

That'll be the same day I give the game back

You know the next question dog "Yo, where Dame at?"

This track the Indian dance to bring our reign back

"What's up with you and Jay, man, are y'all ok man?"

They pray for the death of our dynasty like Amen

R-r-r-right here stands a-man

With the power to make a diamond with his bare hands

Diamonds are forever

Throw your diamonds in the sky if you feel the vibe

Diamonds are forever

The Roc is still alive every time I rhyme

Forever ever? Forever ever? Ever, ever?

Ever, ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever?

Ever, ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever?

Diamonds are forever (forever, forever)

Diamonds are forever (forever, forever, forever)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
diamonds ˈdaɪəməndz B1	noun - a precious stone consisting of a clear and colorless crystalline form of pure carbon, the hardest naturally occurring substance.
forever fəˈrevər A2	adverb - for all time; eternally.
vibe vaɪb B1	noun - a person's emotional state or the atmosphere of a place as communicated to and felt by others.
realized ˈriːəlaɪzd B1	verb - become fully aware of (something) as a fact; understand clearly.
vibe vaɪb B1	noun - a person's emotional state or the atmosphere of a place as communicated to and felt by others.
afford əˈfɔːrd A2	verb - have enough money to pay for.
important ɪmˈpɔːrtənt A2	adjective - of great significance or value.
cure kjʊər B1	verb - to restore to health.
robbed rɒbd B1	verb - to take something from (someone) illegally.
convincing kənˈvɪnsɪŋ B2	adjective - causing someone to believe something is true.
complain kəmˈpleɪn A2	verb - express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something.
soul soʊl B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal.
lane leɪn A2	noun - a narrow road, especially one in the country.
dynasty ˈdɪnəsti C1	noun - a sequence of rulers from the same family.
bare beər B1	adjective - not covered or protected; exposed.
debris dəˈbriː B2	noun - scattered pieces of waste or remains.

Key Grammar Structures

• I've no fear that they might Desert me

  ➔ Modal verb of probability (might)

  ➔ "Might" is used here to express a remote or uncertain possibility that the diamonds will leave.

• It take more than a magazine to kill my Vibe

  ➔ Infinitive phrase as subject/complement

  ➔ "To kill" is an infinitive of purpose, explaining the goal of the action.

• I remember I couldn't afford a Ford Escort

  ➔ Past ability (couldn't)

  ➔ "Couldn't" is the negative past form of 'can', used to describe a lack of ability or financial means in the past.

• I'm supposed to stop I can't because

  ➔ Passive construction for obligation (be supposed to)

  ➔ "Be supposed to" indicates an expectation or social/moral obligation that the speaker is struggling to meet.

• Only playa that got robbed but kept all his jewelry

  ➔ Relative clause (that got robbed)

  ➔ "That" acts as a relative pronoun, introducing a clause that describes the subject ("playa").

• I need y'all to pronounce my name

  ➔ Verb + object + infinitive (need somebody to do)

  ➔ This pattern is used to express a requirement or desire for someone else to perform an action.

• Right when magazines wrote Kanye West off

  ➔ Phrasal verb (write off)

  ➔ "Write off" means to decide that someone or something is a failure or has no value.

• That'll be the same day I give the game back

  ➔ Future reference with 'will'

  ➔ "That'll" is the contraction of "That will", indicating a hypothetical future event.