The song ‘Tearz’, from The Wu- Tang Clans 1993 album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) highlights themes of loss, violence and street life as well as socio economic issues during the 90’s. This song in particular stands out from the rest of their dischoreography as it explores sensitive matters of grief that sit in juxtaposition to their other songs that display their image of pride and toughness with references to RZAs love for Kung – Fu cinema throughout. 

Like many of the songs RZA has produced, Wendy Renes song after laughter comes tears provides the tracks main sample and choral hook ‘after laughter comes tears’ that is heard several times over. RZA takes the first bar of the sampled song and pitches it up then loops it under his trademark lo-fi, gritty laid back beats. A core identity of Wu-Tang’s musical personality is through their referencing to Kung Fu films as heard In Tearz, where their lyrics take on similar themes. In Tearz, themes of emotional loss are prevalent. However, they still highlight the importance of resilience and the need to face loss and adversity. 

In contrast to most rappers’ take on gun violence and bloodshed, RZA adopts the POV from his first hand experience of having his brother shot as the victims family by emphasising the consequences of these actions – ‘how do I say goodbye?.’ During Ghostface Killah’s second verse he tackles the issues of promiscuity from a girl named Thelma ‘Every girl from Shaolin dissed her respect’ who advances on his friend Big Moe who refused to take his condom. Consequently, later on Big Moe catches HIV as said in the lyrics ‘Now no life to live, doc says two more years’. This line goes against the norms of typical rap music of the era to be promoting safe sex whilst most rappers will boast about the opposite to this day making it a track that stands out. In both RZA and Ghostface’s verse, they mention how after the tragedies of RZA’s brother getting shot and Moe contracting HIV respectively, laughter is the first feeling they experience with sadness and tears following after. This shows similarities in their reference to Shaolin predominately seen in their colouring of their logo. Shaolin is a martial arts temple that symbolises discipline and suffering, and also later became an even more significant identity of their music in their seventh studio album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin”. The contrast of the Shaolin practices and Wendy Renes song sampled in the production help listeners understand the contrast of the difficulties in their life and how they embrace certain mindsets in order to navigate through street life.