[Intro: JAY-Z & Stevie Wonder]
Good morn’ or evening, friends
Smile, you recordin’?
[Verse 1: JAY-Z]
Slammin’ Bentley doors like we invented doors
20 years ago we drove Bentley Azures
We drinkin’ Cristal then
Yeah, kept the tray on me like Chris Paul then
Drinkin’ Ace of Spades like it’s codeine now
Tryna put a million on the whole team now
Push through the pain so we can see new life
So all the ladies havin’ babies, see ya sacrifice
Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian
Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian
Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate
Society shame and the pain was too much to take
Cried tears of joy when you fell in love
Don’t matter to me if it’s a him or her
I just wanna see you smile through all the hate
Marie Antoinette, baby, let ’em eat cake
[Chorus: JAY-Z & Stevie Wonder]
Bad times turn to good memories, smile
Even when I’m gone and you remember me, smile
Good times never fade away, smile
Even if I’m not with you here today, smile
Good morn’ or evening, friends
Smile
Here’s your friendly announcer
Smile
[Verse 2: JAY-Z]
Far as draft picks, my name did not get called
Bet before I go I put a billion on the board
Hall of Fame Hov, I did it all without a pen
Y’all knew that was comin’, I had to remind y’all again, huh?
Flyin’ paper planes through the projects
Now the whole projects on my jet
Now you see the real in the front row
In every one of y’all televised shows
Super facts
Niggas switched sides, traded pride, we don’t do all that
A loss ain’t a loss, it’s a lesson
Appreciate the pain, it’s a blessin’
[Chorus: JAY-Z & Stevie Wonder]
Bad times turn to good memories, smile
Even when I’m gone and you remember me, smile
Good times never fade away, smile
Even if I’m not with you here today, smile
Good morn’ or evening, friends
[Verse 3: JAY-Z]
I mastered my aesthetics
I know you often heard me wax poetic ’bout bein’ back in the Lexus
But trust me, that was nothin’
A nigga up in the hundreds of millions, I have no ceilings
Ah, this that feelin’, I’m that boy
Anita Baker’s “You Bring Me Joy” slappin’ out of the toy
The separation is clear
In my rear-view mirror objects is further than they appear
Oh yeah, I was born with a pair, playin’ for high stakes
Norman’s Cay, he looked up and out of the Lear
How niggas can’t relate?
Fuck a slice of the apple pie, want my own cake
In charge of my own fate, respect Jimmy Iovine
But he gotta respect the Elohim as a whole new regime
And niggas playin’ for power, huh
So our music is ours, niggas own their own houses
Ours was, “Fuck you, pay me”
Now it’s, “Fuck payin’ me, I pay you
Put the rest away for Blue”
That blood money I giggle at it
Can’t even support my miss’ habit
Jewelry shoppin’ in Pa- all ya jewelers should be embarrassed
Huh, blood diamonds drippin’ with guilt, I still ain’t trippin’
That’s life, winners and losers
Drug dealers and abusers, America like me ruthless
My therapist said I relapsed
I said, “Pre-haps I Freudian slipped in European whips”
God sent me to break the chain, I’m the true and livin’
God in the flesh, the rest of these niggas is vain
A stain on the white suit, inferior IQ
Niggas’ll rip your shit off TIDAL just to spite you
Ahhhh, what did I do? ‘Cept try to free you
Niggas’ll love you but hate you ’cause they can’t be you
Dump ’em all in the bayou, uh
Everybody wave bye to the guy you thought you could lie to
This was meant to be a haiku, huh
But my story’s too wide to fit inside a line or two
Oh, these that drugs, heron flow
I spaz on the stove, this is Hov, no flex zone
Nigga, who lied to you?
Look, you’re a pedestrian, don’t ever question the security I provided you
Oh y’all thought I was washed? I’m at the cleaners
Launderin’ dirty money like the Teamsters, huh
Shout out to Hoffa back home, he in the church
When I heard you got booked, that shit hurt
Feel for you bro, we know the system don’t work
Take a young nigga freedom over some dirt
Yet it’s legal in Colorado, yet, we deny
Black entrepreneurs, free enterprise
That’s why it’s a black market, that’s why it’s called the trap
That’s why it’s called the projects ’cause it’s exactly that
All these people was gon’ kill me, heh
‘Cause the more I reveal me, the more they ‘fraid of the real me
Welcome back Carter, smile
[Outro: Gloria Carter]
Living in the shadow
Can you imagine what kind of life it is to live?
In the shadows people see you as happy and free
Because that’s what you want them to see
Living two lives, happy, but not free
You live in the shadows for fear of someone hurting your family or the person you love
The world is changing and they say it’s time to be free
But you live with the fear of just being me
Living in the shadow feels like the safe place to be
No harm for them, no harm for me
But life is short, and it’s time to be free
Love who you love, because life isn’t guaranteed
Smile
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