Loyalty Cost Me More – English Lyrics

• By: Butter Knife Shawty, Rockdale Tony
• Album: Shawty Got the Blues

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the emotive world of modern hip-hop with this track! By listening to 'Loyalty Cost Me More,' you can learn contemporary slang, rhythmic phrasing, and how to express complex emotions like betrayal and resilience through English lyrics.

[English]

Loyalty cost me more than these diamonds and chains

More than long nights, more than tears and pain

I stayed ten toes when the ground got weak

Held folks down who was plottin' on me

Gave my last dollar, gave my last ride

Gave real love, got fake on the other side

Every hand I shook had a blade tucked in

Now I look at trust like a place I ain't been

I wore my heart like a name on a shirt

Now I keep it buried where nobody can work

A man don't turn cold for no reason at all

Usually somebody he loved let him fall

Loyalty cost me more than love ever did

Gave my all to folks who never gave me shit

Now I keep my heart tucked under my ribs

'Cause loyalty cost me more than love ever did

Had family go missin' when the money got low

Had friends turn strange when the doors got closed

Had women say forever with one eye on the exit

That kind of pain make a real one reckless

I was pourin' from a cup that was already cracked

Givin' second chances I should've never gave back

Now if I move different, don't take it wrong

I just learned hard lessons from holdin' on too long

I wore my heart like a name on a shirt

Now I keep it buried where nobody can work

A man don't turn cold for no reason at all

Usually somebody he loved let him fall

Loyalty cost me more than love ever did

Gave my all to folks who never gave me shit

Now I keep my heart tucked under my ribs

'Cause loyalty cost me more than love ever did

Ain't no refund for the nights I lost

Ain't no discount on that kind of cost

You can smile in my face, but I already know

The ones cut deepest be the ones you hold close

Loyalty cost me more than love ever did

Gave my all to folks who never gave me shit

Now I keep my heart tucked under my ribs

'Cause loyalty cost me more than love ever did

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
loyalty /ˈlɔɪəlti/ B2	noun - a strong feeling of support or allegiance
diamonds /ˈdaɪəməndz/ A2	noun - a precious stone consisting of a clear and colorless crystalline form of pure carbon
plottin /ˈplɒtɪn/ B2	verb - secretly making plans to carry out an illegal or harmful action
blade /bleɪd/ B2	noun - the flat cutting part of a sword, knife, or tool
buried /ˈbɛrid/ B1	verb - to put or hide under the ground
reckless /ˈrɛkləs/ C1	adjective - without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action
refund /ˈriːfʌnd/ B1	noun - a repayment of a sum of money
discount /ˈdɪskaʊnt/ A2	noun - a deduction from the usual cost of something
deepest /ˈdiːpɪst/ A2	adjective - extending far down from the top or surface
chains /tʃeɪnz/ A2	noun - a series of linked metal rings used for ornamentation or restraint
tears /tɪərz/ A2	noun - a drop of the salty liquid secreted from the eye when crying
cracked /krækt/ B1	adjective - having thin lines on the surface caused by damage or aging
ribs /rɪbz/ B2	noun - each of a series of slender curved bones articulated in pairs to the spine
strange /streɪndʒ/ A2	adjective - unusual or surprising
exit /ˈɛɡzɪt/ A2	noun - a way out

Key Grammar Structures

• Held folks down who was plottin' on me

  ➔ Relative Clause (Reduced)

  ➔ The clause "who was plottin' on me" defines "folks". Using "who" connects the subject to the action they were performing.

• Now I look at trust like a place I ain't been

  ➔ Present Perfect (Negative)

  ➔ The contraction "ain't been" is a non-standard form of "haven't been", indicating an experience that has not occurred up to the present.

• A man don't turn cold for no reason at all

  ➔ Double Negative

  ➔ "don't" and "no reason" create a double negative, a common stylistic choice in colloquial English to emphasize the statement.

• Gave my all to folks who never gave me shit

  ➔ Past Simple

  ➔ The verb "gave" is used to describe completed actions in the past, highlighting the contrast between the speaker's effort and the lack of reciprocity.

• I was pourin' from a cup that was already cracked

  ➔ Past Continuous

  ➔ "was pourin'" describes a continuous state or ongoing action in the past that led to a specific outcome.

• Givin' second chances I should've never gave back

  ➔ Modal Verb of Regret (should have + past participle)

  ➔ "should've never gave" (should have given) expresses regret about a past action that the speaker now wishes they hadn't performed.

• Now if I move different, don't take it wrong

  ➔ Conditional Sentence (Type 1)

  ➔ The "if" clause sets a condition for the present/future, while the imperative "don't take it wrong" gives a warning or instruction.

• The ones cut deepest be the ones you hold close

  ➔ Subject-Verb Agreement (Dialectal "be")

  ➔ In some dialects, "be" is used instead of "are" to indicate a habitual state or general truth about "the ones you hold close".