Method Man (song)

"Method Man" is the B-side to the single "Protect Ya Neck" from critically acclaimed debut album by the Wu-Tang Clan titled Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). It was a solo track for the first successful solo star of the Wu-Tang Clan, Method Man. The song was chosen for The Source magazine 100 best rap singles.^[1] The refrain of the song (M-E-T-H-O-D) draws from the 1984 Hall & Oates hit "Method of Modern Love" from Big Bam Boom.

It is featured on The RZA Hits compilation. The remix is featured on Method Man's debut album, Tical.

Song references

Within the songs lyrics, Method Man references many notable quotes from popular culture.

• The refrain of the song (M-E-T-H-O-D) draws from the 1984 Hall & Oates hit "Method of Modern Love" from Big Bam Boom.
• Pattycake - (Pattycake, pattycake, hey, the Method Man).
• Jif peanut butter, Skippy peanut butter, Peter Pan peanut butter - (Don't eat Skippy, Jif or Peter Pan, Peanut butter cuz I'm not butter).
• Green Eggs and Ham - (I be Sam, Sam-I-Am, and I don't eat green eggs and ham).
• Skunk, a strain of cannabis (I got fat bags of skunk).
• White Owl blunts. (I got white owl blunts).
• Method Man uses the term "Super Sperm" a reference to the song "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang.
• Tootsie Pops - (Now how many licks does it take, for me to hit the tootsie roll center of a break?)
• Get off of My Cloud - ("Hey, you, get off my cloud/You don't know me and you don't know my style") - a reference to the Rolling Stones song.
• "Hey, hey, hey, like Fat Albert; It's the Method Man, and there's no if, ands about it...".
• Tweety Bird: "Hold up, what; I tawt I taw a putty tat over there..."
• '"I am the one and only Method Man; rapper with the plan, wrapping shit like Saran..."
• "Chiminy chim chiminy" echoes the chimney sweep song from Mary Poppins.
• David Alan Grier's character Calhoun Tubbs from the TV series In Living Color: "Wrote a song about it; like to hear it? Here it go." This phrase was previously used in En Vogue's "Free Your Mind".

Intro

The introduction to the song includes a dialogue between Method Man and Raekwon detailing various methods of torture.

Song order

• Pre-song dialogue: Raekwon and Method Man
• Intro: GZA
• Verse one: Method Man
• Chorus: Method Man
• Verse two: Method Man
• Outro: RZA and Ghostface Killah

References