Sleep Rules Everything Around Me
Wugazi Lyrics


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I grew up on the crime side, the New York Times side
Staying alive was no jive
Had second hands, mom's bounced on old man
So then we moved to Shaolin land
A young youth, yo rockin the gold tooth, 'Lo goose
Only way, I begin to G' off was drug loot
And let's start it like this son, rollin with this one
And that one, pullin out gats for fun
But it was just a dream for the teen, who was a fiend
Started smokin woolies at sixteen
And running up in gates, and doing hits for high stakes
Making my way on fire escapes
No question I would speed, for cracks and weed
The combination made my eyes bleed
No question I would flow off, and try to get the dough off
Sticking up white boys in ball courts
My life got no better, same damn 'Lo sweater
Times is rough and tough like leather
Figured out I went the wrong route
So I got with a sick tight clique and went all out
Catchin keys from across seas
Rollin in MPV's, every week we made forty G's
Yo brothas respect mine, or anger the Tec-9
Ch-POW! Move from the gate now
I'm so tired, sheep are counting me
No more struggle, no more energy
It's been 22 long hard years and still strugglin
Survival got me buggin, but I'm alive on arrival
I peep at the shape of the streets
And stay awake to the ways of the world cause shit is deep

Which failed; I went to jail at the age of 15
A young buck sellin drugs and such who never had much
Trying to get a clutch at what I could not touch
The court played me short, now I face incarceration
Pacin', going up state's my destination
Handcuffed in back of a bus, forty of us
Life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough
But as the world turns I learned life is Hell
Living in the world, no different from a cell
Everyday I escape from Jakes givin chase, sellin base
Smokin bones in the staircase
Though I don't know why I chose to smoke sess
I guess that's the time when I'm not depressed
But I'm still depressed, and I ask what's it worth?
Ready to give up so I seek the Old Earth
Who explained working hard may help you maintain
to learn to overcome the heartaches and pain
We got stickup kids, corrupt cops, and crack rocks
and stray shots, all on the block that stays hot
Leave it up to me while I be living proof
To kick the truth to the young black youth
But shorty's running wild, smokin sess, drinkin beer
And ain't trying to hear what I'm kickin in his ear
Neglected for now, but yo, it gots to be accepted
That what? That life is hectic
I'm so tired, sheep are counting me
No more struggle, no more energy




No patient, you can write that down
It's all too crazy and I'm not sticking around

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Wugazi's "Sleep Rules Everything Around Me" paint a vivid picture of a young man growing up on the "crime side" of New York City, facing tough challenges from the very beginning. They highlight how he moved to Shaolin Land with his mother, who had left his father, and how he had to resort to drug loot to get started. This young man seems to have had a taste for dangerous living, as he is described as rocking gold teeth, wearing Lo goose jackets, and pulling out guns at any opportunity.


The lyrics then progress to him talking about doing illegal activities such as climbing fire escapes, robbing white boys in basketball courts, and selling drugs, all in an attempt to make ends meet. The young man laments his lack of direction and the wrong choices he has made, leading him to end up in jail at 15. As he reflects on his life and experiences, he seems tired of the constant struggle and lack of progress. He speaks of the need to accept the hectic nature of life, eventually giving up and leaving everything behind.


Line by Line Meaning

I grew up on the crime side, the New York Times side Staying alive was no jive Had second hands, mom's bounced on old man So then we moved to Shaolin land
My upbringing was rough due to being born and raised in a high-crime area of New York City. Surviving was difficult, as we had to deal with violence, drugs, and poverty. My family situation was also tough, with my mother leaving my abusive father and us moving to the Shaolin area of Staten Island.


A young youth, yo rockin the gold tooth, 'Lo goose Only way, I begin to G' off was drug loot
As a young person, I embraced the gangster lifestyle and started getting money through selling drugs.


And let's start it like this son, rollin with this one And that one, pullin out gats for fun But it was just a dream for the teen, who was a fiend Started smokin woolies at sixteen And running up in gates, and doing hits for high stakes Making my way on fire escapes No question I would speed, for cracks and weed The combination made my eyes bleed No question I would flow off, and try to get the dough off Sticking up white boys in ball courts
I ran with a group of friends, and we would often show off our guns for fun. I was addicted to drugs, and at a young age, I started smoking cigarettes laced with PCP. I got into breaking into people's houses and doing dangerous criminal activities such as robbery, which involved sticking up wealthy white people at basketball courts.


My life got no better, same damn 'Lo sweater Times is rough and tough like leather Figured out I went the wrong route So I got with a sick tight clique and went all out Catchin keys from across seas Rollin in MPV's, every week we made forty G's
My life didn't improve much despite the money I was making. I realized that I needed to change my ways, so I joined a new group of friends and started smuggling drugs into the country from overseas. We made a lot of money doing this, earning $40,000 a week.


Yo brothas respect mine, or anger the Tec-9 Ch-POW! Move from the gate now
People respect me and my crew, and if they don't, we threaten them with our guns to get them to leave.


I'm so tired, sheep are counting me No more struggle, no more energy It's been 22 long hard years and still strugglin Survival got me buggin, but I'm alive on arrival I peep at the shape of the streets And stay awake to the ways of the world cause shit is deep
I'm exhausted and counting sheep to fall asleep. I've been struggling to survive for 22 years and it's making me paranoid. I'm paying close attention to my surroundings and trying to stay aware of the dangers of the world.


Which failed; I went to jail at the age of 15 A young buck sellin drugs and such who never had much Trying to get a clutch at what I could not touch The court played me short, now I face incarceration Pacin', going up state's my destination Handcuffed in back of a bus, forty of us Life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough But as the world turns I learned life is Hell Living in the world, no different from a cell
I attempted to get something I couldn't have by selling drugs, but it didn't go as planned, and I ended up in jail at a young age. Although life should be easier as a child, mine was not, and the criminal justice system has failed me. I'm going to prison, and the bus ride there is full of other young people facing the same fate. Life on the outside isn't that different from being in a prison cell.


Everyday I escape from Jakes givin chase, sellin base Smokin bones in the staircase Though I don't know why I chose to smoke sess I guess that's the time when I'm not depressed But I'm still depressed, and I ask what's it worth? Ready to give up so I seek the Old Earth Who explained working hard may help you maintain to learn to overcome the heartaches and pain
Every day, I'm pursued by cops while trying to sell drugs, and I smoke marijuana to escape my problems. Even though smoking lessens my depression, I'm still unhappy and unsure if it's worth it. I seek wise advice from someone who explained that working hard may maintain a sense of wellbeing and lead to learning to overcome hardships.


We got stickup kids, corrupt cops, and crack rocks and stray shots, all on the block that stays hot Leave it up to me while I be living proof To kick the truth to the young black youth But shorty's running wild, smokin sess, drinkin beer And ain't trying to hear what I'm kickin in his ear Neglected for now, but yo, it gots to be accepted That what? That life is hectic
Our neighborhood is full of danger and negative influences, including robbers, drug-dealing police officers, and crack cocaine. Nonetheless, I'm determined to share my experiences and truth with young people in my community. Unfortunately, many of them are not receptive, instead choosing to engage in unhealthy and dangerous behaviors. It's a sad reality that life is chaotic and unpredictable.


No patient, you can write that down It's all too crazy and I'm not sticking around
I don't have the patience for this anymore, and I refuse to stick around in this chaotic and dangerous environment.




Contributed by Cole C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Kevin Blumenfeld

I grew up on the crime side, the New York Times side
Staying alive was no jive
At second hands, moms bounced on old man
So then we moved to Shaolin land
A young youth, rocking the gold tooth, 'Lo goose
Only way I be getting the G off was drug loot
And let's start it like this son, rolling with this one and that one
Pulling out gats for fun
But it was just a dream for the teen who was a fiend
Started smoking woolas at 16
And running up in gates, and doing hits for high stakes
Making my way on fire escapes
No question I would speed for cracks and weed
The combination made my eyes bleed
No question I would flow off and try to get the dough all
Sticking up white boys in ball courts
My life got no better, same damn 'Lo sweater
Times is rough and tough like leather
Figured out I went the wrong route
So I got with a sick-tight clique and went all out
Catching keys from across seas
Rolling in MPV's every week we made forty G's
Yo brothers respect mine or here go the TEC-9
Ch-chick-POW, move from the gate now



All comments from YouTube:

OhGodVelociraptors

probably the best mashup I've ever heard. I'm still shocked that this many people are fans of both Wu-Tang and Fugazi though, I thought there would be less overlap.

Dave B

people like to go hard

Kurtis Gibbs

I always thought hip hop and punk had a lot of overlap. They’re both revolutionary expressions of people who are disenfranchised, and are glad to loudly and proudly be anti-establishment.
Different backgrounds, same fight.

Geert Terluin

@Kurtis Gibbs Truth spoken

bob

I'm a Fugazi fan cos of this song

Grimm Valentine

Right ?! Such a beautiful thing

16 More Replies...

Michael Alexander

10 years later I still return to this every few months...I think it's the most beautiful and powerful mashup ever created. There are plenty of clever, fun, and/or ridiculous mashups (and I really love those!), but I really think this is better than either of the already amazing original songs. Genuinely transcendent.

Cas Jordan

Agreed dawg

Rick Christie

This is a fucking work of art!!

Brian Tegeder

Spitting facts! I’ve been a Wu Tang and punk/hardcore fan since the 90s. I’m just hearing this now somehow. It’s amazing.

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