[Verse One: Jay-Z] Uhh, uhh, yes, yes Y'all wanna know, why he don't stop Y'all wanna know, why he don't flop Let me tell you pe-eople why Came from the bottom of the block I When I was born, it was sworn, I was never gon' be sh** Had to pull the opposite out this b**h Had to get my ri-ide on Eyes on the prize, Shawn knew I had to Had to had to get these chips Had to make moves like Olajuwon Started out sellin dimes and nicks Graduated to a brick No exaggeration, my infatuation with the strip Legendary like a schoolboy Crushin merely nearly every every chick Heavy sh** - that's how schoolboy got whipped And got left on some "Just +Me, Myself and I+" On some Trugoy sh** Had your boys threw place up, to a place of no return Had to play with fire and get burned Only way the boy ever gon' learn Had to lay way in the cut, 'til I finally got my turn Now I'm on top in the spot that I earned [Chorus] It's my life - it's my pain and my struggle The song that I sing to you it's my ev-ery-thing Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first And my thirst is the same as - when I came It's my joy and my tears and the laughter it brings to me It's my ev-ery-thing [Verse Two: Jay-Z] Like I never rode in a limo Like I just dropped flows to a demo Like it's ninety-two again and And I got O's in the rental Back in the Stu' again, no prob' livin was a whole lot simpler When you think back, you thought that you would never make it this far, then you take advantage of the luck you handed Or the talent, you been given Ain't no, half steppin, ain't no, no slippin Ain't no different from a block that's hidden Gotta get it while the getting's good Gotta strike while the iron's hot, 'fore you stop Then you gotta bid it, good riddance Goodbye, this is my second major breakup My first was, with a pager With a hooptie, a cookpot, and the GAME This one's with the stool, with the stage, with the fortune Maybe not the fortune, but certainly the FAME [Chorus] It's my life - my pain and my struggle The song that I sing to you it's my ev-ery-thing Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first And my thirst is the same as - when I came It's my joy and my tears and my laughter it brings to me It's my ev-ery-thing Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first And my thirst like the first song I sang [Outro: Jay-Z] Woo! It's like the blues - we gon' ride out on this one Ta-tah, be-hah Yo Hah, 'member you was makin them dashes for them n***aa at radio and sh**? Clark Kent, that was good lookin out n***a Carlene - who ever thought we'd make it this far homey? Sha, they can't stop us, knahmsayin? Lenny S Dame whattup? Robbin the bank n***az thought we was crazy man, 'member uhh You had that f**ed up a** handwritin You was writin all the numbers that we was spendin now for the videos we was doin ourselves, whattup? Original Flavor, your accountant was crazy wrong and sh** But we we still put it together Bigs, wha**up? 'Member we went to St. Thomas and uh But y'all my nizzle, your dog peed on homey leg and sh** at his crib - I think that was Rudy And they was havin a lil trouble with the pool You and Ta-tah was laughin Emory was there, whattup Emory? What up Ta? Hip-Hop, whattup man? Ay, ay Hobb, you ain't, you ain't have no uhh You ain't have no muh'f**in seat on your, on your bicycle Now you uhh, the head of black music That's what I'm talkin bout right there homey - G, whattup G? Yessir, e'rybody in the Roc Hey Guru, I know you spoiled man I be takin them sh**s in one take You gon' have to punch n***az sh**, STICK IT, you gon' be tight OG One, whattup? I'm a little upset that you wasn't involved in this whole process But it's all good - wha**up Dash? My whole family, my nephew, cousin Angie, wha**up? Te-Tee (B, B, B, B) Mom, you made the album, how crazy is that? Bob Allah, rest in peace My pops, rest in peace (Sup A.J.?) Biggie Smalls, rest in peace Uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh n***a, I'm bout to go golfin man Ay, I might even have me a cappuccino, f** it! I'm goin somewhere nice where no mosquitos at n***a Holla at me - it's your boy!