# "Cops" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 5, 2002, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450 "2002-07-05T03:53:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dopetalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@dopetalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dopetalker)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450/1 "2002-07-05T03:53:23Z")
What are the lyrics to “Cops?” I love to watch it and “America’s Wildest Police Chases”😕 ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450/2 "2002-07-05T04:02:35Z")
“Bad boys, bad boys. Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you?” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450/3 "2002-07-05T04:42:29Z")
[http://www.lyricsdownload.com/download/i/inner-circle/Lyrics%20-%201.htm](http://www.lyricsdownload.com/cgi-bin/frames.cgi?%5Burl)]Lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450/4 "2002-07-05T04:43:57Z")
oops, let’s try again… [http://www.lyricsdownload.com/download/i/inner-circle/Lyrics%20-%201.htm](http://www.lyricsdownload.com/cgi-bin/frames.cgi?%5Burl)]here. ---
**Author:** ![wu\_wei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/6a8cbe/32.png) [@wu\_wei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wu_wei)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450/5 "2002-07-05T04:45:18Z")
**"Bad Boys"** **Inner Circle** _ **Bad Boys** _ CHORUS: Bad boys, bad boys Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do When they come for you (Repeat) [remainder deleted] ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450/6 "2002-07-05T05:05:04Z")
I guess the “don’t post complete song lyrics” rule only applies to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![wu\_wei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/6a8cbe/32.png) [@wu\_wei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wu_wei)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450/7 "2002-07-05T05:08:21Z")
Sorry, must have missed that in the FAQ. A link (such as **yojimboguy**'s simulpost) would probably have been a better idea. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450/8 "2002-07-05T11:01:33Z")
“When Sheriff John Brown come for you” This is a reference to another song by Bob Marley - “I shot the Sheriff” [http://www.rukind.com/music/mstunes/Shotshrf.htm](http://www.rukind.com/music/mstunes/Shotshrf.htm) Sheriff John Brown is the embodiment of the Bad Cop in Bob Marley’s song. Whatcha gonna do when Sheriff John Brown comes to you? ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450/9 "2002-07-05T15:24:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wu wei \* > \*\ ***"Bad Boys"** > **Inner Circle** > _ **Bad Boys** _ > > Not even you idren naw give you no break > \*\* ??? What in Sam Hill is an “idren naw”??? ---
**Author:** ![wu\_wei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/6a8cbe/32.png) [@wu\_wei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wu_wei)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450/10 "2002-07-05T15:34:37Z")
> [@](#): > > What in Sam Hill is an “idren naw”??? [Jamaican patois.](http://hjem.get2net.dk/sbn/patois/patois.htm) Idren = brethren, naw = not. ---
**Author:** ![wu\_wei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/6a8cbe/32.png) [@wu\_wei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wu_wei)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450/11 "2002-07-05T15:39:00Z")
A couple of pertinent cites from the above link: > [@](#): > > One special thing 'bout Rasta lyrics is the use of the prefix “I” signaling spiritual unity, or I-nity as it would be. There are a number of terms like “I-tal” (natural) , “I-ditate” (meditate), “I-dren” (brethren) etc. > [@](#): > > First voiced th regularly becomes d i jamaican patois (as a phonetician would expect unvoiced th becomes t too. i.e this \> dis but cloth \> clot). The transformation brethren \> idren is part of a phenomenon in Jamaica called I-word forming. It originated among a certain group of Rastas called the Higes Knots in the 50s, but the I-words (i.e many words like idren where the first syllable has been replaced by I) have since spread into the common JA vocabulary. But are of course used much more frequently by rastafarians. Your brethren is roughly supposed to mean your own close friends (even if they’re not part of the same religious community as yourself). ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450/12 "2002-07-05T15:47:52Z")
Something like “Homies”, then? Finally, after over TEN YEARS of listening to that lyric, I finally understand! Thanks, wu wei! ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops/117450/13 "2002-07-05T16:25:52Z")
**wu wei** , I deleted most of the lyrics you posted. As you have already discovered, we have a rule against that sort of thing. See, for example, [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=120313](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=120313) Lyrics threads usually do best in our arts forum, Cafe Society, so I’ll send this thread over that way.