Twitter Just Got What Missy Elliott Says In “Work It” & Minds Are Blown

We’re all on board with the fact that Missy Elliott‘s 2002 single ‘Work It‘ is a Certified Banger that hasn’t aged a day, is responsible for millions of teen girls’ sexual awakenings (“go downtown and eat it like a vulture“, anyone???) and guarantees a packed dance floor to this very moment. 

But apparently a bunch of people are only just twigging to the fact that the hook (you know, the bit that sounds like “its yurr priminifu flan yan kaput“) isn’t gibberish, it’s GENIUS.

Yes, friends, the actual lyrics of the chorus look like this:

It might be 15 years since the song came out, but people are only just figuring this shit out now, and they are SHOOK.

EPIPHANY: THE GIBBERISH MISSY ELLIOT SPEWS IN WORK IT IS ACTUALLY “put my thing down flip it and reverse it” BACKWARDS pic.twitter.com/CI1fr83g7B

— Sydney Finchum (@sydneyfinchum) March 24, 2017

15 yrs to realize she really did put her thing down, flip it, and reverse it @MissyElliott #workit #tiesreverdnatipilfnwodgnihtymtupi pic.twitter.com/SDwFJvF01Q

— La Gringa (@danielajh) March 24, 2017

When you realise the mumbling in Missy Elliott’s “Work It” , is actually “I put my thing down flip it and reverse it”… BACKWARDS. pic.twitter.com/nBwBGRiKxK

— Amy (@AimeeLouu) March 24, 2017

@MissyElliott literally reversed it:

“I put my thing down, flip it and reverse it.” —->

“Ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gniht ym tup I” pic.twitter.com/84uo8J0Xkk

— Bridgette M Pirtle (@BridgettePirtle) March 24, 2017

For any of the doubters, this bloke did his homework:

Confirmation – @MissyElliott really did flip it and reverse it. pic.twitter.com/qNiyVj2mhp

— Nate Graves (@NateGraves29) March 24, 2017

The plot thickens:

Yall ready for the twist? Second verse of “Work It” @MissyElliott says “Listen up close while I take it backwards” and then? BACKWARDS! ?? pic.twitter.com/kmpB615JIL

— I. King (@IvanKingz) March 24, 2017

And the mass-revelation even got a shout-out from the genius herself:

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

If you’re one of the clever ones who always knew that Missy literally put her thing down, flipped it and reversed it: commence feeling smug now. Everyone else, go listen to the greatest track of ’02 with fresh, enlightened ears.