Bone Thugs-n-Harmony released "Tha Crossroads" in 1996 and it's been stuck in my head on-and-off pretty much since that time. But in those thirty years, I never bothered to look up the lyrics... not even once... not until now.
So I thought we'd formalize it - comparing my version of various snippets with the actual lyrics to see how close I was.
It should be noted that I found different sites have different lyrics. I'm just going to go with SongFacts. I'm also going to be changing around some of the formatting to make things easier to follow.
First off, the song starts with them singing "Bone, bone, bone..." as in the name of the group. That's the first surprise - I never knew that's what they were saying. Then later...
Me: Now tell me what you gonna do (when there ain't no where to run)
when judgement comes for you
when judgement comes for you?
Now tell me what you gonna do (when there ain't no where to hide)
when judgement comes for you, 'cause it's gonna come for you.
Actual: Now tell me whatcha gonna do (When there ain't no where to run)
When judgment comes for you,
when judgment comes for you
And whatcha gonna do? (When there ain't no where to hide)
When judgment comes for you ('cause it's gonna come for you)
This is a pretty easy one. It's pretty clear and obvious.
A little later...
Me: Fool, what can I do?
It's all about offending, and how we rule.
Can I get a witness, lighting the fool,
We living our lives we turn in our soul.
Actual:
Ooh, what could I do?
It's all about a family and how we roll
Can I get a witness? Let it unfold
We livin' our lives to eternal our souls...
Well, that last line doesn't make grammatical sense but whatever.
Me: Now follow me roll Stu. Weather is still savvy. So think of the people that's on their Ritz...
Actual: Now follow me, roll stroll Whether it's Hell or it's Heaven Come, let's go take a visit to the people that's long gone...
Man, this is hard.
Me: Instead of people with their family, exactly how many days we got lasting, why you laughing? We're passing- passing away.
Actual: And still keepin' up with they family Exactly how many days we got lastin'? While you laughin', we're passin', passin' away.
Not optimal but ok.
Me: He was long gone, all he did was come home but when he gotta die, gotta go bye-bye all the little thug could do was cry cry.
Actual: Now Eazy's long gone Really wish he would come home But when it's time to die, gotta go, bye-bye All a lil' thug could do was cry, cry
Fair.
Me: Why they killed my dog and man I miss my Uncle Charles, ya'll. He shouldn't be gone. In front of his home. What they did to boo was wrong. Mooo wrong.
Actual: Why'd they kill my dawg? Damn, man, I miss my Uncle Charles, y'all And he shouldn't be gone In front of his home, what they did to Boo was wrong Oh, so wrong...
The subtle difference between "dog" and "dawg" makes a lot of sense now. They didn't kill the guy's pet. For years I thought his pet dog was killed.
But on the other hand, you're never going to convince me that "Oh, so wrong" is said anywhere. The lyric is very clearly "moo wrong" - the song clearly has a bovine element that they've been trying to cover up for years. Listening again, it sounds like maybe "Hewww wrong."
Back to another easy one:
Me:
And I'm gonna miss everybody
And I'm gonna miss everloddy
And I'm gonna miss everloddy
And I'm gonna miss everloddy
And I'm gonna miss everloddy
And I'm gonna miss everybody
Actual:
And I'm gonna miss everybody (x6)
Nope. You lost me, Bone Thugs. I have ears, and that's not what you're singing.
Me: Livin' in a hateful world, sending me straight to Hell. That's how we roll.
Actual: Livin' in a hateful world sendin' me straight to heaven That's how we roll.
Oh, interesting. Slightly off, so close, but it's ok, I think I can nail the next one. Let's see...
Me: On libbin, on sibbin, on gebben nintendo, on wibbenese. When we come again, again and again. Now tell me what you gonna do?
Actual: You know while we sinnin' He intendin' on endin' it when it ends He comin' again and again and again Now tell me, what you're gonna do?
Man, I really thought I had that one. I'll take the "L," it's just surprising.
Me: Can somebody, anybody, tell me why we die, we die. I don't want to die. Moo wrong, moo wrong, moo wrong.
Actual: Hey, can somebody, anybody tell me why we die, we die? I don't wanna die (oh, wrong) Oh, so wrong Oh, wrong
We covered "moo wrong" already, I don't want to beat a dead cow.
So that's it. I can make no guarantees that the next time the song comes to me I'll be singing the right lyrics but a few mysteries were solved. I want to make it clear that the phrase "Moo wrong" is said multiple times and RIP Uncle Charles, ya'll.
