Doo Wop (That Thing) Lyrics

[Intro]
Yo, remember back on the Bully
When cats used to harmonize like (Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh)

Yo, yo, my men and my women
Don't forget about the deen
Sirat al-Mustaqeem
Yo, it's about a thing, uh, yo, yo

If ya feel real good wave your hands in the air
And lick two shots in the atmosphere!
(Put them up, put them up)
(Put them up, put them up)
(Put them up, put them up)

[Verse 1]
It's been three weeks since you were looking for your friend
The one you let hit it and never called you again

'Member when he told you he was 'bout the Benjamins?
You act like you ain't hear him then give him a little trim
To begin, how you think you're really gon' pretend
Like you wasn't down and you called him again?
Plus, when you give it up so easy you ain't even foolin' him
If you did it then, then you'd probably fuck again
Talking out your neck, sayin' you're a Christian
A Muslim, sleeping with the jinn
Now that was the sin that did Jezebel in
Who you gon' tell when the repercussions spin?

Showing off your ass 'cause you're thinking it's a trend
Girlfriend, let me break it down for you again
You know I only say it 'cause I'm truly genuine
Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem

Baby girl, respect is just a minimum
Niggas fucked up and you still defending 'em
Now, Lauryn is only human
Don't think I haven't been through the same predicament

Let it sit inside your head like a million women in Philly, Penn
It's silly when girls sell their souls because it's in
Look at where you be in, hair weaves like Europeans
Fake nails done by Koreans
Come again
(A win win, come again
A win win, come again)
[Hook]
Guys, you know you'd better watch out
Some girls, some girls are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing


[Verse 2]
The second verse is dedicated to the men
More concerned with his rims and his Timbs than his women
Him and his men come in the club like hooligans
Don't care who they offend, poppin' yang (like you got yen!)
Let's stop pretend, the ones that pack pistols by they waist men
Cristal by the case men, still in they mother's basement
The pretty face men claiming that they did a bid men
Need to take care of they three or four kids
And they face a court case when the child support late
Money taking and heart breaking, now you wonder why women hate men

The sneaky, silent men
The punk, domestic violence men
Quick to shoot the semen, stop acting like boys and be men
How you gonna win when you ain't right within?
How you gonna win when you ain't right within?
How you gonna win when you ain't right within?
Uh-uh, come again (Yeah)
Hey, yo-yo, come again
My French men, come again
My sister, come again
[Bridge]
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out


[Hook]
Girls, you know you'd better watch out
Some guys, some guys are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing

Guys, you know you'd better watch out
'Cause girls, some girls are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing


Girls, you know you’d better watch out
Some guys, some guys are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing

[Skit/Outro]
Class!
Hey, we’ve got some very intelligent women here, man
Do you think you’re too young to really love somebody?
(No! No, no, I don’t think so)
I say it for me, uh, I’m an adult I say, wait
“You’re too young to be in love, this is silly
You’re infatuated or whatever, you got nice jeans
You wear fancy Adidas”
I mean, it might be something I don’t know
(It's the difference from loving somebody and being in love with somebody)
Well, you tell me. What’s the difference?
(Okay. You can love anybody but when you’re in love with somebody you’re looking at it like this—you’re taking that person for what he or she is no matter what he or she look like or no matter what he or she do)
(You’re crazy! You fall in love, you can fall out of love)
(You might stop being in love with them but you are not gonna stop loving that person)
(Maybe they ain’t never been loved before or been in love before, they don’t know what the feeling is to be loved)
(She poetic)
She killed it, we could end that conversation with that, right?

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About

Genius Annotation

Lauryn Hill’s breakout solo single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, “Doo Wop (That Thing)” hit #1 on the Billboard charts and netted Hill two Grammys for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. In the song, Hill warns both men and women to avoid being exploited by the opposite sex for that thing.

The song became the first debut song in Billboard history to debut at #1. Hill also became the first woman since Debbie Gibson to have a #1 song that she wrote, produced, and recorded on her own.

The beat samples the 1971 song “Together Let’s Find Love”, by The 5th Dimension.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

How long did it stay at #1?
Genius Answer

The song debuted at #1, becoming just the tenth single to debut at the top of the charts, as well as the first ever hip-hop song to do so. It stayed at #1 for two weeks in the fall of 1998.

Where can I find the album version of the song?
Genius Answer

You can find it here!

Credits
Produced By
Written By
Assistant Recording Engineer
Additional Drum Programming
Trumpet
Saxophone
Drum Programming
Recorded At
Marley Music, Inc. (Kingston, Jamaica) and Chung King Studios (NYC)
Release Date
July 7, 1998
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