Jay-z - Streets Is Watching lyrics

Look, if I shoot you, I'm brainless But if you shoot me, then you're famous -- what's a n***a to do? When the, streets is watching, blocks keep clocking Waiting for you to break, make your first mistake Can't ignore it, that's the fastest way to get extorted But my time is money, and twenty-five, I can't afford it Beef is sorted like Godiva, chocolates n***as you bought it, I pull the slide back and co*k it Plan aborted, you and your mans get a pa** This rhyme, you're operating on b**h time Y'all n*ggaz ain't worth my shells, all y'all n***as tryin to do is hurt my sales, and stop trips to John McNale The type to start a beef then, run to the cops When I see you in the street got, one in the drop When I'd rather be on tour getting a hundred a pop or taking pictures with some b*tches, in front of the drop The streets is watching *chorus* When the, streets is watching Blocks keep clocking Waiting for you to break, make your first mistake Can't ignore it Man, it's hard not to k** n***as It's like a full time job not to k** n***as, can't chill the streets is watching you, when you froze your arms n***as wanna test you and your gun goes warm Can't get caught with your feet up, gotta keep your heat up Sweet n***as running 'round swearing sh** is sweeter Once you're tagged lame the game is follow the leader Everybody want a piece of your scrilla, so you gotta keep it realer Kidnap n***as wanna steal ya Broke n***as want no cash, they just wanna k** ya for the name, n***as don't know the rules Disrespectin the game, want you to blow your cool Force your hand, of course that man's plottin Smarten up, the streets is watching, it's on *chorus* My street mentality flip bricks forever, know me and money we like armed co-defendants, n***a we stick together sh** whatever for this cheddar ran my game into the ground Hustle harder to see if indictment time came around Now you can look up and down the streets and I can't be found Put in twenty-four hour shifts but, n***as mouths got slow leaks Had to hide between my workers, couldn't play those streets Stay outta space like Mercury you jerkin me? Hectic Had to call upon my wolves to send, n***as the message I said this: 'Let's play fair and we can stay here I'm trying to transform you Boyz II Men like daycare' Hey there's money to be made and, n***as got the picture Stopped playing with my paper and, we got richer Then hard times fell upon us, half of my staff had warrants, the other half, in the casket lay dormant I felt like life was cheating me, for the first time in my life I was getting money but it was like my conscience was eating me Was this a lesson God teaching me? Was he saying that? I'm playing the game straight from Hell from which few came back like bad coke, pimp or die, was my mindframe bad Was n***as was thinkin simplify was turnin c**aine crack/ Ain't a whole lot of brain to that, just trying to maintain a stack and not collide like two trains that's on the same track 'Fore I get my life together like the oars I bring back In the bottom of the pot where no, water gets hot Got my transporter take it 'cross the border then stop Set up shop with a quarter of rock, here's the plan For three straight weeks, n***as slaughtered the block But you know the game is 'lluted, that f**ed up me and my dues One drop can wipe a n***a out, faster than the cops and this unstable way of living just, had to stop Half of my n***as got time, we done real things By ninety-four became the subject of half of y'all n***as rhymes Public apoligies to the families of those caught up in my sh** But that's the life for us lost souls brought up in the sh** The life and times of a n***a mind, excited with crime And the lavish luxuries that just excited my mind I figured, 'sh** why risk myself I just write it in rhymes And let you feel me, and if you don't like it then fine' The mindstate, of a n***a who boosted the crime rate so high in one city they send National Guards to get me