Wu-Tang (Raekwon) lyrics deciphering?

[Dominator]

As an Euro whose mother tongue isn’t English I find it really hard to understand what Raekwon is rapping in the songs „Cash Still Rules“ and „The Projects“. I get the big picture but some phrases are like riddles. The other dudes on these songs are easy.

Can someone decipher the following lyrics lol, maybe [MENTION=15384]7thdayz given that you’re from New York, grew up in the Mafia era combined with the legal genius advantage?
I highlighted the stuff I find the most difficult to understand.

Bound by honest sword take over the set, rap from here to Quebec
Throw up the TEC, crash your intellect, select a vet
Swimsuit mammal handle, yo every fly vandal go to project
Slam you like Hamill's Whitewater Scandal
Wally sandal just a sample, my niggas fertilize thoughts
Yo mad support drink a quart then bamboo
One nasty can blew, my pen sterile won't perform if I'm not lampable
Asking my man'll get you slapped down, play the anthem
Lit it who with it champagne get it, that's the ticket
Silent nines sounding like crickets, snatch your worker’s shipment
Pull her hair, long dick it, we talk right before we left lifted
Just like a long sleeve, guess who ripped it?



Scary hours no money out, smash the Guinness Stout
Play the outfield, Lucille, switched cracks on shields
She's a rich fiend sacrifice her fam shift them niggas
To Queens
Guess jeans she charged thirty-five beans
Hit the cell phone, regulate with well known Tone
A Wally kingpin who also slam the strike edition
What up? Corleone smoke the bone, Tone phone me
What up? He tried to slang there, address him with chrome only
Grady with the gray beard, transporting for him
Rocking Nike Air, Rastafarian bird, piping that
Switchin Benzes, ten carat nigga with gold lenses
Fronting like he's sitting on a lump, he's sitting on junk
You wanna pull a heist, draw guns and robberies
You wanna rock rep, step in yellow Wallabies
Names arraigned, they're Century Fox, little Glocks
Them niggas with stocks, wheelyin' blocks
Rich lifestyle, spoiled like an ordinary white child
But right now, Sun it still shine, shed light now
Breakdown, liquidate God, fucking grab the nickel plate
'Spenser: For Hire', tension when we mention Dryer
He's a slave cop, behave pop
Isuzu Beige Top will blow that cat at the Purple Haze spot

[Esoteric]

I was a Wu fan before I was a Pac fan and I still don't know what they're talking about half the time

[7thdayprofessor]

As an Euro whose mother tongue isn’t English I find it really hard to understand what Raekwon is rapping in the songs „Cash Still Rules“ and „The Projects“. I get the big picture but some phrases are like riddles. The other dudes on these songs are easy.

Can someone decipher the following lyrics lol, maybe [MENTION=15384]7thdayz given that you’re from New York, grew up in the Mafia era combined with the legal genius advantage?
I highlighted the stuff I find the most difficult to understand.

Bound by honest sword take over the set, rap from here to Quebec
Throw up the TEC, crash your intellect, select a vet
Swimsuit mammal handle, yo every fly vandal go to project
Slam you like Hamill's Whitewater Scandal
Wally sandal just a sample, my niggas fertilize thoughts
Yo mad support drink a quart then bamboo
One nasty can blew, my pen sterile won't perform if I'm not lampable
Asking my man'll get you slapped down, play the anthem
Lit it who with it champagne get it, that's the ticket
Silent nines sounding like crickets, snatch your worker’s shipment
Pull her hair, long dick it, we talk right before we left lifted
Just like a long sleeve, guess who ripped it?



Scary hours no money out, smash the Guinness Stout
Play the outfield, Lucille, switched cracks on shields
She's a rich fiend sacrifice her fam shift them niggas
To Queens
Guess jeans she charged thirty-five beans
Hit the cell phone, regulate with well known Tone
A Wally kingpin who also slam the strike edition
What up? Corleone smoke the bone, Tone phone me
What up? He tried to slang there, address him with chrome only
Grady with the gray beard, transporting for him
Rocking Nike Air, Rastafarian bird, piping that
Switchin Benzes, ten carat nigga with gold lenses
Fronting like he's sitting on a lump, he's sitting on junk
You wanna pull a heist, draw guns and robberies
You wanna rock rep, step in yellow Wallabies
Names arraigned, they're Century Fox, little Glocks
Them niggas with stocks, wheelyin' blocks
Rich lifestyle, spoiled like an ordinary white child
But right now, Sun it still shine, shed light now
Breakdown, liquidate God, fucking grab the nickel plate
'Spenser: For Hire', tension when we mention Dryer
He's a slave cop, behave pop
Isuzu Beige Top will blow that cat at the Purple Haze spot

Shake them niggaz

Scary hours(After midnight), long money out (Has large amounts of cash with him), smash the guiness stout

Play the outfield (Taking back and sideroads to avoid police detection/is careful, watches for cops), Lucille, switched cracks on chill

She's a rich fiend sacrifice her fam shift them niggas
To Queens
Guess jeans she charged thirty-five beans

Hit the cell phone, regulate with well known Tone
A Wiley (A person who is willing to raise hell/wile out) kingpin who also slam the stripe edition

What up? Corleone smoke the bone (Smoke crack/weed), Tone phone me
What up? He tried to slang there, address him with chrome only

Grady with the gray beard, transporting for him
Rocking Nike Air, Rastafarian bird, piping that (Smokin the same drugs he selling)

Switchin Benzes, ten carat nigga with gold lenses
Fronting like he's sitting on a lump, he's sitting on junk jump

You wanna pull a heist, draw guns and robberies
You wanna rock rep, step in yellow Wallabies (A type of shoe famous in NY, with laces only near the top of the shoe)

Names arraigned, they're Century Fox, little Glocks
Them niggas with stocks, wheelyin' blocks

Rich lifestyle, spoiled like an ordinary white child
But right now, Son it still shine (Calls him son because they are both 5% nation gang members), shed light now (Use his power over man bacause hes a 5% gang member to fix the situation)

Breakdown, liquidate God (He orders him to kill this other guy), fucking grab the nickel plate

'Spenser: For Hire'(Hes calling someone a detective), tension when we mention Dryer

He's a slave cop, behave pop
Isuzu Beige Top will blow that cat at the Purple Haze spot

[Dominator]

Thanks a lot for coming through! Repped

It makes a lot more sense with your explanations and the "grammar" corrections lol

Did you delete the 'Projects' one, was that one too much slang?


Can you elaborate the following lines?

You corrected it to switched cracks on chill. When I read "shields" first I thought he was describing how that bitch is standing around street signs waiting for customers or something.

slam the stripe edition
I guess "slam" is a NY term for "fuck"? "Stripes" = ranking in gangs?

smash the Guinness Stout
I would assume it means just destroying a glass of beer lol, but in NY slang it probably means something else

fucking grab the nickel plate
Robbing him off his jewelry?


Geeesh, NY ghetto slang is like a totally different language, I find LA slang much easier lol

[7thdayprofessor]

Thanks a lot for coming through! Repped

As a rule, i always respond if a person tags me and asks a question. I feel like, if a person is respectful enough to acknowledge your existence, especially from a distance, then you can be respectful enough to respond. Ill never refuse to answer, even if i do not know the person. If i dont answer, its because i meant to, and simply forgot. For anyone who asked me a question, and didnt get a reply, just ask me again, and let me know i overlooked it, and ill reply. That doesnt mean i will always have a answer though. If its not a question, and is simply a comment, or if the question is straight up ignorant, that is the only circumstance in which i might not answer.

[7thdayprofessor]

Lucille Switched cracks on chill

Keeps her cool, while switching the spots she sells drugs

Slam the stripe edition

Rocking a car car that came with stripes in the paint job (Also could be interpreted as suit)

smash the Guinness Stout

Downing a bottle of guiness with ease

fucking grab the nickel plate

Ordering the guy to grab a gun

[7thdayprofessor]

Bound by honors sword (He is bound to his rap group, aka, gang) take over the set (They do such a good job performing that everyone will say they performed best out of all the acts that performed in the concert), rep (represent his gang (Aka rap group) set on stage in different parts of the world) from here to Quebec
Throw up the tech (point your gun barrel to the sky), clash your intellect, select a vet

Swimsuit mammal handle (Even the ladys have guns), yo every fly vandal go to project
Slam you like Hamill's Whitewater Scandal (Youll get hurt worse than the Bill and Hillary clinton did in a controversy that took place in the 1990s)

Wiley sandal just a sample (The way you just got wiled out on (Flipped out on) stomped on is just a sample) , my niggas fertilize thoughts (He saying that him and his crew are highly creative)
Yo mad support drink a quart, that bamboo (His crew has his back, so they drink alcohol to their sucess)

One nasty can blew, my pen sterile won't perform if I'm not lampable (He cant write if hes not high (Lit up like a lamp)
Asking my man'll get you slapped down (Asking questions that make you appear suspicious will get you beaten up), play the anthem (If you have heard this song, then you were warned already by this song, because this is the song anthem stating that warning)

Lit it Light the weed with a lighter who with it (Asking whos part of his circle of freinds, that will get drunk/high with him) champagne get it (Somebody pick up alcohol for the party), that's the ticket(Thats the key to a sucessful party)

Silent nines sounding like crickets, snatch your worker’s shipment
Pull her hair, long dick it, we talk right before we left lifted
Just like a long sleeve, guess who ripped it?

[Dominator]

Props once again for your effort, appreciate it!

Can't rep you no more cause "You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to 7thdayz again."

[Big G.O.V.]

by listening to these songs after a long time, have to say this is a hell of an album, deserves so much more attention!! Wu-Tang Clan at that time were beasts and present the HIP HOP style that i always loved!!

props for these explanations of stuff i would never ever understand or figure out what the hell they even talk about... its just the problem to not have american english as mother language..

[jackcorgi]

Throw up the tech = reaching upward with your iPhone to get a better video for YouTube hits,lol.

7days is right but this is what came to mind

Slam the striped edition = lowered car with pin striping, possible special make a if car

Bamboo = big bamboo rolling papers so might be a joint/blunt slang

[7thdayprofessor]

Slam the striped edition = lowered car with pin striping, possible special make a if car

I don't know shit about cars, but that's exactly what I wrote lol. Maybe I phrased it wrong lol. Not a car guy. Half of NY aint lol.

Bamboo = big bamboo rolling papers so might be a joint/blunt slang

Nah, cus he woulda said smoke that bamboo, or something similar. Normally you'd be right tho. Plus, raekwons from Staten island, n not many people from Stat speak like that. At least, not as bad as he is. He's got the accent, but speaks more like he's from queens, etc. Very different places, so sometimes words take on a different meaning.

[BlacPain]

(A type of shoe famous in NY, with laces only near the top of the shoe)

not only in NY but yea those are normaly Clarks Wallabee 's and especially yellow ones are like the classic timberland 's
i still got two pairs - one black and one dark brown ^^

[Dominator]

People really think these are cool?

[realest2947]

unfortunately, still not much clearer

Shake them niggaz

Scary hours(After midnight), long money out (Has large amounts of cash with him), smash the guiness stout

Play the outfield (Taking back and sideroads to avoid police detection/is careful, watches for cops), Lucille, switched cracks on chill

She's a rich fiend sacrifice her fam shift them niggas
To Queens
Guess jeans she charged thirty-five beans

Hit the cell phone, regulate with well known Tone
A Wiley (A person who is willing to raise hell/wile out) kingpin who also slam the stripe edition

What up? Corleone smoke the bone (Smoke crack/weed), Tone phone me
What up? He tried to slang there, address him with chrome only

Grady with the gray beard, transporting for him
Rocking Nike Air, Rastafarian bird, piping that (Smokin the same drugs he selling)

Switchin Benzes, ten carat nigga with gold lenses
Fronting like he's sitting on a lump, he's sitting on junk jump

You wanna pull a heist, draw guns and robberies
You wanna rock rep, step in yellow Wallabies (A type of shoe famous in NY, with laces only near the top of the shoe)

Names arraigned, they're Century Fox, little Glocks
Them niggas with stocks, wheelyin' blocks

Rich lifestyle, spoiled like an ordinary white child
But right now, Son it still shine (Calls him son because they are both 5% nation gang members), shed light now (Use his power over man bacause hes a 5% gang member to fix the situation)

Breakdown, liquidate God (He orders him to kill this other guy), fucking grab the nickel plate

'Spenser: For Hire'(Hes calling someone a detective), tension when we mention Dryer

He's a slave cop, behave pop
Isuzu Beige Top will blow that cat at the Purple Haze spot

[BlacPain]

People really think these are cool?

they are really cool to wear - leather shoe with crepe sole - but its not everybodies style - i understand