Are You That Somebody – English Lyrics

• By: Aaliyah

Lyrics & Translation

Discover Aaliyah's groundbreaking track, "Are You That Somebody?", a masterpiece of 90s R&B and hip-hop. Its unique Timbaland production, featuring a distinctive beat and a memorable baby cooing sound, makes it instantly recognizable. Lyrically, the song offers a fascinating insight into themes of trust, discretion, and the challenges of a private relationship in the public eye. Engaging with its smooth vocals, rhythmic complexities, and narrative, learners can explore conversational English, idiomatic expressions related to secrecy and relationships, and contemporary R&B vocabulary, all while enjoying a classic that shaped the sound of an era.

[English]

Uh

Dirty South (uh-huh)

Can y'all really feel me? (Feel us)

East Coast, feel me (feel us)

West Coast, feel me (say what?)

Dirty South (uh, here we go)

Can y'all really feel me (baby girl)

East Coast, feel me (uh-huh)

West Coast, feel me (can you feel us?)

Dirty South (dirty, dirty)

Can y'all really feel me? (Feel it)

East Coast feel me (say what?)

West Coast feel me (uh-huh)

Dirty South (dirty, dirty)

Can y'all really feel me?

East Coast, feel me?

West Coast feel me (ha)

Boy, I've been watching you like the hawk in the sky

That fly, but you were my prey (my prey)

Boy, I promise you if we keep bumpin' heads

I know that one of these days (days)

We gon' hook it up probably we talk on the phone

But see, I don't know if that's good

I've been holdin' back this secret from you

I probably shouldn't tell it, but

If I, if I let you know

You can't tell nobody

I'm talkin' 'bout nobody

Are you responsible?

Boy, I gotta watch my back

'Cause I'm not just anybody

Is it my go? Is it your go?

Sometimes I'm goody-goody

Right now I'm naughty-naughty

Say yes or say no

'Cause I really need somebody

Tell me you're that somebody?

Boy, won't you pick me up at the park right now

Up the block, while everyone (sleep, sleep, sleep?)

I'll be waiting there with my trench, my locs, my hat

Just so I'm low-key

If you tell the world (don't speak, you know that would be weak)

Oh, boy, see I'm trusting you with my heart, my soul

I probably shouldn't let you, but

If I, if I let this go

You can't tell nobody

I'm talkin' 'bout nobody

I hope you're responsible

Boy I gotta watch my back

'Cause I'm not just anybody

Is it my go? Is it your go?

Sometimes I'm goody-goody

Right now naughty-naughty

Say yes or say no

'Cause I really need somebody

Tell me you're that somebody

Baby girl (uh-huh), I'm the man from the big VA (what?)

Won't you come play 'round my way? (Uh-huh)

And listen to what I gotta say (uh-huh)

Timbaland (what?), Don't you know I am the man? (Uh-huh)

Rock shows here to Japan (what?)

Have people shaking-shaking my hand (what?)

Baby girl, better known as Aaliyah (Aaliyah)

Give me goosebumps and high fevers (high fevers)

Makin' player haters believers (believers)

Don't you know (what?)

Gotta tell somebody (why?), 'Cause

'Cause I really need somebody (uh-huh)

Tell me you're that somebody (say what?)

If I let this go

You can't tell nobody

I'm talkin' 'bout nobody

Are you responsible?

Boy I gotta watch my back

'Cause I'm not just anybody

Is it my go? Is it your go?

Sometimes I'm goody-goody

Right now I'm naughty-naughty

Say yes or say no

'Cause I really need somebody

Tell me you're that somebody

...

You can't tell nobody

I'm talkin' 'bout nobody

I hope you're responsible

Boy, I gotta watch my back

'Cause I'm not just anybody

Is it my go? Is it your go?

Sometimes I'm goody-goody

Right now I'm naughty-naughty

Say yes or say no

'Cause I really need somebody

Tell me you're that somebody

...

Is it my go? Is it your go?

Sometimes I'm goody-goody

Right now I'm naughty-naughty

'Cause I really need somebody

Tell me you're that somebody

...

You can't tell nobody

I'm talkin' 'bout nobody

Boy, I gotta watch my back

'Cause I'm not just anybody

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation
watch /wɒtʃ/ A1	verb - to look at something for an amount of time
fly /flaɪ/ A1	verb - to move through the air using wings
talk /tɔːk/ A1	verb - to say words aloud
tell /tel/ A1	verb - to say something to someone
need /niːd/ A1	verb - to require something because it is essential or very important
pick /pɪk/ A2	verb - to choose someone or something
trust /trʌst/ B1	verb - to believe that someone is honest and reliable
shake /ʃeɪk/ B1	verb - to move something quickly backwards and forwards or up and down
hope /hoʊp/ B1	verb - to want something to happen or be true
secret /ˈsiːkrət/ B1	noun - something that is kept hidden or not generally known
somebody /ˈsʌmbɒdi/ B1	noun - an important person
responsible /rɪˈspɒnsəbl/ B2	adjective - having an obligation to do something, or having control over or care for someone, as part of one's job or role
prey /preɪ/ B2	noun - an animal that is hunted and killed by another for food
soul /soʊl/ B2	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal
fevers /ˈfiːvərz/ C1	noun - a high body temperature
goosebumps /ˈɡuːsbʌmps/ C1	noun - a roughness of the skin caused by cold, fear, or excitement

Key Grammar Structures

• Can y'all really feel me?

  ➔ Question with auxiliary verb 'can' + subject + base verb.

  ➔ 'Can' is used to ask about ability or possibility.

• I've been watching you like the hawk in the sky.

  ➔ Present perfect continuous tense to describe an ongoing action.

  ➔ Formed with 'have/has been' + verb ending in -ing, indicating an action that started in the past and continues.

• You can't tell nobody.

  ➔ Negative form with 'cannot' + verb to express prohibition or inability.

  ➔ Used to indicate that something is not allowed or cannot be done.

• Right now I'm naughty-naughty.

  ➔ Use of adverbs 'right now' to specify the present moment.

  ➔ An adverbial phrase indicating the current moment or state.

• Say yes or say no.

  ➔ Imperative form of 'say' used for giving commands or instructions.

  ➔ Used to give direct commands or instructions encouraging a choice.

• I hope you're responsible.

  ➔ Simple present tense to express a wish or expectation.

  ➔ Used to express a hope or wish that someone acts responsibly.

• Is it my go? Is it your go?

  ➔ Interrogative sentences using 'is it' + possessive pronoun + 'go' to ask about turn or opportunity.

  ➔ Formed as yes/no questions to inquire about whose turn it is.

• Sometimes I'm goody-goody.

  ➔ Use of adverb 'sometimes' + simple present tense to describe habitual action or state.

  ➔ Indicating that sometimes the speaker behaves in a certain way habitually.