ABC
Ariana Grande Lyrics

A buh-buh buh buh-buh
The song begins with a repetitive beatboxing sound for the melody.

You went to school to learn, girl
The singer reminds the listener that they have gone to school to learn novel concepts.

Things you never, never knew before
The singer emphasizes how the listener is learning new things in school.

Like I before E except after C
The singer mentions a rule of spelling that the listener may have learned in school.

And why two plus two makes four
The singer references a basic arithmetic concept that the listener may have learned in school.

Now now now, I'm gonna teach you (teach you, teach you)
The singer expresses their intention to teach the listener something new.

All about love, dear (all about love)
The singer introduces the topic of love, which will be the focus of their lesson.

Sit yourself down, take a seat
The singer instructs the listener to sit down so they can begin their lesson.

All you gotta do is repeat after me
The singer assures the listener that the lesson will be easy and all they need to do is follow along.

ABC, easy as 123
The singer starts with a simple, catchy phrase that the listener can easily remember.

As simple as do re mi
The singer makes a musical reference to the do re mi scale, implying that learning about love can be as easy as singing a simple melody.

ABC, 123, baby, you and me girl
The singer repeats the catchy phrase and emphasizes that love is something that both she and the listener can share.

Come on, let me love you just a little bit
The singer urges the listener to let her love them and to reciprocate just a little bit.

I'm a going to teach how to sing it out
The singer reiterates her intention to teach the listener how to love and express their feelings.

Come on, come one, come on
The singer continues to encourage the listener to participate and follow along.

Let me show you what it's all about
The singer reminds the listener that she will guide them through the lesson and show them what love is all about.

Reading, writing and arithmetic
The singer references the fundamental subjects taught in school to emphasize that love is just as important.

Are the branches of the learning tree
The singer uses a metaphor to describe education as a tree with different branches, and how love is one of those branches.

But without the roots of love every day, girl
The singer explains that although education is important, without love as its foundation, it's incomplete.

Your education ain't complete
The singer reiterates that the listener's education is incomplete without a basic knowledge of love and how to express it.

T-T-T-Teacher's gonna show you (show you, show you)
The singer emphasizes that she is the teacher and is going to demonstrate how to love and express it.

How to get an A
The singer references a common goal in school - getting an A - and applies it to learning about love.

Spell "me" "you", add the two
The singer uses a simple, playful way of expressing that love is about two people - you and me - coming together.

Listen to me baby, that's all you gotta do
The singer reassures the listener that if they listen to her and follow along, they will learn how to love and express it.

Sit down, girl
The singer instructs the listener to sit down again to focus on the lesson.

I think I love you
The singer expresses her feelings for the listener and how she wants to share her love with them.

No, get up, girl
The singer then tells the listener to get up and show what they've learned from her lesson about love.

Show me what you can do
The singer challenges the listener to express their love back to her and show her what they've learned.

Shake it, shake it, baby, come on now
The singer encourages the listener to shake off any doubt and express their love confidently.

Shake it, shake it, baby, ooo oooh
The singer repeats her encouragement to let go and express their love.

Shake it shake it, baby, huh
The singer continues to repeat her encouragement, using repetition to reinforce the lesson.

123, baby, oo ooh
The singer repeats the earlier catchy phrase, implying that expressing love can be as easy as counting up to three.

ABC, baby, nah nah!
The singer repeats the catchy phrase again, emphasizing that love is easy to understand and express like the basic alphabet.

Do re mi, baby, huh!
The singer makes another reference to the do re mi scale, reiterating that expressing love can be as simple as singing a simple melody.

It's easy, it's easy like counting up to three
The singer assures the listener once again that expressing love is simple and requires nothing complex.

Sing a simple melody
The singer encourages the listener to sing with simplicity and sincerity when expressing love.

I'm a gonna teach you how to sing it loud
The singer reminds the listener that she's their teacher and will guide them on how to express their love loudly and confidently.

Sing it loud, sing it, go, sing it, go sing it
The singer motivates the listener to express their love loudly and boldly with repetition of this line.

ABC, it's easy, it's like counting up to three
The singer repeats her earlier line to emphasize again how simple expressing love can be.

Sing a simple melody
The singer repeats this line to drive home the message that simple expressions of love are the most powerful.

That's how easy love can be
The singer summarizes the song's message that love is simple, easy and can be expressed using basic concepts.