Hard Knock Life

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
For 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 n- know me to fail? F- naw
Where all my n- with the rubber grips, bust shots?

And if you with me, mom, I rub on your -, 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
And sip the Cris' and get pissy-pissy
Flow infinitely like the memory of my n- Biggie, baby
You know it's hell when I come through
The life and times of Shawn Carter, n-, Volume 2

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 n- locked down in the 10 by 4, 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, sh-
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 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 lot of beef, so logically, I prey on my foes
Hustling's 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 drop albums non-stop for ya, n-

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 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

It's the hard knock life