[00:02.41]Aiyyo, wassup wassup let's keep it real son
[00:04.45]Count this money, yaknowhatI'msayin?
[00:06.17]Yea yea
[00:07.18]Aiyyo, put the Grant's over there in the safe yaknowhatI'msayin?
[00:11.45]Yea yea
[00:11.76]Cause we spendin these Jackson's
[00:12.26]The Wa*****ngton's go to wifey, you know how that go
[00:14.07]I'm sayin, that's what this is all about right?
[00:16.79]Clothes, bankrolls, and hoes yaknowhatI'msayin?
[00:19.84]
[00:22.05]Visualizin the realism of life and actuality
[00:24.30]***** who's the baddest a person's status depends on salary
[00:27.06]And my mentality is, money orientated I'm destined to live
[00:30.36]the dream for all my peeps who never made it cause yeah,
[00:32.68]we were beginners in the hood as five percenters But somethin
[00:35.21]must of got in us cause all of us turned to sinners Now some,
[00:37.92]restin in peace and some are sittin in San Quentin Others such
[00:40.67]as myself are tryin to carry on tradition Keepin the schwepervesence
[00:43.69]street ghetto essence inside us Cause it provides us with the
[00:46.81]proper insight to guide us Even though, we know somehow we
[00:49.50]all gotta go but as long as we leavin thievin we'll be leavin
[00:52.81]with some kind of dough so, and to that day we expire and
[00:54.53]turn to vapors me and my capers-ll be somewhere stackin plenty
[00:58.99]papers Keepin it real, packin steel, gettin high
[01:01.73]Cause life's a ***** and then you die
[01:03.77]
[01:04.96]Life's a ***** and then you die;
[01:06.32]that's why we get high Cause you never know
[01:08.42]when you're gonna go Life's a ***** and then you die;
[01:11.61]that's why we puff lye Cause you never know when
[01:13.88]you're gonna go Life's a ***** and then you die;
[01:16.98]that's why we get high Cause you never know when
[01:19.26]you're gonna go Life's a ***** and then you die;
[01:22.24]that's why we puff lye
[01:25.02]--> chorus #1 echoes at the end
[01:25.32]
[01:25.78]Cause you never know when you're gonna go Life's a ***** and then you die --> chorus #2 includes these lines, echoes at the end
[01:25.95]
[01:26.59]I woke up early on my born day, I'm twenty years
[01:28.13]of blessing The essence of adolescent leaves my
[01:29.94]body now I'm fresh in My physical frame is celebrated
[01:32.22]cause I made it One quarter through life some God-ly
[01:35.13]like thing created Got rhymes 365 days annual plus
[01:38.12]some Load up the mic and bust one, cuss while I puffs
[01:41.40]from my skull cause it's pain in my brain vein money
[01:44.05]maintain Don't go against the grain simple and plain
[01:46.46]When I was young at this I used to do my thing hard
[01:49.26]Robbin foreigners take they wallets they jewels and rip
[01:50.98]they green cards Dipped to the projects fla*****n my quick
[01:54.51]cash and got my first piece of ass smokin blunts with
[01:57.14]hash Now it's all about cash in abundance, *****z I
[01:59.89]used to run with is rich or doin years in the hundreds
[02:02.93]I switched my motto -- instead of sayin ***** tomorrow
[02:05.17]That buck that bought a bottle could've struck the
[02:07.53]lotto Once I stood on the block, loose cracks produce
[02:10.31]stacks I cooked up and cut small pieces to get my loot
[02:13.40]back Time is Illmatic keep static like wool fabric
[02:16.39]Pack a four-matic that crack your whole cabbage

Aiyyo, wassup wassup let's keep it real son
Count this money, yaknowhatI'msayin?
Yea yea
Aiyyo, put the Grant's over there in the safe yaknowhatI'msayin?
Yea yea
Cause we spendin these Jackson's
The Wa*****ngton's go to wifey, you know how that go
I'm sayin, that's what this is all about right?
Clothes, bankrolls, and hoes yaknowhatI'msayin?
Visualizin the realism of life and actuality
***** who's the baddest a person's status depends on salary
And my mentality is, money orientated I'm destined to live
the dream for all my peeps who never made it cause yeah,
we were beginners in the hood as five percenters But somethin
must of got in us cause all of us turned to sinners Now some,
restin in peace and some are sittin in San Quentin Others such
as myself are tryin to carry on tradition Keepin the schwepervesence
street ghetto essence inside us Cause it provides us with the
proper insight to guide us Even though, we know somehow we
all gotta go but as long as we leavin thievin we'll be leavin
with some kind of dough so, and to that day we expire and
turn to vapors me and my capers-ll be somewhere stackin plenty
papers Keepin it real, packin steel, gettin high
Cause life's a ***** and then you die
Life's a ***** and then you die;
that's why we get high Cause you never know
when you're gonna go Life's a ***** and then you die;
that's why we puff lye Cause you never know when
you're gonna go Life's a ***** and then you die;
that's why we get high Cause you never know when
you're gonna go Life's a ***** and then you die;
that's why we puff lye
--> chorus #1 echoes at the end
Cause you never know when you're gonna go Life's a ***** and then you die --> chorus #2 includes these lines, echoes at the end
I woke up early on my born day, I'm twenty years
of blessing The essence of adolescent leaves my
body now I'm fresh in My physical frame is celebrated
cause I made it One quarter through life some God-ly
like thing created Got rhymes 365 days annual plus
some Load up the mic and bust one, cuss while I puffs
from my skull cause it's pain in my brain vein money
maintain Don't go against the grain simple and plain
When I was young at this I used to do my thing hard
Robbin foreigners take they wallets they jewels and rip
they green cards Dipped to the projects fla*****n my quick
cash and got my first piece of ass smokin blunts with
hash Now it's all about cash in abundance, *****z I
used to run with is rich or doin years in the hundreds
I switched my motto -- instead of sayin ***** tomorrow
That buck that bought a bottle could've struck the
lotto Once I stood on the block, loose cracks produce
stacks I cooked up and cut small pieces to get my loot
back Time is Illmatic keep static like wool fabric
Pack a four-matic that crack your whole cabbage