Check the bassline out, uh huh
Jigga, uh huh, uh huh, uh huh, yeah
Let it bump though

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

From standin` on the corners boppin`
To drivin` some of the hottest cars, New York has ever seen
For droppin` some of the hottest verses rap has ever heard
From the dope spot, with the smoke glock
Fleein` the murder scene, you know me well
From nightmares of a lonely cell, my only hell
But since when y`all ni**az know me to fail? F**k naw
Where all my ni**az with the rubber grips, bust shots?
And if you with me, mom, I rub on your tits, and what not

I`m from 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 fifty-fifty
Let`s take the dough and stay real jiggy
And sip the cris` and get pissy pissy
Flow infinitely like the memory of my ni**a biggie, baby
You know it`s hell when I come through
The life and times of Shawn Carter
Ni**a Volume 2, y`all ni**az get ready

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!

I flow for those `dro`ed out all my ni**az
Locked down in the ten by fo`, controllin` the house
We live in hard knocks, we don`t take over we borrow blocks
Burn `em down and you can have it back, daddy, I`d rather that
I flow for chicks wishin`, they ain`t have to strip to pay tuition
I see you vision mama, I put my money on the longshots
All my ballers that`s born to clock
Now I`ma be on top whether I perform or not

I went from lukewarm to hot, sleepin` on futons and cots
To king size dream machines, the green fives
I`ve seen pies let the thing between my eyes analyze life`s ills
Then I put it down type braille
I`m tight grill with the phony, rappers y`all might feel we homies
I`m like still, y`all don`t know me, s**t
I`m tight grill when my situation ain`t improvin`
I`m tryin` to murder everything movin`, feel me

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, 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

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
Hustling`s still inside of me, and as far as progress
You`d be hard-pressed, to find another rapper hot as me
I gave you prophecy on my first joint, and y`all 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, drop albums non-stop for ya, ni**a

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, 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
It`s the hard knock life
It`s the hard knock life