Meaning behind Missy Elliot's 'Work It' lyrics will shock you
Say what now? Ti esrever dna, ti pilf, nwod gniht ym tup. It sounds like gibberish, but it is another example of Missy Elliot's musical genius.
Missy Elliot is surprised that some of her fans still don't know the meaning behind her famous 'Work It' lyrics.
The American rapper released the song in 2002 as the lead single from her fourth studio album, 'Under Construction'.
It remains one of Elliot's most popular songs. The track features several unique lyrics, including a play on the word "badonkadonk", which is a slang word for a big derrière.
"You think you can handle this? Ga-dunk-a-dunk-dunk," she raps.
However, one of the song's most standout lyrics left many confused. They had no idea what it meant, and even saying it was a mouthful.
"Ti esrever dna, ti pilf, nwod gniht ym tup." Elliot has explained the famous lyrics in the past, but it seems the masses missed her explanation.
The 54-year-old shared a video of one fan's hilarious reaction to discovering the meaning behind what seemingly sounds like gibberish.
"Y'all know that one Missy Elliot song where she is like, 'I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it,' and then the next part is all blurry? I always thought she was saying something so freaked out that the radio couldn't even say it," the TikToker said.
"But a few years back, my friend was like, 'No. She's saying I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it. But they reversed it.'"
Most people thought the lyric read, it's your p wetye wetye, others admitted saying ITZYURFLIPANIPPASLAYET.
"Can you believe after 23 years some ppl still just now finding out what Ti esrever dna, ti pilf, nwod gniht ym tup meant?" she captioned the video.
"I love it tho. It’s never too late to reverse it."
Elliot's Instagram followers joked she was living in 2048 when she made 'Work It'.
"Timeless songs and artistry. Always ahead of the times, too!" one person commented.
Another fan wrote: "I remember back in high school, my friend tried to tell me you were saying, 'It's your fault if it ain't wet yet.' But I couldn't really hear that. Thank you for clearing this up!"
It's a good thing he didn't figure it out back then, because the 'Work It' lyrics were too steamy for high schoolers to decipher anyway!
Watch Missy Elliot's 'Work It' music video on YouTube below.
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