Jean moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was nine, then to Northern New Jersey, where he began playing the guitar and studying jazz in his high school. In 1987, Jean, his friend (so close they told people they were cousins growing up) Prakazrel Michel (Pras) and his classmate, Lauryn Hill, formed a group called the Tranzlator Crew before becoming The Fugees. Wyclef worked as a cabdriver.
Recently he has been finding success as a collaborator - with his turn on Shakira's 2006 track 'Hips Don't Lie' hitting number one in many countries around the world.
In August of 2010, Jean announced his intent to seek the presidency of Haiti. This move came after his increasingly-high profile humanitarian work in the wake of the earthquake that devastated that nation.
Bubblegoose
Wyclef Jean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A microphone and she said I'd go far
She said, "Just keep it raw, the lyrics hardcore"
Listen to my talk and get up, I'm on the corner with my
Hey kids, gather around, it's Wyclef and Melky Sedeck
I got a story to tell, here we go
He used to clock around the block from where my grandma stayed
Black BMW with rims to match, windows bulletproof
One night, he jumped out the car
And caught a bullet in his bubblegoose
He caught a bullet in his bubblegoose
He caught a bullet in his bubblegoose
You can be at the party gettin' loose
But you can catch a bullet in your bubblegoose
Hey yo, hey yo, my pen's in my hand, OK, what should I write next?
Oh yeah, and if you don't know, success brings stress
I'm vexed, my phone rings, collect caller from Jeff
The operator say, "If you accept, say yes"
"Yes, what's the deal, son?"
"Yo, I got bad news"
Yo, by the tone of his voice, I heard the I'll street blues
"The friends will make you, them too can break you
They plan an execution like Fu Manchu"
"Who?"
"You know the character from channel 5 kung-fu (wahoo)"
"Slow down, man, Jeff, I'm losin' you"
"Hey yo, your cousin Rohann..."
"Uh-huh"
"Who used to sell bang"
"Uh-huh"
"DT's found his hand in the back of Bennigans"
"What?"
"In a plastic bag with a note attached"
"Saying what?"
"A million and a half or he won't be back"
"So meet me by the Brooklyn Bridge, 12:00 sharp"
"If not, at the funeral, you gotta play the harp"
Yo, why they wanna start and make me play my part?
Don't they know like Sting, I can turn this murder into art?
I jumped into my car, there's gotta be a joke
Traffic's backed up, who's in town, the Pope?
S-s-s-s-someone blew the horn, I turned and looked left
To my surprise, it was my sis, Melky Sedeck
Sit right back and hear a tale of a hustler 'round my way
He used to clock around the block from where my grandma stayed
Black BMW with rims to match, windows bulletproof
One night, he jumped out the car
And caught a bullet in his bubblegoose
He caught a bullet in his bubblegoose
He caught a bullet in his bubblegoose
You can be at the party gettin' loose
But you can catch a bullet in your bubblegoose
You're shootin' in the opposite position
I'm thinkin', "Should I fire or hold back on ammunition
On your wig transition?"
My mission, like Take 6, is to spread love
But all you screwed mugs got me wearin' black gloves
You up in my face, I see the fear in your eyes
You gonna feel the pain like a grown man gettin' circumcised
Shalom, shalom, pardon my left
But my right hand's on your throat, massaging you to death
You provoke the cycle, call Michael
You're lookin' in the mirror, well, I'm in your window, oh oh
You hear me Urkel, your blood will turn purple
Like the color, you holler, bawlin' for your mother
No-one hears you even though you knock
You used to walk around the block with the daily rock
Things done changed since your spark got hot
Now you got your knot wocked with your very own Glock
Sit right back and hear a tale of a hustler 'round my way
He used to clock around the block from where my grandma stayed
Black BMW with rims to match, windows bulletproof
One night, he jumped out the car
And caught a bullet in his bubblegoose
He caught a bullet in his bubblegoose
He caught a bullet in his bubblegoose
You can be witcha girl gettin' loose
But you can catch a bullet in your goose
He caught a bullet in his bubblegoose
He caught a bullet in his bubblegoose
You can be at the party gettin' loose
But you can catch a bullet in your goose
The song Bubblegoose by Wyclef Jean is a story-telling style of song, with the lyrics discussing the dangers of hustling and getting caught up in street violence. The song begins with Wyclef Jean recalling his mom buying him a guitar and a microphone and telling him to keep it raw with hardcore lyrics. The song then transitions into the main story that Wyclef is trying to tell. He talks about a character from his neighborhood who used to hustle and was known to drive a black BMW with bulletproof windows and custom rims. One night this individual got out of his car and was fatally shot wearing his "bubblegoose," a popular style of jacket at that time.
In the second verse of the song, Wyclef receives a collect call from Jeff telling him that his cousin Rohann has been found dead with a note that reads he needs to come up with a million and a half dollars or Rohann won't be coming back. Wyclef jumps into his car to go to Jeff and to try and handle this situation but gets caught up in traffic. Wyclef then has a confrontation with another character who he refers to as Urkel. The song contains themes of violence and the consequences of trying to hustle on the streets.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was young, Mama bought me a guitar
My mother gave me a guitar and a microphone and told me I had a future in music.
A microphone and she said I'd go far
My mother had faith in me and believed that my talent would take me to great heights.
She said, 'Just keep it raw, the lyrics hardcore'
My mother taught me to be true to myself and to express my art honestly and authentically.
Listen to my talk and get up, I'm on the corner with my
Come hear me perform on the street corner where I'm giving a live performance.
Hey kids, gather around, it's Wyclef and Melky Sedeck
I'm Wyclef and you should gather around for my story, which also features my singing partner Melky Sedeck.
I got a story to tell, here we go
I am going to tell you a tale now, so pay attention.
Sit right back and hear a tale of a hustler 'round my way
Listen to my story about a hustler who lived in my neighborhood.
He used to clock around the block from where my grandma stayed
He used to be in the neighborhood that my grandmother lived in and was always around.
Black BMW with rims to match, windows bulletproof
He drove a black BMW with matching rims and bulletproof windows.
One night, he jumped out the car
One night, while he was out driving, he exited the vehicle.
And caught a bullet in his bubblegoose
He was shot and hit in his bubblegoose.
You can be at the party gettin' loose, but you can catch a bullet in your bubblegoose
You may think you're having a good time at a party, but danger is always lurking, and you may get hurt.
Hey yo, hey yo, my pen's in my hand, OK, what should I write next?
I'm about to write something down, but I'm not sure what to put on paper yet.
Oh yeah, and if you don't know, success brings stress
Success can come with a lot of stress and pressure that people may not be aware of.
I'm vexed, my phone rings, collect caller from Jeff
I'm upset and frustrated and then I receive a phone call from Jeff who is calling collect.
The operator say, 'If you accept, say yes'
The operator instructs me to accept the collect call by saying 'yes.'
'Yes, what's the deal, son?'
I say 'yes' and ask what Jeff needs to talk to me about.
'Yo, I got bad news'
Jeff tells me that he has bad news.
Yo, by the tone of his voice, I heard the I'll street blues
Based on his tone of voice, I know Jeff is about to tell me something terrible.
'The friends will make you, them too can break you
Jeff warns me that the same people who helped me succeed may also be my downfall.
They plan an execution like Fu Manchu'
These people are plotting to execute a plan like the fictional character Fu Manchu.
'You know the character from channel 5 kung-fu (wahoo)'
He's referring to the character from the TV show 'Kung-Fu' that aired on channel 5.
'Slow down, man, Jeff, I'm losin' you'
I tell Jeff to slow down because I'm having trouble keeping up with him.
'Hey yo, your cousin Rohann...'
Jeff tries to continue with his news about my cousin Rohann.
'Yo, why they wanna start and make me play my part?'
Jeff's news has left me wondering why people would want to cause trouble and force me to get involved in their schemes.
Don't they know like Sting, I can turn this murder into art?
I'm an artist and I can turn even a tragic event like murder into something creative and artistic.
I jumped into my car, there's gotta be a joke
I'm trying to process what Jeff told me, and it seems too absurd to be true.
Traffic's backed up, who's in town, the Pope?
Traffic is really congested, and I wonder if the Pope is in town because of it.
Someone blew the horn, I turned and looked left
I hear someone honking their horn and turn to see what's happening.
To my surprise, it was my sis, Melky Sedeck
I'm surprised to see Melky Sedeck, my sister, driving the car and honking the horn.
You're shootin' in the opposite position
You're trying to fight against me when you should be on my side.
I'm thinkin', 'Should I fire or hold back on ammunition
I'm considering whether or not to retaliate with force or to hold back and not react.
On your wig transition?'
Is this really the way you want to go? Is this worth it?
My mission, like Take 6, is to spread love
My goal, like the band Take 6, is to spread love and promote positivity through my music.
But all you screwed mugs got me wearin' black gloves
Unfortunately, I have to protect myself against people who want to harm me, so I have to wear gloves to hide my fingerprints.
You up in my face, I see the fear in your eyes
You're trying to intimidate me, but I can see that you're actually scared.
You gonna feel the pain like a grown man gettin' circumcised
I'm going to make you hurt, just like a grown man would feel the pain of getting circumcised.
Shalom, shalom, pardon my left
I say 'peace' twice and ask for forgiveness as I throw a punch with my left hand.
But my right hand's on your throat, massaging you to death
My right hand is choking you and killing you, but I phrase it in a more gentle way by saying I'm massaging you.
You provoke the cycle, call Michael
You've started a cycle of violence, so you can call upon the archangel Michael to protect you.
You're lookin' in the mirror, well, I'm in your window, oh oh
You think you're safe in your house looking in the mirror, but I'm outside your window, ready to strike.
You hear me Urkel, your blood will turn purple
I'm referencing the TV character Urkel to taunt you mockingly, and I tell you that your blood will turn purple with bruises from my attack.
Like the color, you holler, bawlin' for your mother
You'll scream so loud and in so much pain, you'll sound like a child crying for their mother.
No-one hears you even though you knock
Even if you scream for help, no one will come to your aid.
You used to walk around the block with the daily rock
You used to be a drug dealer, walking around the neighborhood selling your product.
Things done changed since your spark got hot
Things have changed since you started making more money, but not necessarily for the better.
Now you got your knot wocked with your very own Glock
Now you have money, but it has only led to trouble, and you now carry your own gun for protection.
You can catch a bullet in your goose
You may not even realize the danger you're in until it's too late, and you're shot.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SALAAM REMI, WYCLEF JEAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind