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 Stead of treated...we get tricked Stead of kisses...we get kicked It's the hard knock life!! Verse 1: From standing on the corners boppin... To driving some of the hottest cars New York has ever seen... For 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 [bad word] But since when ya'll niggas know me to bail? [bad word] Naw Where all my niggas with [bad word] grips...bust shots And if you with me ma [bad word] your [bad word] ..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 Crys and get [bad word] [bad word] .. Flow imminently like the memory of my [bad word] Biggie, baby! You know it's [bad word] when [bad word] through... The life and times of Shawn Carter [bad word] 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 Steada treated...we get tricked Steada kisses...we get kicked It's the hard knock life!! Verse 2: I flow for those droned out... All my niggas locked down 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 thats born to glock Now I'ma be on top whether I perform or not I went from lukewarm to hot Sleeping on guitars 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.. [bad word] 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 Stead of treated...we get tricked Stead of kisses...we get kicked It's the hard knock life for us It's the hard knock life for us Stead of treated...we get tricked Stead of kisses...we get kicked It's the hard knock life!!! Verse 3: 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 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 [bad word] Annie Sample: It's the hard knock life for us It's the hard knock life for us Stead of treated...we get tricked Stead of kisses...we get kicked It's the hard knock life for us It's the hard knock life for us Stead of treated...we get tricked Stead of kisses...we get kicked It's the hard knock life!! It's the hard knock life!! It's the hard knock life!!