The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Lyrics

Now this is a story all about how
Let me tell you a story about how my life changed completely

My life got flipped, turned upside down
My life took a complete turn and changed unexpectedly

And I'd like to take a minute
Give me a sec to explain

Just sit right there
Stay here and listen

I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air
I will tell you how I became a prince in a place called Bel-Air

In West Philadelphia born and raised
I grew up in West Philadelphia

On the playground was where I spent most of my days
I spent most of my days playing on the playground

Chillin' out, maxin,' relaxin' all cool
I was hanging out and relaxing

And all shootin' some b-ball outside of the school
My friends and I were playing basketball outside the school

When a couple of guys who were up to no good
Some guys who were looking for trouble

Started making trouble in my neighborhood
Began causing problems in my community

I got in one little fight and my mom got scared
I got in a small altercation and it worried my mom

And said, "You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air"
So my mom made the decision to send me to live with my aunt and uncle in Bel-Air

I begged and pleaded with her day after day
I tried to convince her every day

But she packed my suitcase and sent me on my way
Despite my pleas, she packed my bags and sent me off

She gave me a kiss and then she gave me my ticket
She kissed me goodbye and gave me my travel documents

I put my Walkman on and said, "I might as well kick it"
I put on my Walkman and decided to make the most of my trip

First class, yo this is bad
I was in first class and it was awesome

Drinking orange juice out of a champagne glass
I was drinking orange juice in a fancy glass usually meant for champagne

Is this what the people of Bel-Air living like?
I was curious if the people of Bel-Air lived like this

Hmm, this might be alright
I thought that this might be a good situation

But wait I hear they're prissy, bourgeois and all that
I heard that they were snobbish and pretentious

Is this the type of place that they should send this cool cat?
Do they really think that this laid back guy belongs there?

I don't think so, I'll see when I get there
I didn't think so, but I would find out soon enough

I hope they're prepared for the prince of Bel-Air
I hope they know that the new resident is a prince

Well, uh, the plane landed and when I came out
When I got off the plane

There was a dude looked like a cop standing there with my name out
I saw a man who looked like a cop holding a sign with my name on it

I ain't tryna get arrested yet, I just got here
I didn't want to get arrested right away; I had just arrived

I sprang with the quickness like lightning, disappeared
I moved quickly to avoid the police and vanished

I whistled for a cab and when it came near
I hailed a cab and it came near me

The license plate said "fresh" and it had dice in the mirror
The car had a license plate that read "fresh" and dice hanging from the rearview mirror

If anything I could say that this cab was rare
I thought that this taxi was unique

But I thought, "Nah, forget it, yo, holmes, to Bel-Air"
But I decided to take it anyway and asked the driver to take me to Bel-Air

I pulled up to a house about seven or eight
I arrived at a large house

And I yelled to the cabbie, "Yo, holmes, smell ya later"
I shouted to the driver as he drove off

Looked at my kingdom, I was finally there
I surveyed my new home and realized I had finally arrived

To sit on my throne as the Prince of Bel-Air
To claim my place as a prince of Bel-Air