[00:00.79]Aiyyo, wassup wassup let's keep it real son
[00:03.12]Count this money, yaknowhatI'msayin?
[00:04.95]Yea yea
[00:05.81]Aiyyo, put the Grant's over there in the safe yaknowhatI'msayin?
[00:08.83]Yea yea
[00:09.91]Cause we spendin these Jackson's
[00:11.04]The Wa***ngton's go to wifey, you know how that go
[00:12.65]I'm sayin, that's what this is all about right?
[00:15.23]Clothes, bankrolls, and hoes yaknowhatI'msayin?Yo then what man, what??
[00:20.20]Visualizin the realism of life and actuality
[00:22.87]**** who's the baddest a person's status depends on salary
[00:25.62]And my mentality is, money orientated
[00:28.35]I'm destined to live the dream for all my peeps who never made it cause yeah，we were beginners in the hood as five percenters
[00:30.83]
[00:33.44]But somethin must of got in us cause all of us turned to sinners
[00:36.20]Now some, restin in peace and some are sittin in San Quentin
[00:38.88]Others such as myself are tryin to carry on tradition
[00:41.43]Keepin the schwepervesence street ghetto essence inside us
[00:44.17]Cause it provides us with the proper insight to guide us
[00:46.88]Even though, we know somehow we all gotta go
[00:49.50]but as long as we leavin thievin we'll be leavin with some kind of dough
[00:52.19]so, and to that day we expire and turn to vapors
[00:54.75]me and my capers-ll be somewhere stackin plenty papers
[00:57.75]Keepin it real, packin steel, gettin high
[01:00.10]Cause life's a ***** and then you die
[01:03.04]Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we get high
[01:05.87]Cause you never know when you're gonna go
[01:08.23]Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we puff lye
[01:11.39]Cause you never know when you're gonna go
[01:13.62]Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we get high
[01:16.64]Cause you never know when you're gonna go
[01:19.07]Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we puff lye
[01:24.82]I woke up early on my born day, I'm twenty years of blessing
[01:26.89]The essence of adolescent leaves my body now I'm fresh in
[01:29.48]My physical frame is celebrated cause I made it
[01:32.33]One quarter through life some God-ly like thing created
[01:34.89]Got rhymes 365 days annual plus some
[01:37.80]Load up the mic and bust one, cuss while I puffs from
[01:40.21]my skull cause it's pain in my brain vein money maintain
[01:42.85]Don't go against the grain simple and plain
[01:45.52]When I was young at this I used to do my thing hard
[01:47.76]Robbin foreigners take they wallets they jewels and rip they green cards
[01:51.13]Dipped to the projects fla***n my quick cash
[01:53.68]and got my first piece of ass smokin blunts with hash
[01:56.01]Now it's all about cash in abundance, *****z I used to run with
[01:59.52]is rich or doin years in the hundreds
[02:01.61]I switched my motto -- instead of sayin **** tomorrow
[02:04.21]That buck that bought a bottle could've struck the lotto
[02:06.76]Once I stood on the block, loose cracks produce stacks
[02:09.43]I cooked up and cut small pieces to get my loot back
[02:12.34]Time is Illmatic keep static like wool fabric
[02:14.89]Pack a four-matic that crack your whole cabbage
[02:17.84]Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we get high
[02:20.75]Cause you never know when you're gonna go
[02:22.93]Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we puff lye
[02:26.10]Cause you never know when you're gonna go
[02:28.27]Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we get high
[02:31.57]Cause you never know when you're gonna go
[02:33.52]Life's a ***** and then you die

Aiyyo, wassup wassup let's keep it real son
Count this money, yaknowhatI'msayin?
Yea yea
Aiyyo, put the Grant's over there in the safe yaknowhatI'msayin?
Yea yea
Cause we spendin these Jackson's
The Wa***ngton's go to wifey, you know how that go
I'm sayin, that's what this is all about right?
Clothes, bankrolls, and hoes yaknowhatI'msayin?Yo then what man, what??
Visualizin the realism of life and actuality
**** who's the baddest a person's status depends on salary
And my mentality is, money orientated
I'm destined to live the dream for all my peeps who never made it cause yeah，we were beginners in the hood as five percenters
But somethin must of got in us cause all of us turned to sinners
Now some, restin in peace and some are sittin in San Quentin
Others such as myself are tryin to carry on tradition
Keepin the schwepervesence street ghetto essence inside us
Cause it provides us with the proper insight to guide us
Even though, we know somehow we all gotta go
but as long as we leavin thievin we'll be leavin with some kind of dough
so, and to that day we expire and turn to vapors
me and my capers-ll be somewhere stackin plenty papers
Keepin it real, packin steel, gettin high
Cause life's a ***** and then you die
Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we get high
Cause you never know when you're gonna go
Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we puff lye
Cause you never know when you're gonna go
Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we get high
Cause you never know when you're gonna go
Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we puff lye
I woke up early on my born day, I'm twenty years of blessing
The essence of adolescent leaves my body now I'm fresh in
My physical frame is celebrated cause I made it
One quarter through life some God-ly like thing created
Got rhymes 365 days annual plus some
Load up the mic and bust one, cuss while I puffs from
my skull cause it's pain in my brain vein money maintain
Don't go against the grain simple and plain
When I was young at this I used to do my thing hard
Robbin foreigners take they wallets they jewels and rip they green cards
Dipped to the projects fla***n my quick cash
and got my first piece of ass smokin blunts with hash
Now it's all about cash in abundance, *****z I used to run with
is rich or doin years in the hundreds
I switched my motto -- instead of sayin **** tomorrow
That buck that bought a bottle could've struck the lotto
Once I stood on the block, loose cracks produce stacks
I cooked up and cut small pieces to get my loot back
Time is Illmatic keep static like wool fabric
Pack a four-matic that crack your whole cabbage
Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we get high
Cause you never know when you're gonna go
Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we puff lye
Cause you never know when you're gonna go
Life's a ***** and then you die; that's why we get high
Cause you never know when you're gonna go
Life's a ***** and then you die