Double Dutch Bus

• By: Frankie Smith

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
bus /bʌs/ A1	noun - a large motor vehicle carrying passengers by road, typically one serving the public on a fixed route
street /striːt/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town
feet /fiːt/ A1	noun - plural of foot; the lower extremity of the leg below the ankle
fare /feər/ A2	noun - the money paid for a journey on public transport
driver /ˈdraɪvər/ A2	noun - a person who drives a vehicle
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - a current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes
work /wɜːrk/ A1	noun - activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result. verb - be engaged in physical or mental activity in order to achieve a purpose or result.
train /treɪn/ A1	noun - a series of connected railroad cars moved by a locomotive or by integral motors
wife /waɪf/ A1	noun - a married woman
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human being
blocks /blɑːks/ A2	noun - a solid piece of material (such as wood or stone) with one or more flat faces
hole /hoʊl/ A2	noun - an opening through something
socks /sɑːks/ A2	noun - a covering for the foot and ankle or leg
corns /kɔːrnz/ B2	noun - a painful area of thickened skin on the foot, typically on the toe, caused by pressure
rope /roʊp/ B1	noun - a length of strong cord made by twisting together strands of natural or synthetic fibers
show /ʃoʊ/ A2	noun - a public entertainment or performance
skates /skeɪts/ B1	noun - boots or shoes with blades or wheels attached, used for gliding over ice or a surface
laugh /læf/ A2	verb - make the sounds and movements of the face and body that express amusement or happiness noun - an instance of laughing

Grammar:

• Give me a HO if you've got your funky bus fare...

  ➔ Conditional Sentence (Type 1)

  ➔ Uses the structure "if + present simple, will/imperative + base form". It expresses a real possibility. Here, "if you've got your funky bus fare" is the condition and "Give me a HO" is the result.

• Ain't got no car to get around

  ➔ Double Negative (Non-Standard English)

  ➔ "Ain't got no car" is a double negative. Standard English would be "I don't have a car" or "I haven't got a car". This usage is common in some dialects but is generally considered grammatically incorrect in formal settings.

• When I'm running late no sleep's to blame

  ➔ Inversion (Emphasis)

  ➔ The phrase is constructed such that "no sleep's to blame" is emphasized. A more standard word order would be "no sleep is to blame". The inversion adds a slight poetic or emphatic effect.

• If you've gotta wife you know I'm right

  ➔ Ellipsis and Contraction

  ➔ "gotta" is a contraction of "got to", and the subject "you" is implicitly understood after "wife": "If you've gotta wife, (you) know I'm right". Ellipsis makes the sentence more conversational.

• Cause what I really wanna say

  ➔ Informal Contraction/Pronunciation

  ➔ "Cause" is an informal contraction of "because". "Wanna" is the contraction of "want to". This type of informal language is common in music, especially in genres like hip-hop and funk, for stylistic reasons.

• Let me tell you what I say When I'm dealing with the funky sidewalk

  ➔ Indirect Question

  ➔ "What I say" functions as the object of the verb "tell". It is not a direct question but a statement referring to the speaker's saying something. The structure is "Let me tell you + what + subject + verb".

• Hilzi, gilzirls! Yilzall hilzave t' milzove ilzout the wilzay silzo the gilzuys can plilzay bilzasket-bilzall

  ➔ Slang and Phonetic Spelling

  ➔ This line is heavily stylized with slang and phonetic respellings to mimic a particular accent or dialect. It's not grammatically standard but relies on phonetic pronunciation. For example: girls -> gilzirls, You all -> Yilzall, have to -> hilzave t', move -> milzove, out -> ilzout, way -> wilzay, so -> silzo, the -> the, guys -> gilzuys, play -> plilzay, Basket-ball -> bilzasket-bilzall. This is a stylistic choice that prioritizes sound and rhythm over strict grammatical correctness.

• My gizzirl Brillzing her izzin

  ➔ Phonetic Spelling and Non-Standard Grammar

  ➔ This line uses phonetic spelling and non-standard grammar. "gizzirl" for "girl", "Brillzing" for "Bringing", and "izzin" for "in". The overall phrase is grammatically incomplete but conveys a clear meaning in the context of the song's playful language.

• Everytime you do the Double Dutch you really turn it on

  ➔ Use of "Everytime" as a conjunction

  ➔ "Everytime" is used as a single word conjunction meaning "each time" or "whenever". Standard English would typically use "every time" (two words) as the conjunction. In the song, this is done for stylistic effect.