Empire State Of Mind
Jay-Z Alicia Keys Lyrics

Yeah, Yeah, I'm out that Brooklyn, now I'm down in Tribeca
I used to live in Brooklyn, now I live in Tribeca

Right next to DeNiro, but I'll be hood forever
I may be living the high life now, but I'll always remember my roots

I'm the new Sinatra, and since I made it here
I am the new king of New York

I can make it anywhere, yeah, they love me everywhere
I am successful and well-liked all over the world

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

Right there up on Broadway, brought me back to that McDonald's
I remember going to McDonald's on Broadway

Took it to my stashbox, 560 State Street
I stashed my drugs at 560 State Street

Catch me in the kitchen like a Simmons whippin' pastry
I'm cooking up drugs in the kitchen like a pastry chef

Cruisin' down 8th St, off-white Lexus
I'm driving down 8th street in my off-white Lexus

Drivin' so slow, but BK is from Texas
I'm driving slowly, but I come from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn

Me, I'm out that Bed-Stuy, home of that boy Biggie
I come from Bed-Stuy, the same place as Biggie Smalls

Now I live on Billboard and I brought my boys with me
I am successful and have brought my friends along for the ride

Say what up to Ty-Ty, still sippin' Mai Tais
I say hello to my friend Ty-Ty, who is still enjoying Mai Tais

Sittin' courtside, Knicks and Nets give me high five
I'm sitting courtside at basketball games and getting high fives from the players

Nigga I be Spike'd out, I could trip a referee (come on, come on, come on)
I wear clothes designed by Spike Lee and I could easily get a referee in trouble

Tell by my attitude that I'm most definitely from
You can tell where I am from based on my attitude

Concrete jungle (yeah) where dreams are made of
New York City is a tough place, but it's where people come to make their dreams come true

There's nothin' you can't do (yeah) (okay)
In New York, you can do anything if you put your mind to it

Now you're in New York (ah-ha, ah-ha, ah-ha) (uh, yeah)
Now that you're in New York, you can achieve your dreams

These streets will make you feel brand new (new)
Being in these streets will make you feel like a new person

Big lights will inspire you (come on) (okay)
The bright lights of the city will inspire you to achieve your dreams

Let's hear it for New York (you're welcome, OG) (come on)
Let's give a big round of applause for New York

New York (yeah), New York (uh) (I made you hot, nigga)
New York City is where it's at, and I helped make it that way

Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game
You can find me with my friend OG at a Yankee game

Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous then a Yankee can
I made the Yankee hat more popular than the baseball team itself

You should know I bleed blue, but I ain't a Crip though
I support the New York Yankees, but I am not a member of the Crips gang

But I got a gang of niggas walkin' with my clique though
But I have a group of friends walking with me

Welcome to the melting pot, corners where we sellin' rock
Welcome to the diverse city of New York, where we sell drugs on street corners

Afrika Bambataa shit, home of the hip-hop
New York City is where hip-hop music was born, like Afrika Bambataa

Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back
You can catch any kind of taxi in New York, just yell for one

For foreigners it ain't fair, they act like they forgot how to act
For people who are not from here, it's not easy to know how to act in New York

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
The city is tough and not everyone will succeed here

Me, I got a plug, Special Ed "I Got It Made"
I have a connection to drugs, like in the song "I Got It Made" by Special Ed

If Jeezy's payin' Lebron, I'm payin' Dwyane Wade
If rapper Jeezy is paying basketball player Lebron James, I am paying Dwyane Wade

Three dice Cee-lo, three-card Monte
I like to play Cee-lo with three dice and three-card Monte

Labor Day Parade, rest in peace Bob Marley
I like to attend the Labor Day Parade and pay tribute to Bob Marley

Statue of Liberty, long live the World Trade (come on, come on, come on)
I admire the Statue of Liberty and respect the World Trade Center (and want people to cheer along)

Long live the king yo, I'm from the Empire State that's
Long live the king, I am from the great state of New York

One hand in the air for the big city (uh)
I'm raising one hand in the air for the great city of New York

Street lights, big dreams, all lookin' pretty (uh)
The city lights are amazing, and everyone has big dreams here

No place in the world that could compare
There is no other place in the world like New York

Put your lighters in the air everybody say
Get your lighters out and say

"Yeah, yeah" (come on, come on, come on)
"Yeah, yeah" (let's get pumped up)

Lights is blinding, girls need blinders
The bright lights of the city are blinding, and women need to wear sunglasses

So they can step out of bounds quick, the sidelines is
So they can quickly step out of danger, since the sidelines are dangerous

Lined with casualties, who sip the life casually
There are many victims in the city, people who casually drink and waste their lives

Then gradually become worse, don't bite the apple, Eve
These people gradually get worse, like in the story of Adam and Eve

Caught up in the in-crowd, now you're in style
People get caught up in popular trends and try to be fashionable

End of the winter gets cold, en vogue, with your skin out
People wear fashionable clothes even in cold weather

City of sin, it's a pity on a whim
New York City is full of sin and it's a shame that people indulge in it so easily

Good girls gone bad, the city's filled with them
Nice, innocent girls can be led astray in this city

Mommy took a bus trip, now she got her bust out
A mother took a trip and now she has her breasts out (objectifying women)

Everybody ride her, just like a bus route
Everyone is taking advantage of her like they are taking a bus

"Hail Mary" to the city, you're a virgin
It's like saying a prayer for the city, which is like a virgin in this context

And Jesus can't save you, life starts when the church end
Even Jesus can't save you from the dangers of the city and you need to be careful when leaving church

Came here for school, graduated to the high life
I came here for school but ended up succeeding and living the high life

Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight
Professional athletes and rappers are addicted to the spotlight and fame

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

The city never sleeps, better slip you an Ambien
The city is always active, and you may need to take sleeping pills to rest