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They say "they never really miss you til you dead or you gone" |
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So on that note i'm leaving after the song |
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So you ain't gotta feel no way about Jay so long |
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Atleast let me tell you why i'm this way, Hold on |
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I was conceived by Gloria Carter and Adaness Revees |
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Who made love under the Siccamore tree |
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Which makes me |
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A more sicker emcee my momma would claim |
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At 10 pounds when i was born i didn't give her no pain |
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Although through the years i gave her her fair share |
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I gave her her first real scare |
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I made it from birth and i got here |
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She knows my purpose wasn't purpose |
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I ain't perfect i care |
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But i feel worthless cause my shirts wasn't matchin my gear |
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Now i'm just scratchin the surface cause what's burried under there |
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Was a kid torn apart once his pop disappeared |
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I went to school got good grades could behave when i wanted |
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But i had demons deep inside that would raise when confronted |
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Hold on |
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[Jay-Z's Mom:] |
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Shawn was a very shy child growing up |
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He was into sports |
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And a funny story is |
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At 4 he taught hisself how to ride a bike |
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A two wheeler at that |
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Isn't that special? |
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But, i noticed a chance in him when me and my husband broke up |
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[Jay-Z Verse 2] |
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Now all the teachers couldn't reach me |
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And my momma couldn't beat me |
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Hard enough to match the pain of my pops not seeing me, SO |
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With that distain in my membrain |
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Got on my pimp game |
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Fuck the world my defense came |
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Then Dahaven introuced me to the game |
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Spanish Jose introduced me to cane |
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I'm a hustler now |
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My gear is in and i'm in the in crowd |
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And all the wavey light skinned girls is lovin me now |
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My self esteem went through the roof man i got my swag |
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Got a volvo from this girl when her man got bagged |
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Plus i hit my momma with cash from a show that i had |
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Supposedly knowin nobody paid Jaz wack ass |
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I'm geting ahead of myself, by the way, i could rap |
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That came second to me movin this crack |
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Gimme a second i swear |
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I will say about my rap career |
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Til 96 came niggas i'm here |
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Good-bye |
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[Jay-Z's Mom:] |
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Shawn use to be in the kitchen |
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Beating on the table and rapping |
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And um, until the wee hours of the morning |
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And then i bought him a boom box |
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And his sisters and brothers said he would drive them nuts |
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But that was my way to keep him close to me and out of trouble |
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[Jay-Z Verse 3] |
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Good-bye to the game all the spoils, the adreneline rush |
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Your blood boils you in a spot knowing cops could rush |
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And you in a drop your so easy to touch |
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No two days are alike |
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Except the first and fifteenth pretty much |
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And "trust" is a word you seldom hear from us |
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Hustlers we don't sleep we rest one eye up |
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And the drought to find a man when the well dries up |
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You learn to work the water without workin thirst til die YUP |
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And niggas get tied up for product |
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And little brothers ring fingers get cut up |
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To show mothers they really got em |
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And this was the stress i live with til i decided |
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To try this rap shit for a livin |
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I Pray i'm forgiven |
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For every bad decision i made |
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Every sister i played |
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Cause i'm still paranoid to this day |
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And it's nobody fault i made the decisions i made |
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This is the life i chose or rather the life that chose me |
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If you can't respect that your whole perspective is wack |
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Maybe you'll love me when i fade to black |
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If you can't respect that your whole perspective is wack |
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Maybe you'll love me when i fade to black |
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[repeat 2 more times to fade] |