Album Cover Empire State of Mind

Empire State of Mind

JAY-Z

5

[Intro: JAY-Z]

Yeah

[Verse 1: JAY-Z & Alicia Keys]

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

Right next to De Niro, but I'll be hood forever

I'm the new Sinatra, and since I made it here

I can make it anywhere, yeah, they love me everywhere

I used to cop in Harlem, hola, my Dominicanos (Dímelo)

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

Took it to my stash spot, 560 State Street

Catch me in the kitchen, like a Simmons whippin' pastry

Cruisin' down 8th Street, off-white Lexus

Drivin' so slow, but BK is from Texas

Me? I'm out that Bed-Stuy, home of that boy Biggie

Now I live on Billboard and I brought my boys with me

Say "What up?" to Ty Ty, still sippin' Mai Tais

Sittin' courtside, Knicks and Nets give me high fives

Nigga, I be spiked out (Come on), I could trip a referee (Come on)

Tell by my attitude (Come on) that I'm most definitely from

[Chorus: Alicia Keys & JAY-Z]

In New York (Ayy, uh, yeah; aha)

Concrete jungle (Yeah) where dreams are made of

There's nothin' you can't do (Yeah, okay)

Now you're in New York (Aha, aha, aha; uh, yeah)

These streets will make you feel brand-new (New)

Big lights will inspire you (Come on, okay)

Let's hear it for New York (You welcome, OG; uh)

New York (Yeah), New York (Uh, I made you hot, nigga)

[Verse 2: JAY-Z & Alicia Keys]

Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game

Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can

You should know I bleed blue, but I ain't a Crip though

But I got a gang of niggas walkin' with my clique though

Welcome to the meltin' pot, corners where we sellin' rock

Afrika Bambaataa shit, home of the hip-hop

Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back

For foreigners, it ain't fair, they act like they forgot how to add

Eight million stories out there in the naked

City, it's a pity half of y'all won't make it

Me? I gotta plug Special Ed, "I Got It Made"

If Jeezy's payin' LeBron, I'm payin' Dwyane Wade

Three dice, Cee-lo, Three Card Monte

Labor Day Parade, rest in peace, Bob Marley

Statue of Liberty, long live the World Trade (Come on, come on)

Long live the king, yo (Come on), I'm from the Empire State, that's

[Chorus: Alicia Keys & JAY-Z]

In New York (Ayy; uh, yeah)

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of

There's nothin' you can't do (That boy good, okay)

Now you're in New York (Uh, yeah, welcome to the bright lights, baby)

These streets will make you feel brand-new

Big lights will inspire you (Okay)

Let's hear it for New York (Uh)

New York (Yeah), New York (Uh)

[Verse 3: JAY-Z & Alicia Keys]

Lights is blinding, girls need blinders

Or they could step out of bounds quick, the side lines is

Lined with casualties who sip the life casually

Then gradually become worse, don't bite the apple, Eve

Caught up in the in-crowd, now you're in-style

Into the winter gets cold, en vogue with your skin out

City of sin is a pity on a whim

Good girls gone bad, the city's filled with them

Mami took a bus trip, now she got her bust out

Everybody ride her, just like a bus route

"Hail Mary" to the city, you're a virgin

And Jesus can't save you, life starts when the church end

Came here for school, graduated to the high life

Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight

MDMA (Come on) got you feelin' like a champion (Come on)

The city never sleeps (Come on), better slip you a Ambien

[Chorus: Alicia Keys & JAY-Z]

In New York (Ayy, ow, uh, yeah)

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of

There's nothin' you can't do (Okay)

Now you're in New York (Uh, yeah)

These streets will make you feel brand-new

Big lights will inspire you (Okay)

Let's hear it for New York (Uh)

New York (Yeah), New York (Uh)

[Bridge: Alicia Keys]

One hand in the air for the big city (Oh)

Street lights, big dreams, all lookin' pretty (Oh)

No place in the world that could compare (Nah)

Put your lighters in the air, everybody say

"Yeah, yeah" (Come on, come on)

"Yeah, yeah" (Come on)

[Chorus: Alicia Keys]

In New York (Uh, yeah, oh)

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of

There's nothin' you can't do (Okay)

Now you're in New York (Uh, yeah, yeah)

These streets will make you feel brand-new

Big lights will inspire you (Okay)

Let's hear it for New York (Uh)

New York (Yeah), New York (Uh)