December 4th
Jay-Z And Pete Rock Lyrics

Shawn Carter was born December 4th
Jay-Z's birthdate is December 4th

Weighing in at 10 pounds 8 ounces
Jay-Z was a big baby at birth

He was the last of my four children
Jay-Z was the youngest of his siblings

The only one who didn't give me any pain when I gave birth to him
Jay-Z's birth was less painful for his mother than his siblings' births

And that's how I knew that he was a special child
Jay-Z's mother believed he was special from birth

They say 'they never really miss you til you dead or you gone'
People often don't appreciate someone until they're gone

So on that note I'm leaving after this song
Jay-Z is leaving after this song

So you ain't gotta feel no way about Jay, so long
Jay-Z wants listeners to not feel bad about his departure

At least let me tell you why I'm this way, hold on
Jay-Z wants to explain his life and personality

I was conceived by Gloria Carter and Adaness Revees
Jay-Z's parents are Gloria Carter and Adaness Revees

Who made love under the Sycamore tree
Jay-Z's parents had sex under a sycamore tree

Which makes me
This event is relevant to Jay-Z's identity

A more sicker emcee than my momma would claim
Jay-Z is a better rapper than his mother thought he would be

At ten pounds when I was born I didn't give her no pain
Jay-Z's birth was easy for his mother compared to his siblings' births

Although through the years I gave her her fair share
Jay-Z caused his mother some trouble growing up

I gave her her first real scare
Jay-Z scared his mother at some point

I made it from birth and I got here
Jay-Z has overcome adversity to get where he is today

She knows my purpose wasn't purpose
Jay-Z's mother understands that his struggles were not meaningless

I ain't perfect I care
Jay-Z acknowledges his imperfections but still cares

But I feel worthless cause my shirts wasn't matching my gear
Jay-Z felt insecure because his clothes didn't look good together

Now I'm just scratching the surface cause what's buried under there
Jay-Z is only beginning to share his true self

Was a kid torn apart once his pop disappeared
Jay-Z was devastated when his father left

I went to school got good grades could behave when I wanted
Jay-Z was a good student and well-behaved when he wanted to be

But I had demons deep inside that would raise when confronted
Jay-Z had inner demons that would surface when he was challenged

Shawn was a very shy child growing up
Jay-Z was shy as a child

He was into sports
Jay-Z liked playing sports

And a funny story is
Jay-Z's mother has a funny story about him

At four he taught his self how to ride a bike
Jay-Z learned to ride a bike at a young age by teaching himself

A two wheeler at that
Jay-Z learned to ride a two-wheeled bike, not a tricycle

Isn't that special?
Jay-Z's mother thinks it's special that he taught himself to ride a bike

But, I noticed a change in him when me and my husband broke up
Jay-Z's parents' divorce had an effect on him

Now all the teachers couldn't reach me
Jay-Z was unresponsive to his teachers

And my momma couldn't beat me
Jay-Z's mother couldn't discipline him effectively

Hard enough to match the pain of my pop not seeing me, so
Jay-Z was hurt by his father's absence and it affected his behavior

With that disdain in my membrane
Jay-Z was filled with negative emotions

Got on my pimp game
Jay-Z turned to a life of pimping

Fuck the world my defense came
Jay-Z felt the need to protect himself from the world

Then Dahaven introduced me to the game
Jay-Z was introduced to the drug game by Dahaven

Spanish Jose introduced me to cane
Jay-Z was introduced to cocaine by Spanish Jose

I'm a hustler now
Jay-Z is now a hustler

My gear is in and I'm in the in crowd
Jay-Z is fashionable and popular

And all the wavy light skinned girls is loving me now
Jay-Z is attracted to light-skinned women and they are attracted to him

My self esteem went through the roof man I got my swag
Jay-Z's confidence grew and he became more stylish

Got a vocal from this girl when her man got bagged
Jay-Z had sex with a woman whose man was arrested

Plus I hit my momma with cash from a show that I had
Jay-Z gave his mother money from a performance

Supposedly knowing nobody paid Jaz wack ass
Jay-Z implies that Jaz-O was not paid for a performance

I'm getting ahead of myself, by the way, I could rap
Jay-Z is talented at rapping

That came second to me moving this crack
However, Jay-Z's main focus at the time was selling drugs

Gimme a second I swear
Jay-Z asks for a moment to explain

I will say about my rap career
Jay-Z wants to talk more about his music career

Til '96 came niggas I'm here
Jay-Z became a well-known rapper around 1996

Good-bye
Jay-Z is saying goodbye

And 'trust' is a word you seldom hear from us
Hustlers don't often use the word 'trust'

Hustlers we don't sleep we rest one eye up
Hustlers are always alert and never fully relaxed

And a drought can define a man, when the well dries up
A lack of resources can greatly impact a person's life

You learn to work the water without working, of thirst you'll die yup
Jay-Z has learned to get what he needs without working hard, but he acknowledges that this is not sustainable

And niggas get tied up for product
Drug dealers can get caught and arrested

And little brothers ring fingers get cut up
Violence can affect innocent people, like the younger siblings of drug dealers

To show mothers they really got 'em
Drug dealers may harm others to prove their loyalty to their mothers

And this was the stress I live with til I decided
Jay-Z's life was stressful until he chose to pursue music instead of drugs

To try this rap shit for a living
Jay-Z chose to become a rapper for a living

I pray I'm forgiven
Jay-Z asks for forgiveness for his past actions

For every bad decision I made
Jay-Z has made many bad decisions in his life

Every sister I played
Jay-Z has hurt women in the past

Cause I'm still paranoid to this day
Jay-Z is still anxious and suspicious

And it's nobody fault I made the decisions I made
Jay-Z takes responsibility for his past mistakes

This is the life I chose or rather the life that chose me
Jay-Z doesn't regret his past because it brought him to where he is today

If you can't respect that your whole perspective is wack
If you can't understand and respect Jay-Z's choices, your opinion is misguided

Maybe you'll love me when I fade to black
Jay-Z hopes that people will appreciate him more after he retires from music