Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) - Jay-Z (lyrics) Take the bass line out, uh-huh Jigga, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, yeah Let it bump though It\u0027s the hard knock life for us It\u0027s the hard knock life for us Instead of treated, we get tricked Instead of kisses, we get kicked It\u0027s the hard knock life From standin\u0027 on the corners boppin\u0027 To drivin\u0027 some of the hottest cars New York has ever seen For droppin\u0027 some of the hottest verses rap has ever heard From the dope spot, with the smoke Glock fleein\u0027 the murder scene You know me well From nightmares of a lonely cell, my only hell But since when y\u0027all n- know me to fail? F- naw Where all my n- with the rubber grips, bust shots? And if you with me, mom, I rub on your -, and what-not I\u0027m from the school of the hard knocks, we must not Let outsiders violate our blocks, and my plot Let\u0027s stick up the world and split it 50-50, uh-huh Let\u0027s take the dough and stay real jiggy, uh-huh And sip the Cris\u0027 and get pissy-pissy Flow infinitely like the memory of my n- Biggie, baby You know it\u0027s hell when I come through The life and times of Shawn Carter, n-, Volume 2 It\u0027s the hard knock life for us It\u0027s the hard knock life for us Instead of treated, we get tricked Instead of kisses, we get kicked It\u0027s the hard knock life I flow for those \u0027dro\u0027ed out All my n- locked down in the 10 by 4, controllin\u0027 the house We live in hard knocks, we don\u0027t take over, we borrow blocks Burn \u0027em down and you can have it back, daddy, I\u0027d rather that I flow for chicks wishin\u0027, they ain\u0027t have to strip to pay tuition I see your vision mama, I put my money on the longshots All my ballers that\u0027s born to clock Know I\u0027ma be on top whether I perform or not I went from lukewarm to hot, sleepin\u0027 on futons and cots To King size, green machines, to green 5\u0027s I\u0027ve seen pies, let the thing between my eyes analyze life\u0027s ills Then I put it down type braille I\u0027m tight grill with the phony, rappers y\u0027all might feel we homies I\u0027m like still, y\u0027all don\u0027t know me, sh- I\u0027m tight grill when my situation ain\u0027t improvin\u0027 I\u0027m tryna murder everything movin\u0027, feel me It\u0027s the hard knock life for us It\u0027s the hard knock life for us Instead of treated, we get tricked Instead of kisses, we get kicked It\u0027s the hard knock life for us It\u0027s the hard knock life for us Instead of treated, we get tricked Instead of kisses, we get kicked It\u0027s the hard knock life I don\u0027t know how to sleep, I gotta eat, stay on my toes Got a lot of beef, so logically, I prey on my foes Hustling\u0027s still inside of me, and as far as progress You\u0027d be hard-pressed to find another rapper hot as me I gave you prophecy on my first joint, and y\u0027all lamed out Didn\u0027t really appreciate it \u0027til the second one came out So I stretched the game out, etched your name out Put Jigga on top, and drop albums non-stop for ya, n- It\u0027s the hard knock life for us It\u0027s the hard knock life for us Instead of treated, we get tricked Instead of kisses, we get kicked It\u0027s the hard knock life for us It\u0027s the hard knock life for us Instead of treated, we get tricked Instead of kisses, we get kicked It\u0027s the hard knock life It\u0027s the hard knock life It\u0027s the hard knock life