Hard Knock Life [Ghetto Anthem] lyrics

Take the bassline out, uh huh

Jigga uh huh uh huh uh huh

It's the hard knock life for us

It's the hard knock life for us

'Stead of treated, we get tricked

'Stead of kisses, we get kicked

It's the hard knock life

From standin' on the corners, boppin'

To drivin' some of the hottest cars New York has ever seen

To droppin' some of the hottest verses rap has ever heard

From the dope spot, with the smoke glock, fleein' the murder scene, you know me well

From nightmares of a lonely cell, my only hell

But since when ya'll niggas know me to fail? Fuck naw

Where all my niggas with the rubber grips, bust shots

And if you with me, mama rub on ya tits, and what not

I'm from the school of the hard knocks, we must not

Let outsiders violate our blocks and my plot

Let's stick up the world and split it 50-50, uh huh

Let's take the dough and stay real jiggy, uh huh

Let's sip the Cris and get pissy pissy

Flow infinitely like the memory of my nigga Biggie, baby!

You know its hell when I come through

The life and times of Shawn Carter, nigga, Volume 2

Ya'll niggas get ready

It's the hard knock life for us

It's the hard knock life for us

'Stead of treated, we get tricked

'Stead of kisses, we get kicked

It's the hard knock life

I flow for those droed out

All my niggas locked down in the 10 by 4 controllin' the house

We live in hard knocks we don't take over we bomb blocks

Burn 'em down and you can have 'em back daddy, I'd rather that

I flow for chicks wishin' they ain't have to strip to pay tuition

I see you vision mama

I put my money on the long shots, all my ballers that's born to clock

Now I'ma be on top whether I perform or not

I went from lukewarm to hot, sleepin' on futons and cots,

To king size, green machines, to green 5's

I've seen pies let the thing between my eyes analyze life's ills

Then I put it down tight real

I'm tight grill with the phony rappers, you might feel we homeys

I'm like still you don't know me, shit

I'm tight real when my situation ain't improvin'

I'm tryin' to murder everythin' movin', feel me

It's the hard knock life for us

It's the hard knock life for us

'Stead of treated, we get tricked

'Stead of kisses, we get kicked

It's the hard knock life for us

It's the hard knock life for us

'Stead of treated, we get tricked

'Stead of kisses, we get kicked

It's the hard knock life

I don't know how to sleep, I gotta eat, stay on my toes

Got a lot of beef so logically I prey on my foes

Hustlin' still inside of me and as far as progress

You be hard-pressed to find another rapper hot as me

I gave you prophecy on my first joint, and ya all lamed out

Didn't really appreciate it 'til the second one came out

So I stretched the game out, X'ed your name out

Put Jigga on top, and drop albums non-stop for ya nigga

It's the hard knock life for us

It's the hard knock life for us

'Stead of treated, we get tricked

'Stead of kisses, we get kicked

It's the hard knock life for us

It's the hard knock life for us

'Stead of treated, we get tricked

'Stead of kisses, we get kicked

It's the hard knock life

It's the hard knock life

It's the hard knock life

• Artist:Jay-Z
• Album:Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life 1998