4Th Chamber
Ghostface Killah Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

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 I hold wake for
Is the sky-blue Bally kid, in eighty-three, 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 rac-coons
Corner sittin wine niggaz 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 Ghengis Khan, the wreck suede wiley 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, camoflouge 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 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 boilin' lakes
Of hot oil, it boils your skin, chicken heads gettin' slim
Like Olive Oyl, only plant the seed deep inside fertile soil
Fortified with essential, vitamin and mineral
Use the sky for a blanket, stuffin' clouds inside my pillow
Rollin with the Lands, the tribe's a hundred and forty four thousand chosen
Protons electrons always cause explosions

The banks of G, all CREAM downs a vet
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 hams
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 limp on temp
With the stump, treat his hips like air pumps
RZA shaped the track, niggaz 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

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Ghostface Killah's '4th Chamber' sets a tone of choice between life and death by creating a hypothetical situation between the singer and the other person in the room. The singer asks the person to choose between two things - the sword or the ball. If they choose the sword, it is a call to join the singer in a battle. But if they choose the ball, they will join their mother in death. Ghostface Killah seems to be laying down a life lesson in these lyrics, urging people to make appropriate choices in their lives.


Throughout the rest of the song, we see a lot of references to different historical periods and figures. The lines, "I ran the Dark Ages, Constantine and great Henry the Eighth, Built with Ghengis Khan, the wreck suede wiley Don," are filled with such references, showing how well-versed the singer is. The lyrics talk about different historical and cultural happenings, weaving in and out of the singer's imagination and reality.


Overall, the song is a complex piece of hip-hop, where Ghostface Killah demonstrates his lyrical skills in weaving together historical allusions and personal experiences to create a compelling narrative.


Line by Line Meaning

Choose the sword, and you will join me
If you choose to fight alongside me with a sword, we will join forces


Choose the ball, and you join your mother, in death
If you choose to play ball instead of fighting, you will die like your mother


You don't understand my words, but you must choose
Although you may not comprehend my words, you need to make a decision


So, come boy, choose life or death
The decision you make will determine if you live or die


The only man I hold wake for
I will only mourn the loss of the sky-blue Bally kid from 1983 who wore Taylor's shoes


Is the sky-blue Bally kid, in eighty-three, rocked Taylor's
The only person I'll ever mourn is the stylish kid from 1983 who wore sky-blue Bally shoes and Taylor's sneakers


My Memorex performed tape decks, my own phone sex
I have high-quality cassettes and enjoy phone sex with myself


Watch out for Haiti bitches, I heard they throw hex
Be careful around women from Haiti as it's believed they cast spells


Yo, Wu whole platoon is filled with rac-coons
The entire Wu-Tang Clan is made up of streetwise criminals


Corner sittin wine niggaz sippin Apple Boone, this ain't no white cartoon
We're not cartoon characters sipping apple-flavored Boone's on a street corner


Cause I be duckin' crazy spades
I avoid dealing with violent and unpredictable people


The kid hold white shit, like blacks rock ashy legs
White people use cocaine just as Black people have ashy skin on their legs


Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet?
I'm asking existential questions that don't have simple answers


Why did Judas rat to Romans while Jesus slept? Stand up
I'm questioning Judas' betrayal of Jesus while he was sleeping and telling the listener to stand up


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


Iron Man be sippin' rum, out of Stanley Cups, unflammable
Iron Man drinks rum from hockey's Stanley Cup and cannot be burned


Noriega, aimin' knives which stay windy in Chicago
Noriega is attacking with sharp knives that cut through Chicago's wind


Spine-tingle, mind boggles
I'm chilling down your spine and blowing your mind


Kangols in rainbow colors, promoters try to hold dough
I wear multicolored Kangol hats and promoters try to control my money


Give me mine before Po, wrap you up in so-and-so
Pay me what you owe me before the police catch you


I ran the Dark Ages, Constantine and great Henry the Eighth
I ruled over the Dark Ages of history and had influence over Constantine and King Henry VIII


Built with Ghengis Khan, the wreck suede wiley Don
I proudly collaborated with Ghengis Khan and Don, two powerful and influential figures


I judge wisely, as if nothin' ever surprise me
I make wise decisions and am not easily shocked or surprised


Loungin', between two pillars of ivory
I'm relaxing between two ivory pillars


I'm lively, my dome piece, is like buildin' stones in Greece
I'm energetic and my head is as sturdy as the stones used to build Greece


My poems are deep from ancient thrones I speak
My poetry has meaningful roots from ancient royalty


I'm overwhelmed, as my mind, roams the realm
My mind is all over the place, exploring different realms


My eye's the vision, memory is the film
My eyes provide the vision and my memory records it like a film camera


Others act sub-tile, but they fragile above clouds
Other people may appear calm, but they're easily broken under pressure


They act wild and couldn't budge a crowd
They may act crazy, but they don't have leadership qualities to influence a crowd


No matter how loud they get, though they growl and spit
Regardless of how loud they get, they're just yelling and making noise


Clutch they fists, and throw up signs like a Crip
They ball their hands into fists and use gang signs like Crips


And throw all types of fits
They'll throw tantrums and get upset


I leave em split, like ass cheeks and ragged pussy lips
I defeat my enemies and leave them humiliated and in pain


Aiyyo, camoflouge chameleon, ninjas scalin' your buildin'
I'm like a chameleon, blending in and scaling the walls of your building like a ninja


No time to grab the gun they already got your wife and children
It's too late to fight back; they've already taken your family hostage


A hit was sent, from the President, to rage your residence
The President ordered a hit on your house


Because you had secret evidence, and documents
The President is after you because you have information that needs to be kept secret


On how they raped the continents, and it's the prominent
The information you hold is proof of how the President's administration is ruining the world


Dominant Islamic, Asiatic black Hebrew
The President's enemy is of the dominant Islamic, Asiatic Black Hebrew faith


The year two thousand and two, the battle's filled with the Wu
In the year 2002, Wu-Tang Clan is at the forefront of the battle


Six million devils just died from the Bubonic Flu
There was a deadly outbreak of the Bubonic plague, wiping out millions


Or the Ebola Virus, under the reign of King Cyrus
The Ebola virus outbreak occurred during King Cyrus' reign


You can see the weakness of a man right through his iris
You can sense and identify a man's weakness just by looking into his eyes


Un-loyal snakes get thrown in boilin' lakes
Disloyal people will be punished by being thrown into boiling lakes


Of hot oil, it boils your skin, chicken heads gettin' slim
The hot oil burns your skin and makes scrawny people look slim


Like Olive Oyl, only plant the seed deep inside fertile soil
I only plant my seeds of knowledge into those who are willing and able to learn


Fortified with essential, vitamin and mineral
My teachings are enriched with essential vitamins and minerals for growth


Use the sky for a blanket, stuffin' clouds inside my pillow
I sleep under the stars, stuffing clouds into my pillow


Rollin with the Lands, the tribe's a hundred and forty four thousand chosen
I'm aligned with the chosen tribe and we're rolling strong with 144,000 members


Protons electrons always cause explosions
The universe's smallest particles, protons, and electrons, are powerful enough to cause explosions


The banks of G, all CREAM downs a vet
The banks of the G (gangster) lifestyle are too much for even an experienced veteran


Money feed good, opposites off the set
Money is empowering and can remove you from the opposite end of society


It ain't hard to see, my seeds need God-degree
It's obvious that my teachings need to align with the degree of God


I got mouths to feed, unnecessary beef is more cows to breed
I have people to support, so fighting unnecessarily will only create more problems


I'm on some tax-free shit by any means
I'm not paying taxes by any means necessary to keep my finances secure


Whether bound to hit a scheme or some counterfeit CREAM
I'll resort to illegal schemes or even counterfeit money to make my fortune


I learned much from such with cons who run scams
I learned a lot from people who run successful cons and schemes


Veterans got the game spiced like hams
Experienced veterans know the game and can navigate it with ease


And from that, sons are born and guns are drawn
From this environment, new generations will rise with violence at the forefront


Clips are fully loaded, and then blood floods the lawn
Guns are loaded and shooting starts, leaving blood all over the ground


Disciplinary action was a fraction of strength
The punishment was minor in comparison to the strength of the offense


That made me truncate the limp on the temp
The pain made me push through and ignore my temporary weakness


With the stump, treat his hips like air pumps
I'm using my own limb stump to apply pressure to someone's hips like air pumps


RZA shaped the track, niggaz caught razor bumps
RZA produced the song, and it's so good it gave listeners razor bumps


Scarred tryin to figure who invented
People are scarred (in awe) trying to figure out who invented this incredible music


This unprecedented, opium-scented, dark-tinted
This is a unique, potent, and dramatic type of music


Now watch me blow him out his shoes without clues
Watch me outperform and defeat my opponent without them even realizing it


Cause I won't hesitate to detonate, I'm short fuse
I'm quick to anger and won't think twice about attacking, I'm like a bomb with a short fuse




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY E. GRICE, ROBERT F. DIGGS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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