[Intro]
Uh, check it, uh

[Verse 1]
I see things clear with the eagle vision
So I can unlock the gates of this mental prison
Free yourself, free your mind, free your family
Free the blind, free the kind, they wanna jam me
They say practice makes perfect
Put in the time and in the end, it'll all be worth it
We all gotta find our purpose, I'm on purpose
Why you wanna stand by being worthless?
Yo, hard work equals big payoff
Before you make it to the c'hip, you gotta win the playoffs
Anything that stops your shine, you gotta lay off
You perpetrate and I'ma let the K off

[Chorus]
And it's a hard knock life
Your state of mind is where you spend most of your life
Gotta keep your thoughts clean
Make sure your weapon's at its best
And happiness comes with the ladder of success
And it's a hard knock life
Your state of mind is where you spend most of your life
Gotta keep your thoughts clean
Make sure your weapon's at its best
And happiness comes with the ladder of success
[Verse 2]
Success means nothing without happiness
And n***as with bad energies hazardous
I use the pen with the magic wrist
In your wildest dreams, n***as couldn't imagine this
Buildin' one brick at a time
Not wise to cross the line when I can stretch you with nines
I keep my hands on the prize, you keep your eyes on the prize
Why you looking at me stupid? Here arise your demise

[Outro]
I got into the Islam, the Nation of Islam, in 1986. You know, what inspired me is, you know, I was at the point where I needed something to, you know, uplift my world, as far as you know, I had to go to the next level. 'Nam sayin'? I was tired of runnin' the streets, you know, I just needed something, you know, to uh, give me a little more self-esteem. And that's what it did