Empire State of Mind
Jay-Ză Lyrics

Yea, yea I'm out that Brooklyn, now I'm down in Tribeca
I have left Brooklyn and now live in Tribeca

Right next to DeNiro, but I'll be hood forever
I may be living next to a movie icon, but I still carry my street credibility with pride

I'm the new Sinatra, and, since I made it here
I see myself as a modern-day Frank Sinatra, and now that I’ve made it in the city that never sleeps,

I can make it anywhere, yea, they love me everywhere
I am confident I can succeed anywhere in the world because my fanbase extends beyond New York City

I used to cop in Harlem,
I used to buy drugs in Harlem,

All of my Dominicano's right there up on Broadway,
My Dominican friends are all in that area of Broadway,

Pull me back to that McDonald's, took it to my stashbox, 560 State St.
Reminiscing about the old days when I stored my drug profits in a McDonald's near my old home address of 560 State St.

Catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons wippin' pastry's
You might find me in the kitchen, working hard like a Simmons creating new pastries

Cruisin' down 8th St., off white Lexus
Driving my off-white Lexus down Eighth Street

Drivin' so slow, but BK is from Texas
Although I'm driving slow, I still have my Brooklyn attitude despite being as big as someone from Texas

Me, I'm out that Bed-Stuy, home of that boy Biggie
I hail from the Bed-Stuy district of Brooklyn, the same neighborhood where the late rapper, The Notorious B.I.G., grew up

Now I live on Billboard and I brought my boys with me
I’ve made it big on the charts, and I’ve brought my crew along for the ride

Say whattup to Ty-Ty, still sippin' Mai Tai's
Give a shout-out to my buddy Ty-Ty, who still sips on Mai Tai cocktails

Sittin' courtside, Knicks and Nets give me high five
I’m sitting up front for professional basketball games, and the players acknowledge me with high-fives

Nigga I be Spike'd out, I could trip a referee
I have a great courtside seat, and my jewelry, like that of famous director Spike Lee, is so flashy that it could inadvertently trip up an official

Tell by my attitude that I'm most definitely from
My attitude and demeanor are clear indications that I am from

In New York,
New York City is the place where

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
It's a city filled with opportunity, where dreams come true

There's nothin' you can't do
You can achieve anything you set your mind to in NYC

Now you're in New York
Now that you're here in NYC

These streets will make you feel brand new
The energy of the city is so revitalizing, it'll make you feel like you're reborn

Big lights will inspire you
The bright lights of the city are awe-inspiring

Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York
A call-to-action to show some love for the great city of New York

Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game
You might see me with OG at a Yankees baseball game at the X

Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous then a Yankee can
My association with the Yankees baseball team has made the team's hat even more well-known than the team itself

You should know I bleed blue, but I ain't a Crip though
I support the Yankees (who use blue as their color), but I am not affiliated with the Crips gang

But I got a gang of niggas walkin' with my clique though
I have a large group of people who walk with me wherever I go

Welcome to the melting pot, corners where we sellin' rock
New York is a place where many cultures meet, yet there are still areas where drugs are being sold on street corners

Afrika Bambataa shit, home of the hip-hop
NYC has a rich history of hip-hop music, with Afrika Bambataa being just one of its many legends

Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back
There are plenty of cab options in the city, including yellow taxis, unmarked gypsy cabs, and cheaper dollar cabs. Hail one and get a ride

For foreigners it ain't for, they act like they forgot how to act
Some tourists behave inappropriately in NYC and forget basic etiquette

Eight million stories, out there in it naked
There are eight million people in the city, each with their own unique story, out there living their lives candidly

City is a pity, half of y'all won't make it
The city can seem brutal, and statistically, only half of the people who come here to make it big actually succeed in doing so

Me, I got a plug, Special Ed "I Got It Made"
I’ve got a connection (or hookup), just like the rapper Special Ed did in his song "I Got It Made"

If Jesus payin' Lebron, I'm payin' Dwayne Wade
An expression implying that although one may expect to see something miraculous, extraordinary, or unlikely (like Jesus paying for LeBron James), I am just a regular guy who will pay for my friend Dwayne Wade's meal rather than expecting someone else to do it

Three dice cee-lo, three card monte
Three dice cee-lo and three card monte are popular street gambling games in NYC

Labor Day Parade, rest in peace Bob Marley
The Caribbean-influenced Labor Day Parade is an annual event in Brooklyn, and Bob Marley's music (as well as his message of peace) is often a unifying theme

Statue of Liberty, long live the World Trade
The Statue of Liberty has long been a symbol of America's freedom, while the World Trade Center stood as an iconic symbol of NYC's economic might before being tragically destroyed on September 11, 2001

Long live the King yo, I'm from the Empire St. that's
God save the King, and by extension, God save me too since I'm from the Empire State's most important city, New York City

Lights is blinding, girls need blinders
The city lights can be bright and overwhelming, necessitating a pair of metaphorical blinders, particularly for young women

So they can step out of bounds quick, the sidelines is
Without blinders, young women might step out of bounds and be seduced by the city's dark underbelly

Lined with casualties, who sip to life casually
The city's sidelines are filled with victims, people who casually sip on their drinks while unaware of the danger around them

Then gradually become worse, don't bite the apple, Eve
These unsuspecting victims gradually fall into worse situations, and it's important to avoid temptations like the biblical story of Eve and the apple

Caught up in the in-crowd, now you're in style
Being part of the "in-crowd" means you're fashionable and trendy

End of the winter gets cold, en vogue, with your skin out
Even in the chilly winter months, it's fashionable to dress with skin-baring outfits

City of sin, it's a pity on the whim
NYC is often referred to as a hub of sin, with many people making poor choices on a whim

Good girls gone bad, the city's filled with them
Many good women come to the city only to change for the worse

Mommy took a bus trip, now she got her bust out
A mother once took a bus trip and is now exposing her cleavage (or possibly flaunting her newfound wealth)

Everybody ride her, just like a bus route
Men are all over her, just like a bus full of passengers making stops along a route

Hail Mary to the city, you're a virgin
The city is like a prayer to the virgin (pure and innocent)

And Jesus can't save you, life starts when the church end
Jesus can't save you here in the city, life only really starts once you leave the church and face the realities of NYC

Came here for school, graduated to the high life
I came to New York City to attend school and eventually graduated to a luxurious lifestyle

Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight
Famous athletes and musicians crave attention and the limelight

MDMA got you feelin' like a champion
MDMA (a drug often used at parties) makes people feel invincible

The city never sleeps, better slip you an Ambien
The city is always active and never seems to rest, so one may need to use sleeping pills like Ambien to get some rest