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The first track released from Magna Carta… Holy Grail deals with the love/hate affair that Jay Z and Justin Timberlake have with fame.
As part of what Hov dubs the #newrules, Samsung users were able to download the Magna Carta app to preview the lyrics for “Holy Grail” which featured his then-forth...
[Intro: Justin Timberlake]
You'd take the clothes off my back and I'd let you (Yeah)
You'd steal the food right out my mouth and I'd watch you eat it
I still don't know why (Yeah)
Why I love it so much (Thanks for warning me; yeah)
Oh (Thanks for warning me; yeah)
You curse my name in spite to put me to shame (Yeah)
Hang my laundry in the streets, dirty or clean, give it up for fame (Yeah)
But I still don't know why (Don't know why)
Why I love it so much (Thanks for warning me; yeah, yeah)
Yeah (Thanks for warning me; yeah, yeah)
[Chorus: Justin Timberlake & JAY-Z]
And, baby, it's amazin' I'm in this maze with you
I just can't crack your code
One day, you're screamin' you love me loud
The next day, you're so cold
One day, you're here (Yeah), one day, you're there (Yeah)
One day, you care (Yeah), you're so unfair
Sippin' from your cup 'til it runneth over (Uh, uh; yeah)
Holy Grail
[Verse 1: JAY-Z]
Uh, Blue told me remind you niggas, uh
Fuck that shit y'all talkin' 'bout, I'm the nigga, uh (Yeah)
Caught up in all these lights and cameras, uh
But look what that shit did to Hammer (Yeah), uh
Goddamn it, I like it
Bright lights is enticin'
But look what it did to Tyson
All that money in one night
Thirty mil' for one fight
But soon as all that money blows
All the pigeons take flight
Fuck the fame, keep cheatin' on me
What I do? I took her back
Fool me twice, that's my bad
I can't even blame her for that
Enough to make me wanna murder
Momma, please just get my bail
I know nobody to blame
Kurt Cobain, I did it to myself, uh
[Pre-Chorus: Justin Timberlake & JAY-Z]
And we all just entertainers
And we're stupid and contagious (Yeah)
No, we all just entertaine—
[Chorus: Justin Timberlake]
And, baby, it's amazin' I'm in this maze with you
I just can't crack your code
One day, you're screamin' you love me loud
The next day, you're so cold
One day, you're here, one day, you're there
One day, you care, you're so unfair
Sippin' from your cup 'til it runneth over
Holy Grail (Yeah)
[Verse 2: JAY-Z]
Now I got tattoos on my body
Psycho bitches in my lobby
I got haters in the paper
Photo shoots with paparazzi (Yeah)
Can't even take my daughter for a walk
See 'em by the corner store
I feel like I'm cornered off
Enough is enough, I'm callin' this off (Yeah)
Who the fuck I'm kiddin' though?
I'm gettin' high, sittin' low
Slidin' by in that big body
Curtains all in my window (Yeah)
This fame hurt, but this chain worse
I think back you asked the same person
If this is all you had to deal with
Nigga, deal with, this shit ain't work
This light work, camera snappin', my eyes hurt
Niggas dyin' back where I was birthed
Fuck your iris and the IRS (Yeah)
Get the hell up off your high horse
You got the shit that niggas die for, dry yours
Why you mad? Take the good with the bad
Or throw the baby out with that bath water
[Pre-Chorus: JAY-Z]
You're still alive, still that nigga
Nigga, you survived, still gettin' bigger
Nigga, livin' the life, vanilla wafers in a villa
Illest nigga alive, Michael Jackson's Thriller
[Chorus: Justin Timberlake & Jay-Z]
And, baby, it's amazin' I'm in this maze with you
(Uh, uh, uh, uh)
I just can't crack your code (Uh, uh-uh, uh, uh-uh, uh)
One day, you're screamin' you love me loud
The next day, you're so cold (Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh)
One day, you're here, one day, you're there
One day, you care, you're so unfair (Uh, uh, uh, uh)
Sippin' from your cup 'til it runneth over
Holy Grail (Yeah)
[Bridge: Justin Timberlake]
You get the air out my lungs whenever you need it (Yeah)
And you take the blade right out my heart
Just so you can watch me bleed (Yeah)
And I still don't know why (Don't know why)
Why I love you so much (Yeah, thanks for warning me)
Yeah (Thanks for warning me)
(Yeah) And you play this game in spite to drive me insane (Yeah)
I got it tattooed on my sleeve forever in ink
With guess whose name?
But I still don't know why (Yeah, don't know why)
Why our love is so much (Thanks for warning me; yeah)
Yeah (Thanks for warning me; yeah)
[Chorus: Justin Timberlake & Jay-Z]
And, baby, it's amazin' I'm in this maze with you
(Uh, uh, uh, uh)
I just can't crack your code (Uh, uh-uh, uh, uh-uh, uh)
One day, you're screamin' you love me loud
The next day, you're so cold (Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh)
One day, you're here, one day, you're there
One day, you care, you're so unfair (Uh, uh, uh, uh)
Sippin' from your cup 'til it runneth over
Holy Grail (Yeah)
[Outro: Justin Timberlake]
Ooh-ooh-ooh
(Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy grail, yeah)
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
(Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy grail, yeah)
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
(Holy, holy, holy)
Don't know why
[Produced by J-Roc, The-Dream & Timbaland]
Holy Grail was written by JAY-Z & Justin Timberlake & Timbaland & The-Dream & J-Roc & No I.D. & Kurt Cobain & Krist Novoselic & Dave Grohl.
JAY-Z released Holy Grail on Thu Jul 04 2013.
The track interpolates “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by the band, during the bridge section.
During his Breakfast Club interview, Jay explained the “holy grail” is fame, something that is desired by many, but cannot be handled by all.
They’ve collaborated before on Justin’s 2013 track “Suit & Tie.” Jay would also feature on his 2013 track “Murder,” and Timberlake would pop up again later on this album on “Heaven” and “BBC.”
The song peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week of September 21, 2013. It charted for a total of 27 weeks.