Diamond Is Forever

Can you hear me now? Good! (Blueprint 2 baby!)

The best of times, it was the worst of times (aoww)

It's "The Gift & the Curse"

[Chorus: Jay-Z]

R.O.C. YEAH, number one click HERE

If you represent US, throw them diamonds up YEAH

Now let's be CLEAR, I ain't goin no-WHERE

Now that you KNOW, holla at your boy

HOV'.. (Hov', Hov', Hov')

(Hov', Hov', Hov', Hov')

[overlapping first Chorus]

Yeah, Roc-A-Fella Records

You know what diamond is

We ain't goin nowhere, put your diamonds up

[Jay-Z]

Standin in my b-boy stance

Free, Beans, Memphis where you at [bad word] 

(Right here) Snatch Cam and it's a rap

This here rap belong to us, nobody strong as us, it's a fact

Hold up I'm just warmin up, gimme a second to get it back

Young Chris, Neek what? Oschino and Sparks

Next summer's yo' summer, tear this [bad word] up

Young is eternal, my young'uns'll burn you

"The Blueprint" birthed, [bad word] I earthed you, you can't be serious

Young cause I'm thirty-two, dressed like I'm twenty-two

Flow like a 18, do what I wanna do

Goin on my 8th ring, got Phil Jackson's and

flow is black magic, I'm at it again

Rose Bowl with black karats, "Horse & Carriage" to spend

like Mason Betha, chasin this cheddar, to the end

of the road because the end I'm told is nearer than we know

What can I say but live for today, HOV'!

[Chorus]

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, "The Blueprint 2" homey, follow the moves

You put on two tube socks, you couldn't walk in my shoes

I was dealt a bad hand, [bad word] what else could I do

but keep somethin up my sleeve that'll help me through

But can you believe, everywhere I'm at, models come through

Cat-fightin, cat-walkin, it happens often

It's true how society don't want me to move

into the penthouse building with spectacular views

They're like uhh, "He's a menace he could never be a tenant"

I'm like ooh, what's a young [bad word] to do?

I bring the brothers to the building give a feeling that I don't

give a [bad word] we just chillin watchin chandelier ceilings high as [bad word] 
Old lady, don't blow my high

'specially if you don't know my life, don't make me bring

Sharpton in it cause I'm dark-skinneded or

dude with the 'fro and the Rainbow Coalition, I'ma

victim of a single parent household, born in a mousehole

Mousetrap, niggaz wanna know

How so, how Jay get up out that, here, yeah

I snatched purses I per-se-vered, yeah

I had work, fiends purchased, it was clear

I was out there sellin hope for despair, but stop there

I swear, I only make good from my mouth to God's ears

Had to get out the hood

And I can't justify genocide

But I was born in the city where the skinny niggaz die

Born in the city where the skinny niggaz ride

And as a skinny [bad word] I had beef with high size

[Chorus]