A Dream
Jay-Z f/Faith/Notorious B.I.G. Lyrics

It was all a dream
The events of this song were merely a dream

Last night I had a dream
The singer dreamt the events of this song

Thoughts was racing through my head (it was all a dream)
The singer dreamt with intense thoughts

Felt so real to me
The artist's dream felt incredibly lifelike

This is what was said
The artist heard these words in their dream

Had a dream I said, bout who he said?
In the dream, the singer asked about what the other person dreamt

'Bout B.I.G. I said, that's big he said
The other person dreamt about Notorious B.I.G.

Dig he said, proceed he said
The other person encouraged the artist to continue the conversation

Indeed I said, so, breathe I did
The artist followed the advice to continue the conversation

Don't repeat what I say I said, he said nothing
The other person warned the artist not to repeat their conversation

He agreed with his head, he just nodded like this
The other person silently agreed with the singer

What I believe to be a yes I repeated what was said
The artist assumed agreement and repeated what they thought they heard

It came to me like a well as even I said
The singer confidently repeated the conversation

"You feel playboy," was the greeting he said
The other person greeted the singer with the phrase "you feel playboy"

First thing I wanted to know, what's the reason he was dead?
The singer asked the reason for Notorious B.I.G.'s death

"More money, more problems, better believe it," he said
The other person attributed B.I.G.'s death to the problems of wealth

"Careful what you wish for you might receive it," he said
The other person warned the artist to be careful about what they wish for

I see I said, jealousy I said
The singer recognized that jealousy was behind many of their problems

Got the whole industry mad at me I said
The singer acknowledged that their actions had made people in the music industry angry with them

Then B.I. said, "Hov' remind yourself
Notorious B.I.G. told the artist to remember something

Nobody built like you, you designed yourself"
Notorious B.I.G. praised the artist for being truly unique

I agree I said, my one of a kind self
The artist agreed that they were truly unique

Get stoned every day like Jesus did
The singer joked that they enjoyed cannabis as much as the religious figure Jesus

What he said, I said, has been said before
The artist acknowledged that Notorious B.I.G.'s advice was not new

"Just keep doing your thing," he said, say no more
Notorious B.I.G. encouraged the singer to keep pursuing success

I see I said, jealousy I said
The singer again recognized that jealousy was causing their problems

Got the whole industry mad at me I said
The singer again acknowledged that they were angering people in the music industry

It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine
The artist references their dream and their past as a hip-hop fan

Salt'n'Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine
The artist remembers seeing Salt 'n' Pepa and Heavy D in a limousine

Hanging pictures on my wall
The singer used to hang up pictures of their favorite hip-hop artists

Every Saturday, "Rap Attack," Mr. Magic, Marley Marl
The singer listened to a popular radio show that featured Mr. Magic and Marley Marl

I let my tape rock 'til my tape popped
The artist would listen to tapes until they no longer worked

Smokin' weed and bamboo, sippin' on private stock
The artist reminisces about smoking cannabis and drinking expensive alcohol

Way back, when I had the red and black lumberjack
The artist remembers owning a red and black lumberjack jacket

With the hat to match
The singer remembers wearing a matching hat with the jacket

Remember Rappin' Duke? "Duh-ha, duh-ha"
The artist references the novelty hit song "Rappin' Duke"

You never thought that hip-hop would take it this far
The singer thinks about how much hip-hop has changed and evolved

Now I'm in the limelight cause I rhyme tight
The singer is now a successful rapper

Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade
The singer is becoming very successful and wealthy

Born sinner, the opposite of a winner
The artist used to be a sinner and a bad person

Remember when I used to eat sardines for dinner
The artist remembers struggling financially and eating cheap food

Peace to Ron G, Brucey be, Kid Capri
The singer gives shoutouts to various DJs and hip-hop personalities

Funkmaster Flex, Lovebug Starsky
The singer gives additional shoutouts to hip-hop personalities

I'm blowin' up like you thought I would
The artist's career is becoming very successful, as many people predicted it would

Call the crib, same number same hood, it's all good
The artist is still living in the same place and feels good about their success

Uhh, and if you don't know, now you know, nigga
The artist asserts their dominance and popularity in the music industry

Was it all a dream, tell me
The singer questions whether their success and everything in the song was just a dream

I gotta know (It was all a dream)
The artist emphatically wants to know if their success was real or a dream

Was it all a dream, was it a dream
The singer continues to question whether their success was real or a dream

Was it all a dream, a dream
The singer questions the veracity of their experiences

(It was all a dream)
A repetition of the song's refrain that suggests the singer is still unsure whether their success was real or a dream

(It was all)
A repetition of the refrain

(It was all, a dream)
A repetition of the refrain

(It was all a dream)
A final repetition of the refrain

(It was all, a dream)
A repetition of the refrain

(It was all)
A repetition of the refrain