Damn, Can I Live

[Jay Z]
While I'm watching every nigga watching me closely
My shit is butter for the bread, they wanna toast me
I keep my head, both of them where they supposed to be
Hoes'll get you sidetracked, then clap from close feet
I don't sleep, I'm tired, I feel wired like codeine
These days, a brother gotta admire me from four fiends away
My pain, wish it was quick to see, from selling 'caine
'til brains was fried to a fricassee, can't lie
At the time it never bothered me, at the bar
Getting my thug on properly, my squad and me
Lack of respect for authority, laughing hard
Happy to be escaping poverty, however brief
I know this game got valleys and peaks, expectation
For dips, for precipitation we stack chips, hardly
The youth I used to be, soon to see a mill'in
No more Big Willie, my game has grown: prefer you call me William
Illin' for revenues, Rayful Edmond like
Channel 7 News, 'round seven jewels, head dead in the mic
Forgetting all I ever knew, convenient amnesia
"I suggest you call my lawyer, I know the procedure"
Lock my body, can't trap my mind
Easily, explain why we adapt to crime
I'd rather die enormous than live dormant, that's how we on it
Live at the main event, I bet a trip to Maui on it
Presidential suites my residential for the weekend
Confidentially speaking in codes since I sense you peeking
The NSX rental, don't be fooled, my game is mental
We both out of town, dog, what you trying to get into?
Viva Las Vegas, see ya later at the crap tables
Meet me by the one that starts a "G" up
This way no Fraud Willies present gambling they re-up
And we can have a pleasant time, sipping margaritas
Ge-ge-gyeahh

[Demetrius Capone]
Listen here, I just wanna ball [??] up in this Leer
And engineer all of the plots to free us, ge-ge-gyeahh
It's been years livin' in poverty plus
Witnessin' my father leave us, I'm feelin' double-crossed like Jesus
If he was a Siamese twin, shit, my guard I'd keep up
And a nigga be liftin' them dumbbells, I mean retarded ringers
The streets done brought a G up, so it ain't my fault I'm G'd up
But niggas with cold rags on they heads like they caught a fever
Are eager to bother me, I'm like damn, can I cross the street cuz
Damn, can I live? I'm not a Crip or a Pyro neither
If we could just get a truce, somebody call the leaders
And get both parties to come together like Obama fuckin' Condoleezza
Nonbelievers of my struggle, get the tallest finger
Armed with ninas cuz you can't get caught like the de Milo Venus
I want the presidential suite life
I'm kinda suicidal cause I'm tryin' to end my street life
Even if that mean flyin' kilos in the air
We get the key to your city and we don't need the mayor
The older generation saying we in need of prayer
And we in need of Jesus, cause G shit is our savior
We hustle everyday like we can't wait for manana
Cuz I'm one slip away from facin' your honor
And I'm one hit away from datin' Rihanna
This is grind to the death shit
I'm like Jigga nigga except I'm on this west shit

[Jay Z]
My mind is infested with sick thoughts that circle
Like a Lexus, if driven wrong it's sure to hurt you
Dual level like duplexes, in unity
My crew and me commit atrocities like we got immunity
You guessed it, manifest it in tangible goods, platinum Rolexed it
We don't lease, we buy the whole car, as you should
My confederation, dead a nation, explode!
On detonation, overload the mind of a sad patient
When it boils to steam, it comes to it
We all fiends, gotta do it, even righteous minds go through this
True, this the streets school us to spend our money foolish
Bond with jewelers and watch for intruders
I stepped it up another level, meditated like a Buddhist
Recruited lieutenants with ludicrous dreams of
Gettin' cream, "let's do this!" It gets te-di-ous
So I keep one eye open like C-B-S
You see me stressed right?

[Kenny]
You see this west side, hang em by the ties on the chest if they chest ties
Yes I'm from a raw city where it wasn't all goody
Been awfully broke tryin' to get broke off fully
I'm from where dudes get buried for not carryin' snubs
But my only worry is that I'm not worried enough
By beware, you probably should beware you probably shouldn't be there
If you Hollywood, you probably would be scared
The world's crooked but expect me to walk a straight line
Cops too, but video chat's the only way I'll face time
And my leisure women find this great wine and sit above my dick like my waistline while they're waist grind
Other than that, there's no time to waste
Grind is what I must do, for them times on the bus route
Not livin' indoors and forcefully enduring
Outdoor explorin', til I soar I'm ignorin' ignorance
I was an eye sore in kid garments til all my wine is imported
Grindin's important, my childhood was degrading
Wasn't a plus, deserved to be grading
We just tryin' to get some guaperella from a cappellas
Then split the mozzarella like we're cheese grating
Can I live?