People Are Realizing What Missy Elliott Says In 'Work It' And It's Blowing Minds

It's been 15 years since Missy Elliott turned the world of hip-hop on its head (yet again) with her iconic banger "Work It."

Everyone knew Missy was ahead of her time, but who would have thought listeners would still be finding little mind-blowing gems in the song in 2017?!

It's pretty much impossible not to sing along when "Work It" comes on, but getting through the chorus is no easy feat. That's because Missy spits what sounds like a whole lot of gibberish, so you wind up screaming nonsense, like the below Meryl meme.

But what if I told you that line wasn't gibberish at all, but actually just another example of Missy Elliott turning the rap game on its head... literally!

Yep — a whole new generation of fans are finally realizing the true depth of Missy Elliott's genius, thanks to a viral tweet of somebody expressing their shock at finding out the lyric actually does mean something when played backward.

Though hardcore Missy fans have known this for a while, what Elliott is actually saying in that confusing line is: "Ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gniht ym tup i," which is the prior lyric, "I put my thing down flip it and reverse it," backward.

That's right, Missy is literally flipping it and reversing it just as she told us she would!

Of course, the interent reacted with stunned shock after learning a song they've been jamming out to for years has a secret hidden meaning!

One fan even literally reversed the audio to prove Missy's lyrics are indeed backward:

Of course, Missy Elliott and her frequent producer Timbaland are well known for their slick, unique production values that often chop and screw Missy's lyrics in strange new ways.

Missy actually reverses her lyrics at another point in "Work It," rapping,

Listen up close while I take it backwards Sdrawkcab ti ekat ot ekil yssiM yaw eht hctaw

The line is, "Watch the way Missy like to take it backwards" in reverse.

So there you have it: If you didn't know before, now you finally know what Missy is saying in that chorus. Unfortunately, that doesn't make it any easier to actually sing along to...

Citations: People Are Freaking Out After Figuring Out What Missy Elliot Was Actually Saying In “Work It" (BuzzFeed)