[Intro | spoken chat over kick pattern, half a bar behind] Four, three, two, one. Smiley set di foundation inna England. Time fi update di vocabulary. Class inna session! Run di sound! [Chorus | syncopated bounce, title chanted, open vowels on hook] Dis a di London Translation (Forward!) Straight from di road to di station Dis a di London Translation (Talk di talk!) Clear fi di whole generation [Verse 1 | syncopated deejay flow, on-beat attack, dry close mic] London say "mandem", yardie say "crew" London say "bait", we say "right inna view" Dem man say "allow it", we tell yuh "gwaan" London say "creps", we say "kicks put on" London say "calm", we say "everyting set" Dem man order "scran", we say "belly haffi fed" London say "pagan", yardman say "informer" Dem chat pon road, we a stand pon corner [Chorus | syncopated bounce, title chanted, open vowels on hook] Dis a di London Translation (Forward!) Straight from di road to di station Dis a di London Translation (Talk di talk!) Clear fi di whole generation [Verse 2 | staccato chop, accelerating flow, rhymes landing on beat 3] Catch di night bus through Peckham, two inna morn Tap pon di Oyster, di credit all gone London youth say "link me", we say "buck up deh" Dem call it di "ends", we a call it "di square" Dem man say "dat's peak", we say "dat a pure pressure" Dem man say "safe", we say "peace an a blessing" London say "lippy", we say "yuh too fas" Dem run fi di train while we walk pon di grass [Bridge | half-time drop, filter sweep, dub siren echo] Brixton to Kingston, line pon di map Two different worlds inna one heavy trap (Talk di talk) One say "innit", one say "seen" Both a dem know what di other one mean (Pull up!) [Final Chorus | lead doubled, crowd hypes, maximum bounce] Dis a di London Translation (Forward!) Straight from di road to di station Dis a di London Translation (Talk di talk!) Clear fi di whole generation [Outro | spoken toast over fading rhythm, tape delay throws] Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Class dismiss, di vocabulary clear. Geminii inna control out here. From South London straight to di yard. Lock it off!
