Ghostface Killah is critically acclaimed for his loud, fast-paced flow, and his stream-of-consciousness narratives containing cryptic slang and non-sequiturs.
Ghostface Killah was raised in the Stapleton housing projects in Staten Island, New York. In his autobiographical song "All That I Got Is You", Ghost tells the story of his childhood. He raps about how he grew up in a three bedroom apartment without his father, who left him at the age of six. Apparently, his mother had nine children.
His stage name was taken from one of the characters in the 1979 kung fu film Mystery of Chessboxing.
He was also a close friend of the three founding members of Wu-tang clan
R.A.G.U.
Ghostface Killah Lyrics
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Now you get out of here, I'm warning you
(You bastards can't push us around, wanna fight?)
I'll take you on
That nigga's twisted
Stop playing with that clip man
Close them fucking blinds too man, ya know what I'm saying?
Get away from the stove nigga
Stop playing man, the fuck is you talking 'bout?
I'm in the crib watching Larry King Live, the new Gucci's on
Refrigerator, smoking some kush, this nigga's a lighter
Swisher, becoming a roach, go get the glass ashtray
Pour the glass of Crut, tap the bottle then toast
Barrie took a sip for the cause, yeah my son
Soon to be 3, tried to fill his bottle then run
Then I got a collect call, heard niggas down the block is fighting
Some nigga got, knifed up brawling
Heard the kid was 19, Lil' Infinity too
His father worked up at the dealer he loved boo
They tried him for his Louis', son wasn't having it though
Yeah, yeah my nigga, the color of glue
Decided on a intervene, guess who tried to wild on me my nigga
This is like out of the blue
I'm in the Range stretch, jumped out, tucked the chain
Proceeded to talk to him, then you heard the heavy face slap
Think I broke my wrist, now I'm at the hospital vexed
Fucked up my writing hand, that's my check
Now I wanna kill this lil' nigga true
Only thing that stop my gun flaming 'cause he related to you
Who? He ain't related to me
Just that I knew him for like 18 years until he violated, stealing my gear
If my lil' homie, yo he eat anything for me
Send him uptown, he get bagged, yo he never call me
Come home and still blow cats for me
Pump crack, stabbing all them hoodrat shorties
A live gunslinger well known, born to dance
When the heat is on, Stapleton days, shoot himself in the groin
The gun went off, it looked like a flick
When he fell to the floor, holding his nuts, screaming "God dammit
Shit I put one in my balls, what the fuck y'all looking at me for?
Call the police, do something
Motherfuckers standing around, watch when I get better
All hell's gonna be terror
Death to you, you, he pointed at Red
I said chill that's fam duke
He put real work in that make you cute, fuck that
But anyway son indeed, he stole two Polo rugbies
Swore to his dead mother, I couldn't take it
Yo Lord I knocked out his teeth
Now he's rocking those false joints like everything's peace
The lyrics of Ghostface Killah's song R.A.G.U. follows a series of events that happened to the artiste. The song starts with Ghostface directing someone to leave his presence and threatening to fight them. This is followed by Ghostface describing a typical day where he was watching Larry King Live, smoking and drinking. He then receives a collect call informing him of a fight involving a 19-year-old boy who was stabbed. Later he meets someone called Lil infinity who he describes as related to the person he wanted to kill. Ghostface had a rift with Lil infinity because Lil infinity robbed him of his two Polo rugbies; this situation ended in Ghostface knocking Lil infinity's teeth off.
The song is an equivalent of one long paragraph since it consists of Ghostface continuously describing a series of events, and no chorus. Backing track and beats accompany Ghostface's lyrics. The beats are rough, with occasional sounds from the guitar, and the drum pattern is unsteady adding to the brute force of the song. The song is one of many in Ghostface Killah's discography that describes his lifestyle as a young black man in a Brooklyn ghetto while remaining multifaceted through his lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold it!
Stop and pay attention!
Now you get out of here, I'm warning you
Don't mess with me, I won't back down
(You bastards can't push us around, wanna fight?)
(I won't let anyone bully me, and I'm ready to fight)
I'll take you on
I'm not afraid to confront my enemies
That nigga's twisted
That person is crazy or disturbed
Stop playing with that clip man
Stop messing around with that gun's magazine
Close them fucking blinds too man, ya know what I'm saying?
Shut the blinds so nobody can see inside, you understand me?
Yo Don my man, get out of the stove man
Hey Don, move away from the stove
Get away from the stove nigga
Move away from the stove, man
Stop playing man, the fuck is you talking 'bout?
Stop messing around and focus on what's important
I'm in the crib watching Larry King Live, the new Gucci's on
I'm at home watching Larry King Live, wearing my new Gucci shoes
Refrigerator, smoking some kush, this nigga's a lighter
I'm smoking marijuana near the refrigerator, using a lighter
Swisher, becoming a roach, go get the glass ashtray
The cigar is almost finished, so bring me the ashtray made of glass
Pour the glass of Crut, tap the bottle then toast
Pour a glass of champagne, tap the bottle, and raise your glass to toast
Barrie took a sip for the cause, yeah my son
My friend Barrie drank some champagne with me, celebrating together
Soon to be 3, tried to fill his bottle then run
My son, who is almost three years old, tried to fill his bottle and run away
Then I got a collect call, heard niggas down the block is fighting
I received a collect call and was told that some guys are fighting nearby
Some nigga got, knifed up brawling
Someone was stabbed during a fight
Heard the kid was 19, Lil' Infinity too
I heard that a 19-year-old named Lil' Infinity was involved in the fight
His father worked up at the dealer he loved boo
The father of Lil' Infinity worked at a drug dealer's place and had a girlfriend
They tried him for his Louis', son wasn't having it though
They attempted to steal Lil' Infinity's Louis Vuitton item, but he refused to give it up
Yeah, yeah my nigga, the color of glue
Yes, yes my friend, like the color of glue
Decided on a intervene, guess who tried to wild on me my nigga
I decided to intervene, and suddenly Lil' Infinity tried to attack me
This is like out of the blue
This is sudden and unexpected
I'm in the Range stretch, jumped out, tucked the chain
I was in my Range Rover, parked and secured the chain around my neck
Proceded to talk to him, then you heard the heavy face slap
I tried to talk to him, but then I slapped him hard in the face
Think I broke my wrist, now I'm at the hospital vexed
I think I broke my wrist in the process, and I'm now at the hospital feeling frustrated
Fucked up my writing hand, that's my check
I injured the hand I use to write, which is the one I rely on for my income
Now I wanna kill this lil' nigga true
I now have a strong desire to kill Lil' Infinity
Only thing that stop my gun flaming cause he related to you
The only thing that stopped me from shooting him was the fact that he's related to you
Who? He ain't related to me
Who? He's not related to me
Just that I knew him for like 18 years until he violated, stealing my gear
I just knew him for a long time, around 18 years, until he broke my trust by stealing my belongings
If my lil' homey, yo he eat anything for me
If my friend was still around, he would do anything for me
Send him uptown, he get bagged, yo he never call me
I would send him to sell drugs in Harlem, and if he got arrested, he wouldn't call me for help
Come home and still blow cats for me
When he'd come back home, he would still sell drugs for me
Pump crack, stabbing all them hoodrat shorties
He would sell and distribute crack cocaine, and also attack promiscuous women in the neighborhood
A live gunslinger well known, born to dance
He was a skilled shooter and known for his violent behavior, and also enjoyed dancing
When the heat is on, Stapleton days, shoot himself in the groin
When he was in trouble with the law, back in Stapleton, he shot himself in the groin as a way to avoid going to jail
The gun went off, it looked like a flick
The gun accidentally fired, and it seemed like a quick movement
When he fell to the floor, holding his nuts, screaming "God dammit
When he fell to the ground, holding his genitals and yelling "God dammit
Shit I put one in my balls, what the fuck y'all looking at me for?
I shot myself in the testicles, why are you staring at me?
Call the police, do something
Someone should call the police, or maybe do something else to help
Motherfuckers standing around, watch when I get better
All these people standing around and watching, just wait until I'm feeling better
All hell's gonna be terror
There will be chaos and destruction
Death to you, you," he pointed at Red
"I wish death upon you," he said, pointing at Red
I said chill that's fam duke
I told him to calm down, since Red is like family
He put real work in that make you cute, fuck that
Red is known for doing dirty work, don't be fooled by his charming look
But anyway son indeed, he stole two Polo rugbies
Anyway, it's true that he stole two Polo shirts
Swore to his dead mother, I couldn't take it
He swore on his mother's grave that he didn't take them, but I didn't believe him
Yo Lord I knocked out his teeth
I punched him so hard that some of his teeth came out
Now he's rocking those false joints like everything's peace
Now he's wearing dentures, pretending like nothing happened
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Burt F Bacharach, Corey Todd Woods, Dennis Coles, Hal David, Peter O Phillips
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind