Shadowing Practice: It Was A Good Day - Learn English Speaking with Video

Break them.

No barking from the door, no small And mama cooked her breakfast with no harm I got my grub on,

but didn't dig out Finally got a call from a girl I wanna dig out

So hooked it up for later as I hit the door Thinking will I live another twenty -four?

I gotta go 'cause I got me a drop top And if I hit the switch,

I can make the ass drop Had to stop at a red light Looking in my mirror,

not a jack or in sight I got a beat from Kim and she could fuck all night.

Caught up the homies and I'm axing y 'all.

Which part are y 'all playing basketball?

Get me on the court and I'm troubled.

Last week fucked around and got a triple double.

Freaking niggas everywhere like MJ.

I can't believe today was a good day.

Drove to the pad

and hit the showers Didn't even get no static from the

cowards Cause just yesterday them boos tried to blast me Saw the police and they roll right past me No flexing,

didn't even look in a niggas direction As I ran the intersection Went to show Dawg's house,

they was watching you on TV raps What's the haps on the cracks?

Call 'em in a circle of niggas and watch me break 'em with a 7, 7 -11, 7 -11, 7 even backed on Little Joe.

I picked up the cash flow, then we played goals and I'm yelling domino.

Plus nobody I know got killed in South Central LA.

Today was a good day.

Left my niggas house paid, picked up a girl, been tryna fuck since the 12th grade.

It's ironic, I had the rule, she had the chronic.

The Lakers beat the super sign.

I felt on the big fat fanny, pulled out the jammy and killed the poo nanny.

And my dick runs deep, so deep, so deep, put her ass to sleep.

Top Gun, drove her to the pad and I'm coasting Took another sip of the potion,

hit the three wheel motion I was glad everything had worked out Dropped the ass off

and then churnped out Today was like one of those fly dreams Didn't even see a berry flashing those high beams

No helicopter looking for a murder Two in the morning got the fat burger

Look as hell but no throwing up Halfway home

and my page is still blowing up Today I didn't even

have to use my AK I gotta say it was a good day

📺 Same Channel

You Know How We Do It

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students

✨ Recommend Video

37 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “It Was A Good Day”. This video has 34 sentences and 428 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:12. The speaker talks at a steady 134 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 76% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
domino noun	/ˈdɑməˌnoʊ/	A tile divided into two squares, each having 0 to 6 (or sometimes more) dots or pips (as in dice), used in the game of dominoes.
potion noun	/ˈpoʊ.ʃən/	A small portion or dose of a liquid which is medicinal, poisonous, or magical.
coward noun	/ˈkaʊɚd/	A person who lacks courage.
flex verb	/flɛks/	To bend something.
axe noun	/æks/	A tool for felling trees or chopping wood etc. consisting of a heavy head flattened to a blade on one side, and a handle attached to it.
ironic adjective	/aɪˈɹɑ.nɪk/	Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony.
yell verb	/jɛl/	To shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice, especially to express intense emotions such as anger or excitement.
bark noun	/bɑɹk/	The exterior covering of the trunk and branches of a tree or of various other woody plants.
intersection noun	/ˈɪntəɹˌsɛkʃən/	The junction of two (or more) paths, streets, highways, or other thoroughfares.
boo	/buː/	A loud exclamation intended to scare someone. Usually used when one has been hidden from the target, and then appears unexpectedly.
berry noun	/ˈbɛɹi/	A small succulent fruit, of any one of many varieties.
static adjective	/ˈstæt.ɪk/	Unchanging; that cannot or does not change.
burger noun	/ˈbɝ.ɡɚ/	A hamburger.
rap verb	/ɹæp/	To strike something sharply with one's knuckles; knock.
helicopter noun	/ˈheliːˌkɔptə(ɹ)/	An aircraft that is borne along by one or more sets of long rotating blades which allow it to hover, move in any direction including reverse, or land; and…

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
dig out verb		To remove something by digging.
pick up verb		To lift; to grasp and raise.
blow up verb		To explode or be destroyed by explosion.
caught up verb		Involuntarily involved in a situation.
pull out verb		To withdraw; especially of military forces; to retreat.
throw up verb		To vomit.
work out verb	/ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/	To calculate.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

Caught up the homies and I'm axing y 'all.
Get me on the court and I'm troubled.
I can't believe today was a good day.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 13 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, I'm, gotta. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: potion /ˈpoʊ.ʃən/, intersection /ˈɪntəɹˌsɛkʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: intersection /ˈɪntəɹˌsɛkʃən/, helicopter /ˈheliːˌkɔptə(ɹ)/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like domino, potion, coward.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: It Was A Good Day - Learn English Speaking with Video

You Know How We Do It

Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day

Color Your Night

Juice WRLD Talks Mental Health, Heartbreak, Nicki Minaj, New Music + More

We Flew to Korea for This...

Got 4 reloads, told to SIT down | Red Bull Mic Flex

DJ Khaled - I'm The One ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne

Can I Kick It?

Black Beatles

Roddy Ricch - The Box [Official Music Video]

Key & Peele - Text Message Confusion - Uncensored

CENTRAL CEE - LIMITLESS (MUSIC VIDEO)

50 Cent - Ayo Technology (Lyrics) ft. Justin Timberlake