4th Chamber
DJ MUGGS Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

(LP version only, taken from the movie "Shogun Assassin" (1980))
Choose the sword, and you will join me
Choose the ball, and you join your mother... in death
You don't understand my words, but you must choose
{*baby gurgling*}
So... come boy, choose life or death

(One: Ghostface Killah)
The only man a hoe wait for
is the sky-blue Bally kid, in '83, rocked Taylor's
My Memorex performed tape decks, my own phone sex
Watch out for Haiti bitches, I heard they throw hex
Yo, Wu whole platoon is filled with raccoons
Corner sitting wine niggaz sipping Apple Boone this ain't no white cartoon
'Cause I be ducking crazy spades
The kid hold white shit, like blacks rock ashy legs
Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet?
Why did Judas, rat to Romans while Jesus slept?
Stand up, you're out of luck like two dogs stuck
Iron Man be sipping rum, out of Stanley Cups, inflammable
Noriega, aiming knives which stay windy in Chicago
spine-tingle, mind boggles
Kangols in rainbow colours, promoters try to hold dough
Give me mine before Po, wrap you up in so-and-so
I ran the Dark Ages, Constantine the Great, Henry the Eighth
Built with Genghis Khan, the wreck suede Wally Don

(Two: Killah Priest)
I judge wisely, as if nothing ever surprise me
Lounging, between two pillars of ivory
I'm lively, my dome piece, is like building stones in Greece
my poems are deep from ancient thrones I speak
I'm overwhelmed, as my mind, roams the realm
My eye's the vision, memory is the film
Others act sub-tile, but they fragile above clouds
They act wild and couldn't budge a crowd
No matter how loud they get, though they growl and spit
Clutch they fists, and throw up signs like a Crip
And throw all types of fits
I leave them split, like ass cheeks and ragged pussy lips

(Three: The RZA)
Aiyyo, camouflage chameleon, ninjas scaling your building
No time to grab the gun they already got your wife and children
A hit was sent, from the President to raid your residence
Because you had secret evidence, and documents
on how they raped the continents, and it's the prominent
dominant Islamic, Asiatic black Hebrew
The year two thousand and two, the battle's filled with the Wu
Six million devils just died from the Bubonic Flu
Or the Ebola Virus, under the reign of King Cyrus
You can see the weakness of a man right through his iris
Un-loyal snakes get thrown in boiling lakes
of hot oil, it boils your skin, chickenheads getting slim
like Olive Oyl, only plant the seed deep inside fertile soil
Fortified with essential, vitamin and minerals
Use the sky for a blanket, stuffing clouds inside my pillow
Rolling with the lambs
Twelve tribes a hundred and forty four thousand chosen
Protons Electrons Always Cause Explosions

(Four: GZA)
The banks of G, all cream downs a bet
Money feed good, opposites off the set
It ain't hard to see, my seeds need God-degree
I got mouths to feed, unnecessary beef is more cows to breed
I'm on some tax free shit by any means
Whether bound to hit scheme or some counterfeit cream
I learned much from such with cons who run scams
Veterans got the game spiced like ham
And from that, sons are born and guns are drawn
Clips are fully loaded, and then blood floods the lawn
Disciplinary action was a fraction of strength
that made me truncate the length one-tenth
With his thump, tweaters hits like air pumps
RZA shaved the track, niggaz caught razor bumps
Scarred trying to figure who invented
this unprecedented, opium-scented, dark-tinted




Now watch me blow him out his shoes without clues
'Cause I won't hesitate to detonate, I'm short fuse

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of DJ Muggs's “4th Chamber” bring together four of Wu-Tang Clan's members namely Ghostface Killah, Killah Priest, The RZA, and GZA. The song starts with a sample taken from the movie “Shogun Assassin" (1980) where a baby is asked to choose between a sword and a ball, symbolizing life and death. The song is full of metaphorical and outspoken lyrics that express the rappers' thoughts on various topics such as race, religion, politics, and crime.


Ghostface Killah talks about his streetwise persona as a sky-blue Bally kid who hangs out in '83 rocking Taylor shoes, with his edgy sense that kept longs one waiting. He describes himself dodging dangerous people, with potency in every sense. His perception is that of the universe, and he questions things like why the sky is blue and why water is wet while interrogating the reason why Judas betrayed Jesus while Paul slept. He has a distinctive rap style that is always full of poetic genius.


Killah Priest starts his part by saying that he judges everything wisely and he is a big-picture thinker who can piece together various ancient thrones and lessons. He speaks of his mind travelling like clouds and he is in a world that others try to be part of but cannot, and one can not be that wild and still control the crowd. The message here is that people should show some restraint and strategic thinking and not hold themselves back with wild instincts when they want to make a real impact.


The RZA speaks of the realities of the world in his verse. He envisions the end of the world and tells us how surveillance powers that hard-working people have created can be used for evil. The message here is that we should be careful of who we align ourselves with politically and choose regimes and people we believe will do right by the masses. He compares those who are treacherous to un-loyal snakes who are thrown into hot oil lakes.


GZA picks up from the RZA’s last verse and warns those who get into illegal activities to stop this economic and social oppression cycle, and that whatever wealth they may attain from such activities is never worth the human and personal cost. He highlights some of the problems that hold people back socially and financially and more importantly, he warns criminals to be careful of getting killed or put in jail for their actions.



Line by Line Meaning

Choose the sword, and you will join me
If you choose the sword, you will be by my side


Choose the ball, and you join your mother... in death
If you choose the ball, you will die


You don't understand my words, but you must choose
You may not comprehend me, but you must choose


{*baby gurgling*}
The sound of a baby gurgling


So... come boy, choose life or death
Now you must decide if you want to live or die


The only man a hoe wait for
The only man that a woman of low morals will wait for


is the sky-blue Bally kid, in '83, rocked Taylor's
That man is the sky-blue Bally kid, who wore Taylor shoes in 1983


My Memorex performed tape decks, my own phone sex
My Memorex tape decks worked well, and I had phone sex with myself


Watch out for Haiti bitches, I heard they throw hex
Beware of women from Haiti, as they might place a curse on you


Yo, Wu whole platoon is filled with raccoons
The Wu-Tang Clan's entire group is filled with sneaky people


Corner sitting wine niggaz sipping Apple Boone this ain't no white cartoon
Men drinking Apple Boone's wine are relaxing on street corners, but this isn't a white cartoon world


'Cause I be ducking crazy spades
I avoid unstable and unpredictable people


The kid hold white shit, like blacks rock ashy legs
White people hold cocaine, while black people have ashy legs


Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet?
Questions without answers


Why did Judas, rat to Romans while Jesus slept?
Judas betrayed Jesus while he was sleeping


Stand up, you're out of luck like two dogs stuck
If you're trapped like two dogs stuck together, there's no hope for you


Iron Man be sipping rum, out of Stanley Cups, inflammable
Iron Man drinks rum from the Stanley Cup, and is impervious to fire


Noriega, aiming knives which stay windy in Chicago
Noriega is throwing knives that blow through the wind like in Chicago


spine-tingle, mind boggles
Feeling of fear and confusion


Kangols in rainbow colours, promoters try to hold dough
Kangol hats come in many colours, and promoters try to keep the money


Give me mine before Po, wrap you up in so-and-so
I want my share of the money before the organization takes it, or else something bad will happen


I ran the Dark Ages, Constantine the Great, Henry the Eighth
I controlled parts of history, including the Dark Ages, Constantine the Great, and Henry the Eighth


Built with Genghis Khan, the wreck suede Wally Don
I built an empire with Genghis Khan, and I wear Wallabees shoes made of suede


I judge wisely, as if nothing ever surprise me
I make decisions wisely, and nothing catches me off guard


Lounging, between two pillars of ivory
Relaxing between two pillars made of ivory


I'm lively, my dome piece, is like building stones in Greece
I'm full of energy, and my head is solid like Greek building stones


my poems are deep from ancient thrones I speak
My poetry has deep insights from past monarchies


I'm overwhelmed, as my mind, roams the realm
My mind wanders through many different ideas and concepts


My eye's the vision, memory is the film
I see and remember everything


Others act sub-tile, but they fragile above clouds
Some appear soft and subtle, but are actually weak and vulnerable


They act wild and couldn't budge a crowd
They act tough, but have no ability to move or control a large group


No matter how loud they get, though they growl and spit
No matter how aggressive they become, they are still ineffective


Clutch they fists, and throw up signs like a Crip
They clench their fists and make gang signs like a Crip gang member


And throw all types of fits
They become angry and throw tantrums


I leave them split, like ass cheeks and ragged pussy lips
I defeat them badly and leave them in shambles


Aiyyo, camouflage chameleon, ninjas scaling your building
Camouflaged ninjas are climbing your building


No time to grab the gun they already got your wife and children
There's no time to react, as the enemy already has your family


A hit was sent, from the President to raid your residence Because you had secret evidence, and documents on how they raped the continents, and it's the prominent
The President sent an attack to your home because you had evidence of how they've been taking advantage of the continents


dominant Islamic, Asiatic black Hebrew
The dominant religion is Islam, and the people are black Hebrews in Asia


The year two thousand and two, the battle's filled with the Wu Six million devils just died from the Bubonic Flu
In the year 2002, the battle includes the Wu-Tang Clan. Six million evil people have died from the bubonic plague


Or the Ebola Virus, under the reign of King Cyrus
People are dying from the Ebola virus, during the reign of King Cyrus


You can see the weakness of a man right through his iris
You can see someone's weaknesses just by looking into their eyes


Un-loyal snakes get thrown in boiling lakes of hot oil, it boils your skin, chickenheads getting slim like Olive Oyl
Disloyal people are thrown into boiling lakes of hot oil that cause their skin to boil. They become skinny like Olive Oyl


only plant the seed deep inside fertile soil Fortified with essential, vitamin and minerals Use the sky for a blanket, stuffing clouds inside my pillow Rolling with the lambs Twelve tribes a hundred and forty four thousand chosen Protons Electrons Always Cause Explosions
To grow crops, you need to plant the seed deep in fertile soil. You need essential vitamins and minerals. I sleep with the sky as my blanket, and roll with peaceful people. There are twelve tribes, and 144,000 people have been chosen. Protons and electrons always cause explosions


The banks of G, all cream downs a bet Money feed good, opposites off the set
Gangsters make bets and money flows easily. Oppositely, those who don't know the game struggle


It ain't hard to see, my seeds need God-degree I got mouths to feed, unnecessary beef is more cows to breed
It's simple to see that my children need to be educated about God. I need to provide for my family, so arguing is a waste of time


I'm on some tax free shit by any means Whether bound to hit scheme or some counterfeit cream
I'm making money without paying taxes, whether it be through honest or dishonest means


I learned much from such with cons who run scams Veterans got the game spiced like ham
I learned a great deal from con artists who run scams. Experienced people have the game figured out


And from that, sons are born and guns are drawn Clips are fully loaded, and then blood floods the lawn
From this mindset, violence ensues and there are shootings. Bullets fire and blood spills onto the grass


Disciplinary action was a fraction of strength that made me truncate the length one-tenth
Punishment used to be a small part of my strength, and because of that, I cut off one-tenth of something


With his thump, tweaters hits like air pumps RZA shaved the track, niggaz caught razor bumps
Tweeter speakers hit hard like air pumps. The RZA produced a great song, which affected people emotionally


Scarred trying to figure who invented this unprecedented, opium-scented, dark-tinted Now watch me blow him out his shoes without clues 'Cause I won't hesitate to detonate, I'm short fuse
I'm puzzled attempting to determine who created this new and unusual product. I plan to destroy the competition without warning because I have anger issues




Writer(s): DIGGS, GRICE

Contributed by Adalyn D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

elconejito99

Choose the sword, and you will join me
Choose the ball, and you join your mother in death
You don't understand my words, but you must choose
So come boy, choose life or death
The only man a hoe wait for
Is the sky-blue Bally kid, in 83, rocked Taylor's
My Memorex performed tape decks, my own phone sex
Watch out for Haiti bitches, I heard they throw hex
Yo, Wu whole platoon is filled with raccoons
Corner sittin' wine niggas sippin' Apple Boone
This ain't no white cartoon
'Cause I be duckin' crazy spades
The kid hold white shit, like blacks rock ashy legs
Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet?
Why did Judas, rat to Romans while Jesus slept? Stand up
You're out of luck like two dogs stuck
Iron Man be sippin' rum, out of Stanley Cups, unflammable
Noriega, aimin' knives which stay windy in Chicago
Spine-tingle, mind boggles
Kangols in rainbow colors, promoters try to hold dough
Give me mine before Po, wrap you up in so-and-so
I ran the Dark Ages, Constantine and great Henry the Eighth
Built with Genghis Khan, the wreck suede Wally Don
I judge wisely, as if nothin' ever surprise me
Loungin', between two pillars of ivory
I'm lively, my dome piece, is like buildin' stones in Greece
My poems are deep from ancient thrones I speak
I'm overwhelmed, as my mind, roams the realm
My eye's the vision, memory is the film
Others act sub-tile, but they fragile above clouds
They act wild and couldn't budge a crowd
No matter how loud they get, though they growl and spit
Clutch they fists, and throw up signs like a Crip
And throw all types of fits
I leave 'em split, like ass cheeks and ragged pussy lips
Aiyyo, camouflage chameleon, ninjas scalin' your buildin'
No time to grab the gun they already got your wife and children
A hit was sent, from the President, to rage your residence
Because you had secret evidence, and documents
On how they raped the continents, and it's the prominent
Dominant Islamic, Asiatic black Hebrew
The year 2002, the battle's filled with the Wu
Six million devils just died from the Bubonic Flu
Or the Ebola Virus, under the reign of King Cyrus
You can see the weakness of a man right through his iris
Un-loyal snakes get thrown in boilin' lakes
Of hot oil, it boils your skin, chickenheads gettin' slim
Like Olive Oyl, only plant the seed deep inside fertile soil
Fortified with essential, vitamin and minerals
Use the sky for a blanket, stuffin' clouds inside my pillow
Rollin with the lambs
Twelve tribes 144000 chosen
Protons electrons always cause explosions
The banks of G, all CREAM downs a bet
Money feed good, opposites off the set
It ain't hard to see, my seeds need God-degree
I got mouths to feed, unnecessary beef is more cows to breed
I'm on some tax free shit by any means
Whether bound to hit scheme or some counterfeit CREAM
I learned much from such with cons who run scams
Veterans got the game spiced like ham
And from that, sons are born and guns are drawn
Clips are fully loaded, and then blood floods the lawn
Disciplinary action was a fraction of strength
That made me truncate the length one-tenth
With his thump, tweaters hits like air pumps
RZA shaped the track, niggas caught razor bumps
Scarred tryin' to figure who invented
This unprecented, opium-scented, dark-tinted
Now watch me blow him out his shoes without clues
'Cause I won't hesitate to detonate, I'm short fuse



All comments from YouTube:

James Gibson

"I judge wisely, as if nothing ever surprise me, lounging between 2 pillars of ivory"....Bars!!!!!! They laced this tracked something proper...

Azijn Seikert

RZA first one with these incredible beats. Still they stand.

Ef Drayton

I was 21 when this jawn came out. 45 years old on some nostalgia shit in 2020.

Anthony Ligas

3 chambers tour right now, you should see them live before they get too old

D Moon

22 years old, definitely agree hip hop was at its peak back then

AZ guNNer82

I hear ya bro

Ash R

Aw shit I'm old

D. Pinit77

I was 18. I love it more now than I did then. I realize how special this era was now . Pinnacle of rap

8 More Replies...

Lorin Richman

ghostface KILLED IT. this track is officially dead. wait a minute, RZA just sliced this track's head clean off. now it's officially dead. then again, GZA just burned this whole track down.

Craig0 Weston

My spine is tingling listening to this masterpiece

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