The founders of the Wu-Tang Clan were RZA, GZA, and Ol' Dirty Bastard, who had previously formed the group Force of the Imperial Master (later known as All In Together Now after the release of a popular single by that name). The group attracted the attention of some notable figures in the industry, including Biz Markie, but did not manage to secure a record deal. After the crew dissolved, GZA and RZA (then known as Prince Rakeem) embarked on their solo careers with Cold Chillin' Records and Tommy Boy Records respectively, but to little success. Their frustration with the workings of the hip hop music industry would provide the main inspiration to Wu-Tang Clan's revolutionary business plan. According to The Wu-Tang Manual, at the group's inception, RZA promised the members that if he had total control of the Wu-Tang empire, it would conquer the hip hop world within a dynastic cycle, after which he would relinquish his total control.
Wu-Tang Clan was gradually assembled in late 1992 from friends and accomplices from around Staten Island, New York, with RZA as the de-facto leader and the group's main producer. Two of the cousins, GZA (pronounced Jizza) and RZA (pronounced Rizza), created their new Wu-Tang aliases by mimicking the sound that the words "genius" and "razor" would make when scratched on a turntable.
"Wu-Tang" comes from the name of the Taoist holy mountain Wu Dang in northwest Hubei Province in central China; it was also the site of the Ming Dynasty Purple Imperial City built during the reign of the Yongle Emperor in the early 15th century. RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard adopted the name for the group after seeing the kung fu film Shaolin and Wu Tang, which features a school of warriors trained in Wu-Tang style. The group's debut album loosely adopted a Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang theme, dividing the album into Shaolin and Wu-Tang sections and using dialogue excerpts as skits.
The group have also developed various backronyms for the name (as hip hop pioneers like KRS-One and Big Daddy Kane did with their names), including "We Usually Take All the Niggas' Garments," "Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game" and "Wisdom, Universe, Truth, Allah, Nation, and God".
Method Man has also mentioned that the "Wu" is the sound a sword makes when cutting through the air, and "Tang" is the sound it makes against a shield.
The Clan first became known to hip hop fans, and to major record labels, in 1993 (see 1993 in music) following the release of the independent single "Protect Ya Neck", which immediately gave the group a sizeable underground following. Though there was some difficulty in finding a record label that would sign Wu-Tang Clan while still allowing each member to record solo albums with other labels, Loud/RCA finally agreed, releasing their debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), in late 1993. This album was popular and critically-acclaimed, though it took some time to gain momentum. Though hip hop had long had a gritty texture, the surreal aggression and minimalist production of 36 Chambers nevertheless had a huge impact on the genre, and was to prove massively influential over the next decade. By the beginning of the 21st century, the album had become a regular fixture on "Best Albums of the 90s" lists as well as a frequent choice for "Best Albums of All Time" lists. The success of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) established the group as a creative and influential force in early 1990s hip hop, allowing GZA, RZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa to negotiate solo contracts.
www.wutang-corp.com
I Wish You Were Here FEAT. Ghostface Killah Tre Williams
Wu-Tang Clan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes I pull my boxers down, ya'll, with one Timb on
It be times, you know I stay away when her friends on
For some reason, she be really hot, when her friends gone
That's when I slide on over with a Guinness on the stouffer
To talk a little shit, then get a little closer
Like, what up boo, you know that Ghost loves you
I get butterflies when we hug and kiss, do you?
That pretty mole above your lips looking cute now
Ooh child, I'm patient, my mind's telling me
To stay calm, I wanna get it off like a G bomb
On top of your skin, I'm sliding it in
When I'm done, you can wake it up and ride it again
Then we can hold on through the night, fan on and covers on
It's bright from the TV light, peace, good night
Looking out my window, sun shining bright
Birds are singing, trying to make things right
Now I got music, oh, on my radio
And I can hear love songs playing, behind closed doors
Now I don't want no one, on the catch me side
But ever since you left, said goodbye
[Chorus]
I wish you were here with me
I said I wish you were here with me
I wish you were here, with me
And thinking bout your kiss, gloom all around me
Seen our love, is never gonna find me
And I keep looking, oh, for that brighter day
When all I see is, time slipping away
Oh and I got to talk, to keep myself together
But all I see is stormy weather
[Chorus]
Now I got to get, get myself together
Cause I can't take no more, of this stormy weather
Now I wish you were here with me
I wish you were right here
I wish you were here with me, ooh
[Chorus]
Night falls and I call for you, love
But there's no one here to answer
No, no, no, oh
The wind blows and I turn to catch ya
But there's no one there but my reflection
No, oh I said I wish you was here with me
In the first verse of Wu-Tang Clan's song "I Wish You Were Here," Ghostface Killah talks about a former lover that he still has feelings for. He reminisces about how he used to enjoy being intimate with her and how he still gets nervous around her. He talks about how she is hot when her friends are not around because he can approach her without any distractions. He also talks about how patient he is and how he wants to be with her all night. In the chorus, Tre Williams sings about missing someone and wishing they were there, while in the second verse Ghostface Killah talks about missing his lover's kiss and being sad that love seems to have passed him by. He ends the song by lamenting that there is no one to answer his call and that he wishes he could be with his lover.
Line by Line Meaning
This was my favorite girl for years, she knows the way I perform
There was a girl I loved for years, and she knows exactly how I do things.
Sometimes I pull my boxers down, ya'll, with one Timb on
I've been known to take my pants off with one boot still on.
It be times, you know I stay away when her friends on
Sometimes when she's with her friends, I keep my distance.
For some reason, she be really hot, when her friends gone
I find her especially attractive when her friends aren't around.
That's when I slide on over with a Guinness on the stouffer
When I see the chance, I come over with a Guinness and sit close by.
To talk a little shit, then get a little closer
I like to tease her a bit, then move in for a closer conversation.
Like, what up boo, you know that Ghost loves you
I usually start with a greeting and let her know that I love her.
I get butterflies when we hug and kiss, do you?
When we hug and kiss, I get a fluttery feeling. Do you feel the same?
Huh? Answer me, let me if it's the truth now
Hey, can you answer me honestly? I want to know if you feel the same way.
That pretty mole above your lips looking cute now
I can't help but notice that mole above your lip, it's cute.
Ooh child, I'm patient, my mind's telling me
I'm willing to wait for you, my mind is telling me to be patient.
To stay calm, I wanna get it off like a G bomb
I remind myself to stay calm, even though I'm excited like a G bomb.
On top of your skin, I'm sliding it in
I'm kissing your skin and getting closer to you.
When I'm done, you can wake it up and ride it again
After we're intimate, you can take a break and we'll do it again later.
Then we can hold on through the night, fan on and covers on
We can embrace all night, with the fan on and covers over us.
It's bright from the TV light, peace, good night
The brightness from the TV illuminates the room, good night.
Looking out my window, sun shining bright
I'm looking out my window on a sunny day.
Birds are singing, trying to make things right
The birds are singing and I feel like they're trying to make things better.
Now I got music, oh, on my radio
I'm listening to music on the radio now.
And I can hear love songs playing, behind closed doors
I can hear love songs playing in the background, behind closed doors.
Now I don't want no one, on the catch me side
I don't want anyone trying to catch me doing something wrong.
But ever since you left, said goodbye
But ever since you left me and said goodbye.
I wish you were here with me
I really wish you were here with me right now.
And thinking bout your kiss, gloom all around me
Thinking about your kiss, I'm surrounded by sadness.
Seen our love, is never gonna find me
I feel like our love won't ever come back to me.
And I keep looking, oh, for that brighter day
I keep searching for a brighter day.
When all I see is, time slipping away
All I see is time going by too fast.
Oh and I got to talk, to keep myself together
I need to talk to keep myself calm.
But all I see is stormy weather
But all I can see is dark and stormy weather.
Now I got to get, get myself together
I need to pull myself together now.
Cause I can't take no more, of this stormy weather
Because I can't handle this stormy weather anymore.
Now I wish you were here with me
I really wish you were here with me right now.
Night falls and I call for you, love
It's getting late and I'm calling out to you, my love.
But there's no one here to answer
You're not here to answer me.
The wind blows and I turn to catch ya
The wind blows and I turn, hoping to see you.
But there's no one there but my reflection
But all I see is my own reflection.
No, oh I said I wish you was here with me
I really wish you were here with me right now.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIE MITCHELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniela Juarez
songs like this are the reason why ghostface is the king of hip-hop love songs
Dutch3k5
Preach 🙌🏾
sirwfc718
GK is insane. This is one of those hit you on a deeper level songs. I love the live drums, you almost hear the slight imperfections to give it authenticity.
Ghost face
I always find myself coming back to this song. Gold.
Sandra Wide
I love it..... need more music like that today to show the real feeling and expressions.....will make a better world
GroovyGuitar02
This should be in my vinyl collection . Big time . I almost feel shame i've only a CD of that .
Ghost Monroy
I miss him. This was OUR song..
WE loved Hiphop & all that. But when he dedicated this perfect song , it blew my mind.
Its all done..all i remember are the times he was here with me laying down and jamming this. I still love him & his asshole ways... one day Pecas..if not..then i wish you all the best .
"Get myself together, but all i see is stormy weather".
Trevor French
Keeping this shit alive in 2021 such a banger wu tang forever baby
ConcaCon
Nas used it also for "Shootouts" on It Was Written. Al Green is still killing it, far as I can see... still gets sampled...
Zoheb zee zee
damn. this is too dope to take in, i need to listen to it like 10 more times then i can bob my head to this,