4th Chamber
Genius & GZA Lyrics

Choose the sword, and you will join me
If you choose the sword, you will join me and fight alongside me

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

You don't understand my words, but you must choose
Even if you don't understand, you still have to make a choice

So, come boy, choose life or death
Therefore, young man, decide whether you want to live or die

The only man I hold wake for
The only person I mourn for is my friend who was killed

Is the sky-blue Bally kid, in eighty-three, rocked Taylor's
My friend who was killed was wearing blue Bally shoes and Taylor's in 1983

My Memorex performed tape decks, my own phone sex
I have a good sound system and enjoy talking dirty on the phone

Watch out for Haiti bitches, I heard they throw hex
Be careful of women from Haiti since I heard they put curses on people

Yo, Wu whole platoon is filled with rac-coons
The entire Wu-Tang Clan is made up of sneaky and sly individuals

Corner sittin wine niggaz sippin Apple Boone, this ain't no white cartoon
Guys are sitting around drinking cheap wine and Apple Boone's, this is not some kind of child's cartoon

Cause I be duckin' crazy spades
I have to avoid dangerous people

The kid hold white shit, like blacks rock ashy legs
This young man has drugs, like some black people have dry skin

Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet?
Questions about the natural world that don't have simple answers

Why did Judas rat to Romans while Jesus slept? Stand up
Why did Judas betray Jesus while he was asleep? Rise up and fight for what you believe in

You're out of luck like two dogs stuck
You're in a bad situation with no way out, like two dogs locked together

Iron Man be sippin' rum, out of Stanley Cups, unflammable
Iron Man drinks rum out of a Stanley Cup and can't be burned

Noriega, aimin' knives which stay windy in Chicago
Noriega is wielding knives that cut through the wind in Chicago

Spine-tingle, mind boggles
My spine is tingling and my mind is stunned

Kangols in rainbow colors, promoters try to hold dough
Wearing Kangol hats in various colors, promoters try to make money

Give me mine before Po, wrap you up in so-and-so
Give me what I'm entitled to before someone else takes it, I will cover you in something unpleasant otherwise

I ran the Dark Ages, Constantine and great Henry the Eighth
I'm so old that I ruled over the Dark Ages and was in charge during the reign of Constantine and Henry VIII

Built with Ghengis Khan, the wreck suede wiley Don
I collaborated with Ghengis Khan and the destructive, cunning Don for something that was cleverly done

I judge wisely, as if nothin' ever surprise me
I make sound and rational decisions, as if nothing can catch me off guard

Loungin', between two pillars of ivory
Relaxing between two columns of white elephant tusks

I'm lively, my dome piece, is like buildin' stones in Greece
I'm energetic, and my head is solid, like the buildings in ancient Greece

My poems are deep from ancient thrones I speak
My poetry comes from the deep wisdom of ancient thrones

I'm overwhelmed, as my mind, roams the realm
My mind is overloaded, as it wanders through different parts of the world

My eye's the vision, memory is the film
I interpret the world through my eyes, my memory is like the film used in cameras

Others act sub-tile, but they fragile above clouds
Others may act subtly, but they are weak when faced with challenges

They act wild and couldn't budge a crowd
They pretend to be wild, but they can't move a crowd

No matter how loud they get, though they growl and spit
Even if they make a lot of noise and act aggressively

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

And throw all types of fits
They throw tantrums and behave erratically

I leave em split, like ass cheeks and ragged pussy lips
I defeat them easily or humiliate them badly

Aiyyo, camoflouge chameleon, ninjas scalin' your buildin'
Hey, I'm like a camouflaged chameleon, and my allies are sneaking up your building like ninjas

No time to grab the gun they already got your wife and children
You don't even have time to arm yourself, they've already taken your loved ones as hostages

A hit was sent, from the President, to rage your residence
The President ordered a hit to attack your home and family

Because you had secret evidence, and documents
This is because you had confidential evidence and documents

On how they raped the continents, and it's the prominent
Evidence that reveals how they exploited and took advantage of continents, which is very significant

Dominant Islamic, Asiatic black Hebrew
They are a powerful group comprised of Muslims, Asians, and Black Hebrews

The year two thousand and two, the battle's filled with the Wu
In the year 2002, the battle is fought by the Wu-Tang Clan

Six million devils just died from the Bubonic Flu
Six million evil people died from the Bubonic Plague

Or the Ebola Virus, under the reign of King Cyrus
Or from a virus like Ebola, during the reign of King Cyrus

You can see the weakness of a man right through his iris
You can observe the vulnerabilities of a man just by looking into his eyes

Un-loyal snakes get thrown in boilin' lakes
People who are disloyal and treacherous are punished by being thrown into boiling lakes

Of hot oil, it boils your skin, chicken heads gettin' slim
The hot oil will cook your skin and make you look like a skinny chicken head

Like Olive Oyl, only plant the seed deep inside fertile soil
Like Popeye's girlfriend Olive Oyl, only plant the seed in the best soil to guarantee growth

Fortified with essential, vitamin and mineral
Strengthened and enriched with all the necessary vitamins and minerals

Use the sky for a blanket, stuffin' clouds inside my pillow
I use the sky as a blanket, putting clouds inside my pillow for comfort

Rollin with the Lands, the tribe's a hundred and forty four thousand chosen
Riding with the Land Cruiser, my tribe consists of only 144,000 select people

Protons, electrons always cause explosions
Protons and electrons always lead to explosions, as in the case of atomic bombs

The banks of G, all CREAM downs a vet
In the banks of G, the powerful Wu-Tang Clan take down veteran competitors along with all their money

Money feed good, opposites off the set
Making money feels great, and it's the opposite of what others are doing or what they expect

It ain't hard to see, my seeds need God-degree
It's obvious that my offspring need to be enlightened and given a god-like education

I got mouths to feed, unnecessary beef is more cows to breed
I have people who rely on me, so creating unnecessary conflict will only lead to more problems

I'm on some tax free shit by any means
I'm trying to make money in a tax-free way, whatever it takes

Whether bound to hit scheme or some counterfeit CREAM
Whether it's a legitimate business plan or a fake one, they're both means of making cash

I learned much from such with cons who run scams
I've gained a lot of knowledge by interacting with people who operate scams

Veterans got the game spiced like hams
Experts are highly skilled and knowledgeable in their field, like seasoned hams with spices

And from that, sons are born and guns are drawn
The experiences of the past influence future generations and inspire them to fight

Clips are fully loaded, and then blood floods the lawn
Their guns are fully loaded, and when they start firing, there's carnage everywhere

Disciplinary action was a fraction of strength
Discipline was only a small part of the effort it took to become powerful

That made me truncate the limp on temp
This helped me get rid of my weakness, at least temporarily

With the stump, treat his hips like air pumps
With just a stump as a tool, they can use it against an enemy's hips and make them feel like they're being pumped with air

RZA shaped the track, niggaz caught razor bumps
RZA made a fantastic beat and it's so good, it's like they caught razor bumps from it

Scarred tryin to figure who invented
Tattooed with mysteries, trying to unravel who created what

This unprecented, opium-scented, dark-tinted
This amazing, rich-smelling, and dark-colored creation

Now watch me blow him out his shoes without clues
Now watch me defeat him so thoroughly, he won't even know what hit him

Cause I won't hesitate to detonate, I'm short fuse
I won't hesitate to explode and take action, I have a quick temper