On “Work,” Rihanna seeks a deep, meaningful connection, however the male character she sings to (played by Drake) is only interested in sex. This narrative is similar to Rihanna and Drake’s previous collaborations, 2010’s “What’s My Name?” and 2011’s “Take Care.”
Rihanna sings in Jamaican Patois th...
[Chorus: Rihanna]
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?
Me nuh cyar if him
Hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt, hurting
[Verse 1: Rihanna]
Dry! Me ah desert him
Nuh time to have you lurking
Him ah go act like he nuh like it
You know I dealt with you the nicest
Nuh body touch me, you nuh righteous
Nuh badda, text me in a crisis
I believed all of your dreams, adoration
You took my heart and my keys and my patience
You took my heart on my sleeve for decoration
You mistaken my love I brought for you for foundation
All that I wanted from you was to give me
Something that I never had
Something that you've never seen
Something that you've never been
Mmmmm
But I wake up and act like nothing's wrong
Just get ready fi
[Chorus: Rihanna]
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
Ner, ner, ner, ner, ner, ner
When yuh ago learn, learn, learn, learn, learn, learn?
Before the tables turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn
[Verse 2: Rihanna]
Beg you something, please
Baby, don't you leave
Don't leave me stuck here in the streets, uh-huh
If I get another chance to
I will never, no, never neglect you
I mean, who am I to hold your past against you?
I just hope that it gets to you
I hope that you see this through
I hope that you see this true
What can I say?
Please recognize I'm tryin', babe
I have to
[Chorus: Rihanna]
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?
Me nuh cyar if him
Hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt, hurting
[Verse 3: Drake with Rihanna]
Yeah, okay
You need to get done, done, done, done at work, come over
We just need to slow the motion
Don't give that away to no one
Long distance, I need you
When I see potential, I just gotta see it through
If you had a twin, I would still choose you
I don't wanna rush into it if it's too soon
But I know you need to get done, done, done, done
If you come over
Sorry if I'm way less friendly
I got niggas tryna end me, oh (Yeah)
I spilled all my emotions tonight, I'm sorry
Rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin'
How many more shots until you're rollin'?
We just need a face-to-face
You could pick the time and the place
You spent some time away
Now you need to forward and give me all the
[Chorus: Rihanna & Drake]
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?
Me nuh cyar if him
Hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt, hurting
[Outro: Rihanna]
Mmmmm, mmmmm
Mmmmm, mmmmm
Work, work, work, work, work, work
Mmmmm, mmmmm
[Click here to learn more about the making of "Work"]
[Produced by Boi-1da]
Work was written by Allen Ritter & PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake & Boi-1da & Monte Moir & Sevn Thomas & Rihanna.
Work was produced by Boi-1da & Sevn Thomas & Allen Ritter & Kuk Harrell.
In an interview with Vogue, Rihanna addressed her elided pronunciation on the chorus.
….I felt like if I enunciated the words too perfectly, it would just not be the same attitude or the same sass. Because that’s how we speak in the Caribbean. It’s very broken and it’s, like, you can understand ev...
No. Drake and Rihanna collaborated on her track “What’s My Name?” in 2010, Drake’s track “Take Care” in 2011, and both “Work” and “Too Good” from Drake’s Views album in 2016.
That one came about by just having a conversation with a few producers that I work with, Allen Ritter and Sevn Thomas. We were talking about the vibe from back in the day, how dancehall music used to make people feel and make the girls dance. Everybody wanted to dance when dancehall music came on. B...
“Work” debuted at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the chart week of February 13th, 2016, eventually climbing up to the #1 spot on the chart three weeks later, during the chart week of March 5th, 2016. It spent nine weeks at the top spot on the chart.
“Work” was certified 6x platinum on June 27th, 2017.
Rih told Vogue in March 2016:
It was just supposed to be a dancehall party. Just like a party that we would go to in the Caribbean and just dance and drink and smoke and flirt and really just enjoy the music. It’s like when your favorite song comes on. And that was the moment that was captured in t...
Rih told Vogue in March 2016:
Drake has a lot to offer. He’s very intelligent, and so I trust him a lot with his direction. Doing a collaboration with him, you know it’s going to be great. Everything he does is so amazing. He’s so talented that you kind of just trust that it’ll be right. And plus,...