It’s been 15 years since Missy Elliott dropped “Work It,” her hit song that had teens across the country speaking gibberish in an attempt to imitate her catchy-as-hell hook.
But, for reasons the internet gods only understand, people are just now realizing what Missy was actually saying in her song.
You know the part we’re talking about:
Is it worth it? Let me work it.
I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it
Itsyerdinnaflipnwod……… ?!?!?!
On Friday, Missy tweeted a shout out to her fans who finally noticed her tongue-twisting hook.
“Yup, I FLIPPED IT & REVERSED IT,” she wrote, along with a clip of the famous line. “Go to snap. Try it.”
It’s not as mysterious as everyone’s making it out to be.
If you record the hook to “Work It” on Snapchat, then put the rewind filter on, you’ll see that Missy did exactly what she said she’d do. That line of gibberish is actually the line “I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it” played in reverse.
You can also see it by looking up the lyrics to the song:
I put my thing down flip it and reverse it
Ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gniht ym tup I
A lot of people did not know how to handle this new information.
S/O 2 all who just now figured out what I was saying on my song #WORKIT AFTER 15 YEARS ???????? yup I FLIPPED IT & REVERSED IT???? go to snap????try it pic.twitter.com/Ut5c6djMu0— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) March 24, 2017
She really put it down flipped it and reversed it, I was oblivious all this time ??????????? pic.twitter.com/mKVIXQjZ5P— ???? (@ViewsFromDiea) March 24, 2017
When U Realize She Really Flipped It And Reversed It ???????????? @MissyElliott pic.twitter.com/ObpminqbkI— ?Bonnie Monroe?? (@WhoaDere_Buffy) March 25, 2017
i just found out missy elliott is SAYING THE LINE IN REVERSE pic.twitter.com/hnX8G52ZBi— Sam (@sjames_fit) March 21, 2017
After the lyric went viral, resurrecting a classic hip-hop jam from 2002, the internet was split between those whose minds were blown and those who let out a collective, “DUH.”
Wow! It really took y’all this long to figure out what Missy Elliott was saying?! pic.twitter.com/FJ7QCQvYfa— Lady Gaga (@chiIdofgaga) March 24, 2017
How can you call yourself a @MissyElliott fan and only now realize that the infamous line in “Work It” was flipped? https://t.co/8fnvAlzewr— Syed Kashif Ali (@West_Syed) March 24, 2017
No matter where you stand on this “revelation,” let’s all agree on one thing. Missy Elliott is the real MVP for having us sound like this for two and a half decades:
Missy Elliott: is it worth it? Let me work it. I put my verse down, flip it and reverse it.
Me: AFJDKAKSJFHQKDHAKQDZ pic.twitter.com/C3KhXdC0FP— ? jimen? ? (@cry_baebie) March 25, 2017
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