JAY-Z - Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) lyrics

Take the bass line out uh huh, Jigga
Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh, yeah
Let it bump though

It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated, we get tricked
Instead 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
From 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 y'all 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 your tit's
And what not
I'm from the school of the hard knocks
You 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 and sip the Cris' and get pissy-pissy
Flow infinitely like the memory
Of my nigga Biggie, baby!
You know it's hell when I come through
The life and times of Shawn Carter, nigga
Volume 2 y'all niggas get ready!

It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated, we get tricked
Instead of kisses, we get kicked
It's the hard knock life!

I flow for those 'dro'ed out
All my niggas locked down in the 10 by four
Controllin' the house we live in hard knocks
We don't take over, we borrow blocks
Burn 'em down and you can have it back
Daddy, I'd rather that
I flow for chicks wishin'
They ain't have to strip to pay tuition
I see your vision, mama
I put my money on the longshots
All my ballers that's born to clock
Know 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 type Braille
I'm tight grill with the phony
Rappers, y'all might feel we homies
I'm like, "Still, y'all don't know me"
Shit, I'm tight grill when
My situation ain't improvin'
I'm tryna murder everything movin' – feel me?

It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated, we get tricked
Instead of kisses, we get kicked
It's the hard knock life!
It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated, we get tricked
Instead 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 lotta beef, so logically
I prey on my foes
Hustlin' is still inside of me
And as far as progress
You'd be hard-pressed to find another
Rapper hot as me
I gave you prophecy on my first joint
And y'all lamed out
Didn't really appreciate it 'til the
Second one came out
So I stretched the game out
Etched your name out
Put Jigga on top and dropped
Albums non-stop for ya, nigga!

It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated, we get tricked
Instead of kisses, we get kicked
It's the hard knock life!