Tragedy - Intellectual

with a word replacement from the popular phrase “lime” light, the temple symbolizes fame and all of the securities that come with it, and the light symbolizes the force call you to it; rza says that he remains wary that the light could be a “false” guide to destruction instead

This may be a reference to Naz New York state of mind.

this is the rza talking to other rappers who are considered by many to be on his level (“the high officials at the banquet”)

he’s requesting a battle with them for not only jacking his musical style, but also not doing it any proper kind of justice; they can’t comprehend the amount of skill and lyricism required, so much so that it fucked their mental up

to further prove that the world of the wu-tang will be a better place, he states that through his music he has become the embodiment of equality/togetherness, making himself known to its opposite, prejudice/isolation

rza has also stated in several interviews that he realized success when the clan started seeing heavily mixed audiences attending their shows:

“when I made myself Equality” continues the previous thought about his daughter.. in the 5% nation women are also called Equality (6) so he made himself in the female form by havinga daughter thru his reflector ( woman are also “moons” reflecting the males or “suns”) Shaquaisha

Shaquasia is not RZA’s wife or girlfriend as many people often assume but it’s his daughter. She was born in the 1990s and her mother is Eboni Mills whom RZA married in 2000 and divorced in 2006.

Shaquasia is one of six RZA’s daughters. The rest are Melchizedek, Understanding, Eternity, Pranda and Raindia. The two latter was born out of different mothers.

In this verse RZA’s saying that the beauty of his nature is expressed through his children and will reflect on as when his daughters will have their children.

now this’s a mindfuck, but check this:

when one has “heavy thoughts” they tend to be pulled away from reality; lost in their sorrowful emotions, their head goes into the clouds, and they are often caught up in zoning out or daydreaming

therefore, such abstract things, can’t be held down by something physical such as gravity; the thinker must pull themselves from their lost state of mind and focus on the tasks at hand

however, these “heavy thoughts” could also refer to something positive; lofty ideas and dreams that are simply too big to be contained by anything as concrete as gravity, such as the rise of the wu-tang clan

#bone:

is a cigarette laced with marijuana

he’s referring to the heavy policing in New York where he and his friends can’t even dp something as smoking without being chased by an officer

He treats his haters like infants; they all talk a bunch of shit (crying for their formulas) but when they hear his music their doubts are silenced (pacified)

this goes perfectly with the “black butterfly” reference as they often represent peace and rebirth; rza’s well versed in his culture’s music too, so the black butterfly reference may also be referring to this popular song.

This track came out in early 1997, a couple of months before Wu-Tang Forever was released. A lot of hip-hop fans were anxiously awaiting the newest Wu-Tang album, which was untitled at the time.

In retrospect, RZA was dropping hints about the new album’s name here, and expressing his view that Wu-Tang is eternal.

he’s asking what side you’re on

this could possibly be religious: the rectangle is associated with the cross due to the number 4, which transitively associates it with Christianity

don’t think i’ll need to go into what the triangle menas…

the square is recognized as the symboly of equality, stability, and eternity. rza speaks the eternal truth, with words immortal enough to make the grim reaper weak

(see the last chorus)

Shaolin & Mecca are references to RZA’s spiritual influences

musically, he’s influenced by the sounds of the far east, where the shaolin temple was founded

(Members of the Wu also refer to Staten Island, the borough in NY they’re associated with, as “Shaolin”)

religiously, he’s influenced by the Nation of Gods and Earths

an afro-islamic movement that has some truly interesting beliefs, including both a revised alphabet and an expanded number system.

the rain = rza’s delivery on this song

fast, unseen, constant, and overwhelming, he sounds like what you’d hear driving a lotus elise through a typhoon, destroying the powers that be with his flow and exiling them to positions below him (“new demotions”)

the 4 train is a subway service in new york that runs through brooklyn, the city where rza was born

surely he’s been woken up by one of its late night runs before

planets = wu-tang

In other words, he keeps his circle tight; wise words from a wise man.

he’s about to show you his transformation from mortal to King

its about to get real…

A pun on RZA’s name – he’s the resurrection of hip hop and he’s IN THIS BITCH

double meaning:

1) weeds grow in yards and literally strangle the plants that surround them

2) weed often invokes coughing if its inhaled in a large quantity, effectively “choking” the inhaler

This is simply a list of various things RZA views as tragedies:

Assassination (The Killing of Leaders)
vaccination (Many people believe this is poison)
Poor Education (No Future)
infatuation with satan (Blasphemy)
Global Nation Taxation (Goverment Corruption)
Fiberoptic…. (Uncureable Diseases/Tumors)
Mad Cow Burger on the market (Contaminated Food)

This is a reference to the Van Dyke Housing Projects located in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York

he’s the captain of your starship through music.

once he started on his path to change the face of hip hop with wu-tang by venturing into unknown genres and sounds, he never gave up and he kept pushing forward