Hard Knock Life (The Ghetto Anthem) - Jay-Z

Check the bassline 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

Steada treated, we get tricked

Steada 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 niggaz know me to fail? Fuck naw

Where all my niggaz with the rubber grips, bust shots?

And if you with me, mom, I rub on your 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 fifty-fifty

Let's take the dough and stay real jiggy

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 niggaz get ready

It's the hard knock life, for us

It's the hard knock life, for us

Steada treated, we get tricked

Steada kisses, we get kicked

It's the hard knock life!

I flow for those 'dro'ed out all my niggaz

Locked down in the ten by fo', 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 you vision mama, I put my money on the longshots

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 dream machines, the green fives

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 tryin' to murder everything movin', feel me

It's the hard knock life, for us

It's the hard knock life, for us

Steada treated, we get tricked

Steada kisses, we get kicked

It's the hard knock life, for us

It's the hard knock life, for us

Steada treated, we get tricked

Steada kisses, we get kicked

It's the hard knock life

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

Gotta 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, till the second one came out

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

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

It's the hard knock life, for us

It's the hard knock life, for us

Steada treated, we get tricked

Steada kisses, we get kicked

It's the hard knock life, for us

It's the hard knock life, for us

Steada treated, we get tricked

Steada kisses, we get kicked

It's the hard knock life

It's the hard knock life

It's the hard knock life