"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
So wassup, man?
Coolin', man
Chillin' chilin'? Yo, you know I had to call, you know why right?
Why?
Because, yo, I never ever call and ask you to play somethin', right?
Yeah
You know what I wanna hear, right?
What you wanna hear?
I wanna hear that Wu-Tang joint
Wu-Tang again?
Ah, yeah, again and again
Wu-Tang Clan comin' at ya
Watch your step, kid
Watch your step, kid (protect ya neck, kid)
Watch your step, kid (so set it off)
Watch your step, kid
Watch your step, kid
Watch your step, kid (The Inspectah Deck)
I smoke on the mic like smokin' Joe Frazier
The hell-raiser, raising hell with the flavor
Terrorize the jam like troops in Pakistan
Swinging through your town like your neighborhood Spider-Man
So uh, tick-tock and keep ticking
While I get you flipping off the shit I'm kicking
The Lone Ranger, code red, danger
Deep in the dark with the art to rip the charts apart
The vandal, too hot to handle
You battle, you're saying "Goodbye" like Tevin Campbell
Roughneck, Inspectah Deck's on the set
The rebel, I make more noise than heavy metal
The way I make the crowd go wild
Sit back, relax, won't smile
Rae got it going on, pal, call me the rap assassinator
Rhymes rugged and built like Schwarzenegger
And I'ma get mad deep like a threat, blow up your project
Then take all your assets
'Cause I came to shake the frame in half
With the thoughts that bomb shit like math
So if you wanna try to flip, go flip on the next man
'Cause I grab the clip, and
Hit you with 16 shots and more, I got
Going to war with the melting pot, hot
It's the Method Man, for short, Mr. Meth
Moving on your left, ah
And set it off, get it off, let it off like a gat
I wanna break, fool, cock me back
Small change, they putting shame in the game
I take aim and blow that nigga out the frame
And like Fame, my style will live forever
Niggas crossing over like they don't know no better
But I do, true, can I get a "suu"
'Nough respect due to the one-six-ooh
I mean oh, yo, check out the flow
Like the Hudson, or PCP when I'm dustin'
Niggas off, because I'm hot like sauce
The smoke from the lyrical blunt make me (uh)
Ooh, what, grab my nut, get screwed
Ow, here comes my Shaolin style
True B-A-ba-B-Y-U
To my crew with the "suu"
Yeah, yeah, yeah (watch your step, kid)
(Watch your step, kid, watch your step, kid)
Come on, baby, baby, come on (protect ya neck)
(Watch your step, kid, watch your step, kid)
Come on, baby, baby, come on (watch your step, kid)
(Watch your step, kid, watch your step, kid)
Yo, you best protect ya neck
First things first, man, you're fucking with the worst
I'll be sticking pins in your head like a fucking nurse
I'll attack any nigga who slack in his MAC
Come fully packed with a fat rugged stack
Shame on you when you stepped through to
The Ol' Dirty Bastard straight from the Brooklyn Zoo
And I'll be damned if I let any man
Come to my center, you enter the winter
Straight up and down, that shit packed jam
You can't slam, don't let me get fool on him, man
The Ol' Dirty Bastard is dirty and stinking
Ason Unique rolling with the night of the creeps
Niggas be rolling with a stash
Ain't saying cash, bite my style, I'll bite your motherfucking ass
For crying out loud, my style is wild, so book me
Not long is how long that this rhyme took me
Ejecting styles from my lethal weapon
My pen that rocks from here to Oregon
Here's more again, catch it like a psycho flashback
I love gats, if rap was a gun, you wouldn't bust back
I come with shit that's all types of shapes and sounds
And where I lounge is my stomping grounds
I give a order to my peeps across the water
To go and snatch up props all around the border
And get far like a shooting star
'Cause who I are is livin' the life of Pablo Escobar
Point blank as I kick the square biz
There it is, you're fucking with pros and there it goes
Yo, chill with the feedback, black, we don't need that
It's 10 o'clock, ho, where the fuck's your seed at?
Feeling mad hostile, wearing Aeropostale
Flowing like Christ when I speaks the gospel
Stroll with the holy roll, then attack the globe with the buckest style
The ruckus, ten times ten men, committing mad sin
Turn the other cheek and I'll break your fucking chin
Slaying boom-bangs like African drums (he'll be)
Coming around the mountain when I come
Crazy flamboyant for the rap enjoyment
My clan increase like black unemployment
Yeah, another one down, G-G-Genius
Take us the fuck outta here
The Wu is too slammin' for these Cold Killin' labels
Some ain't had hits since I seen Aunt Mabel
Be doing artists in like Cain did Abel
Now they money's getting stuck to the gum under the table
That's what you get when you misuse what I invent
Your empire falls and you lose every cent
For trying to blow up a scrub
Now that thought was just as bright as a 20-watt light bulb
Should've pumped it when I rocked it
Niggas so stingy, they got short arms and deep pockets
This goes on in some companies
With majors, they're scared to death to pump these
First of all, who's your A&R?
A mountain climber who plays an electric guitar?
But he don't know the meaning of "dope"
When he's looking for a "suit-and-tie rap"
That's cleaner than a bar of soap
And I'm the dirtiest thing in sight
Matter of fact, bring out the girls and let's have a mud fight
You best protect ya neck (watch your step, kid)
You best protect ya neck (watch your step, kid)
You best protect ya neck (watch your step, kid)
You best protect ya neck (watch your step, kid)
Coolin', man
Chillin' chilin'? Yo, you know I had to call, you know why right?
Why?
Because, yo, I never ever call and ask you to play somethin', right?
Yeah
You know what I wanna hear, right?
What you wanna hear?
I wanna hear that Wu-Tang joint
Wu-Tang again?
Ah, yeah, again and again
Wu-Tang Clan comin' at ya
Watch your step, kid
Watch your step, kid (protect ya neck, kid)
Watch your step, kid (so set it off)
Watch your step, kid
Watch your step, kid
Watch your step, kid (The Inspectah Deck)
I smoke on the mic like smokin' Joe Frazier
The hell-raiser, raising hell with the flavor
Terrorize the jam like troops in Pakistan
Swinging through your town like your neighborhood Spider-Man
So uh, tick-tock and keep ticking
While I get you flipping off the shit I'm kicking
The Lone Ranger, code red, danger
Deep in the dark with the art to rip the charts apart
The vandal, too hot to handle
You battle, you're saying "Goodbye" like Tevin Campbell
Roughneck, Inspectah Deck's on the set
The rebel, I make more noise than heavy metal
The way I make the crowd go wild
Sit back, relax, won't smile
Rae got it going on, pal, call me the rap assassinator
Rhymes rugged and built like Schwarzenegger
And I'ma get mad deep like a threat, blow up your project
Then take all your assets
'Cause I came to shake the frame in half
With the thoughts that bomb shit like math
So if you wanna try to flip, go flip on the next man
'Cause I grab the clip, and
Hit you with 16 shots and more, I got
Going to war with the melting pot, hot
It's the Method Man, for short, Mr. Meth
Moving on your left, ah
And set it off, get it off, let it off like a gat
I wanna break, fool, cock me back
Small change, they putting shame in the game
I take aim and blow that nigga out the frame
And like Fame, my style will live forever
Niggas crossing over like they don't know no better
But I do, true, can I get a "suu"
'Nough respect due to the one-six-ooh
I mean oh, yo, check out the flow
Like the Hudson, or PCP when I'm dustin'
Niggas off, because I'm hot like sauce
The smoke from the lyrical blunt make me (uh)
Ooh, what, grab my nut, get screwed
Ow, here comes my Shaolin style
True B-A-ba-B-Y-U
To my crew with the "suu"
Yeah, yeah, yeah (watch your step, kid)
(Watch your step, kid, watch your step, kid)
Come on, baby, baby, come on (protect ya neck)
(Watch your step, kid, watch your step, kid)
Come on, baby, baby, come on (watch your step, kid)
(Watch your step, kid, watch your step, kid)
Yo, you best protect ya neck
First things first, man, you're fucking with the worst
I'll be sticking pins in your head like a fucking nurse
I'll attack any nigga who slack in his MAC
Come fully packed with a fat rugged stack
Shame on you when you stepped through to
The Ol' Dirty Bastard straight from the Brooklyn Zoo
And I'll be damned if I let any man
Come to my center, you enter the winter
Straight up and down, that shit packed jam
You can't slam, don't let me get fool on him, man
The Ol' Dirty Bastard is dirty and stinking
Ason Unique rolling with the night of the creeps
Niggas be rolling with a stash
Ain't saying cash, bite my style, I'll bite your motherfucking ass
For crying out loud, my style is wild, so book me
Not long is how long that this rhyme took me
Ejecting styles from my lethal weapon
My pen that rocks from here to Oregon
Here's more again, catch it like a psycho flashback
I love gats, if rap was a gun, you wouldn't bust back
I come with shit that's all types of shapes and sounds
And where I lounge is my stomping grounds
I give a order to my peeps across the water
To go and snatch up props all around the border
And get far like a shooting star
'Cause who I are is livin' the life of Pablo Escobar
Point blank as I kick the square biz
There it is, you're fucking with pros and there it goes
Yo, chill with the feedback, black, we don't need that
It's 10 o'clock, ho, where the fuck's your seed at?
Feeling mad hostile, wearing Aeropostale
Flowing like Christ when I speaks the gospel
Stroll with the holy roll, then attack the globe with the buckest style
The ruckus, ten times ten men, committing mad sin
Turn the other cheek and I'll break your fucking chin
Slaying boom-bangs like African drums (he'll be)
Coming around the mountain when I come
Crazy flamboyant for the rap enjoyment
My clan increase like black unemployment
Yeah, another one down, G-G-Genius
Take us the fuck outta here
The Wu is too slammin' for these Cold Killin' labels
Some ain't had hits since I seen Aunt Mabel
Be doing artists in like Cain did Abel
Now they money's getting stuck to the gum under the table
That's what you get when you misuse what I invent
Your empire falls and you lose every cent
For trying to blow up a scrub
Now that thought was just as bright as a 20-watt light bulb
Should've pumped it when I rocked it
Niggas so stingy, they got short arms and deep pockets
This goes on in some companies
With majors, they're scared to death to pump these
First of all, who's your A&R?
A mountain climber who plays an electric guitar?
But he don't know the meaning of "dope"
When he's looking for a "suit-and-tie rap"
That's cleaner than a bar of soap
And I'm the dirtiest thing in sight
Matter of fact, bring out the girls and let's have a mud fight
You best protect ya neck (watch your step, kid)
You best protect ya neck (watch your step, kid)
You best protect ya neck (watch your step, kid)
You best protect ya neck (watch your step, kid)
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar
Protect Ya Neck Lyrics as written by Corey Woods Clifford Smith
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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one of the illest songs ever.
I love the discussion years later!
^ That's an incredibly poorly supported article. I know about the five percenters. They are a bit creepy, but not insanely outlandish when you really think about religion. Wu Tang are not part of the five precent and five percenters in hip-hop are very different from the fundamentalists you're talking about. KMD were considered 5 percenters, too. It's pretty much any rap that contains black power motifs. There is a strong 5% influence, but I've heard much crazier things and I love Wu Tang and really never found anything about their music to be too racist and I highly doubt that they are.
zerpens actaully deep throats 5 % of islam cock evey night
Everyone, Everyone settle down, the reason for Zerpens Hostility is based on the FACT that ODB just happened to curb stomp Zerpens outside of one of his shows. ODB then urinated on him and might of even spunked on this angry wigger jew. Zerpen, get some couseling, your huritng your self by posting on this site and not getting prescribed unecessary meds so you can commiit suicide while no one gives a shit if your honky tonky ass dies. If you do die i will be sure to urinate on the grass that covers your dead corpse. ps.... zu bitch
I am white.
I have no idea what you are all talking about.
However, I do have an idea that the lyric
"Feelin mad hostile, ran the apostle Flowin like Christ when I speaks the gospel"
should actually be:
"Feelin mad hostile, wearin' Aeropostale Flowin like Christ when I speaks the gospel"
Well, if not, what does "ran the apostle" mean? He stole the apostle?
I think GZA's verse is specifically about his experience in the music business prior to wu (i.e. words from the genius)
the whole song is telling the industry to watch their backs and protect their necks because wu were coming.
jimn: Um, no... Why would RZA be wearing Aeropostale, especially when this song came out? Apostle matches perfectly with the words Christ and Gospel.
Awesome rap.
ermm news just in your wrong and jimn was right. this comes straight from the source - "Wu-Tang<br /> ‎@RZA Chill with feedback black we don't need that. Its 10'o'clock h where's the fk your seeds at. Feeling mad hostile wearing aeropostle..." thats rza talkin on the wu facebook page. case closed.
ermm news just in your wrong and jimn was right. this comes straight from the source - "Wu-Tang<br /> ‎@RZA Chill with feedback black we don't need that. Its 10'o'clock h where's the fk your seeds at. Feeling mad hostile wearing aeropostle..." thats rza talkin on the wu facebook page. case closed.