My First Song
JAY-Z Lyrics


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Y'all wanna know why he don't stop
Y'all wanna know why he don't flop
Let me tell you people why
Came from the bottom of the block I
When I was born, it was sworn, I was never gon' be shit
Had to pull the opposite out this bitch
Had to get my ride on
Eyes on the prize, Shawn knew I had to
Had to had to get these chips
Had to make moves like Olajuwon
Started out selling dimes and nicks
Graduated to a brick
No exaggeration, my infatuation with the strip
Legendary like a schoolboy
Crushin' merely nearly every every chick
Heavy shit - that's how schoolboy got whipped
And got left on some, Just Me, Myself and I
On some Trugoy shit
Had to go to a place of
To a place of no return
Had to play with fire and get burned
Only way the boy ever gon' learn
Had to lay way in the cut, til I finally got my turn
Now I'm on top in the spot that I earned

It's my life
It's my pain and my struggle
The song that I sing to you it's my everything
Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first
And my thirst is the same as when I came
It's my joy and my tears and the laughter it brings to me
It's my everything

Like I never rode in a limo
Like I just dropped flows to a demo
Like it's ninety-two again and
And I got O's in the rental
Back in the stu' again
No prob' living was a whole lot simpler
When you think back, you thought that
You would never make it this far, then you
Take advantage of the luck you handed
Or the talent, you been given
Ain't no, half stepping, ain't no, no slipping
Ain't no different from a block that's hitting
Gotta get it while the getting's good
Gotta strike while the iron's hot, before you stop
Then you gotta bid it, good riddance
Goodbye, this is my second major breakup
My first was, with a pager
With a hooptie, a cookpot, and the 'caine
This one's with the stu, with the stage, with the fortune
Maybe not the fortune, but certainly the fame

It's my life
It's my pain and my struggle
The song that I sing to you it's my everything
Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first
And my thirst is the same as when I came




It's my joy and my tears and the laughter it brings to me
It's my everything

Overall Meaning

The first verse of 'Heaven's 1st Song' talks about the struggle that Jay-Z had to go through to achieve success. He starts by addressing the people who doubt his success and tells them that he came from nothing and had to work hard to get where he is. Despite the low expectations and the harsh environment he grew up in, he managed to climb his way to the top of the music industry, showing the world that he could overcome any obstacle in his path. He also talks about his infatuation with the hustling life and how he had to play with fire to learn his lessons. Eventually, he managed to secure his place at the top of the industry, showing that his hard work and dedication had paid off.


The second verse of the song is about Jay-Z's gratefulness for the success that he has achieved. He talks about how he never takes anything for granted and that he still approaches every album as if it were his first. He compares his life to a rollercoaster full of ups and downs and how he treats every moment of his career with the same level of passion and dedication. He acknowledges the hardships he had to face, including breakups with material possessions like his pager and car, as well as the toxic elements of drugs and violence that come with the hustling life. Despite these obstacles, he is still grateful for the fame that he has been able to achieve through his music.


Overall, 'Heaven's 1st Song' celebrates Jay-Z's journey from a life of poverty to a life of success. He recognizes that it was his hard work, dedication, and passion that helped him get there and that he cherishes every moment of his career.


Line by Line Meaning

Y'all wanna know why he don't stop
People wonder why Jay-Z never stops making music


Y'all wanna know why he don't flop
People also wonder why Jay-Z never fails in his music career


Let me tell you people why
Jay-Z is about to explain why he is successful


Came from the bottom of the block I
Jay-Z grew up in a rough neighborhood


When I was born, it was sworn, I was never gon' be shit
Jay-Z was told he would never amount to anything


Had to pull the opposite out this bitch
Jay-Z had to work hard to prove his doubters wrong


Had to get my ride on
Jay-Z had to struggle and work hard to succeed


Eyes on the prize, Shawn knew I had to
Jay-Z always had his eyes set on success


Had to had to get these chips
Jay-Z had to earn money and be successful to prove his worth


Had to make moves like Olajuwon
Jay-Z had to make strategic moves like a basketball player Hakeem Olajuwon


Started out selling dimes and nicks
Jay-Z started dealing drugs in his youth to make a living


Graduated to a brick
Jay-Z started dealing larger quantities of drugs


No exaggeration, my infatuation with the strip
Jay-Z was addicted to the profits he made from drug dealing


Legendary like a schoolboy
Jay-Z's success is now legendary, but he started out like any other student


Crushin' merely nearly every every chick
Jay-Z was successful with women due to his newfound wealth


Heavy shit - that's how schoolboy got whipped
Jay-Z's wealth and success eventually got him into trouble


And got left on some, Just Me, Myself and I
Jay-Z felt alone after losing everything he had worked for


On some Trugoy shit
Jay-Z was inspired by the group De La Soul's member Trugoy


Had to go to a place of
Jay-Z had to go to a dark place in his life


To a place of no return
He had to take risks that could not be taken back


Had to play with fire and get burned
Jay-Z had to take risks and suffer the consequences


Only way the boy ever gon' learn
Jay-Z learned valuable lessons through his mistakes


Had to lay way in the cut, til I finally got my turn
Jay-Z had to work hard and bide his time until he finally found success


Now I'm on top in the spot that I earned
Jay-Z is now at the top of the music industry through his own hard work and dedication


It's my life
This song is about Jay-Z's life experiences


It's my pain and my struggle
Jay-Z has gone through a lot of pain and struggles in his life


The song that I sing to you it's my everything
This song is an important expression of Jay-Z's life experiences


Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first
Jay-Z approaches everything he does with the same level of passion and dedication


And my thirst is the same as when I came
He is always striving for more and never losing his drive


It's my joy and my tears and the laughter it brings to me
Jay-Z's life has had its ups and downs, but he finds joy in it all


It's my everything
Jay-Z's life and experiences are everything to him


Like I never rode in a limo
Jay-Z never wants to forget where he came from


Like I just dropped flows to a demo
Jay-Z feels like he is still the same person he was when he started out making music


Like it's ninety-two again and
Jay-Z wants to relive the feeling of the year he started his music career


And I got O's in the rental
Jay-Z remembers when he drove a rental car and had a lot of money


Back in the stu' again
Jay-Z is back in the recording studio making music


No prob' living was a whole lot simpler
Jay-Z remembers when life was simpler and less complicated


When you think back, you thought that
Jay-Z remembers doubting his own success in the past


You would never make it this far, then you
He never thought he would achieve the level of success he has


Take advantage of the luck you handed
Jay-Z believes that he has been lucky in his life


Or the talent, you been given
But he also recognizes that his own talents have contributed to his success


Ain't no, half stepping, ain't no, no slipping
Jay-Z knows that he has to work hard and stay focused to maintain his success


Ain't no different from a block that's hitting
He compares his music success to a drug block making a lot of money


Gotta get it while the getting's good
Jay-Z knows how important it is to capitalize on opportunities


Gotta strike while the iron's hot, before you stop
He knows that success is not guaranteed and that he has to work hard to maintain it


Then you gotta bid it, good riddance
Jay-Z knows that all good things come to an end


Goodbye, this is my second major breakup
He has gone through similar struggles and disappointments before


My first was, with a pager
Jay-Z had to let go of his old lifestyle and embrace something new


With a hooptie, a cookpot, and the 'caine
Jay-Z had to abandon his old drug dealing activities


This one's with the stu, with the stage, with the fortune
His current struggle is with maintaining his music success and earning money


Maybe not the fortune, but certainly the fame
Jay-Z may not be obsessed with money anymore, but he still wants to maintain his high level of fame




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SHAWN CARTER, SHAWN C CARTER, GERMAIN DE LA FUENTE, OSCAR GERMAIN DE LA FUENTE MAUREIRA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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