We Trying To Stay Alive – English Lyrics

• By: Wyclef Jean, John Forté, Pras

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the vibrant fusion of hip-hop and disco with Wyclef Jean's "We Trying To Stay Alive." This track is a masterclass in genre blending, artfully weaving iconic samples into a narrative of ambition and nightlife. Learning English through this song offers a glimpse into colloquial expressions and storytelling within a rich musical tapestry, showcasing how artists can creatively combine sounds to craft a unique message.

[English]

(car engine roaring)

- Say baby, don't get in no trouble

- Nah, we're just trying to win this dance competition

- Win it 500

- [Male Speaker] Alright baby

(upbeat dance music starts)

♪ We got the Refugee Allstars rub-a-dubbing in the club ♪

♪ Wyclef Jean, John Forté, Praswell ♪

(group chatting)

♪ Know what I mean, the streets are getting a little crazy ♪

♪ Looka-looka-looka-looka-looka-looka-looka here ♪

♪ looka, shorty got back ♪

♪ Should I ask her for a dance? ♪

♪ Hold on, there's too many in the wolf pack ♪

♪ And besides, Dirty Cash talking to her ♪

♪ Buying her fake furs and taking her to The Fever ♪

♪ Quiet as it's kept, that ain't even his Benz ♪

♪ She spends his Franklins at the malls with her friends ♪

♪ Material girl living in a material world ♪

♪ But it's all right 'cause it's Saturday night ♪

♪ So Mr. Funkmaster, pump the Bee Gees ♪

♪ And all you college students, play your Ouija's ♪

♪ Check the spelling, R-E-F-U-G-E-E ♪

♪ Get the CD from Sam Goody, hee-hee ♪

♪ You ain't even close with the rhymes that you wrote ♪

♪ Don't be mad 'cause you broke ♪

♪ Let me clear my throat, uh-huh, uh-huh ♪

♪ John Forté, grab the mic, let's sway this way ♪

♪ I'm more than just a rhymer, you still a small-timer ♪

♪ Hoping that the game treat that ass a little kinder ♪

♪ Every step tango'd, your beef don't concern me ♪

♪ I'm eating mangoes in Trinidad with attorneys, oh yeah ♪

♪ My crew's slang flow worldwide like a current ♪

♪ Went the every spot where nobody got insurance ♪

♪ Brother, do the math, you ain't half near exotic ♪

♪ My mans claim true you, forget about it ♪

♪ Po-po just a nuisance like my influence ♪

♪ Well-recognized, you a lie trying do it ♪

♪ Got juice, told your lady, "Oops, we nuts, baby" ♪

♪ Smooth and charismatic, automatic, you gon' save me ♪

♪ God bless the dead as my son survive ♪

♪ We strive to teach the youth, baby, and stay alive ♪

♪ Refugee camp next, baby ♪

♪ John Forté, yeah, watch your lady ♪

♪ Watch your lady, yeah, all right ♪

♪ 'Specially around baby Pras, yo ♪

♪ If you got more than a dollar in your pocket right now ♪

♪ Put your hands up, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Well, you can tell by the way I roll, shorty, ♪

♪ That I'm a ladies man, a business man ♪

♪ Condos down the shore, multi-million pension plan, uh-huh ♪

♪ But it ain't in my plan ♪

♪ To make moves without the fam, no can do ♪

♪ I keep it intact, yo, 'Clef, do the track ♪

♪ John, play the mack while I pay the tax ♪

♪ Business as usual ♪

♪ Watching suspects steal my assets, get cut with Gillettes ♪

♪ We built this concept, connect like NYNEX, all right ♪

♪ Drinks at the bar, my American Express ♪

- No you didn't just kiss my girl

- Shit man, just relax

- You wanna disrespect me? Let's go outside

♪ Yo, I cook up, cook up ♪

♪ The copper pull up, pull up ♪

♪ Them I cuff up, cuff up ♪

♪ You who's calling bluff ♪

♪ Now you shook up, shook up ♪

♪ 'Cause you lock up, lock up ♪

♪ When I love up, love up ♪

♪ You who's calling bluff ♪

♪ Ayo, John is chilling, Dirty Cash dealing ♪

♪ What more can I say? We living ♪

♪ That's what we got, we got it good ♪

♪ And since you understood, we be ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Huh, uh, uh, uh ♪

♪ Looka-looka-looka-looka-looka-looka-looka-Looka ♪

♪ Leave the knives and the guns alone, uh huh ♪

♪ Refugees on the microphone, come on ♪

♪ Leave the knives and the guns alone, uh huh ♪

♪ Refugees on the microphone, say what ♪

♪ You can't stop the shine, they rock steady ♪

♪ You can't stop the shining, come on ♪

♪ You can't stop romancing elite force ♪

♪ You can't stop the dancing, where the ladies at ♪

♪ And for the ladies, we won't play you ♪

♪ If you're fat, shake what your momma gave you ♪

♪ Whether you fat, slim or bubble your ting ♪

♪ Fellas if you need help, use ginseng ♪

♪ Look it here, you can't stop the shining, uh huh ♪

♪ Look it here, you can't stop the romancing ♪

♪ Just staying alive, baby, you know the flavor ♪

♪ Of the refugees, here we go, come on ♪

♪ Looka-looka-looka-looka-looka ♪

♪ Staying alive ♪

♪ Live at the carnival, '97 'til infinity, ha ♪

♪ Refugee allstars ♪

(police sirens)

♪ Can't stop the shining, can't stop the shining ♪

♪ Can't stop the shining, can't stop the shining ♪

♪ You wanna stop the shining? You wanna stop the shining? ♪

♪ You wanna stop the shining, can't stop the shining ♪

(music fades)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
shine /ʃaɪn/ A2	verb - to emit light noun - brightness from a light source
refugee /ˌrɛf.yuˈdʒiː/ B1	noun - a person who has been forced to leave their country to escape war or persecution
strive /straɪv/ B2	verb - to make great efforts to achieve or obtain something
survive /sərˈvaɪv/ A2	verb - to continue to live or exist, especially after coming close to dying or being destroyed
exotic /ɪɡˈzɒtɪk/ B1	adjective - originating in or characteristic of a distant foreign country
charismatic /ˌkærɪzˈmætɪk/ C1	adjective - having a special quality that makes people like or admire them
material /məˈtɪəriəl/ B1	adjective - relating to physical substances noun - a physical substance
romance /rəˈmæns/ B1	noun - a close, passionate relationship between two people verb - to court or woo someone
concept /ˈkɒn.sept/ B2	noun - an idea or principle
influence /ˈɪn.flu.əns/ B2	noun - the power to have an effect on people or things verb - to affect or change how someone or something develops
tangible /ˈtæn.dʒɪ.bəl/ C1	adjective - perceptible by touch
attorney /əˈtɜːr.ni/ B2	noun - a lawyer qualified to represent clients in court
nuisance /ˈnjuː.səns/ B2	noun - a person or thing that is annoying or causes trouble
recognize /ˈrɛk.əɡ.naɪz/ A2	verb - to identify someone or something from having encountered them before
asset /ˈæ.set/ B2	noun - a useful or valuable thing or person
spending /ˈspɛn.dɪŋ/ A2	verb - to pay money for goods or services noun - the act of using money to buy goods or services
current /ˈkʌr.ənt/ B1	adjective - happening or existing now noun - a flow of water, air, or electricity

Key Grammar Structures

• ♪ Know what I mean, the streets are getting a little crazy ♪

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ The phrase 'are getting' is in the present continuous tense, indicating an action happening now or around now. It highlights the ongoing nature of the streets becoming crazier.

• ♪ Should I ask her for a dance? ♪

  ➔ Should + Bare Infinitive

  ➔ The modal verb 'should' followed by the bare infinitive 'ask' is used to express advice or suggestion. Here, it reflects the speaker's consideration of asking someone to dance.

• ♪ But it's all right 'cause it's Saturday night ♪

  ➔ Contraction

  ➔ The contraction 'it's' is a shortened form of 'it is'. Contractions are common in informal speech and lyrics, making the language more conversational.

• ♪ So Mr. Funkmaster, pump the Bee Gees ♪

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ The phrase 'pump the Bee Gees' is in the imperative mood, which is used to give commands or instructions. Here, it directly tells Mr. Funkmaster to play the music.

• ♪ You ain't even close with the rhymes that you wrote ♪

  ➔ Negative Contraction

  ➔ The negative contraction 'ain't' is a non-standard form of 'am not', 'is not', 'are not', etc. It is commonly used in informal contexts and lyrics for emphasis.

• ♪ We strive to teach the youth, baby, and stay alive ♪

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ The phrase 'to teach the youth' is an infinitive of purpose, indicating the reason for striving. It shows the intention behind the action of staying alive.

• ♪ If you got more than a dollar in your pocket right now ♪

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense

  ➔ The phrase 'have got' in 'got more than a dollar' is in the present perfect tense, indicating a past action with results relevant to the present. It refers to something that happened in the past and is still true now.

• ♪ You can't stop the shining, can't stop the shining ♪

  ➔ Double Negative

  ➔ The phrase 'can't stop' is repeated, creating a double negative. In some dialects and informal contexts, this emphasizes the impossibility of stopping the shining.