No Sleep Till Brooklyn – English Lyrics

• By: Beastie Boys
• Album: Licensed to Ill

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the energetic world of 1980s hip-hop with this classic track! By listening to 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn,' you can learn rhythmic English slang, aggressive vocal delivery, and the punchy, percussive flow that defined the golden era of rap. It is a perfect song to master timing and attitude in English.

[English]

(knocks on door)

- All right, all right.

Who the hell are you?

- We're the band.

- The band, where's your instruments?

What the?

We only play rock music here.

- Why you dissing, man?

(knocks on door)

- Rock and roll.

- Yeah, dude, like, I think we're the band.

- I've been waiting for you boys all day, get on stage.

- Yo.

♪ No sleep 'til, ♪

(upbeat rock music)

♪ Brooklyn ♪

♪ Foot on the pedal ♪

♪ Never ever false metal ♪

♪ Engine running hotter than a boiling kettle ♪

♪ My job ain't a job ♪

♪ It's a damn good time ♪

♪ City to city I'm running my rhymes ♪

♪ On location ♪

♪ Touring around the nation ♪

♪ Beastie Boys always on vacation ♪

♪ Itchy trigger finger ♪

♪ But a stable turntable ♪

♪ I do what I do best ♪

♪ Because I'm willing and able ♪

♪ Ain't no faking ♪

♪ Your money I'm taking ♪

♪ Going coast to coast to watch all the girlies shaking ♪

♪ While you're at the job working nine to five ♪

♪ The Beastie Boys at the Garden ♪

♪ Cold kickin' it live ♪

♪ No sleep 'til ♪

♪ Another plane, another train ♪

♪ Another bottle in the brain ♪

♪ Another girl, another fight ♪

♪ Another drive all night ♪

♪ Our manager's crazy ♪

♪ He always (beep) (beep) ♪

♪ He's got his own room at the back of the bus ♪

♪ Tour around the world ♪

♪ You rock around the clock ♪

♪ Plane to hotel, girls on the jock ♪

♪ We're trashing hotels like it's going out of style ♪

♪ Getting paid along the way, 'cause it's worth your while ♪

♪ Four on the floor Ad-Rock's out the door ♪

♪ MCA's in the back because he's skeezin' with a (beep) ♪

♪ We got a safe in the trunk with money in a stack ♪

♪ With dice in the front and Brooklyn's in the back ♪

♪ No sleep 'til ♪

♪ No sleep 'til Brooklyn ♪

♪ No sleep 'til Brooklyn ♪

♪ Ain't seen the light since we started this band ♪

♪ MCA get on the mike, my man ♪

♪ Born and bred Brooklyn, the USA ♪

♪ They call me Adam Yauch, but I'm MCA ♪

♪ Like a lemon to a lime ♪

♪ A lime to a lemon ♪

♪ I sip the def ale with all the fly women ♪

♪ Limos, arenas, and TV-shows ♪

♪ Autograph pictures and classy hoes ♪

♪ Step off Homes, get out of my way ♪

♪ Taxing little girlies from here to LA ♪

♪ Waking up, before I get to sleep ♪

♪ 'Cause I'll be rockin' this party eight days a week ♪

♪ No sleep 'til ♪

♪ No sleep 'til Brooklyn ♪

♪ No sleep 'til Brooklyn ♪

♪ No (no) sleep (sleep) 'til Brooklyn (Brooklyn) ♪

♪ No (no) sleep (sleep) 'til Brooklyn (yeah) ♪

(playful guitar)

♪ No (no) sleep (sleep) 'til Brooklyn (Brooklyn) ♪

♪ No (no) sleep (sleep) 'til Brooklyn (Brooklyn) ♪

♪ No (no) sleep (sleep) 'til Brooklyn (Brooklyn) ♪

♪ No (no) sleep (sleep) 'til Brooklyn (Brooklyn) ♪

♪ No (no) sleep (sleep) 'til Brooklyn (Brooklyn) ♪

♪ No (no) sleep (sleep) 'til Brooklyn (Brooklyn) ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
pedal /ˈpɛdəl/ B2	noun - a foot-operated lever used to control a vehicle or machine
engine /ˈɛndʒɪn/ A2	noun - a machine with moving parts that converts power into motion
boiling /ˈbɔɪlɪŋ/ A2	adjective - very hot
kettle /ˈkɛtəl/ B1	noun - a container for boiling water
rhymes /raɪmz/ B2	noun - words having the same ending sound, often used in rap/poetry
vacation /veɪˈkeɪʃən/ A1	noun - a period of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation
itchy /ˈɪtʃi/ B2	adjective - having an uncomfortable sensation on the skin; figuratively eager
stable /ˈsteɪbəl/ B2	adjective - firmly fixed; not likely to overturn or change
turntable /ˈtɜːrnteɪbəl/ C1	noun - a rotating platform for playing phonograph records
willing /ˈwɪlɪŋ/ B1	adjective - ready, eager, or prepared to do something
able /ˈeɪbəl/ A1	adjective - having the power, skill, or means to do something
manager /ˈmænɪdʒər/ A2	noun - a person responsible for controlling or administering an organization or group
trashing /ˈtræʃɪŋ/ B2	verb - to damage or destroy something, often in a reckless way
dice /daɪs/ B2	noun - small cubes with numbered sides used in games of chance
autograph /ˈɔːtəɡræf/ B2	noun - a person's signature, typically of a famous person

Key Grammar Structures

• I've been waiting for you boys all day

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous

  ➔ Used to describe an action that started in the past and has continued up until the present moment, emphasizing the duration.

• While you're at the job working nine to five

  ➔ Subordinate Clause with 'While'

  ➔ The conjunction 'while' is used here to contrast two simultaneous states or actions.

• Ain't seen the light since we started this band

  ➔ Present Perfect with 'since'

  ➔ The word 'since' indicates the starting point of an action that continues to the present.

• I'll be rockin' this party eight days a week

  ➔ Future Continuous

  ➔ Used to express an action that will be in progress at a time in the future.

• We're trashing hotels like it's going out of style

  ➔ Comparative clause with 'like'

  ➔ Used to create a figurative comparison, describing the intensity or manner of the action.

• He's got his own room at the back of the bus

  ➔ Present Simple 'have got'

  ➔ An informal way to express possession in the present tense.