Missy Elliott fans are abuzz after a recent podcast discussion revealed that a seemingly nonsensical lyric in her 2002 hit song "Work It" is, in fact, a reversed phrase. The discovery, made on "I Said I'm Sorry" podcast by host Yaz Haddad, has reignited interest in the enduring complexity of the track.
The lyric in question follows Elliott's signature line, "Is it worth it, let me work it, I put my thing down, flip it, and reverse it." The subsequent phrase, often perceived as a jumble of sounds – "Ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gniht ym tup I" – has now been confirmed as the original lyric played backward.
![Missy Elliott fans have lost their minds as they discover that one of the lyrics in her song Work It is repeated backwards - 24 years after the iconic hit was released]( "Missy Elliott fans discover backward lyric in "Work It"")
Haddad explained the revelation to his co-host Feras Basal, who expressed surprise, initially believing the line to be mere gibberish. "That's not just gibberish?" Basal asked. Haddad confirmed that the line was Elliott's "I put my thing down, flip it, and reverse it" sung in reverse, demonstrating by playing the reversed lyric and then using a recorder to flip it back to its original form.
The discussion quickly gained traction online, with many listeners expressing astonishment. Comments included "I was today years old when I found out," "I thought it was just gibberish lol," and "That just fried my brain." The clever lyrical play was widely praised as "genius."
However, some long-time fans noted that this detail has been a piece of music trivia for years. "Welcome to the year 2002, gentlemen. Better late than never I guess," one commenter remarked, while another added, "Do people not know this?"
Fans also lauded Haddad for his dedication to demonstrating the reversed lyric, noting that he performed the reversed version himself rather than simply using audio editing software to reverse the original phrase. "He could of recorded the forward part and had the tech reverse BUT THIS MAN DID THE REVERSE!" one fan exclaimed, questioning how he memorized the backward rendition.