Beyonce

Beyoncé, in full Beyoncé Giselle Knowles or “Queen Bey”, (born September 4,

1981, Houston, Texas, U.S.), American singer-songwriter and actress who
achieved fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B group Destiny's
Child and then launched a hugely successful solo career. She won a record-setting
32 Grammy Awards.
Partner: Jay-Z
Children: Blue Ivy, 11, and twins Rumi and Sir, both 5
Some of Beyoncé hits:
 Halo (2008)
 ***Flawless (2013) ... 
 Love On Top (2011)

If I were a boy

"If I Were a Boy" is a popular song originally performed by American singer

Beyoncé. It was released in 2008 as the lead single from her third studio album, "I
Am... Sasha Fierce." The song was written by BC Jean and Toby Gad and explores
themes of gender roles, empathy, and the differences between how men and
women are treated in relationships.

Lyrically, "If I Were a Boy" presents a hypothetical scenario in which the singer,
who is female, imagines what it would be like to be a man and experience the
privileges and freedoms associated with masculinity. The song delves into the
notion that men often take advantage of their power and can be insensitive in
relationships, while women are expected to conform to certain expectations and
endure unfair treatment.

The song's lyrics express the desire to escape societal expectations and stereotypes.
It examines various situations and contrasts how the singer would behave
differently if she were a boy. Through these comparisons, the song highlights the
inequality and double standards that can exist between men and women. Its
introspective lyrics and powerful performance by Beyoncé make it a significant
anthem for advocating equality and challenging gender stereotypes.

The song's title itself, "If I Were a Boy," employs the subjunctive mood. In
standard English grammar, the correct form for the subjunctive mood in the past
tense with the pronoun "I" is "were" instead of "was." This usage is found
throughout the song, such as in the line "If I were a boy, even just for a day."
[Verse 1]

If I were a boy
Even just for a day

=> If + S + were, S + would + V_inf

This is a subjunctive conditional 2 when talking about an unreal event in the

present or future. Describes an action or event that may not happen in the future
based on an unreal condition in the present. The condition is just an assumption, a
wish contrary to the present. 
Such as this context the girl want to become a boy is a wish contrary to the present 
Conditional clauses begin with "If" (if), followed by the subject, then the verb
"were" (past participle of "to be") for all persons.
“Even” is an adverb
“Just” is also an adverb
“Even just” is an emphatic way of saying it.
Here the girl is picturing her life as a boy for one day. When talking about time, we
use the preposition "for".

I'd roll out of bed in the morning

And throw on what I wanted then go

This is the result clause of the subjunctive conditional, starting with “If” above. In
the result clause, we use the auxiliary verb "would", abbreviated as "'d" followed
by the infinitive "roll".
The saying “If I were….” The above can mean a wish for things we want to have
that we don't have in reality. For example, if you do not have as much money as
you want, you can say “If I were a rich man, I would (‘d) buy a big house and an
expensive car. (If I were rich, I would buy a big house and an expensive car.)

The use of the participle form "were" and the auxiliary verb "would" does not refer
to the past, but implies that the event is not real, just hypothetical.
In this sentence the girl is going to talk about what she will do when she wakes up
in the morning “in the morning”. The phrase “roll outta” is a colloquial phrase,
meaning “roll out of”. “Roll outta the bed” means “get out of the bed”: get out
of bed when you wake up. You can also say: “I rolled out (of the bed) around six
o'clock this morning” - I woke up (out of bed) at about 6am this morning.
=> Thrown something on / Thrown on something
“Throw on” is an idiomatic verb phrase, so the verb “throw” does not mean “to
throw” as usual. For most idiomatic verb phrases in English, it is difficult to
understand by combining the literal meanings of single words together.
“Throw on” in this case means “put on a piece of clothing quickly without much
thought”; You simply get dressed quickly without having to think much or take
time to choose the right outfit before going out.

Drink beer with the guys

And chase after girls

The girl will sit and drink beer with other guys. “Guy” is a noun, plural “guys”
which has a different shade of meaning than “boy”, which refers to young men,
while “boy” can mean “a little boy”.
This is still the consequential sentence of the hypothetical condition “If I were a
boy” above. We don't see the structure "would ('d) + infinitive" because with
consequential ideas of the same condition, we don't need to repeat the auxiliary
verb "would", you only see verbs archetypal "throw" or "drink" but still with
imaginary, unreal connotations.
=> chase after (phrV): to pursue with the intent to catch
The verb "chase" means to chase or chase someone. Here, it means pursuing and
getting to know girls.

I'd kick it with who I wanted

=> kick it with sb: is an informal expression meaning to spend time or hang out.

And I'd never get confronted for it

=> get confronted 

"get confronted" is a verb phrase in the passive voice, meaning to be challenged or
questioned.

'Cause they'd stick up for me

=> stick up for sb 
"stick up for" is a phrasal verb meaning to support or defend someone.

[Chorus]
If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I'd be a better man

I'd listen to her

'Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted

'Cause he's taken you for granted

=> take sb/sth for granted: take someone or something for granted without
knowing how to appreciate it. The girl was hurt a lot when her man no longer
respects her

And everything you had got destroyed

The verb "had" is in the past tense and indicates that the possession or ownership
of certain things occurred in the past. The verb "got" is also in the past tense,
functioning as the past participle of the verb "get." It is used in combination with
"had" to form the past perfect tense, indicating an action that happened before a
specific point in the past.

The word "destroyed" is the past participle form of the verb "destroy," which is
also in the past tense. It describes the action of causing damage or ruin to
something, indicating that the destruction happened in the past.

Therefore, the line "And everything you had got destroyed" is written in the past
tense to describe a situation where everything that the person had possessed was
destroyed in the past.

[Verse 2]
If I were a boy
I would turn off my phone
The second conditional is used to imagine present or future situations that are
impossible or unlikely in reality.
The structure is usually: if + past simple >> + would + infinitive.

Tell everyone it's broken

Broken is an adjective not a verb in this sentence, it means something damaged, no
longer able to work

So they'd think that I was sleepin' alone

“so” is a conjunction indicating the result. A clause that begins with SO is a result
clause.
d' stands for 'would', is the past participle of the modal verb will, and always comes
to complement the main verb in the sentence. In this case, the verb after would is
used in the infinitive without to.
After ‘that’ is a clause.
Sleepin’ stands for sleeping

I'd put myself first

Put sb/sth first is the idiom. It means treating someone or something as being more
important than anyone or anything else.

And make the rules as I go

This is a compound sentence with the addition ‘and’
‘As’ is a conjunction connecting the main idea and one or more subordinate ideas

'Cause I know that she'd be faithful

‘cause stands for because, this is a conjunction
d' stands for 'would', and the verb after would is used in the infinitive without to.
After the verb ‘be’ is an adjective.

Waitin' for me to come home

Waitin’ stands for waiting
Waiting for someone/something – phrasal verb, it means to be expecting someone
or something and be prepared to deal with him, her, or it
To come home

[Chorus]
If I were a boy
I think I could understand, oh-ooh
The second conditional is used to imagine present or future situations that are
impossible or unlikely in reality.
The structure is usually: if + past simple >> + would + infinitive.

How it feels to love a girl

The sentence with the question word is how but not the question, so it inverts the
subject first and then the verb.

I swear I'd be a better man

d' stands for 'would', is the past participle of the modal verb will, and always comes
to complement the main verb in the sentence.
‘better’ is an adjective, it’s a comparative of good
I'd listen to her
'Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted (Wanted)
‘when’ is a conjunction to connect 2 ideas

'Cause he's taken you for granted (Granted)

Take sb for granted is the phrasal verb, it means to believe something to be the
truth without even thinking about it

And everything you had got destroyed

Had got destroyed: the verb in the past perfect tense, we often need the past perfect
for the event that happened first in the past.

[Bridge]
It's a little too late for you to come back
Say, it's just a mistake
Simple present tense: The man comes back and tries to say that he has regretted
Idiom “too little, too late”: not enough of something that should have
been provided earlier
Think I'd forgive you like that
Simple present: The man thinks that after he said the apology she would forgive
him
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong
(If) Half of a conditional sentence type 2 but still meant to say something is not
true in the present: She told him he was wrong for thinking she would wait for him
but in fact, she has moved on.
 This line shows that every mistake has consequences and trust will be gone.
Trust is not easy to gain. But in just a single second, it could be all gone.
[Chorus]
But you're just a boy
You don't understand
How it feels to love a girl
(But) But is a coordinating conjunction used to connect ideas that contrast.
Contrast to the fact that the singer is a woman so that she would know how a
woman feels and wants to be treated.
Someday, you'll wish you were a better man
Simple future tense & Wish type 2: At the moment the man hasn’t realized he’s not
good, but someday he will.
You don't listen to her
You don't care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
A chain of reckless actions of the man toward the woman. Because she was still
with him so he doesn’t cherish her now.

[Outro]
But you're just a boy
A conclusion but also a reminder for the woman that he would not understand
what’s going on, or what’s she thinking because he’s just a boy.