What Does 'Mi Tink Mi Gwaan Tek Mi Own Life' Mean? The Viral Jamaican Patois Memes Explained

An image macro of EastEnders character Grant Mitchell captioned with a bizarre sentence is inspiring a wave of memes using the catchphrase "Mi Tink Mi Gwaan Tek Mi Own Life."

The memes have spread across social media throughout November and use Jamaican patois to turn a dark sentiment into a funny bit. But what exactly do they mean and where did they come from? Here's what you need to know.

What Does 'Mi Tink Mi Gwaan Tek Mi Own Life' Mean?

On February 6th, 2024, a Whisper image macro of EastEnders character Grant Mitchell captioned, "Mi think mi gwaan tek mi own life," was posted to the incellectuals_ealing Instagram page. At first read, this sentence might not make a whole lot of sense.

"Mi tink mi gwaan tek mi own life" is inspired by Jamaican patois. The meme is meant to be read in a Jamaican accent and translates to, "Me think me gonna take me own life," or, "I think I'm going to take my own life." The joke is that it's a very dark phrase made light by the use of patois.

How Is 'Mi Tink Mi Gwaan Tek Mi Own Life' Used In Memes?

Over the next few months, the meme made its way from Whisper to Reddit and then to X, where it became the subject of further memes. For example, one user placed the phrase over an image of a sad clown in May to the tune of over 8,000 likes. Later, in October 2024, a user reposted the original meme, writing that they couldn't get it out of their head, to over 65,000 likes.

The meme became even further popularized when YouTuber Justin Whang posted a version of it to X in which he edited the phrase over a photo of actor Brad Pitt with dreadlocks. The meme has only continued to grow since as people attach it to random images in absurd ways, highlighting how funny the phrase reads in any given context.

For the full history of Mi Tink Mi Gwaan Tek Mi Own Life, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.