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I Made It
Jay-Z Lyrics


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"I told you Ms. Carter, here we are"

Momma, I made it
You know how I do it, like the Doc do it
I fly through it, that's how I operated
Momma, I made it
Ghetto like the grease when you gettin' your hair braided
Sweeter than your sister's Kool Aid is

Hooray, it's the underdog now, my feet under desk
I'm the presidential favorite
Can't believe I got away with my earlier stages
To bein' on stages, havin' my way with the world

Congratulations, your baby boy's a made man
I'ma hold the fam down at least 3 generations
I'm talkin' when spaceships are around
And your great great grands
Reminiscin' about foundation you gave 'em

For repairin' my relationship with my pops before he passed
All I ask is you raise your glass in this celebration
Toast to the most beautiful girl in the world
My inspiration, thanks for the information

Momma, I made it
Momma, I made it

Home became where it ain't everyday that you make it out
To be on top of yachts wavin'
I remember you savin' for the light bill
Paid the rent with a light bill
Now our crib dark as a basement

Had to lock up the phone when you wasn't home
We was communicatin' like the money you made wasn't basic
Our cable was basic, no HBO, WHT
Just Ralph McDaniels on the station

I aggravated you for Atari and ColecoVision
Pinstripe Lee's when the first day of school came
And I was okay with not havin' everything
Long as Saturdays you had The Commodores playin'

The expression on your face was priceless
It's still with me 'til this day, baby girl, I won't erase it
I go to my grave with the memory of the sacrifice you made
You deserve a standin' ovation

Momma, I made it
Momma, I made it
Momma, I made it

Now your lil' misfit makes sure every day is Christmas
Write out your wishlist, sixes, wrist is glistenin'
You don't even like jewels
But you could get missin' anywhere you like to

Where the water's light blue
Anything you order, sign it to your nice room
Leave a extra tip, Ma, be extra nice to 'em
CEO, of Carter Foundation

Wow, I know Pop lookin' down
I know Colleek somewhere up in the clouds
Like, "Go get 'em, Grandma, make me proud"
Didn't have a man in the house, so you made one
So I act like your husband and I'm only your son

I told you one day, I'll get you a home
I didn't know it could possibly be in Rome
Told me don't wait on nobody, get your own
So with me, myself and my microphone, I made it

Momma, I made it
Momma, I made it

Overall Meaning

The song "I Made It" by Jay-Z is a tribute to his mother and her unwavering support throughout his decade-long career in the music industry. In the first verse, Jay-Z reflects on his rise to success, juxtaposing his humble beginnings in the "ghetto" with his present-day status as a successful businessman and "president" of his own empire. He acknowledges the sacrifices his mother made for him, from saving to pay the light bill to supporting him emotionally throughout his tumultuous relationship with his father. The chorus is a repeated declaration of his achievement, a homage to the hard work that got him to where he is today. The second verse is a personal tribute to his mother, recalling specific memories from his childhood and praising her strength and resilience.


The lyrics to "I Made It" are powerful because they convey the deep gratitude and love that Jay-Z has for his mother. Despite the challenges he faced growing up in poverty in Brooklyn, his mother's unwavering support and belief in him helped him achieve his dreams. The song is a testament to the hard work and perseverance that went into his success, and a reminder that no one truly makes it alone. Jay-Z acknowledges the role that his mother played in his journey, and pays tribute to her in a deeply personal and moving way.


Line by Line Meaning

I told You Ms. Carter
I promised you, Ms. Carter, that I would make something of myself and here we are.


Here We Are
I have succeeded in making something of myself and am here to celebrate my achievement.


Momma I made it
I have made it to the top and am successful, thanks to your support and sacrifice.


Y'all know how I do like the Doc do it
Just like the doctor, I excel in my craft and am the best at what I do.


I fly through it
I breeze through life and all its challenges because of my hard work and talent.


That's how I operated
I have always worked hard and with passion to achieve success, and that is how I have succeeded.


Ghetto like the grease when you getting your hair braided
My roots are in the ghetto, but I have managed to make it out and succeed, just like the grease used when getting your hair braided.


Sweeter than your sister Kool-Aid is
I have become successful and am now as sweet as the Kool-Aid your sister used to make.


Hooray is the underdog
I started off as the underdog but have now risen to the top and succeeded against all odds.


Now my feet under desk
I now have a desk job as the president and am in control of my own destiny.


I'm the president you favorite
As the president, I have become successful and am now your favorite among all others.


Can't believe I got away with my earlier stages
I am amazed that I managed to succeed despite my earlier struggles and hardships.


Being on stages
I have become successful and now perform on stages in front of huge crowds.


Having my way with the world
I am now successful and can have whatever I want in the world.


Congratulations
I am proud of my success and want to congratulate myself on making it to the top.


Ya baby boy's a made man
I have become successful and am now a made man, able to provide for my family for at least three generations.


I'm a hold the fam down at least 3 generations
I will take care of my family and their needs for at least three generations to come.


I'm talking when spaceships are around
I am so successful that even when spaceships are no longer a fantasy, my success will be remembered.


And ya great, great grands
Even my great, great grandchildren will remember my success and the foundation you gave me.


Reminiscing about foundation you gave 'em
My descendants will remember and cherish the foundation you gave me.


For repairing my relationship with my pops before he passed
Thank you for helping me fix my relationship with my father before he died.


All I ask is you raise your glass for this celebration
Please raise your glass and celebrate my success with me.


Toast to the most beautiful girl in the world
I want to raise a toast to the most beautiful woman in the world, my inspiration.


My inspiration, thanks for your information
Thank you for inspiring me and providing me with the information I needed to become successful.


I'm in BK where
I am in Brooklyn, where it is not every day that someone makes it to the top.


It ain't everyday that you make it out
It is rare to make it out of Brooklyn and become successful.


To be on top of yachts waving
I am so successful that I am now waving from the top of a yacht.


I remember you saving for the light bill
I remember how you used to save money just to pay the light bill.


Paid the rent with a light bill
We were so poor that we had to use the money from the light bill to pay the rent.


Now my crib dark as a basement
Now that I am successful, my house is so big that some parts of it are as dark as a basement.


And you'd lock up the when you wasn't home
You used to lock up the house when you weren't home because of how dangerous the neighbourhood was.


We was communicating like the money you made wasn't basic
We communicated as if you were making much more money than you were because of the hard work and sacrifice you put in for our family.


Our cable was basic
We couldn't afford the luxury of cable television and only had basic channels.


No HBO, WHT
We didn't have HBO or WHT channels.


Just Ralph McDaniel's on the station
We only had Ralph McDaniel's show on the television station.


I aggravated you for Atari and Coleco Vision
I used to bother you to buy me Atari and Coleco Vision gaming consoles when we couldn't afford them.


Pinstripe Lee's when the first day day of school came
On the first day of school, I had to wear pinstripe Lee jeans because we couldn't afford anything else.


I was OK with not having everything as long as Saturdays
I was content with not having everything as long as I had Saturdays to spend with my family.


You had the Commodores playing
We listened to the Commodores as a family.


The expression on your face was priceless
The joy on your face was immeasurable and made me happy.


Still with me till this day
Those memories and experiences of our family are still with me until this day.


Baby girl I won't erase it
I will never forget those memories and cherish them forever.


I go to my grave with the memory of the sacrifice you made
I will take those memories and sacrifice with me to the grave.


You deserve a standing ovation
You deserve a standing ovation for all the hard work and sacrifice you put in for us.


Now your lil' misfit makes sure every day is Christmas
I am now successful and able to provide for my family, making every day like Christmas for them.


Write out your wish list
My family can now write out a wish list because I am able to provide for them.


Sixes, wrist is glistening
I have become successful and can now afford to wear expensive jewelry.


You don't even like jewels
My family doesn't even like jewels, but I can now afford to buy them.


But you can get missing anywhere you like to
My family can travel and enjoy life because of my success.


Where the water's light BLUE
We can now travel to exotic locations where the water is light blue in colour.


Anything you order, sign it to your nice room
My family can order anything they want and sign it to their room because of my success.


Leave an extra tip Ma
I now have the ability to leave extra tips for my family and make their experience even better.


Be extra nice to 'em
I want my family to be treated with kindness and respect wherever they go.


CEO Carter Foundation
I have now started a foundation in my name and am the CEO, giving back to the community.


Wow I know pop's looking down
I am sure my dad is looking down at me from heaven and is proud of my success.


I know Colleek somewhere up in the clouds
I am sure my friend Colleek is in heaven and is proud of my success.


Like go get 'em Grandma, make me proud
Even my grandmother's spirit is proud of my success and is cheering me on from above.


Didn't have a man in the house so you made one
You played the role of a man in the house and made sure we had everything we needed.


So I act like ya husband and I'm only ya son
I act like your husband even though I am only your son.


I told you one day I'll get you a home
I promised to get you a home and have finally been able to fulfill that promise.


But I didn't know it would possibly be in Rome
I didn't expect that I would be able to get you a home in Rome, one of the most beautiful places in the world.


Told me don't wait on nobody
You advised me not to wait for anyone and to make my own success.


Get your own, so with me myself & my microphone I made it
I took your advice and worked hard with my microphone, and now I have made it to the top on my own.


Momma I made it
I am grateful and proud to say that I have made it and become successful.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Dontae Winslow, Khalil Abdul-Rahaman, Shawn Carter

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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