The Empire State of Mind

[Jay-Z:]
Yeah 
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 
All of my dominicanos (hey yo) 
Right there off of Broadway 
Brought me back to that McDonalds 
Took it to my stash spot 
560 State Street 
Catch me in the kitchen 
Like simmons whipping pastry 
Cruising down 8th Street 
Off-white Lexus 
Driving so slow 
(but bk, it's from Texas!!) 
Me I'm out that Bedstuy 
Home of that boy Biggie 
Now I live on billboard 
And I brought my boys with me 
Say what up to ta-ta 
Still sipping mai tais 
Sitting courtside 
Knicks and Nets give me high-5 
N**ga, I be spiked out 
I could trip a referee 
...tell by my attitude that I'm most definitely from... 

[Chorus: Alicia Keys] 
New York!!!! 
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, 
There's nothing you can't do, 
Now you're in New York!!! 
These streets will make you feel brand new, 
The lights will inspire you, 
Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York 

[Jay-Z:]
I made you hot n-gga, 
Catch me at the x with og at a yankee game, 
Sh-t i made the yankee hat more famous than a yankee can, 
You should know I bleed blue, but i ain't a crip tho, 
But i got a gang of n-ggas walking with my clique though, 
Welcome to the melting pot, 
Corners where we selling rocks, 
Afrika Bambaataa sh-t, 
Home of the hip hop, 
Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back, 
For foreigners it ain't [bad word] act like they forgot how to act, 
8 million stories out there and they're naked, 
City it's a pity half of y'all won't make it, 
Me i gotta plug a special and i got it made, 
If Jeezy's payin LeBron, i'm paying Dwayne Wade, 
3 dice cee-lo 
3 card Marley, 
Labor Day Parade, rest in peace Bob Marley, 
Statue of Liberty, long live the World Trade, 
Long live the king yo, 
I'm from the Empire State that's… 

[Chorus: Alicia Keys] 

[Jay-Z:]
Lights is blinding, 
Girls need blinders 
So they can step out of bounds quick, 
The side lines is blind with casualties, 
Who sip the lite casually, then gradually become worse, 
Don't bite the apple Eve, 
Caught up in the in crowd, 
Now you're in-style, 
And in the winter gets cold en vogue with your skin out, 
The city of sin is a pity on a whim. 
Good girls gone bad, the city's filled with them, 
Mommy took a bus trip and now she got her bust out, 
Everybody ride her, just like a bus route, 
Hail Mary to the city your a Virgin, 
And Jesus can't save you life starts when the church ends, 
Came here for school, graduated to the high life, 
Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight, 
MDMA got you feeling like a champion, 
The city never sleeps better slip you a Ambien 

[Chorus: Alicia Keys] 

[Bridge:] 
One hand in the air for the big city, 
Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty, 
No place in the world that can compare, 
Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeaaahh 
Come on, come, yeah, 

[Chorus:] 

[Jay-Z:] 
Да,
Да, я уехал из Бруклина,
Теперь я живу в Трибеке1,
По соседству с Де Ниро.
Но я навсегда останусь «своим» парнем с квартала.
Я – новый Синатра,
И поскольку мне удалось это здесь,
Я сделаю это где угодно
(Да, меня любят везде)
Раньше я обворовывал в Гарлеме
Доминиканцев (Эй!)
А местечко недалеко от Бродвея
Напомнило мне Макдоналдс из детства
И мой дом с тайным складом
На 560 Стейт Стрит.
А теперь я хозяйничаю на кухне, 
Готовлю всякие изыски.
По 8-ой улице я разъезжаю
На кремовом Lexus’e,
Никуда не торопясь
(Но, парень, тачка-то из Техаса!!)