Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)

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
 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 niggas know me to fail? Fuck naw
 Where all my niggas 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
 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 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
 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
 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
 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