Empire State of Mind
Jay-Z - Topic Lyrics

Yeah
There's excitement in the air

Yeah, I'm out that Brooklyn, now I'm down in Tribeca
I've moved up in the world and left my old neighborhood behind

Right next to De Niro, but I'll be hood forever
I might be around celebrities, but I'll never forget my roots

I'm the new Sinatra, and since I made it here
I've made it to the top and I'm the new king

I can make it anywhere, yeah, they love me everywhere
I'm respected and loved in any city in the world

I used to cop in Harlem, hola, my Dominicanos (dímelo)
I used to buy drugs in Harlem, and I greet my Dominican friends

Right there up on Broadway, brought me back to that McDonald's
I reminisce about old times when I pass by a McDonald's on Broadway

Took it to my stashbox, 560 State Street
I have a secret place to store my valuables on State Street

Catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons whippin' pastry
I'm cooking up something good in the kitchen, just like Reverend Run's son

Cruisin' down 8th St, off-white Lexus
I'm driving down 8th Street in an off-white Lexus

Drivin' so slow, but BK is from Texas
I might be driving slow, but I'm still from Brooklyn, even if it feels like Texas

Me, I'm out that Bed-Stuy, home of that boy Biggie
I'm from Bed-Stuy, where the late rapper Biggie Smalls also hailed from

Now I live on Billboard and I brought my boys with me
I'm at the top of the music industry and I've brought my friends along for the ride

Say what up to Ty-Ty, still sippin' Mai Tais
I greet my friend Ty-Ty who's still enjoying Mai Tai cocktails

Sittin' courtside, Knicks and Nets give me high five
I'm at a basketball game, sitting by the court, and the players high five me

Nigga, I be Spike'd out, I could trip a referee (come on, come on, come on)
I'm wearing Spike Lee-inspired clothing and I could get in trouble for tripping a referee

Tell by my attitude that I'm most definitely from
My attitude exudes that I'm undoubtedly from

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
New York is a tough and unforgiving place to make it, but it's where you can fulfill your dreams

There's nothin' you can't do (yeah) (okay)
In New York, there are endless possibilities

Now you're in New York (ah-ha, ah-ha, ah-ha) (uh, yeah)
You've made it to the city that never sleeps

These streets will make you feel brand new (new)
New York streets are inspiring and rejuvenating

Big lights will inspire you (come on) (okay)
The bright lights of New York will uplift and motivate you

Let's hear it for New York (you're welcome, OG) (uh)
Let's celebrate New York City

Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game
You might find me with my friend OG at a Yankees game at the X Stadium

Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can
My influence helped make the Yankee hat more popular than even the Yankee team itself

You should know I bleed blue, but I ain't a Crip though
I love the Yankees, but I'm not affiliated with the gang, the Crips

But I got a gang of niggas walkin' with my clique though
I've got a lot of people walking with me and my friends

Welcome to the melting pot, corners where we sellin' rock
New York is a city with various cultures, and on street corners we're selling drugs

Afrika Bambataa shit, home of the hip-hop
New York is where hip-hop was born, with artists like Afrika Bambataa from the Bronx

Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back
There are various types of taxis in New York and you can hail them on the street

For foreigners it ain't fair, they act like they forgot how to act
Tourists in New York sometimes act inappropriately and disregard the norms and customs

Eight million stories, out there in the naked
There are eight million people in New York, each with their own unique story

City is a pity, half of y'all won't make it
New York is a harsh city, and many people won't make it

Me, I got a plug, Special Ed, 'I Got It Made'
I have special access or connections (a plug), like the old-school rapper Special Ed in his song 'I Got It Made'

If Jeezy's payin' Lebron, I'm payin' Dwyane Wade
If rapper Young Jeezy is sponsoring LeBron James, then I'm sponsoring Dwyane Wade

Three dice Cee-lo, three-card Monte
Street dice game Cee-lo and gambling card game Three-card Monte are played in New York

Labor Day Parade, rest in peace Bob Marley
The annual Labor Day parade in Brooklyn celebrates Caribbean culture, and fans pay tribute to reggae legend Bob Marley who passed away

Statue of Liberty, long live the World Trade (come on, come on, come on)
The Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center are iconic symbols of New York, and we should remember them fondly

Long live the king, yo, I'm from the Empire State that's
I'm from New York, where we respect royalty and the Empire State Building is one of our landmarks

Lights is blinding, girls need blinders
The bright lights in New York can be dazzling, and girls need shades to protect them from harmful rays

So they can step out of bounds quick, the sidelines is
Girls should be careful, as they can easily go out of bounds and overstep their boundaries

Lined with casualties, who sip the life casually
The nightlife in New York can be dangerous, and people who sip the good things in life without care often suffer the consequences

Then gradually become worse, don't bite the apple, Eve
Things can go downhill fast, so be careful with who you associate with and don't take unnecessary risks

Caught up in the in-crowd, now you're in style
Once you're part of the popular crowd, you're in fashion

Into the winter gets cold, en vogue, with your skin out
Even in winter, it's fashionable to wear skimpy outfits

City of sin, it's a pity on a whim
New York is known for its sinful ways, and it's a sad thing when people give in to temptation easily

Good girls gone bad, the city's filled with them
New York can turn good girls bad easily, and there are many people in this predicament

Mommy took a bus trip, now she got her bust out
A mother took a bus trip and now her breasts are showing

Everybody ride her, just like a bus route
Everyone wants to be with her, just like everyone takes the bus, which follows a common route

'Hail Mary' to the city, you're a virgin
A 'Hail Mary' pass in football and the idea of being a virgin are contradictory

And Jesus can't save you, life starts when the church end
Even Jesus can't save you from the tough realities of life that begin after a church service ends

Came here for school, graduated to the high life
Someone came to New York for school and ended up living a luxurious lifestyle

Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight
Athletes and rappers love the attention and admiration the spotlight brings

MDMA got you feelin' like a champion (come on, come on, come on)
The drug MDMA can make you feel invincible like a champion

The city never sleeps, better slip you an Ambien
New York is known as the city that never sleeps, but if you need rest, better take the drug Ambien

One hand in the air for the big city (uh)
I'm putting one hand up in celebration of the big city

Street lights, big dreams, all lookin' pretty (uh)
The city looks amazing at night and people have big dreams that look achievable

No place in the world that could compare (nah)
There's nowhere else in the world that's like New York

Put your lighters in the air everybody say
Raise your lighters in the air and shout