Changes – English Lyrics

• By: 2Pac, Talent

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and 2Pac's 'Changes' offers a profound lesson in both English and social consciousness. The song's clear and direct lyrics provide an accessible way to understand complex societal issues. Its poetic and rhythmic nature makes it a compelling piece for language learners to engage with themes of justice, struggle, and hope, making the learning process both meaningful and memorable.

[English]

("Changes")

♪ Mm, mm, mm ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Come on, come on ♪

♪ I see no changes wake up in the morning ♪

♪ And I ask myself ♪

♪ Is life worth living should I blast myself ♪

♪ I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black ♪

♪ My stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch ♪

♪ Cops give a damn about a negro ♪

♪ Pull the trigger kill a he's a hero ♪

♪ Give the to the kids who the hell cares ♪

♪ One less hungry mouth on the welfare ♪

♪ First ship 'em dope and let 'em deal the brothers ♪

♪ Give 'em guns step back watch 'em kill each other ♪

♪ It's time to fight back that's what Huey said ♪

♪ Two shots in the dark now Huey's dead ♪

♪ I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere ♪

♪ Unless we share with each other ♪

♪ We gotta start makin' changes ♪

♪ Learn to see me as a brother instead ♪

♪ Of two distant strangers ♪

♪ And that's how it's supposed to be ♪

♪ How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me ♪

♪ I'd love to go back to when we played as kids ♪

♪ But things changed, and that's the way it is ♪

♪ Come on, come on ♪

♪ That's just the way it is ♪

♪ Things will never be the same ♪

♪ That's just the way it is ♪

♪ Aww yeah, in the end ♪

- I knew I'd be private in my whole life

and live my life and to be responsible for what I do.

I don't know how to be responsible

for what every black male do.

I don't know, alright.

That's what I am gonna say.

Then I gonna start.

That's because I came from the gutter and I'm still here.

♪ I see no changes all I see is racist faces ♪

♪ Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races ♪

♪ We under I wonder what it takes to make this ♪

♪ One better place, let's erase the wasted ♪

♪ Take the evil out the people they'll be acting right ♪

♪ 'Cause both black and white is smokin' tonight ♪

♪ And only time we chill is when we kill each other ♪

♪ It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other ♪

♪ And although it seems heaven sent ♪

♪ We ain't ready, to see a black President, uh ♪

♪ It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact ♪

♪ The penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks ♪

♪ But some things will never change ♪

♪ Try to show another way but you stayin' in the dope game ♪

♪ Now tell me what's a mother to do ♪

♪ Bein' real don't appeal to the brother in you ♪

♪ You gotta operate the easy way ♪

♪ I made a G today but you made it in a sleazy way ♪

♪ Sellin' to the kid I gotta get paid ♪

♪ Well hey, well that's the way it is ♪

♪ Come on, come on ♪

♪ That's just the way it is ♪

♪ Things will never be the same ♪

♪ That's just the way it is ♪

♪ Aww yeah, in the end ♪

♪ Come on, come on ♪

♪ That's just the way it is, the way it is ♪

♪ Things will never be the same, never be the same ♪

♪ That's just the way it is ♪

♪ Aww yeah, aww yeah ♪

♪ We gotta make a change ♪

- [Woman] Rap star and actor Tupac Shakur.

♪ It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes ♪

♪ Let's change the way we eat ♪

♪ Let's change the way we live ♪

♪ And let's change the way we treat each other ♪

♪ You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do ♪

♪ What we gotta do, to survive ♪

♪ And still I see no changes ♪

♪ Can't a brother get a little peace ♪

♪ It's war on the streets and the war in the Middle East ♪

♪ Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs ♪

♪ So the police can bother me ♪

♪ And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do ♪

♪ But now I'm back with the blacks givin' it back to you ♪

♪ Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up ♪

♪ Crack you up and pimp smack you up ♪

♪ You gotta learn to hold ya own ♪

♪ They get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone ♪

♪ But tell the cops they can't touch this ♪

♪ I don't trust this when they try to rush I bust this ♪

♪ That's the sound of my tool you say it ain't cool ♪

♪ My mama didn't raise no fool ♪

♪ And as long as I stay black I gotta stay strapped ♪

♪ And I never get to lay back ♪

♪ 'Cause I always got to worry 'bout the pay backs ♪

♪ Some buck that I roughed up way back ♪

♪ Comin' back after all these years ♪

♪ Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat that's the way it is uh ♪

♪ That's just the way it is ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Things will never be the same ♪

♪ That's just the way it is, way it is ♪

♪ Aww yeah, alright ♪

♪ You're my brother, you're my sister ♪

♪ That's just the way it is, the way it is ♪

♪ Things will never be the same ♪

♪ Oh my brother, oh my sister ♪

♪ That's just the way it is ♪

♪ Aww yeah ♪

♪ Some things will never change ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
Changes /ˈtʃeɪndʒɪz/ A1	noun - acts or processes through which something becomes different verb - to make or become different
Life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the existence of an individual human being or animal
Black /blæk/ A1	adjective - of the darkest colour, like night or coal; belonging to a racial group with dark skin noun - a member of a dark-skinned race, especially one of African origin
Poor /pʊər/ A1	adjective - having very little money and few possessions
Snatch /snætʃ/ B2	verb - to take something quickly and often illegally or rudely
Cops /kɒps/ B1	noun - (informal) police officers
Kill /kɪl/ A2	verb - to make someone or something die
Dope /dəʊp/ B2	noun - (informal) an illegal drug, especially cannabis or heroin
Brothers /ˈbrʌðərz/ B1	noun - a man or boy who has the same parents as another person; (informal) a male friend or fellow member of a racial or social group
Fight /faɪt/ A2	verb - to take part in a violent struggle involving physical force; to argue strongly with someone
Strangers /ˈstreɪndʒərz/ A2	noun - people you do not know
Gutter /ˈɡʌtər/ B2	noun - a channel at the side of a street for carrying off rainwater; (figurative) a very poor or degraded way of life
Racist /ˈreɪsɪst/ B2	adjective - showing or feeling discrimination or prejudice against people of other races noun - a person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races
Hate /heɪt/ A2	verb - to feel a strong dislike for someone or something noun - a very strong feeling of dislike for someone or something
Heal /hiːl/ B1	verb - to become healthy again, or to make something healthy again; to resolve a difficult situation or emotional pain
Penitentiary /ˌpenɪˈtenʃəri/ C1	noun - a prison for people who have committed serious crimes
Sleazy /ˈsliːzi/ B2	adjective - (informal, disapproving) dirty, cheap, or immoral
War /wɔːr/ A2	noun - a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country
Poverty /ˈpɒvəti/ B1	noun - the state of being extremely poor
Fool /fuːl/ B1	noun - a person who acts unwisely or stupidly