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.
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Tearz
Wu-Tang Clan Lyrics
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Yo check yo yo, check the script
Me and the gods get it ripped
Blunts in the dip, forty dogs in my lip
Had a box, 'Boom Boom' the bass will blast
We was laughing, at all the girls that passed
Conversation, brothers had begin to discuss
Aw yeah, he ran, but he didn't get far
Cause I dropped him, heh heh heh heh heh ha!
Not knowin', exactly what lied ahead
My little brother, my mother sent him out for bread
Get the Wonder, it's a hot day in the summer
Didn't expect, to come across, a crazy gunner
"Hey Shorty, check it for the bag and the dough"
But he was brave, looked him in the eye, and said "No!"
Money splattered him, BOW! then he snatched the bag
In his pockets, then he jetted up the Ave.
Girls screamin', the noise up and down the block
(Hey, Rakeem!) What? (Your little brother got shot!)
I ran frantically, then I dropped down to his feet
I saw the blood, all over, the hot concrete
I picked him up, then I held him by his head
His eyes shut, that's when I knew he was
Aw man! How do I say goodbye?
It's always the good ones who have to die
Memories in the corner of my mind
Flashbacks, I was laughin' all the time
I taught him, all about the bees and birds
But I wish I had a chance to sing these three words
After laughter, comes tears
Me and my man, my ace big Moe from the shelter
Bout to hit the skins, from this girl named Thelma
Now Thelma had a rep, that was higher than her neck
Every girl from Shaolin dissed her respect
We was stimmy, you know how it is when you're blitzed
Three o'clock in the morning, something gots to give
Moe said he'll go first, I said I'll take next
Here, take this raincoat, and practice safe sex
He seemed to ignore, I said be for real
She's not even worth it, to go raw deal
A man's gonna do what a man's gonna do
He got butt-naked and stuck the power you
Twenty minutes went by, my man went out, without a doubt
I'm not pumpin' up, I am, airin' you
Hey yo, he came out laughing with glory
I'm surprised, he's still livin', to tell his story
But he carried on, with the same old stuff
with Stephanie, like a whammy, he pressed his luck
Both tried to be down with O.P.P.
Ain't nothin' wrong but he got caught with the H.I.V. now
No life to live, doc says two more years
So after the laughter, I guess comes the tears
After laughter, comes tears
After laughter, comes tears
In Wu-Tang Clan's song Tearz, the lyrics explore the themes of loss and grief. The opening line states "After laughter, comes tears", which sets the tone for the rest of the song. The verses tell two separate stories of loss, but they both serve to highlight the harsh realities of life.
The first verse begins with a group of friends laughing and joking around, but the situation quickly turns violent when the main character's younger brother is shot and killed. The lyrics describe the intense emotions felt by the singer as he grieves and struggles to come to terms with his brother's death. The second verse tells the story of a man who contracts HIV after having unprotected sex with a woman who has a bad reputation. The lyrics describe the man's slow decline and the realization that his life will soon come to an end.
Overall, Tearz is a powerful and introspective song that highlights the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing every moment. The lyrics serve as a reminder that even in times of joy and laughter, there is always the possibility of loss and grief.
Line by Line Meaning
After laughter, comes tears
The joy and happiness will soon turn into sorrow and sadness
Yo check yo yo, check the script
Listen up and pay attention
Me and the gods get it ripped
Refers to Wu-Tang Clan members as gods who make great music together
Blunts in the dip, forty dogs in my lip
Smoking marijuana and sipping 40 oz bottles of alcohol
Had a box, 'Boom Boom' the bass will blast
Playing music from a boombox with high bass levels
We was laughing, at all the girls that passed
Making fun of women walking by
Conversation, brothers had begin to discuss
Group of friends talking about something serious
(Hey yo, Ra, remember that kid ya bust?)
One member reminds another member of a past incident where they physically hurt someone
Aw yeah, he ran, but he didn't get far
Person they hurt tried to run away but was caught
Cause I dropped him, heh heh heh heh heh ha!
Laughing about causing bodily harm to someone
Not knowin', exactly what lied ahead
Unaware of what will happen in the future
My little brother, my mother sent him out for bread
The artist's younger brother went out to buy bread for their mother
Get the Wonder, it's a hot day in the summer
The singer told the younger brother to buy Wonder bread on a hot summer day
Didn't expect, to come across, a crazy gunner
They did not anticipate encountering a dangerous person with a gun
"Hey Shorty, check it for the bag and the dough"
The gunner asked the younger brother for money that he was carrying
But he was brave, looked him in the eye, and said "No!"
The younger brother refused to give the money to the gunner
Money splattered him, BOW! then he snatched the bag
The gunner shot the younger brother and took his bag of money
In his pockets, then he jetted up the Ave.
The gunner ran away with the money in his pockets
Girls screamin', the noise up and down the block
People nearby heard the sound of the gun and screamed out of fear
(Hey, Rakeem!) What? (Your little brother got shot!)
Someone informed the artist that his younger brother was shot
I ran frantically, then I dropped down to his feet
The artist ran quickly and fell to the ground next to his younger brother
I saw the blood, all over, the hot concrete
The younger brother was bleeding on the pavement
I picked him up, then I held him by his head
The singer lifted his younger brother's body up and held him close to his head
His eyes shut, that's when I knew he was
The younger brother's eyes were closed, indicating that he was dead
Aw man! How do I say goodbye?
Speaker expresses sadness and emotions about having to say goodbye to his younger brother forever
It's always the good ones who have to die
The singer is lamenting the fact that good people often die young
Memories in the corner of my mind
The singer is recalling memories of his younger brother in his mind
Flashbacks, I was laughin' all the time
Speaker remembers laughing with his younger brother in the past
I taught him, all about the bees and birds
The artist educated his younger brother about sex and reproduction
But I wish I had a chance to sing these three words
The singer regrets not being able to express his love for his younger brother with three words
Me and my man, my ace big Moe from the shelter
The singer and his friend Moe are going to have sex with a girl
Bout to hit the skins, from this girl named Thelma
Refers to having sex with a girl named Thelma
Now Thelma had a rep, that was higher than her neck
Thelma had a reputation for being promiscuous
Every girl from Shaolin dissed her respect
Shaolin girls disrespected Thelma for her promiscuous behavior
We was stimmy, you know how it is when you're blitzed
They were high on drugs when they decided to have sex with Thelma
Three o'clock in the morning, something gots to give
Late at night and feeling the need to have sex
Moe said he'll go first, I said I'll take next
The friends decide on an order to have sex with Thelma
Here, take this raincoat, and practice safe sex
The singer advises his friend to wear a condom
He seemed to ignore, I said be for real
The friend did not seem to take the advice seriously
She's not even worth it, to go raw deal
Speaker expresses his belief that Thelma is not worth the risk of having unprotected sex
A man's gonna do what a man's gonna do
The friend has made up his mind about what he wants to do despite the risks
He got butt-naked and stuck the power you
The friend had sex with Thelma without wearing a condom
Twenty minutes went by, my man went out, without a doubt
The friend had sex with Thelma and finished quickly
I'm not pumpin' up, I am, airin' you
The artist is not hyping up what happened, he's telling the truth
Hey yo, he came out laughing with glory
The friend came out of the room laughing and feeling proud of himself
I'm surprised, he's still livin', to tell his story
The artist is surprised that his friend did not catch any sexually transmitted diseases
But he carried on, with the same old stuff
The friend continued to have sex with another girl
with Stephanie, like a whammy, he pressed his luck
The friend had sex with a girl named Stephanie and continues to take risks
Both tried to be down with O.P.P.
Both the friend and Stephanie tried to have sex with other people despite being in a relationship
Ain't nothin' wrong but he got caught with the H.I.V. now
The friend contracted HIV despite not thinking anything was wrong
No life to live, doc says two more years
The friend has a very limited time left before he will die from HIV
So after the laughter, I guess comes the tears
The joy and happiness from having sex with Thelma are now followed by sadness due to the friend's HIV diagnosis
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Clifford Smith, Corey Woods, Dennis David Coles, Gary E. Grice, Jason Hunter, Joseph W. Frierson, Lamont Hawkins, Mary Frierson, Robert F. Diggs, Russell T. Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind