Romeo and Juliet vs Bonnie and Clyde/Rap Meanings

Clyde Barrow:
'''I'll handle this, darling. I'm known to fire off some BAR's,'''

(Clyde takes the first line, telling Bonnie that he'll deal with their opponents. BAR is short for Browning Automatic Rifle, a gun that Clyde was known to use and the one he can be seen holding in the battle. "Spitting bars" in battle terms means to rap. Because Clyde is "firing off" bars, he is spitting harsh lyrics at Romeo and Juliet.)

'Cause if these lovers cross me, they're gonna end up seeing stars!

(At the beginning of William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet are referred as "star-crossed lovers" in the narrative, meaning their relationship is doomed by fate. This line references the famous extract: "Cause if these lovers cross me, they're gonna end up seeing stars." Seeing stars means to see flashing lights after a severe blow to the head, implying that Clyde will knock them out.)

Bonnie Parker:
I mean, I'll let you go first, but damn sure I'm gettin' licks in

(Even though she lets Clyde get the first two lines, Bonnie wants to diss Romeo and Juliet as well. "To get licks in" is an old Southern US expression meaning that one wants to partake of some action that was already underway.)

On this hissy-fittin' rich kid and this prepubescent vixen!

(Romeo comes from the wealthy house of Montague, while Juliet, born in the rival Capulet clan, was only 13 years old in the play. The play is one of the original examples of teenage angst, and so both Romeo and Juliet are perceived as whiny by Bonnie.)

I'm sick of them!

(Bonnie wants to hear no more from her opponents, both of whom she thinks are whining and carrying on. It could also be reference to the fact that high-school English students read Romeo and Juliet (or other Shakespeare plays) every year and they've had enough of it.)

Clyde Barrow:
Let's beat 'em then, and we can rob 'em blind!

(Clyde plans to beat up Romeo and Juliet and rob them, as they are criminals.)

I'll stick this punk up from the front.

(Clyde offers to rob, attack and defeat Romeo face-to-face, with his weapon trained on him. "To stick a person up" is to rob him at gunpoint.)

Bonnie Parker:
I'll take this broad from behind,

(Bonnie will do the same to Juliet, and will shoot her in the back as Clyde attacks Romeo from the front, in essence surrounding the pair so they can't escape or call for help. "Broad" is a term referring to a woman, often used in early 20th-century America.)

And pop a cap in the ass of the last Capulet heiress.

(Juliet is the only child of the Capulets, and thus the female heir to the Capulet house. To "pop a cap" basically means to shoot someone. Should Bonnie succeed in shooting Juliet, she'd bring an end to the Capulet family line. In addition, "cap" is used as an alliteration with "Capulet".)

Give Miss No-Nights-in-Paris a reason to cry to her parents!

(The Capulet family planned to marry Juliet off to a wealthy man named Paris. Juliet got upset about this, since she was in love with Romeo, and she tried to talk them out of the marriage. Bonnie is saying that after this battle, Juliet will go crying to her parents again. Paris is a city in France that's popular with lovers, and to spend a night there is often said to be romantic. This is also a reference to Paris Hilton's sex tape, "One Night in Paris". It is comparing the sex tape to the fact Juliet and Paris never had sexual intercourse, despite being engaged.)

Clyde Barrow:
'''Oh! Romeo, O Romeo, wherefore you tryin' to flow, yo?'''

(Clyde makes fun of Juliet's famous line, "Romeo, O Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" "Wherefore" is an old English term that means "why", not "where", so Clyde asks why he would even bother flowing against him, insisting that Romeo's raps and flows are bad.)

'''Mofo, you soft as a Froyo! Are those the drapes or your clothes, bro?'''

("Mofo" is a slang term for "motherfucker". Froyo is a nickname for frozen yogurt, which is typically served soft. Clyde is implying that Romeo is impotent and therefore a lesser man. Romeo's lacy 16th-century clothes look similar to drapes or curtains because of their patterns and material. Clyde is confused as to whether he is wearing drapes or clothing. This may also be a reference to the movie Gone With the Wind, where in one scene main character Scarlett O'Hara makes herself a dress out of a curtain when nothing else was handy; she wore it on-the-spot. It could also be a reference to the Avengers movie, when Iron Man insults Thor's clothing in a similar manner.)

There's gonna be a tragedy!

(Shakespeare mainly wrote in three genres: history, comedy, and tragedy. Tragedies never concluded with a happy ending. Romeo and Juliet, despite being a love story, was one of his tragedies, and Clyde reminds that something terrible is going to happen to Romeo and Juliet, whether he meant they'd lose the battle, or the foreshadowing of their demises.)

Bonnie Parker:
Make you ache like your balls on the balcony!

(Bonnie is referencing the famous scene in the play where Romeo visits Juliet on her balcony at night in their first greeting since they met. She is referencing how Romeo was horny that night and was just looking for sex, or his balls ached, and how she'll make him hurt more than they "ached".)

Clyde Barrow:
Barrow Gang put their money where their mouth is.

(The Barrow Gang was the name of Clyde's gang. To "put one's money where one's mouth is" means to do something rather than just talk about it, meaning instead of simply just talking about how they'll beat Romeo and Juliet, Bonnie and Clyde actually will make sure that they do.)

Bonnie and Clyde:
Spit sick like a plague on both your houses!

(A plague refers to the spreading of a deadly infectious disease. In Shakespeare's time, the Black Plague was the deadliest sickness spreading across Europe. In Act 3, Scene 1 of the play, after Mercutio, Romeo's best friend, is stabbed by Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, he tells Benvolio, Romeo's cousin, "I am hurt. A plague on both your houses!" implying that Mercutio has cursed the Montague and Capulet houses. In this line, Bonnie and Clyde both say that their lines are sick like the plague, and that they will put a curse on Romeo and Juliet to make sure their rhymes aren't as good as theirs.)

Romeo Montague:
My love, your face is beauty to behold.

(Romeo compliments Juliet by saying that she is a beautiful girl.)

I will protect thine honor from these dust bowl dildos!

(Romeo promises that he will defend Juliet against Bonnie and Clyde's disses. The Dust Bowl, also known as the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms that greatly upset the ecology and crippled the agriculture of American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The Dust Bowl had commonly occurred in Texas among other states, which is where Bonnie and Clyde hailed from. He uses the word "dildo" in the place of "dick", in this case meaning "jerk", since a dildo is a sex toy that mimics the penis. "Dust bowl dildos" could mean that they're always stuck inside dust bowls.)

Juliet Capulet:
A moment's break from your gaze is an eternity past,

(Shakespeare's plays often use metaphors like this one: Juliet says that just being away from Romeo for a short time feels like forever to her.)

So together we shall both put these bitches on blast!

(Responding to the last line, Juliet decides that both she and her lover will team against Bonnie and Clyde so she wouldn't need to look away from him for so long.)

Romeo Montague:
En garde, thou artless beetle-headed flax wench!

("En garde!" is a French phrase used by swordbearers to prepare for battle, which means "[Be] on [your] guard!" Romeo prepares to duel with Bonnie, whom he finds as having no manners whatsoever. Also, "beetle-headed flax wench" is a combination of two Shakespearean insults: "beetle-headed" meaning moronic and "flax wench" referring to a prostitute. Essentially, Romeo called Bonnie a stupid whore.)

The only insult you have thrust upon me is thine stench!

(Romeo claims that Bonnie and Clyde's disses are ineffective, and that they only insult him by smelling bad. He's possibly simply saying that their rapping stinks.)

'''Why don't you twist upon these nuts? I hear you're good with a wrench!'''

(Clyde's first murder was to Ed Crowder, who sodomized Clyde in prison, so he had his revenge by splitting Crowder's head open with a pipe wrench. Romeo, knowing Clyde is able to use a wrench, taunts him by telling him to twist his nuts, or suck on his genitals. This is a pun on wrenches being used to twist and turn nuts.)

The dismal state of your raps should be a federal offense!

(At this point in the video, Romeo bites his thumb at Bonnie and Clyde, a reference to the famous line in Romeo and Juliet said by Sampson in the first scene, then continued into a running joke for a few more lines. Regarding the line, Romeo is saying that Bonnie and Clyde's raps are so disgracefully bad, that they should be considered a federal offense like what they already do, considering they're criminals. Combined, it means that Romeo is calling them terrible at rapping and giving him what the middle finger was known as during his time period. So in the video and in this line, Romeo is calling them horrible at what they do in both ways. This could also be a play on the words "state" and "federal" in the government sense.)

Juliet Capulet:
(Haha!) And you there, wench with the neck of a chicken,

(A chicken's neck tends to move awkwardly, jerking forward while the head keeps its position still. Juliet insults Bonnie by saying her neck moves in a similar manner.)

You'll get an ass-rippin' worse than your boyfriend's in prison!

(Clyde Barrow had multiple arrests throughout his life and also did time in prison, where he was sexually abused by one of the fellow inmates who he later murdered. "Ripping one's ass" means that a person beat someone badly, so Juliet insults the couple by comparing Clyde's sodomy to beating Bonnie in this battle.)

'''You're not a true romance. You're just a conjugal visit.'''

(A conjugal visit is a private visit between a prisoner and his/her spouse, referring to Bonnie and Clyde's seemingly false love being nothing but constant prison visits.)

Oh, but that's not even your real husband now, is it?

(Bonnie was married to Roy Thornton, not Clyde Barrow, though the marriage to Thornton was something of a sham, given that he spent most of his married life incarcerated. Following the previous line, Juliet's saying that Bonnie and Clyde's "romance" is just a show they put on, offending them by reminding Bonnie that she's married to someone else.)

Clyde Barrow:
Hey, partner, you best put a muzzle on your missus,

(Muzzles are used to quiet or control disobedient dogs and horses, as well as to silence guns. Having been burned by Juliet in the preceding line, Clyde warns Romeo that he should keep her quiet. "Missus", from "Mrs.", is an informal reference to one's wife or girlfriend.)

'Fore I teach her how we handle disrespect down in Texas!

(A common stereotype regarding people in Texas is that matters are settled in one-on-one duels with pistols. Clyde was very skilled with many weapons including the pistol, so if Clyde and Juliet were to have a duel, Juliet would lose easily, which is why Clyde had used that as a threat. Bonnie can be seen behind Clyde slashing her hand in front of her neck, which means that the person it is directed at is going to be killed, further implying her fate.)

Romeo Montague:
Do you quarrel, sir? Ho, shall I draw my long sword?

(In the first scene of the play, Sampson and Gregory of the Capulet house attempt to start a fight with Abraham of the Montague house. Sampson bites his thumb at Abraham, which offends him. Gregory asks Abraham, "Do you quarrel, sir?" He takes out his sword, asking for a duel, and Benvolio enters to prevent any conflict, but he is stopped by Tybalt, who fights him instead. The second part is a reference to the line, "Give me my long sword, ho!" said by Lord Capulet to his wife in Act 1, Scene 1 when both houses are fighting. Here, Romeo threatens to pull his sword out on Clyde.)

Or will you duck your chicken shit ass back into your Ford?

("Chicken shit" relates to the fact Clyde is from Texas and the stereotype of Texans being farmers. He is also calling Clyde a chicken. Bonnie and Clyde were known for making getaways in their 1932 Ford V8 B400 convertible sedan.)

Bonnie Parker:
How could you beat my man in some mano a mano?

("Mano a mano" (also "mano e mano") is a phrase from several Romance languages for "hand-to-hand", as in unarmed combat—a fist fight. Bonnie is questioning Romeo as to whether he can beat Clyde, even suggesting he's too weak to fight him.)

You can't protect your best friend from some John Leguizamo!

(In the story, Romeo's close friend Mercutio is killed by his rival Tybalt. Tybalt was portrayed by John Leguizamo in the 1996 film version of the play directed by Baz Luhrmann.)

Juliet Capulet:
No, no, my Romeo will beat your beau in contest blow for blow.

("Beau", borrowed from French, is a fancy term for "boyfriend". Juliet says here that Romeo can fight on par with Clyde and beat him.)

He will do upon thine dick what you hath done upon your toe!

(While serving a 14-year sentence in Texas for robbery and automobile theft in January 1932, Clyde decided he could no longer endure the unforgiving work and brutal conditions at the notoriously tough Eastham Prison Farm. In the hopes of forcing a transfer to a less harsh facility, Clyde severed his left big toe and a portion of a second toe with an axe, although it is not known whether he or another prisoner wielded the sharp instrument. The self-mutilation, which permanently crippled his walking stride and prevented him from wearing shoes while driving, ultimately proved unnecessary as he was released on parole six days later. Juliet says that Romeo will cut off Clyde's penis, like how Clyde cut off his toe.)

Oh, I am killed, what irony is this?

(Juliet dies after getting shot by Bonnie, who was angry with her lines. "Oh, I am killed," could also be a reference to another Shakespeare play, "Hamlet", in which Polonius says, "Oh, I am slain!" after being stabbed in the stomach, or in "Macbeth", where Macduff's son declares "They have killed me, mother!" as he is murdered. This referencing Shakespeare again, as plays and musicals often include ironic moments, with Shakespeare being no different.)

The lead role shot down by a failed actress...

(Romeo & Juliet is a play, and in plays, actors and actresses portray certain roles. Romeo and Juliet are specifically the two "lead roles" in the play, and lead roles are often seen as the best role to have in a play due to them being the focus of most of the play. Bonnie's original goal was to become an actress, but became a criminal by accident. Thus, Juliet notes the irony of a key role in a famous play being killed by an unsuccessful actress, someone who most likely wouldn't be able to obtain said role.)

Romeo Montague:
'''Then I shall kill myself! On my stomach I shall lie,'''

(In the play, upon finding Juliet supposedly dead, Romeo drinks poison and kills himself. The same thing happens here.)

'''So you louts can lick my ass! Thus with a dis, I die...'''

(Romeo calls Bonnie and Clyde aggressive, and dies with a final diss towards them. Romeo is also referring to his final line in the play by Shakespeare, "Thus with a kiss, I die.")

Juliet Capulet:
'''Oops, never mind. My flesh was merely grazed.'''

(Bonnie apparently missed Juliet with her shot, barely scratching the skin as it whizzed past her. This line refers to the point in the play when Juliet has taken a narcotic potion to feign her own death and has woken from sleep.)

'''Where's Romeo? Oh Nomeo! There's poison on your face!'''

(Juliet combines the words oh no and Romeo to express her sadness at his suicide. This could also be a reference to the parody film, Gnomeo and Juliet.)

'''Oh, happy dagger, pierce me true. Persuade my breath to stop.'''

(In Juliet's final lines of the play, she takes a knife after seeing her lover's dead body, and remarks, "O happy dagger, this is thy sheath; there rest, and let me die.")

Sheathe yourself inside my heart and like the beat, I drop...

(To sheathe a weapon is to seal it away in a holster or scabbard, which Juliet says will be her heart as she stabs herself. In music, a beat dropping usually refers to when the music stops right before it gets intense.)

Clyde Barrow:
Well, that was tragic.

(The deaths of Romeo and Juliet stun Bonnie and Clyde. Their play is a tragedy, where the main characters face misfortune at the end.)

Bonnie Parker:
That did not go as expected.

(Bonnie, too, is shocked that their opponents became suicidal for their love.)

Clyde Barrow
Woulda done that boy some good to just wait a couple seconds.

(Clyde references how Romeo reacted too quickly to Juliet's death in the story and battle.)

Bonnie Parker:
It's kinda sad though, really, so young to have just died.

(Romeo and Juliet died as teenagers. Bonnie finds it sad that they died so young.)

Clyde Barrow:
Well, at least we got each other,

(Clyde cheers her up by saying at least they're still alive together...)

Bonnie Parker:
Just Bonnie...

(...and Bonnie acknowledges that they are together until...)

Clyde Barrow:
And...

(...the couple is riddled with machine gun fire before they can finish the verse, a reference to how they were ambushed in real life. The manner in the video by which they were shot is also a reference to the somewhat over-the-top way Bonnie and Clyde were killed in the 1967 movie, in which they are riddled with bullets for a full 21 seconds before the fire finally stops.)