Whip You With A Strap
Ghostface Killah Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Take me across her lap, she used to whip me with a strap
When I was bad
Bad

Take me across her lap, she used to whip me with a strap
When I was bad

Picture me snotty nose sittin' on my aunt's lap
The kid like 5 or 6 shit I will curse back
I got it from the older folks sittin' in the living room
Everybody had cups stylistic song boom
But then came Darryl Mack lightin' all the reefer up
Baby caught a contact I'm trying to tie my sneaker up
I'm missing all the loops strings going in the wrong holes
It feels like I'm wobbling, look at all these afros
Soon as I thought I was good the joke's on me
I heard a voice "get in the room, I get angry"
Sting my feet catch a tantrum
Spit, scream, fuck that
Momma shake me real hard, then get the big gat
That's called the belt help me as I yelled
I'm in the room like "huh, huh, huh" with mad welps
Ragged out, bad belt yes her presence was felt
Then get my black ass in the bed it's time crash out (crash out)

Take me across her lap, she used to whip me with a strap
When I was bad
Bad

Take me across her lap, she used to whip me with a strap
When I was bad

Despite the alcohol, I had a great old Mama
She famous for her slaps and to this day she's honored
But when I was a lil dude her son was a lil rude
I picked the peas off my plate and pour juice in her nigga food
Get beat, then I'd run and tell grandma "mama hit me for no reason"
She whipped me hard when I finished eatin'
And felt that belt stingi'n after I wet that bed
Hid my drawers and start cryin', when she felt that bed
Caught another when I told her those the fake pro-keds
In the corner weavin' and screamin' trying to block my head
Nowadays kids don't get beat, they get big treats
Fresh pair of sneaks, punishments like have a seat
Back then when friends and neighbors would bust that ass
And bring you back to your momma she got the switch in the stash
That's back to back beatings
Only went outside for free lunch with welts on my legs still leakin' yo

Take me across her lap, she used to whip me with a strap
When I was bad
Bad





Take me across her lap, she used to whip me with a strap
When I was bad

Overall Meaning

In Ghostface Killah's song "Whip You With A Strap," he reminisces about being disciplined as a child by his mother and aunt. The lyrics describe Ghostface as a mischievous child who would curse back at his elders and get high from being around marijuana smoke. The punishment for his behavior was getting whipped with a strap across his mother's lap. Ghostface's lyrics capture the pain and shame that he felt from this discipline while also expressing gratitude for the loving, albeit strict, upbringing that he received.


The opening lines of the song imply that Ghostface is submitting to the punishment willingly, which shows the respect he has for his mother in retrospect. When he was misbehaving, he felt embarrassed and frustrated by the punishment, describing his tantrums and wriggling as his mother whipped him. However, he acknowledges the value of the discipline as he looks back on his upbringing with his famous "Mama" who was known for her slaps.


The lyrics in the song capture themes of generational trauma and healing. Ghostface and the community he grew up in saw discipline as a necessary part of child-rearing, and he recognizes that many other Black children experienced similar circumstances. The song communicates a complex mix of emotions towards the discipline with lines like "Despite the alcohol, I had a great old Mama" and "Back then when friends and neighbors would bust that ass and bring you back to your momma she got the switch in the stash." Through these lyrics, we can see the paradox of Ghostface's experience, a mix of gratitude while also acknowledging the painful reality of the punishment.


Line by Line Meaning

Take me across her lap, she used to whip me with a strap
As a child, I would be disciplined by my mother for misbehaving and she would use physical punishment in the form of a strap.


When I was bad
I would only receive punishment and be whipped with a strap when I did something wrong or misbehaved.


Picture me snotty nose sittin' on my aunt's lap
I can vividly remember sitting on my aunt's lap as a young child with a stuffy nose.


The kid like 5 or 6 shit I will curse back
As a young child, I had already developed a habit of cursing back at older family members.


I got it from the older folks sittin' in the living room
I learned to curse from the older family members that would sit in the living room with me.


Everybody had cups stylistic song boom
Everyone had their cups and were enjoying the stylish music being played in the background.


But then came Darryl Mack lightin' all the reefer up
Suddenly, Darryl Mack began smoking marijuana and the atmosphere changed.


Baby caught a contact I'm trying to tie my sneaker up
I was trying to tie my shoes but became affected by the secondhand marijuana smoke in the room.


I'm missing all the loops strings going in the wrong holes
As a result of being affected by the marijuana smoke, I was having trouble tying my shoes correctly and kept putting the strings in the wrong holes.


It feels like I'm wobbling, look at all these afros
I felt unsteady and disoriented from the effects of the marijuana and looked around at all the people with afros in the room.


Soon as I thought I was good the joke's on me
Just when I thought I was fine and had overcome the effects of the marijuana, something else happened.


I heard a voice "get in the room, I get angry"
My mother called me into the other room and I could tell she was upset.


Sting my feet catch a tantrum
My feet were stinging from the physical punishment and I became upset and threw a tantrum.


Spit, scream, fuck that
I was so upset that I was cursing, screaming, and spitting in anger.


Momma shake me real hard, then get the big gat
My mother shook me violently and then went to retrieve the belt that she would use to whip me with.


That's called the belt help me as I yelled
The belt was the tool my mother used to discipline me and it only made me yell louder in pain.


I'm in the room like "huh, huh, huh" with mad welps
After the physical punishment, I was left in the room crying and screaming in pain from the welts on my skin.


Ragged out, bad belt yes her presence was felt
I was left feeling ragged and in pain from the physical punishment and could strongly feel my mother's presence in the room.


Then get my black ass in the bed it's time crash out (crash out)
After being disciplined, my mother made me go to bed immediately and I quickly fell asleep.


Despite the alcohol, I had a great old Mama
Despite my mother's use of alcohol, she was a good mother to me.


She famous for her slaps and to this day she's honored
My mother was well-known for her use of physical punishment and is still respected for it today.


But when I was a lil dude her son was a lil rude
As a child, I was often disrespectful and disobedient to my mother.


I picked the peas off my plate and pour juice in her nigga food
I misbehaved by removing peas from my plate and pouring juice in my mother's food.


Get beat, then I'd run and tell grandma "mama hit me for no reason"
After receiving physical punishment, I would run to my grandmother and tell her that my mother hit me for no reason.


She whipped me hard when I finished eatin'
My mother would discipline me with physical punishment after I finished eating my meal.


And felt that belt stingi'n after I wet that bed
I was hit with a belt and felt the sting after wetting the bed.


Hid my drawers and start cryin', when she felt that bed
I was so scared of my mother's discipline that I hid my underwear and cried when she checked my bed for wetness.


Caught another when I told her those the fake pro-keds
I was punished again when I admitted that the sneakers I was wearing were fake Pro-Keds.


In the corner weavin' and screamin' trying to block my head
I was so upset that I was screaming and trying to block my head from my mother's physical punishment while in the corner.


Nowadays kids don't get beat, they get big treats
Nowadays, children are rewarded with treats instead of being disciplined with physical punishment.


Fresh pair of sneaks, punishments like have a seat
Children today may receive new sneakers as a form of reward instead of being disciplined with physical punishment.


Back then when friends and neighbors would bust that ass
In the past, friends and neighbors would discipline children with physical punishment.


And bring you back to your momma she got the switch in the stash
If a child misbehaved in the past, friends and neighbors would bring them back to their mother who would use a switch (a type of plant) to discipline them.


That's back to back beatings
In the past, children may have received multiple physical punishments in a row for their misbehavior.


Only went outside for free lunch with welts on my legs still leakin' yo
After receiving physical punishment, I would only leave the house to get a free meal with welts still visible on my legs.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Dennis D. Coles, James Dewitt Yancey, Johnny Baylor, Johnny L. Northern, Luther Thomas Ingram

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions