Empire State Of Mind`
(feat. Alicia Keys)
Yea
[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
Yea I`m out that Brooklyn, now I`m down in TriBeCa
right next to Deniro, but I`ll be hood forever
I`m the new Sinatra, and... since I made it here
I can make it anywhere, yea, they love me everywhere
I used to cop in Harlem, all of my Dominicano`s
right there up on Broadway, pull me back to that McDonald`s
Took it to my stashbox, 560 State St.
catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons with them Pastry`s
Cruisin` down 8th St., off white Lexus
drivin` so slow, but BK is from Texas
Me, I`m out that Bed-Stuy, home of that boy Biggie
now I live on Billboard and I brought my boys with me
Say what`s up to Ty-Ty, still sippin` mai tai`s
sittin` courtside, Knicks & Nets give me high five
Nigga I be Spike`d out, I could trip a referee
Tell by my attitude that I`m most definitely from....
[Chorus: Alicia Keys]
New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There`s nothin` you can`t do
out of New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Let`s hear it for New York, New York,
New York
[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game
Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous then a Yankee can
You should know I bleed blue, but I ain`t a Crip though
but I got a gang of niggas walkin` with my clique though
Welcome to the melting pot, corners where we sellin` rock
Afrika Bambataa shit, home of the hip-hop
Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back
for foreigners it ain`t for, they act like they forgot how to act
8 million stories, out there in it naked
City is a pity, half of y`all won`t make it
Me, I got a plug, Special Ed `I Got It Made`
If Jeezy`s payin` LeBron, I`m payin` Dwyane Wade
Three dice cee-lo, three card molly
Labor Day Parade, rest in peace Bob Marley
Statue of Liberty, long live the World Trade
Long live the Kingdome, I`m from the Empire St. that`s
[Chorus:]
[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
Lights is blinding, girls need blinders
so they can step out of bounds quick, the sidelines is
lined with casualties, who sip to life casually
then gradually become worse, don`t bite the apple leaf
Caught up in the in-crowd, now you`re in style
End of the winter gets cold, en vogue, with your skin out
City of sin, it`s a pity on the wind
Good girls gone bad, the city`s filled with them
Mami took a bus trip, now she got her bust out
Everybody ride her, just like a bus route
Hail Mary to the city, you`re a virgin
And Jesus can`t save you, life starts when the church end
Came here for school, graduated to the high life
Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight
MDMA got you feelin` like a champion
The city never sleeps, better slip you an Ambien
[Chorus:]
[Bridge: Alicia Keys]
One hand in the air for the big city
Street lights, big dreams, all lookin` pretty
No place in the world that could compare
Put your lighters in the air
Everybody say `yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah`
[Chorus:]