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| Umbrella (Rihanna) |
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A song about true friendship. Rihana's from Barbados, where they speak British English with a Caribbean accent, but has lived in the USA for many years, so now we could say that she sings with an American accent but with still some Caribbean accent to it.
[Intro: Jay-Z]
Ahuh Ahuh (Jee, Rihanna)
Ahuh Ahuh (Good girl gone bad)
Ahuh Ahuh (Take three... Action)
Ahuh Ahuh
No clouds in my storms
Let it rain, I hydroplane in the bank
Coming down with the Dow Jones
When the clouds come we gone, we Rocafella
She fly higher than weather
And G5’s are better. You know man?
In anticipation for precipitation
Stacked chips for the rainy day
Jay, Rain Man is back with little Ms. Sunshine
Rihanna where you at?
[Rihanna]
You have my heart
And we'll never be worlds apart
May be in magazines
But you'll still be my star
Baby ‘cause in the dark
You can't see shiny cars
And that's when you need me there
With you I'll always share
Because
When the sun shine, we’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)
These fancy things, will never come in between
You're part of my entity, here for infinity
When the war has took its part
When the world has dealt its cards
If the hand is hard, together we'll mend your heart
Because
When the sun shine, we’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)
You can run into my arms
It's okay don't be alarmed
Come into me
There's no distance in between our love
So go on and let the rain pour
I'll be all you need and more
Because
When the sun shine, we’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)
It's raining
Ooh baby it's raining
Baby come into me
Come into me
It's raining
Ooh baby it's raining
Note: black English in America (including the BrE of the Caribbean, which is here the case) can sometimes be quite different (in pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary) from standard English, so don’t get surprised at some strange things like "she fly" (should be "she flies").
LET IT RAIN= let it rain is a rap expression for throwing money in the air and having it rain down, so it’s a metaphor for spending a lot of money, that is, having a great and luxurious time.
WHEN THE CLOUDS COME WE GONE = when the bad times approach, we have already left, so the bad weather (the bad times) don’t affect us.
G5’S ARE BETTER= A G5 is a supersonic plane (the American equivalent to a small Concorde but private) which flies above the clouds, so it’s always sunny (=happy) when you are on a G5.
(I) STACKED CHIPS FOR THE RAINY DAYS= an expression which means "I took precautions for the bad times, so I’m ok"
TO BE WORLDS APART= usual expression which means: to be far far away from each other (in a metaphorical sense)
IN THE DARK YOU CAN’T SEE SHINY CARS= when you are depressed, luxury means nothing
OATH= a vote, a strong promise. To take an oath= to make a firm promise
I’MA (AmE)= I’m going to (a very colloquial expression that is getting more and more usual in spoken English)
I’MA STICK IT OUT TILL THE END= I’m going to keep my promise forever
FANCY THINGS= luxuries
TO DEAL CARDS= in a card game (like poker), when you deal the cards, you give them to each player facing down after having shuffled them
THE HAND= the set of cards that a player gets in a round of a card game
MEND= repair, fix
HEART= be careful with the pronunciation. We use the vowel in CAR
TO POUR= to rain very heavily
LET THE RAIN POUR= I doesn’t mind if it rains a lot (if the times are very bad), because under my umbrella you’ll be safe
I’LL BE ALL YOU NEED AND MORE= and more? Is she offering more than friendship? She’s probably in love with her friend
This song is about a girl who has ended a relationship with a boy. Although they cannot be lovers, she is saying she wants to be friends. "You can stand under my umbrella," is a metaphor for "when you need something, you can still come to me for help."
She is trying to instil the fact that she made a promise to herself that even if the relationship dies, their friendship shouldn't. Umbrella is just a metaphor for shelter (protection) during the rough (difficult) times; being with someone or being their friend through the good times and the bad.
It also looks like her ex-lover got famous (maybe that's why he left her), floated in luxury and fame, and now suddenly feels his life is empty and falls into depression. His friend, Rihanna, is telling him she’s there to support him.
The first paragraph (the rap sung by Jay-Z) is telling about people who know how to get ready for the bad times, so when the bad times arrive they’re prepared and do well. They speak in metaphors, especially weather metaphors. That metaphor is going to be used all through the song. The rain means sadness, depression in this case, so when Rihanna offers him protection under her umbrella, she’s offering a refuge and support in the bad days, to help him and cheer him up.
There is a karaoke video for this song here:
Official → Music
