C.R.E.A.M.
Wu‐Tang Clan Lyrics

What that nigga want God?
Opening line, questioning the intentions of someone (perhaps law enforcement)

Word up, look out for the cops (Wu-Tang five finger shit)
Be careful, the police are around (using Wu-Tang hand signals)

(Cash Rules) Word up, two for fives over here baby
I only accept cash, and I am selling two for five dollars here

Word up, two for fives them niggas got garbage down the way, word up
The people a few blocks down are selling inferior products for the same price

Know what I'm sayin'?
Do you understand my point of view?

(Cash Rules Everything Around Me C.R.E.A.M. get)
Money controls everything in our society

Yeah, check this ol' fly shit out Word up
Listen to this cool thing I want to share with you

(Cash Rules Everything Around Me) Take you on a natural joint (C.R.E.A.M. get the money) Here we here we go (Dolla dolla bill y'all) Check this shit, yo!
I'll take you on a journey with my music, earn money, and let's go!

I grew up on the crime side, the New York Times side Staying alive was no jive
I grew up in a dangerous neighborhood and survival was difficult

At second hands, moms bounced on old men So then we moved to Shaolin land
My mother dated multiple partners and then we moved to a new area in Staten Island nicknamed 'Shaolin'

A young youth, yo rockin' the gold tooth, 'Lo goose Only way, I begin to gee off was drug loot
As a young person, I sold drugs to make money to buy trendy clothing and jewelry

And let's start it like this son, rollin' with this one And that one, pullin' out gats for fun
Let me tell you a story about hanging out with my friends and pulling out guns for kicks

But it was just a dream for the teen, who was a fiend Started smokin' woolies at sixteen
It was a fantasy for a teenager who had a drug addiction and started smoking crack at age sixteen

And running up in gates, and doing hits for high stakes Making my way on fire escapes
We broke into places, committed crimes for a big payout, and even escaped through windows

No question I would speed, for cracks and weed The combination made my eyes bleed
I would do anything to get crack and marijuana, even if it made me physically ill

No question I would flow off, and try to get the dough all Sticking up white boys in ball courts
I was committed to making money, even if it meant robbing white boys at basketball courts

My life got no better, same damn 'Lo sweater Times is ruff and tuff like leather
My life didn't improve, I was still wearing the same sweater and life was tough like leather

Figured out I went the wrong route So I got with a sick ass click and went all out
I realized I was on the wrong path, so I joined a notorious gang and became more involved in crime

Catchin' keys from across seas Rollin in MPV's, every week we made forty G's
Importing illegal drugs from foreign countries and earning $40,000 weekly while driving in expensive cars

Yo nigga respect mine, or anger the tech nine Ch-chick-POW! Wu from the gate now
Respect me or face the consequences of my gun, the Wu-Tang Clan is now in charge

(Cash, Rules, Everything, Around, Me C.R.E.A.M. Get the money Dollar, dollar bill y'all)
Money is king, so let's make as much money as possible

It's been twenty-two long hard years of still strugglin Survival got me buggin, but I'm alive on arrival
I have been struggling to survive for over two decades, but I am still alive and have hope

I peep at the shape of the streets And stay awake to the ways of the world cause shit is deep
I observe and understand the surroundings I am in because the world is complicated

A man with a dream with plans to make C.R.E.A.M. Which failed I went to jail at the age of 15
I had aspirations of making money but failed and was sent to jail at only fifteen years old

A young buck sellin' drugs and such who never had much Trying to get a clutch at what I could not, could not,
I was a young man selling drugs to make a living, trying to grab onto anything I could not have

The court played me short, now I face incarceration Pacin' going up state's my destination
The justice system didn't treat me fairly, and now I am facing a prison sentence and will be sent upstate

Handcuffed in back of a bus, forty of us Life as a shorty shouldn't be so ruff
Handcuffed on a prison bus with forty other criminals, life should not have been so hard

But as the world turns I learned life is hell Living in the world no different from a cell
I have discovered that life can be a living hell, and the world we live in is not so different from a prison cell

Everyday I escape from Jakes givin' chase, sellin' base Smokin' bones in the staircase
I evade the police who are pursuing me while selling drugs and smoking marijuana in a stairwell

Though I don't know why I chose to smoke sess I guess that's the time when I'm not depressed
I'm not sure why I started smoking weed, but perhaps it's a way for me to cope with my depression

But I'm still depressed, and I ask what's it worth? Ready to give up so I seek the Old Earth
I still feel depressed and wonder if anything is worth it, so I seek guidance from an elder

Who explained working hard may help you maintain To learn to overcome the heartaches and pain
The elder explained that working hard can help me maintain a good life and learn to move on from emotional pain and hardships

We got stickup kids, corrupt cops, and crack rocks And stray shots, all on the block that stays hot
Our neighborhood has kids who rob others, corrupt police officers, drug addiction, and unexpected gunfire

Leave it up to me while I be living proof To kick the truth to the young black youth
Let me show you by example that I am proof that honesty is the best policy, especially for young Black people

But shorty's running wild smokin sess drinkin' beer And ain't trying to hear what I'm kickin in his ear
The youth are running wild; they smoke weed and drink beer while ignoring my advice

Neglected, but now, but yo, it gots to be accepted That what? That life is hectic
My advice may have been neglected, but everyone must accept that life can be tough and unpredictable