Now let the story begin ...Its the hard knock life tour ... out, picture us in the mall ...You know the name, do gotta spel...like a mime and let the chance pass by ...e could change your life ...our friends back at the gig ... my mentor, now let the story begin ...Let the story begin ...If you feel the way I feel why don'...Fresh off the plane I'm off to Ba...Around the same time of that B...But by The Black Album I was b...s and we had packed the crowd ...g brother saw me at the bottom of the totem ...Now I'm at the top and everybody on the scrotum ... my mentor, now let the story begin ...Let the story begin ...If you feel the way I feel why don'... you ever walked in the shadow of a giant ...Not only a client, the presidito, Hola Hov...The game getting foul, ...I was always on the other side of the peep hole ...It was the pride in me that wa...At the grammys I said I in... even if he gave me the rock, its give and go ...And them hoes at the show gonna mingle y...People never get the flowers while they ... in my eyes, God of the game ...Heart of the city,Rockafella cha...Never be the same, never be anot...r, and that's where the story ends

ot me all watery in the eyes ya know...Its all good ...For the first three yrs... watching Cosbys in the laundry mat...ng to holler at all the women, huh...Times where hard...e still friends til the end...Yeah that's a hard-knock life...Yeah its ride or die...use we are boys for life...It's getting hard now...Its time to make moves ...Faced the bad weather...every label slammed the door in our face...s up until we found the right place...e still friends til the end...Yeah that's a hard-knock life...Yeah its ride or die...use we are boys for life...We in the game now...um with dough up in the bank now...ed us and put us in the right gear...nd radio thanks for the great year...I'm glad the time that it took w...e still friends til the end...Yeah that's a hard-knock life...Yeah its ride or die...Cause we boys for life...od that you brought the joy to me...l y'all who slammed the doors ...'t have our hits on the radio...For life baby

urgin proclaims off the lot...I'm hard headed cat fitted f...er when Doc spit on the ??...ed Jaul when i walk the streets...Blessin with the over dosage of blac...Cya at the bottom when i spot ...Grab him by the throat and say aaah...Yo Yo doggs its my Fort Doc...Hit a clear the park 20 miles apart...If your not from the tri-boro, story set... in da water and we hard to harpoon...sh my evil hands in the fire hydrant...Flying through hard knock life is still torn...ed in Chicago i hit the floor then...ke up wit a burn in the morning...With fomat blow the welcome of our door...Now the helified sound...Why your town off the road map...t your crew and get the bozac too...Or just slave to the rivrim...Clinton is the prez i still voted ...The most beautiful is ?...Swingin the ghetto pharmasuiticals the Methadonna...Or the old Flinstone chewa... i don't want to be the one to stick the doggs on ya...row your ones up in the air like this so ev

what's important in life...its a game,bet your mon...ing niggaz dat work hard...the more you sell,the m...that's what i told the judge in court at m...keep the heat between my box...the whole business ran ...wear yo azz be unda the sheet...till they,kick in the door,its the american way...ed crime,infratated the force...we above the law,that's cause we...e out worse or even the same...its the game of life...been like dis since the beginning...who could get the most cars,collect the best women... judge nobody cause its all essence ...whoever die wit the most money in the end when...and if we got to knock a block or two then...call me the bad guy(the bad guy

My nigga Gotti, the Princess, Momma, wh... I see everybody in the building, my nigga ...s! Say goodnight to the legend,...Cause lord knows the world gon' miss him...Universal the system is similar t...lee and time spent, its money they owe me...ight, but sometimes its slow,...'s up and down like the Dow Jones, shit flu...Feds investigate, the monopoly,...at I think, I think the world doesn't have ...On what its like to be a, a superstar in the spotlight, ...To make music for the people to enjoy, for the world to love, ...e?) and peeled back the WHO...hen I-N-C came into the game...ts do you know what its like, ...To live your life hard knock?...You think life's a bitch? I think the bitch is mine!...lty by song, but yo the government must be ...The corporate world, th...A bit or whatever the case may be they di...these motherfuckers the opportunity, we giv...in't gonna give 'em the jobs, so we give it

The way I feel sometimes its too hard to sit still...mile on my face but its really no joke...You feel it in the streets people brea...They goin' through the motion, they dimmin...The focus gettin' clear and the light turn sharp...And the eyes go teary, the mind grow weary...I push it past the bass no nations got...And its volumes or scriptur...Cradle to the grave tall lead you...Universal ghetto life holla black you kno...Shoulders the lions raw voice is the siren... out and bring down the tyrant...d a small act could knock a giant lopsided...The world is so dangero...ins tryna hide like the struggle won't find...And the sun bust through the clouds to clearly r...Cradle to the grave talk'll lead ...Universal ghetto life holla black you kno...me relax riddle off the mac, its the patch...Imma soldier in the middle of Iraq...noonish commin' out the whip...g why not just take the damn food like...And increasing the sentiment gentlemen...Now the kid considered like

I do it like the best of the greatest, not the worst ...are day, can't stop the first of the month ...Cause I'm on the prowl, all the time ...Tryin' knock every bitch so they...or three bitches at the same time ...Grab the microphone sing my ...iggas gotta do what the fuck we should when...I'm bout as real as the stones in my diamon...Lickin up the nuts, while I'm gon...To the front and back, nothing but the bozack ...The second she get lone...ause when they drop the draws ... call eight ball in the corner when you sho...But when you play the game of life, ain't...eep me I might call the bitch ...min', I'm gone fuck the hoe harder ...ust havin' fun with the bitch, as she sprun...out and just cum on the bitch ...I like to go to the club mix and mingle...Look and pimp the background ...Look, listen put the bitch on lock down ...They callin' me the pussy jammer cause ...ant to play me like the lotto ...Tip the bottle, now I'm dru...High off the dank, but I can't f...pin it wild, but in the meanwhile we the coolest ...ow a nigga climb on the chart ...I represent it from the start ...All the young black males, ...Cause its a hard life nigga only thugs su...The city of Oaktown lac...Didn't think the shit was cute, so I

at I mean? This for the woman why'know what...I mean? Yo ya know? Its crazy. We all toget...The reason why: (My fault) she seen the red in my eyes ...tin it, feelin like the archives ...Never hit the street with out my ...aid, "Paps, we know the jake 'ill try to knock you" ...here, don't mean to knock you ...I know its hard fuckin with a thug ...The ?Mellanin? in your ...Sweatin at the foul line like Pat ...Yo from all the brothers ...I dedicate to the mothers ...her, grandmother of the Earth ...What, its all real ...what we are, trying hard to change the way we live ...(Change the way we live) ...Trying hard to change the way life we live ...gh, light it all at the same time ..., (hold it up) babe its your turn to roll i...Kiss you on the forehead, cause yo,...The stupid shit I did in the past, I didn't mean...But when you cook, the way that it smell, the way that it look ...ok good, that's off the hook ...Yo, its all good, I'm likin...Step into my life now, share my world...The only thing I love more, gotta be the kids ...You got the real hair, while ot...n't help it, I know the both of us felt it ...The both us melt it, the both of us dealt wi...The rumors and the lies, your eyes on ... it real, cause you the real one, that I wa...y. We're just being the person that we are....with the fellas, gettin jeal

at I mean? This for the woman why'know what...I mean? Yo ya know? Its crazy. We all toget...The reason why: (My fault) she seen the red in my eyes ...tin it, feelin like the archives ...Never hit the street with out my ...aid, "Paps, we know the jake 'ill try to knock you" ...here, don't mean to knock you ...I know its hard fuckin with a thug ...The ?Mellanin? in your ...Sweatin at the foul line like Pat ...Yo from all the brothers ...I dedicate to the mothers ...her, grandmother of the Earth ...What, its all real ...what we are, trying hard to change the way we live ...(Change the way we live) ...Trying hard to change the way life we live ...gh, light it all at the same time ..., (hold it up) babe its your turn to roll i...Kiss you on the forehead, cause yo,...The stupid shit I did in the past, I didn't mean...But when you cook, the way that it smell, the way that it look ...ok good, that's off the hook ...Yo, its all good, I'm likin...Step into my life now, share my world...The only thing I love more, gotta be the kids ...You got the real hair, while ot...n't help it, I know the both of us felt it ...The both us melt it, the both of us dealt wi...The rumors and the lies, your eyes on ... it real, cause you the real one, that I wa...y. We're just being the person that we are....with the fellas, gettin jeal

Life, life is unbelievable...Life, life...Life is good, life is great...Life is unbelievable...Life is hard, life is cruel...Life is so beautiful...Life, life is unbelievable...Life, life is unbelievable...Somewhere in life and yet, on my way ...The kings behind the counter, serving co...ion, except I'd (?) the queen...So knock on wood and cross y...So get on livin', its up to you...If your soul loves the sun, rock, rock on...e flippin', rippin' the party 'till the break of dawn...vice, and live your life...Cause its yours...Cause its a never ending task...And I feel I'm near the end... don't want to live life doin' petty nonsens...It's hard to sleep at night w...Upset with all the blood, the sweat, and the tears...Baby its on, a mother shed tears, at the same time, a baby i...On the other side of town, a life is lost...as knocked off, and the heat was tossed...Damn, life is real, and so tra...e your life, I know its hell for the rough,...ITS YOURS!

Life, life is unbelievable...Life, life...Life is good, life is great...Life is unbelievable...Life is hard, life is cruel...Life is so beautiful...Life, life is unbelievable...Life, life is unbelievable...Somewhere in life and yet, on my way ...The kings behind the counter, serving co...ion, except I'd (?) the queen...So knock on wood and cross y...So get on livin', its up to you...If your soul loves the sun, rock, rock on...e flippin', rippin' the party 'till the break of dawn...vice, and live your life...Cause its yours...Cause its a never ending task...And I feel I'm near the end... don't want to live life doin' petty nonsens...It's hard to sleep at night w...Upset with all the blood, the sweat, and the tears...Baby its on, a mother shed tears, at the same time, a baby i...On the other side of town, a life is lost...as knocked off, and the heat was tossed...Damn, life is real, and so tra...e your life, I know its hell for the rough,...ITS YOURS!

Life, life is unbelievable ...Life, life ...Life is good, life is great ...Life is unbelievable ...Life is hard, life is cruel ...Life is so beautiful ...Life, life is unbelievable ...Life, life is unbelievable ...Somewhere in life and yet, on my way ...The kings behind the counter, serving co...ion, except I'd (?) the queen ...So knock on wood and cross y...So get on livin', its up to you ...If your soul loves the sun, rock, rock on ...e flippin', rippin' the party 'till the break of dawn ...vice, and live your life ...Cause its yours ...Cause its a never ending task...And I feel I'm near the end ... don't want to live life doin' petty nonsens...It's hard to sleep at night w...Upset with all the blood, the sweat, and the tears ...Baby its on, a mother shed tears, at the same time, a baby i...On the other side of town, a life is lost ...as knocked off, and the heat was tossed ...Damn, life is real, and so tra...e your life, I know its hell for the rough, ...ITS YOURS!

s we gonna live our life struggling on the streets ...s we gotta live our life searching for a way...blacks gotta die by the hands of another ...derstand that man's the same color so that ...en that man is from the gutter ...med like school was the best plan ...ce was distributing the rock like Def-jam ...He graduated from the middle of the strip to the corner ...But I don't knock him cause he tryin'...There's no food on the table, the rents past due and ...I ain't sayin' that its right to be dealin'...s we gonna live our life struggling on the streets ...s we gotta live our life searching for a way...And the only means of making it better was totally reversing the role ...en though deep down its hurting her soul ...tuition put food in the kitchen and that's ...b but shit times is hard ...s we gonna live our life struggling on the streets ...s we gotta live our life searching for a way...Now see the moral of the story is this ...troubles then don't knock our hustle ...Cause really at the end of the day its not ya'll struggle ...Look at the world from our view...Drink the same water we do, p...ing your hands play the games we dealt ...s we gonna live our life struggling on the streets ...s we gotta live our life searching for a way

And when the sun goes down, it feels like the last time ...Down on the main drag we ride the engines open ... a fire inside that the one thing goin' ...I've got the Mustang loaded ...Knock it out of its misery ...Well the little man's lot ...Is a princess life ...Something in the big frame mobbed ...It never was so hard ...e me one night with the moon high ...And the radio poundin' ...I've got the Mustang loaded ...Knock it out of its misery ...I've got the Mustang loaded ...Knock it out of its misery

It's not about the money ...You see its not the [money] (5x) ... say it ain't about the [lovin] (5x) ...You be on the alone its [nuthin] (5x) ...If its not nuthin ...Girl its gotta be somethin ...Its hard to see the truth when in front...Livin on the run baby ...I was hard headed ...But the thongs betta ...All my life I been goin through...More of the love and less dress...The law try to lock me ...Told me team the dream and automatically they knock me ...Wit you its no pretendin ...And even at the beginin I knew that...Forgive me for the times I bullshitted