ABC
The Jackson 5 Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

A buh-buh buh buh-buh
A buh-buh buh buh-buh

You went to school to learn, girl
Things you never, never knew before
Like I before E except after C
And why two plus two makes four
Now, now, now, I'm gonna teach you
Teach you, teach you
All about love, dear
All about love
Sit yourself down, take a seat
All you gotta do is repeat after me

ABC
Easy as
One, two, three
Or simple as
Do re mi
ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me girl
ABC
Easy as
One, two, three
Or simple as
Do re mi
ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me

Come on, let me love you just a little bit
Come on, let me love you just a little bit
I'm a going to teach how to sing it out
Come on, come on, come on
Let me show you what it's all about

Reading, writing and arithmetic
Are the branches of the learning tree
But without the roots of love every day, girl
Your education ain't complete
T-T-T-Teacher's gonna show you
Show you, show you
How to get an A
Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah
Spell "me" "you"
Add the two
Listen to me baby, that's all you gotta do

Oh, ABC
As easy as
One, two, three
Or simple as
Do re mi
ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me girl
ABC
It's easy
It's like counting up to three (One, two, three)
Sing a simple melody (Do re mi, ABC)
That's how easy love can be

Sit down, girl
I think I love you
No
Get up, girl
Show me what you can do

Shake it, shake it, baby, come on now
Shake it, shake it, baby, ooh ooh
Shake it shake it, baby, huh
One, two, three, baby, ooh ooh
ABC, baby, nah nah
Do re mi, baby, huh
That's how easy love can be

ABC, it's easy
It's like counting up to three (One, two, three)
Sing a simple melody (Do re mi, ABC)
That's how easy love can be
(I'm not gonna teach you how to sing it out)
Come on come on come on let me show you what it's all about
ABC, it's easy
It's like counting up to three (One, two, three)
Sing a simple melody (Do re mi, ABC)
That's how easy love can be
(I'm not gonna teach you how to sing it out)
Sing it out, sing it, sing it, sing it
Oh baby, ABC, it's easy
It's like counting up to three (One, two, three)




Sing a simple melody (Do re mi, ABC)
That's how easy love can be

Overall Meaning

The Jackson 5's song "ABC" is an upbeat and catchy tune that serves as a lesson for its listeners. The lyrics are about teaching someone about love and using the alphabet and numbers to do so. The song begins with a repetition of "buh-buh buh buh-buh" as an introduction. It then goes on to talk about going to school to learn things we never knew before, like spelling and math. The chorus then comes in with the repetition of "ABC" and the numbers 1, 2, and 3, signifying the simplicity of love. The pre-chorus follows with the singer encouraging the listener to repeat after him and learn how to love, adding a bit of a flirtatious tone to the song. The bridge solidifies the message by connecting love to education, stating that "without the roots of love every day, girl/Your education ain't complete." The song ends with the chorus and the singer reassuring the listener that love is easy as counting to three and singing a simple melody.


Line by Line Meaning

A buh-buh buh buh-buh
An introductory vocalization


You went to school to learn, girl
The singer addresses a girl and remarks that she attended school to gain knowledge


Things you never, never knew before
The singer notes that the girl learned things she did not know previously


Like I before E except after C
The artist references a common rule in the English language: 'I' comes before 'E' except after 'C'


And why two plus two makes four
The artist mentions a basic arithmetic fact that is widely known


Now, now, now, I'm gonna teach you
The singer indicates that they are going to teach the girl something new


Teach you, teach you
Reinforcement of the upcoming instruction


All about love, dear
The artist specifies the topic of the lesson: love


All about love
Reiteration of the lesson topic


Sit yourself down, take a seat
The artist invites the girl to sit down


All you gotta do is repeat after me
The singer tells the girl to simply repeat what they say


ABC
A reference to the song's title, and a simple phrase the girl is to repeat


Easy as
The singer emphasizes the ease of the lesson


One, two, three
A counting sequence, a metaphor for the simplicity of love


Or simple as
The singer repeats the previous point about simplicity


Do re mi
A simple musical scale, another metaphor for love's simplicity


ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me girl
A repetition of previous lines, emphasizing the connection between the girl and the artist


Come on, let me love you just a little bit
The singer asks for permission to express their love for the girl


I'm a going to teach how to sing it out
The singer intends to teach the girl how to vocalize the lesson


Come on, come on, come on
Encouragement to the girl to continue with the lesson


Let me show you what it's all about
The artist intends to demonstrate the essence of the lesson


Reading, writing and arithmetic
Three fundamental elements of education


Are the branches of the learning tree
A metaphorical phrase comparing education to a tree with multiple branches


But without the roots of love every day, girl
The artist stresses the importance of love in everyday life


Your education ain't complete
Not having love means that the girl's education is not entirely fulfilling


T-T-T-Teacher's gonna show you
The singer again presents themselves as the girl's teacher, with a stutter for emphasis


Show you, show you
Reiteration of the singer's intent to teach


How to get an A
The artist humorously suggests that the girl will receive an 'A' in the subject of love


Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah
Another playful vocalization


Spell "me" "you"
The singer offers an easy-to-remember spelling of two words, stressing the simplicity of the lesson


Add the two
The singer prompts the girl to add the two words together


Listen to me baby, that's all you gotta do
The artist reassures the girl that this is all she needs to do


ABC
Reiteration of a simple phrase for the girl to repeat


It's easy as
A reminder of the lesson's simplicity


Sing a simple melody
The singer tells the girl to sing a simple tune, as a metaphor for how easy love can be


That's how easy love can be
Reiteration of how effortless love can be


Sit down, girl
Repetition of an earlier invite to sit down


I think I love you
The singer expresses their love for the girl


No
A negation, an interruption of the previous phrase


Get up, girl
The artist now encourages the girl to stand up


Show me what you can do
The artist wants to see the girl in action


Shake it, shake it, baby, come on now
The singer asks the girl to dance and move her body


Shake it, shake it, baby, ooh ooh
Reiteration of the previous line, with vocalizations


Shake it shake it, baby, huh
Another repetition of the dancing instruction


One, two, three, baby, ooh ooh
A counting sequence, a reminder of the song's theme of simplicity


ABC, baby, nah nah
The artist repeats the title phrase, with additional vocalizations


Do re mi, baby, huh
Another reference to a simple musical scale, emphasizing simplicity


ABC, it's easy
The artist again reminds us of the ease of the lesson


It's like counting up to three (One, two, three)
A metaphor for how easy love can be


Sing a simple melody (Do re mi, ABC)
Another metaphor for the ease of love


I'm not gonna teach you how to sing it out
The singer reminds the girl that they will not teach her how to sing


Come on come on come on let me show you what it's all about
Another demonstration of how easy love can be


Sing it out, sing it, sing it, sing it
The artist encourages the girl to sing the lesson out loud


Oh baby, ABC, it's easy
The singer affirms that love is simple and reiterates the title phrase


That's how easy love can be
The singer repeats the central message of the song: love is easy




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Berry Gordy, Dennis Lussier, Alphonzo Mizell, Freddie Perren

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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