Released: February 19, 1991
Songwriter: GZA
Producer: Easy Mo Bee
[Verse 1]
Those were the days, back in Junior High
For an 8th grader, my style was kinda fly
And just to prove I was an MC Pro
I often sponsored a classroom show
And the hype part of my imagination
Was making my homeroom a hip-hop station
Minutes before the late bell would ring
I would greet the audience and then I'll swing
A lyric or two as the students barked
(woof, woof, woof) 'cause my rhymes had sparked
Off something causing the class to mingle
To a rhythm which is now a 12" single
Letting off many styles of hip-hop
Holding the mic that I made in woodshop
Forget gold, my key chain was a cable
Two math textbooks were turntables
And for a mixer, something much cooler
A penny being cross-faded on a ruler
Measuring dope beats that were flexed
From hands that played a drum roll on a desk
From my homegirl, her name, fly as Emory
(peck sound) sweet memory
I remember sitting in my art class
Drawing up lyrics kinda fast
The outcome, a masterpiece
Live shows with hyped up rhymes released
As if lyrics were flowing from the heavens above
I'll grab a mic and provoke a push to a shove
From boys and girls who broke necks to see
The lyrical G.O.D
[Chorus]
Those were the days
[Verse 2]
Now it's high school, lunch room's the scene
And I'm ready to flip the routine
In the cafeteria, period three
And here I come with the JVC
I go in my pocket and pull out a mic
Plug it in, check one-two... alright
Now who wanna show and prove their MC skills?
A brother stepped forward and tried to get ill
But when it came time to live out his name
He kicked rhymes that all sounded the same
But I did him in with a matter of time
And he was done with one victorious rhyme
He was shocked because he knew he was rocked
Along with his classmates from off his block
YO!, I'm telling you, I flipped his whole crew
One against one or one against two
Or three or four brothers who swore they can rhyme
Battled me and got taken out every time
From my style and my dope profile
The period of time that I rocked for a while
As a motivated, dominated supreme force
Cultivated, activated cream and source
The wise educated and born to be
The one who would flip an MC
[Chorus]
Those were the days
Those were the days, back in Junior High
For an 8th grader, my style was kinda fly
And just to prove I was an MC Pro
I often sponsored a classroom show
And the hype part of my imagination
Was making my homeroom a hip-hop station
Minutes before the late bell would ring
I would greet the audience and then I'll swing
A lyric or two as the students barked
(woof, woof, woof) 'cause my rhymes had sparked
Off something causing the class to mingle
To a rhythm which is now a 12" single
Letting off many styles of hip-hop
Holding the mic that I made in woodshop
Forget gold, my key chain was a cable
Two math textbooks were turntables
And for a mixer, something much cooler
A penny being cross-faded on a ruler
Measuring dope beats that were flexed
From hands that played a drum roll on a desk
From my homegirl, her name, fly as Emory
(peck sound) sweet memory
I remember sitting in my art class
Drawing up lyrics kinda fast
The outcome, a masterpiece
Live shows with hyped up rhymes released
As if lyrics were flowing from the heavens above
I'll grab a mic and provoke a push to a shove
From boys and girls who broke necks to see
The lyrical G.O.D
[Chorus]
Those were the days
[Verse 2]
Now it's high school, lunch room's the scene
And I'm ready to flip the routine
In the cafeteria, period three
And here I come with the JVC
I go in my pocket and pull out a mic
Plug it in, check one-two... alright
Now who wanna show and prove their MC skills?
A brother stepped forward and tried to get ill
But when it came time to live out his name
He kicked rhymes that all sounded the same
But I did him in with a matter of time
And he was done with one victorious rhyme
He was shocked because he knew he was rocked
Along with his classmates from off his block
YO!, I'm telling you, I flipped his whole crew
One against one or one against two
Or three or four brothers who swore they can rhyme
Battled me and got taken out every time
From my style and my dope profile
The period of time that I rocked for a while
As a motivated, dominated supreme force
Cultivated, activated cream and source
The wise educated and born to be
The one who would flip an MC
[Chorus]
Those were the days
more tracks from the album
Words from The Genius
- Drama
- True Fresh M.C.
- Those Were the Days
- Words from a Genius
- Stop the Nonsense
- Stay Out of Bars
- Phony As Ya Wanna Be
- The Genius is Slammin’
- Pass the Bone
- Living Foul
- Life of a Drug Dealer
- Who’s Your Rhymin’ Hero
- Superfreak
- What Are Silly Girls Made Of
- Come Do Me
- Feel the Pain
- Come Do Me (Dub Remix)
From the album
- Words from The Genius (1991)
GZA popular songs
- Liquid Swords
- 4th Chamber
- Shadowboxin’
- Duel of the Iron Mic
- Cold World
- Living In The World Today
- Gold
- Labels
- Hell’s Wind Staff / Killah Hills 10304
- Investigative Reports
- Swordsman
- I Gotcha Back
- Paper Plate
- Beneath the Surface
- Fame
- Breaker, Breaker
- The Spark
- Pencil
- Alphabets
- Lyrical Swords
- Animal Planet
- Hip Hop Fury
- Knock, Knock
- 0% Finance