there should be three wires white goes to the silver screw(nuetral, black goes to the gold screw(hot leg), green to the green screw(groung). it is best and safest to use fork stake-on crimps. these wires are from the ballast to the socket. make sure all connections are tight and clean. make sure your ballast is 110v ballast rated for the proper wattage of your lamp and type(hps). also make sure the circuit you are pluging it, the wiring and breaker are rated for the type of load you are putting on it. if this doent help please post some pics of what you have and ill try to help you further,im here so feel free to ask anything