Chorus; It's the hard knock life for us It's the hard knock life for us Instead of treated we get tricked Instead of kisses we get kicked It's the hard knock life Talking: Check the bassline out, uh huh Jigga uh huh uh huh uh huh yeah, let it bump though Chorus It's the hard knock life for us It's the hard knock life for us Instead of treated we get tricked Instead of kisses we get kicked It's the hard knock life [1st Verse] >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 rappers ever heard, For the dope spot with the smoke lot bringin' the murder scene, You know me well from nightmares of a lonely cell my only hell But since when y'all niggas know me to fail? Fuck naw Where all my niggas with the rubber grips or shots? And if you with me mama rub on ya tits & what not I'm from the school of the hard knocks you must not let outsiders violate our blocks & my plot is stick up the world and split it 50/50 uh huh let's take the dough & stay real tricky uh huh let's sip the Crist & get pissy pissy flow infinitely like the memory of my nigga Biggie (Baby) You know it's hell when I come through The Life & Times of Shawn Carter nigga Volume 2 Y'all niggas get ready (chorus comes in) Chorus It's the hard knock life for us It's the hard knock life for us Instead of treated we get tricked Instead of kisses we get kicked It's the hard knock life [2 verse] I flow for those throwed out all my niggas locked down in a 10 by 4 controllin' the house we livin' hard knocks we don't take over we borrow blocks burn 'em down & you can have it back daddy I'd rather that I flow for chicks wishin' they didn't have to strip to pay tuition I see ya vision mama I put my money on the long shots all my ballers that's born to clock Noone would be on top whether I perform or not I went from lukewarm to hot sleepin' off of ? & cots to king size bring machines to breathe fire decieve pies let the thang between my eyes analyze life's ills then I put it down type real (it's a hard knock life) I'm tight grill with the phony ...raappers y'all might feel we homies I'm like still "Y'all don't know me shit." I'm tight grill when my situation ain't improvin' I'm tryin' to murder everything movin' Feel me (chorus comes in) Chorus It's the hard knock life for us It's the hard knock life for us Instead of treated we get tricked Instead of kisses we get kicked It's the hard knock life [3rd Verse] I don't know how to sleep I gotta eat stay on my toes got a lot of beef so logically I prey on my foes Hustle still inside of me the far'hest progress you'd be hard pressed to find another rapper hot as me I gave you prophecy on my first joint but ya all lamed out didn't really appreciate it 'til the second one came out so I strech the game out X'ed your name out put Jigga on top and dropped albums nonstop for ya nigga Chorus It's the hard knock life for us It's the hard knock life for us Instead of treated we get tricked Instead of kisses we get kicked It's the hard knock life Chorus It's the hard knock life for us It's the hard knock life for us Instead of treated we get tricked Instead of kisses we get kicked It's the hard knock life Chorus It's the hard knock life for us It's the hard knock life for us Instead of treated we get tricked Instead of kisses we get kicked It's the hard knock life!