[Produced by Aqua and 3H]

[Intro: Jay-Z & The Notorious B.I.G. sample]
Well, I'ma s—try to stay above water, you know?
Just stay busy, stay working
Puff told me, like, "The key to this joint—
The key to staying on top of things is treat everything like it's your first project, know what I'm saying?
Like it's your first day, like, while—when you was an intern
Like, that's how you try to treat things—like, just stay hungry"
Ugh, ugh, ugh (Yes, yes)


[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
Y'all wanna know why he don't stop?
Y'all wanna know why he don't flop?
Let me tell you pe-people why
Came from the bottom of the block, I—
When I was born, it was sworn:
I was never gon' be shit
Had to pull the opposite out this bitch
Had to get my ri-ide on (Rider)
"Eyes on the prize, Shawn"
Knew I had to, had to, had to get these chips
Had to make moves like Olajuwon
Started out selling dimes and nicks
Graduated to a brick, no exaggeration
My infatuation with the strip legendary
Like a schoolboy crushin' on
Merely nearly-every-every chick (Woo)
Heavy shit—that's how schoolboy got whipped
And got left on some "just me, myself, and I"
On some Trugoy shit
Had to voyage to a place of
To a place of no return
Had to play with fire and get burned
Only way the boy ever gon' learn
Had to lay in wait in the cut 'til I finally got my turn
Now, I'm on top in the spot that I earned
[Chorus: JAY-Z]
It's my life
It's my pain and my struggle
The song that I sing to you is my everything
Treat my first like my last (It's my life)
And my last like my first (Ugh)
And my thirst is the same as when I came
It's my joy and my tears and my laughter it brings to me (Yeah)
It's my everything

[Verse 2: JAY-Z]
Like I never rode in a limo
Like I just dropped flows to a demo (Woo)
Like it's '92 again and
And I got O's in the rental (Ugh)
Back in the Stu' again, no problemo
Was a whole lot simple; when you think back
You thought that you would never make it this far; then you—
Take advantage of the luck you handed
Or the talent you been given
Ain't no half-steppin'; ain't no, no slippin'
Ain't no different from a block that's hittin'
Gotta get it while the getting's good
Gotta strike while the iron's hot
When you stop, then you gotta bid it good riddance
Goodbye! This is my second major breakup
My first was with a pager
With a hoopty, a cook-pot, and the game
This one's with the stu', with the stage, with the fortune—
Well, maybe not the fortune—but certainly the fame
[Chorus: JAY-Z]
It's my life—it's my pain and my struggle (Ugh)
The songs that I sing to you is my everything
Treat my first like my last and my last like my first
And my thirst is the same as when I came (Ugh-ugh)
It's my joy and my tears and my laughter it brings to me
It's my everything (Ugh-ugh)
Treat my first like my last
And my last like my first (Ugh-ugh, ugh-ugh)
And my thirst like the first song I sang

[Outro: JAY-Z]
Woo, ugh
It's like the blues, n***a
We gon' ride out on this one
Ty-Ty, B-High
Yo High, remember you was making them baskets for them n***as at radio and shit?
(Clark Kent)
That was good looking-out, n***a
(Carlene)
Who ever thought we'd make it this far, homie?
(Sha)
They can't stop us, know what I'm sayin'?
(Lenny S)
Dame, what up?
(Robbing the bank)
N***as thought we was crazy, man (Haha)
Remember, wh—uh, you had that fucked-up-ass handwriting
You was writing all the numbers that we was spending down for the videos we was doing ourselves (Yes)
(Ski, what up? Original Flavor in the house)
Your accounting was crazy wrong and shit, but we—we still put it together
Biggs, what's up?
'Member we went to St. Thomas, and, uh—
(John Meneilly)
—your dog peed on homie leg and shit at his crib
(I think that was Ruby)
And they was having a lil' trouble with the pool
You and Ty-Ty was laughing
Emory was there—what up, Emory? (Ugh-ugh, ugh-ugh)
What up, Ty? (Ugh-ugh, ugh-ugh)
Hip-Hop—what up, man?
Ayy, ayy, Hop—you ain't—you ain't have no, uh—
You ain't have no muh'fucking seat on your b—on your bicycle
Now, you, uh, the head of black music
That's what I'm talking 'bout right there, homie
Gee—what up, Gee?
(Yessir)
E'erybody in the Roc
Hey, Guru, I know you spoiled, man
I be taking them shits in one take
You gonna have to punch n***as' shit
(Stiggity)
You gon' be tight?
OG Juan, what up? I'm a lil' upset that you wasn't involved in this whole process, but it's all good
What's up, Dez?
My whole family, my nephews, Ti-Ti
Cousin Angie, what's up?
(Bey, Bey, Bey, Bey)
Mom, you made the album—how crazy is that?
Bob-a-Lob, rest in peace
My pops, rest in peace (What's up A.J.?)
Biggie Smalls, rest in peace
Ugh-ugh, ugh-ugh, ugh-ugh, ugh-ugh
N***a, I—I'm 'bout to go golfing, man
Ayy, I might even have me a cappuccino—fuck it!
I'm going somewhere nice where no mosquitoes at, n***a
Holler at me!
It's your boy! {*headphones fall*}