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Fri 27 Feb, 2004 08:51 am
Here is a song of hip hop from an encyclopaedia. If you feel offended because there is a vulgar slang in the context below, I'm sorry. I don't mean to offend anyone. I ask this question just for the purpose of learning English.
Context:
The roof! The roof! The roof is on fire!
We don't need no water, let the ************ burn!
Burn! Burn! ************ burn!
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Logically speaking, " We don't need no water" should be "we don't need water", because "we" want to "let the ************ burn". But cadence has become very cool since using "no" there. I didn't get what "we don't need no water" means.
It's supposed to mean "We don't need any water". I suppose the best way to describe it is slang. But you're right. Basically, it's just bad grammar.
We don't need no education,
We don't need no thought control,
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave us kids alone!
This is a classic I believe.
It's poor grammar, but it scans better. Using "any" or eliminating the "no" would both result in the wrong number of syllables for the song to work. This is done in popular music all the time.
"Ain't she sweet
see her walkin' down the street
now I ask you very
confidentially
ain't she sweet"
Those are the lyrics to an old (1940s, I think) song, and of course the grammar is wrong there, too. But if the songwriter had used "isn't" instead of "ain't", the scanning (rhythm, or number of syllables or where the syllables are stressed) would not have worked.
Excellent reply Jespah!
Melody can make a song cool, even if with bad grammar.
Finally thank you all!
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