Real Friends – English Lyrics

• By: XO

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into XO's electrifying electro-pop track, "Real Friends," a song that celebrates unbreakable bonds. While the lyrics are in English, understanding the track's Gen Z-infused perspective on loyalty and independence, rooted in a Charli XCX demo, offers insight into contemporary British pop and the dynamics of genuine friendship.

[English]

Without them, I'm nothing at all

Yeah

Catch me out with my girls, know you live in our world

We stay out 'til the morning, I don't care if you're calling

Did you think I'd deceive 'em only for me to come please ya?

You got nothing that I want, but I got the things that you need, yeah

I got friends (real friends, yeah)

Got my back and to the bitter end (real friends)

Yeah, I got them, I got them, I got them, I got friends (real friends, yeah)

I got something you can't understand (real friends)

Yeah, I got them, I got them, I got them, I got friends (real friends)

Without them, I'm nothing at all

Yeah (okay, let me try)

Could pull up in the Mercedes (yeah) or hit me up when I'm faded (yeah)

No matter what, missed your shot, not my ride or die, think you're bad, you're not

It's the fact that on the day I died (yeah), million roses laying by my side (yeah)

Your friends will be here for now but mine gonna be here for life

I got friends (real friends, yeah)

Got my back and to the bitter end (real friends)

Yeah, I got them, I got them, I got them, I got friends (real friends, yeah)

I got something you can't understand (real friends)

Yeah, I got them, I got them, I got them, I got friends (real friends)

They would die for me, waste their life for me

Like my brother, like my sister, they're my family (whoa)

I would do the same, 'cause we got memories

So if the year goes by, I know that nothing's gonna change

We stayed out 'til the morning, I didn't care you were calling

Doing this for my girls, I'm doing this for the girls

On your own, now you're screaming, now you're so out of season

Yeah, you lost the things that you want, I still got the things that I need, yeah

I got friends (yeah)

Got my back and to the bitter end (real friends)

Yeah, I got friends (real friends)

I got something you can't understand (real friends, mm)

Yeah, I got them, I got them, I got them, I got friends (real friends)

Got my back and to the bitter end (real friends)

Yeah, I got them, I got them, I got them, I got friends (real friends)

I got something you can't understand (real friends)

Yeah, I got them, I got them, I got them, I got friends (real friends)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
friend /frend/ A1	noun - a person you know and like who is not a family member
world /wɜːld/ A2	noun - the earth and everything on it
morning /ˈmɔːnɪŋ/ A1	noun - the early part of the day
call /kɔːl/ A2	verb - to telephone someone verb - to name or describe someone or something in a particular way
deceive /dɪˈsiːv/ B2	verb - to make someone believe something that is not true
please /pliːz/ B1	verb - to make someone feel happy or satisfied
need /niːd/ A1	noun - a thing that is necessary for living or achieving something
understand /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ A2	verb - to know the meaning of something
pull /pʊl/ A2	verb - to use force to move something toward yourself
hit /hɪt/ A2	verb - to touch or strike something with force
shot /ʃɒt/ B1	noun - an attempt to score a point or hit something
ride /raɪd/ A2	noun - a journey on a vehicle or animal verb - to sit on and control a bicycle, motorcycle, or horse
die /daɪ/ A2	verb - to stop living
rose /rəʊz/ A2	noun - a type of flower with a pleasant smell and thorns on its stem
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the period between birth and death of a living thing
family /ˈfæmɪli/ A1	noun - a group of people related by blood or marriage
memory /ˈmeməri/ B1	noun - something remembered from the past
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A2	verb - to make something different
season /ˈsiːzən/ B1	noun - one of the four parts of the year, such as spring or summer
lose /luːz/ A2	verb - to not have something anymore
need /niːd/ A1	verb - to require something because it is necessary

Key Grammar Structures

• Without them, I'm nothing at all

  ➔ Prepositional phrase with conditional sense

  ➔ The phrase 'Without them' functions like a condition, implying that the speaker’s value depends on others.

• Did you think I'd deceive 'em only for me to come please ya?

  ➔ Question with inversion and conditional infinitive clause

  ➔ 'Did you think' introduces an inversion for a past simple question. 'Only for me to come please ya' shows purpose or ironic consequence.

• You got nothing that I want, but I got the things that you need

  ➔ Parallel structure with contrastive conjunction

  ➔ Repetition of 'got' builds a parallel pattern contrasting both subjects with 'but'.

• Got my back and to the bitter end

  ➔ Elliptical clause with implied subject

  ➔ The line omits 'They have', implying 'They have got my back'. The ellipsis is natural in spoken English.

• Could pull up in the Mercedes

  ➔ Modal verb expressing possibility or ability

  ➔ 'Could' here shows a sense of ability or potential in a casual, hypothetical context.

• No matter what, missed your shot, not my ride or die

  ➔ Fragment combining idiomatic and elliptical phrases

  ➔ The phrase mixes idioms ('missed your shot' = lost your opportunity, 'ride or die' = loyal supporter) with sentence fragments lacking verbs.

• Your friends will be here for now but mine gonna be here for life

  ➔ Future tense with informal contraction and contrast

  ➔ 'Mine gonna' is an informal contraction of 'Mine are going to', creating a contrast with 'for now' vs 'for life'.

• They would die for me, waste their life for me

  ➔ Conditional/imaginary clause with modal 'would'

  ➔ 'Would' expresses imagined loyalty or willingness, not a real situation.

• So if the year goes by, I know that nothing's gonna change

  ➔ Complex sentence with time clause and future prediction

  ➔ The clause 'if the year goes by' sets a condition of time; 'nothing's gonna change' predicts a stable future.

• Doing this for my girls

  ➔ Gerund phrase indicating reason or intention

  ➔ 'Doing' acts as a gerund functioning as the subject complement, describing purpose.