Understanding 'Work' By Rihanna

Many people are aggravated with this song because they hear this song on every radio station, every meme, every phone, every dorm room, every car, etc…

They just hear this song everywhere, but the main reason people complain about this song is because of the gibberish Rihanna speaks. They make fun of the fact that Rihanna isn’t saying anything in the song and it’s pointless.

Well, I’m here to prove you wrong. The song does have meaning. This means it’s not only catchy, but also has meaning. What I’m hoping you take from this article is that you can be happy when listening to this song and be able to sleep at night. It’ll be a bonus if I can get you to bust out a dance move.

So these are the words, right?

Wrong.

Here are the words.

“Work, work, work, work, work, work
He said me haffi
Work, work, work, work, work, work!
He see me do mi
Dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt!
So me put in
Work, work, work, work, work, work
When you ah guh
Learn, learn, learn, learn, learn
Meh nuh cyar if him
Hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt, hurting”

You’re reading this like “okay…it actually is gibberish”

Wrong.

The strange words you see are Jamaican Patois. Jamaican Patois is a Jamaican-Creole language that has some African influence because it originated from African slaves who nativized their master’s language. The language is currently spoken in Jamaica.

Let me help you out with the lyrics.

Haffi = Have to

He see me do mi = (obviously) He saw me do my

Ah guh = are you going to

Meh nuh cyar if him = I don’t care if he’s

So there you have it, Work has actual words with actual meanings. As a matter of fact, the song is actually very relatable.

The first verse is all about Rihanna giving her everything to a man who gave her nothing in return. Drake then comes in and talks about how he still loves her. He believes the key is to take the relationship slow and they will sort it all out face to face instead of over the phone because communication is key in a relationship.

You see, it’s a very meaningful and relatable song. I advise everyone to keep dancing to this song and share this information with all of the "Work" haters you know.

Keep on twerking.