Pain – English Lyrics

• By: Mavado, Jay-A, Dexta Daps

Lyrics & Translation

Mavado, Jay-A, and Dexta Daps' “Pain” is an essential track for anyone looking to connect with the raw, emotional heart of modern Jamaican Dancehall. It offers a deep dive into the language and patois used to articulate complex feelings of struggle and hardship, moving beyond simple storytelling to give listeners a window into the challenging realities of 'garrison' life. Listening to this song is a powerful lesson in authentic, street-level Jamaican Vernacular English (JVE) and its cultural expressions.

[English]

(intro)

♪ Mm-hmm ♪

♪ Yeah-Yeah ♪

♪ Play dis, play dis, ♪

(gun blasting)

♪ Yeah, Sponge ♪

♪ I'm off the ground, ♪

♪ Glory ♪

♪ Expired on my time, ♪

♪ You know the criminal ♪

♪ Huh, -ch ♪

♪ Where we come from ♪

♪ We have a fear of a gunfire ♪

♪ Everyone can have one, ♪

♪ But what dem can do ♪

♪ When the Feds come ♪

♪ And the body count done final ♪

♪ And when I did upon a move ♪

♪ That's money spent, partner ♪

♪ You can't trust friend ♪

♪ You can't trust family too ♪

♪ God give me a car ♪

♪ Got that money too ♪

♪ I'm gunna teach me this ♪

♪ From the in the clip ♪

♪ So when I make it, ♪

♪ Where I come from is everything ♪

♪ Y'all come from real walks of life ♪

♪ Some G's are stripped of life ♪

♪ When the dog's go to sleep at night ♪

♪ We fuck around in a real-time vibe ♪

♪ Play my partner ♪

♪ Yo, I thought I spot this when I talk ♪

♪ Long before some pussy could not talk ♪

♪ Me keep her here-here, ♪

♪ Right close to my heart ♪

♪ Killers living out the one ♪

♪ We'll feed them Wild Cards ♪

♪ You'll feel new ♪

♪ When the party start ♪

♪ Fuck boss, I had the gun fired off in New York ♪

♪ In the GM feeling right, drop the top ♪

♪ Legendary to the Craft ♪

♪ Ooh-Oh ♪

♪ The world fly here through the streets ♪

♪ Not No-No love ♪

♪ No love ♪

♪ Call when I mix ♪

♪ That sing like chorus ♪

♪ Chorus ♪

♪ Everybody ring out with their bread up ♪

♪ Missy either get friend or get famous ♪

♪ No love ♪

♪ No love ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Pull up where we from ♪

♪ Police no search here ♪

♪ No ♪ (gun fires)

♪ Running on fear ♪

♪ At least there's mercy ♪

♪ Sent up a person ♪

♪ But I still no preserve ♪

♪ No obscurity to fear or judge here ♪

♪ In my skin that how I feel ♪

♪ My rough life high ♪

♪ Like my bare skills ♪

♪ Police won't equip my right on time here ♪

♪ The government had to rule the world ♪

♪ It's like that ♪

♪ It's so savage ♪

♪ So savage ♪

♪ Which here without you ♪

♪ Without the fear of the gunfire ♪

♪ Gunfire, gunfire, gunfire ♪

♪ Jesus, like that, it's so savage ♪

♪ Savage ♪

♪ Everybody lighting up with the gunfire ♪

♪ Gunfire ♪

♪ Mhm ♪

♪ Right here, just 13 on street ♪

♪ Just 12 months, I mean adjusted ♪

♪ Hard life bring peer and me accustomed ♪

♪ At the belly of the beast where I bust from ♪

♪ Dance here, dance demons, Lincoln to Brooklyn ♪

♪ You a criminal, ♪

♪ And a poorer class get the pure minimal ♪

♪ Quality assurance, ♪

♪ Drop appliance for clinical ♪

♪ Run dem 'til is their funeral ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ ♪ The world fly here through the streets ♪

♪ Not No-No love ♪

♪ No love ♪

♪ ♪ Call when I mix ♪

♪ That sing like chorus ♪

♪ Chorus ♪

♪ Everybody ring out with their bread up ♪

♪ Missy either get friend or get famous ♪

♪ No love ♪

♪ No love ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Where we come from ♪

♪ We have a fear of a gunfire ♪

♪ Everyone can have one, ♪

♪ But what of one can do ♪

♪ When the Feds come ♪

♪ And the body count done final ♪

♪ And when I did upon a move ♪

♪ That's money spent, partner ♪

(outro)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
gunfire /ˈɡʌnˌfaɪər/ B2	noun - the discharge of guns; a burst of bullets
fear /fɪər/ A2	noun - an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous verb - to be afraid of something
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - currency or medium of exchange used to buy goods and services
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the existence of an individual human being or animal; the period between birth and death
criminal /ˈkrɪmɪnl/ B2	noun - a person who has committed a crime adjective - relating to crime or its punishment
partner /ˈpɑːrtnər/ B1	noun - a person who shares or is involved in an activity with another
trust /trʌst/ B1	verb - to believe that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, etc. noun - firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something
family /ˈfæmɪli/ A1	noun - a group consisting of parents and their children, or all the descendants of a common ancestor
street /striːt/ A2	noun - a public road in a city or town, typically with houses and buildings on either side
savage /ˈsævɪdʒ/ C1	adjective - wild, fierce, and untamed; cruel or violent
government /ˈɡʌvənmənt/ B2	noun - the group of people who officially run a country, state, or community
mercy /ˈmɜːrsi/ B2	noun - kindness or compassion shown toward someone in need or distress
preserve /prɪˈzɜːrv/ B2	verb - to keep something in its original or existing state; to protect from decay or loss
police /pəˈliːs/ A2	noun - the organization responsible for maintaining public order and preventing crime
body /ˈbɒdi/ A1	noun - the physical structure of a person or animal, including the bones, flesh, and organs
count /kaʊnt/ B1	noun - the total number of something verb - to determine the total number of something
glory /ˈɡlɔːri/ B2	noun - great praise, honor, or admiration; magnificence

Key Grammar Structures

• Where we come from, we have a fear of a gunfire.

  ➔ Relative Clause

  ➔ The clause "where we come from" modifies the subject, providing additional information.

• Everyone can have one, but what dem can do when the Feds come?

  ➔ Conditional Sentence (Type 1)

  ➔ The structure "can have" indicates a possible outcome in a real condition.

• You can't trust friend, you can't trust family too.

  ➔ Parallel Structure

  ➔ The repetition of "can't trust" emphasizes the idea of distrust.

• When the party start, fuck boss, I had the gun fired off in New York.

  ➔ Past Perfect

  ➔ "Had the gun fired" indicates an action completed before another past action.

• It's like that, it's so savage.

  ➔ Emphatic Structure

  ➔ The repetition of "it's" emphasizes the intensity of the situation.

• Where we come from is everything.

  ➔ Subject-Verb Inversion

  ➔ The inversion emphasizes the importance of the origin.

• No obscurity to fear or judge here.

  ➔ Double Negative

  ➔ The use of "no" and "to fear" creates a strong negation.

• Hard life bring peer and me accustomed.

  ➔ Subject-Verb Agreement Error (Intentional for Style)

  ➔ "Bring" should be "brings" but is used for rhythmic effect.