Animal Planet )
GZA/Genius Lyrics

Welcome to the Jungle where the cat loves to scratch
Entering into an environment of wild animals where the most ferocious animal, the cat, loves to scratch

The rat squeals
Small prey animals, such as rats, make loud noise when they are caught or trapped by their predators

And the polar bear feasts on the blubber of seals
The polar bear, being an apex predator, hunts and feeds on the blubber of seals which inhabit the same icy region

The pack of wolves be scheming on a bunch of gazelles
A group of wolves lurking around, planning to catch a large prey like gazelles, that they can feast on

Where the leopards grab the wilderbeast down by it's tail
Leopards quickly ambush the prey and catch them down by their tail or leg when they are trying to flee

You see the chimps they grow hips they hustle and sling in trees
Chimpanzees, known for their agility, skill, hard work and tricks slinging from one tree to another

Elephants for security that move tons of leaves
Elephants, the gentle giants, move tons of leaves while providing security to the herd from predators

The bluebirds arrest parrots that love to talk
Bluebirds catching parrots, who are famous for their talking skills and making noise, to either eat them or take away their freedom

or eagles that stalk fresh-water trout under the wing of the hawk
Eagles being decisive and swift while hunting fresh-water trout, while under the reach out of aggressive and vigilant hawks

You see the vultures pick the pocket of whatever remains
Vultures, scavengers of the animal world, are seen scavenging and picking the leftover scraps of any animal that comes their way

In the brain we watch but a shadow of the lion's mane
We all watch in awe but only get a glimpse of the majestic lion's mane

Whose roar is loud enough to take the stripes from a zebra
The roar of the lion, being loud and thundery, can scare a zebra enough to even strip them of their stripes

He camouflages his bets and his spots of a cheetah
The lion, being bold and strategic, camouflages its presence while hunting its own prey just like cheetahs do

Shouldn't gamble with a cheetah and not expect to get beat
One should not test their luck with a cheetah as it is among the fastest and deadliest predators of the jungle and not getting caught is almost impossible

You silly goose you know he moves fast on his feet
Not realising the true nature of the cheetah's agility, calling someone a silly goose is a mistake, because fast is an understatement for cheetahs

Now you're neck deep in depth with a bunch of lone sharks
Being surrounded by a group of solitary and ruthless predators, such as sharks, can be a serious danger to one's life

So you move on a colony of ants with aardvarks, you see
To escape from the predators, one might have to move towards the prey, ants, along with aardvarks who eat ants

Most of the everglades controlled by the gators
The dominant and apex predator of the everglades is the alligator, which controls almost the entire region

It was crashed by the crocs who came years later
Another type of predator, crocodiles, entered the everglades years later, bringing in competition and creating conflict with the alligators

See the locusts had swarmed with the bees
Locusts and bees, the two insects that fly, swarmed together to move from one place to another

the tick moved with the fleas
Ticks, infesting animals, move along with fleas that can be found commonly in their fur

The dragonflies and the wasps shared with the seas
Dragonflies, agile fliers, and wasps, predators that feed on smaller insects, get their meals from the aquatic world

The crab and the leeches suck your blood flow
Crabs and leeches, known for their feeding on blood, can cause great damage to humans and animals

And they laugh like hyenas when they out to catch dough
These parasites, crabs and leeches, feed on the blood of others and flourish, just like hyenas who laugh when they successfully catch their prey

See a million mosquitos from the West now
A large number of mosquitoes, referred to as the 'annoying' ones in the West, have now entered the jungle

Carrying the virus that made the boars less wild
These mosquitoes come with a deadly virus which has left wild boars subdued and endangered

Out of fear of the deer watch for the eye of the tiger
Having prey like deer around, should be careful of the tiger that could be lurking in the shadows

The Clutch from the Cobra and the venomous viper
The predators like cobras and vipers can cause great harm with their venomous bite

Boa-constrictors that cut your circulation
Boa-constrictors, known for their tight grip, can strangle their prey and cut off their circulation, killing them in the process

Mosts of their prayers die from broke bones and suffocation
Most prey caught by these constrictors die a painful death due to broken bones and suffocation

The owls are private eyes that watch from the bark
Owls, with their keen sense of sight, watch and observe their prey in secrecy from the safety of the bark of trees

Black panthers are the militant who strike in the dark
Black panthers, being agile and skilful, are like master assassins who strike swiftly and silently

Porcupines had a rep' for sticking everything that moved
Porcupines, known for their ability to shoot sharp quills, have a reputation for sticking on to anything that moves around them

In areas that the rhinos and hippos approved
Rhinos and hippos are seen as strong and powerful animals who control or protect their territory

And the giraffe was a look-out for gorillas in the mist
Giraffes, being tall, have a clear view of the surroundings and act as lookouts for gorillas who hide in the mist

And the bats use their sonar to guide and assist
In the darkness of the jungle, bats use their sonar mechanism to guide and assist them while in flight

Those pelicans who smuggle contraband for the whale
Pelicans, being large fliers, can smuggle and deliver illegal goods for the whale, which is among the largest animals in the water

While the skunks spray the scent to keep the dogs off the trail
Skunks have a unique weapon to distract and confuse their attackers by spraying a foul-smelling liquid to defend themselves

The scorpion set up a sting for sly foxes
Scorpions, known for their venomous sting, can catch smart and wily predators like foxes in their grasp

that use stool pigeons just to keep them in the boxes
Foxes, being smart, use decoys like stool pigeons to keep their prey or predators guessing and unaware of their true intentions

While the black widow laid a web for the bachelor
Black widows, known for their intricate web-like structures, lay traps for their prey, cleverly disguising themselves as harmless bachelors

like daddy-long-leg and his hype man, tarantula
The lesser known daddy-long-leg spider, and its associate tarantula, are like partners in crime who prey on smaller insects surprising them with their venomous attacks

They both prey on grasshoppers beetles and flies
These spiders, preying on smaller insects such as grasshoppers, beetles and flies, consider them as their food source

And they all become instant meals the moment it dies
The moment these insects die, they all become an instant and accessible meal for any predator in the jungle

What costs little, is a little worth
When it comes to survival, even the smallest of advantages, no matter what they cost, are worth it

so some lose they lives wandering on the wrong turf
Many lives are lost because of individuals wandering into unfamiliar and unsafe areas of the jungle

From birth they grow up walking the thin line
Animals, since birth, learn to survive and grow with constant threats around them and constantly walking on the thinnest of the thin lines for their survival

It's like the jungle sometimes
The jungle, with all its intricate complexities, dangers and survival tactics, is a reflection of life itself