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
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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 intro of the song R.A.G.U. sets up the scene for the listener, as Ghostface is in his crib watching Larry King Live and smoking weed. As he is about to relax into his night, he gets a collect call telling him a fight has broken out between some guys in the neighbourhood. When Ghostface arrives on the scene, he goes to talk to one of the guys, who suddenly turns on him and slaps him in the face, breaking his wrist. Ghostface wants to come after the guy with a gun, but Raekwon points out that the guy is related to someone in their crew. We then learn that the guy who attacked Ghostface was a childhood friend who had stolen from him before. Ghostface says he knocked out some of the guy’s teeth in retaliation, but that the guy now wears false teeth and acts like everything is cool between them.
The lyrics of the song R.A.G.U. paint a vivid picture of the gritty reality of life in the projects, where violence and betrayal are constants. Ghostface's experience of being attacked by a friend shows that no one is really safe in this environment. The song also explores the themes of loyalty and forgiveness. Ghostface wants to come after the guy who attacked him, but he doesn't because he is related to someone in their crew. Despite the betrayal, Ghostface has forgiven the guy to some extent, indicating the complicated nature of relationships in the projects.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold it!
Stop right there!
Now you get out of here, I'm warning you
Don't mess with us, we're not afraid to fight back.
(You bastards can't push us around, wanna fight?)
We won't tolerate bullying and we're willing to stand up for ourselves.
I'll take you on
I'm ready to fight you.
That nigga's twisted
This guy is a mess.
Stop playing with that clip man
Put that gun down.
Close them fucking blinds too man, ya know what I'm saying?
Make sure nobody sees what we're doing in here.
Yo Don my man, get out of the stove man
Don, come out of the kitchen.
Get away from the stove nigga
Stop cooking whatever you're cooking.
Stop playing man, the fuck is you talking 'bout?
Be serious, I don't have time for games.
I'm in the crib watching Larry King Live, the new Gucci's on
I'm at home, watching Larry King on TV, wearing my new Gucci shoes.
Refrigerator, smoking some kush, this nigga's a lighter
I'm smoking weed and using a lighter that looks like a person.
Swisher, becoming a roach, go get the glass ashtray
The cigar is almost finished, grab the glass ashtray.
Pour the glass of Crut, tap the bottle then toast
Let's pour some Crut liquor and make a toast.
Barrie took a sip for the cause, yeah my son
Barrie drank some liquor with me.
Soon to be 3, tried to fill his bottle then run
My son, who is almost three years old, tried to refill his bottle and run away.
Then I got a collect call, heard niggas down the block is fighting
I got a call from someone who was in jail, telling me that there's a fight happening nearby.
Some nigga got, knifed up brawling
Some guy got stabbed in the fight.
Heard the kid was 19, Lil' Infinity too
I heard the victim of the stabbing was a 19-year-old named Lil' Infinity.
His father worked up at the dealer he loved boo
Lil' Infinity's father worked at a car dealership and had a girlfriend.
They tried him for his Louis', son wasn't having it though
Someone tried to steal Lil' Infinity's Louis Vuitton belongings, but he didn't allow it.
Yeah, yeah my nigga, the color of glue
Yes, I understand what you're saying.
Decided on a intervene, guess who tried to wild on me my nigga
I decided to intervene in the fight, and someone tried to fight me too.
This is like out of the blue
It was unexpected.
I'm in the Range stretch, jumped out, tucked the chain
I got out of my car and hid my chain.
Proceeded to talk to him, then you heard the heavy face slap
I talked to him, then I hit him in the face.
Think I broke my wrist, now I'm at the hospital vexed
I think I broke my wrist, now I'm angry at the hospital.
Fucked up my writing hand, that's my check
I messed up my hand that I use to write checks.
Now I wanna kill this lil' nigga true
Now I really want to kill Lil' Infinity.
Only thing that stop my gun flaming 'cause he related to you
The only reason I didn't shoot Lil' Infinity is because he's related to you.
Who? He ain't related to me
What are you talking about? He's not related to me.
Just that I knew him for like 18 years until he violated, stealing my gear
I don't have a family relationship with Lil' Infinity, but I've known him for 18 years, and he stole my stuff.
If my lil' homie, yo he eat anything for me
If my young friend is willing to do anything for me, even eat.
Send him uptown, he get bagged, yo he never call me
If I send him uptown (to do a job), he won't get caught, but he won't call me afterwards.
Come home and still blow cats for me
When he comes back, he'll still sell drugs for me.
Pump crack, stabbing all them hoodrat shorties
He'll sell crack and stab all of the hoodrat girls.
A live gunslinger well known, born to dance
He's good at using guns and he's also able to dance well.
When the heat is on, Stapleton days, shoot himself in the groin
In stressful situations, like when we were in Stapleton, he accidentally shot himself in the groin.
The gun went off, it looked like a flick
The gun went off and it looked like a movie scene.
When he fell to the floor, holding his nuts, screaming 'God dammit
He fell to the ground, holding his private parts 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 balls, why are you looking at me like that?
Call the police, do something
Call the police or do something to help me.
Motherfuckers standing around, watch when I get better
People are standing around and watching me, but they'll regret it later.
All hell's gonna be terror
I'm going to cause a lot of trouble.
Death to you, you, he pointed at Red
I will kill you, you, he pointed at Red.
I said chill that's fam duke
I said, relax, that's family man.
He put real work in that make you cute, fuck that
He worked for me, but that doesn't mean he's exempt from punishment.
But anyway son indeed, he stole two Polo rugbies
But anyways, he really did steal two Polo shirts.
Swore to his dead mother, I couldn't take it
He promised on his mother's grave that he didn't steal from me.
Yo Lord I knocked out his teeth
God help me, I knocked out his teeth.
Now he's rocking those false joints like everything's peace
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