Jay-Z:

Take the baseline out, uh huh

Jigga uh huh uh huh uh huh



Annie Sample:

It's the hard knock life for us (uh-huh)

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!!



Verse 1:

>From standing on the corner poppin

To driving some of the hottest cars New York has ever seen

To dropping some of the hottest verses rap has ever heard

>From the dope spot, where the smoke lock

Fleeing the murder scene, you know me well

>From nightmares of a lonely cell, my only hell

But since when ya'll niggas know me to bail? Fuck Naw

Where all my niggas with the rubber grips, off shots

And if you with me ma I rubbing your tits, and what not

I'm form 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

Let's sip the Cris and get pissy pissy

Flow imminently 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, ya'll niggas get ready



Annie Sample:

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!!



Verse 2:

I flow for those droned out

All my niggas locked in the 10 by 4 controlling the house

We live in hard knocks we don't take over we bomb blocks

Burn 'em down and you can have 'em back daddy, I'd rather that

I flow for chicks wishing 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 born to glock

Now I'ma be on top whether I perform or not

I went from lukewarm to hot

Sleeping on futons and cots, the king size, dream machine to grief

I've seen pies let the thing between my eyes analyze life's ills

Then I put it down tight grill

I'm tight grill with the phony rappers you might feel we homeys

I'm like still you don't know me, shit

I'm tight grill when my situation ain't improving

I'm trying to murder everything moving, Feel Me!!



Annie Sample:

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

Steada treated, we get tricked

Steada kisses, we get kicked

It's the hard knock life!!



Verse 3:

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

Gotta a lot of beef so logically I prey on my foes

Hustlin still inside of me and as far as progress

You be hardpressed to find another rapper hot as me

I gave you prophecy on my first joint, and ya'll 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, and drop albums non-stop for ya nigga



Annie Sample:

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