I practiced this for hours Gone round and round And now think that I’ve got it all down And as I say it louder I love how it sounds Cause I’m not taking the easy way out Not wrapping this in ribbons Shouldn’t have to give a reason why.
It’s no surprise I won’t be here tomorrow I can’t believe that I stayed till today Yeah you and I will be a tough act to follow But I know in time we’ll find this was no surprise
It came out like a river once I let it out When I thought that I wouldn’t know how Held onto it forever just pushing it down Felt so good to let go of it now Not wrapping this in ribbons Shouldn’t have to give a reason why
It’s no surprise I won’t be here tomorrow I can’t believe that I stayed till today There’s nothing here in this heart left to borrow There’s nothing here in this soul left to say Don’t be surprised when we hate this tomorrow God know we tried to find an easier way Yeah you and I will be a tough act to follow But I know in time we’ll find this was no surprise
Our favorite place we used to go The warm embrace that no one knows The loving look that’s left your eyes That’s why this comes as no, as no surprise
If I could see the future and how this plays out I bet it’s better than where we are now But after going through this, it’s easier to see the reason why
It’s no surprise I won’t be here tomorrow I can’t believe that I stayed till today Yeah you and I will be a tough act to follow But I know in time we’ll find this was no surprise
Our favorite place we used to go The warm embrace that no one knows The loving look that’s left your eyes But I know in time we’ll find this was no surprise
[Verse 1: Jay Z] Yeah, I’m out that Brooklyn, now I’m down in Tribeca Right next to DeNiro, 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 Right there up on Broadway Brought me back to that McDonalds Took it to my stash spot, 560 State Street Catch me in the kitchen, like a Simmons whippin’ pastry Cruising down 8th street, off-white Lexus Driving 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 sipping Mai Tais Sitting courtside, Knicks and Nets give me high fives Nigga, I be Spiked out, I can trip a referee Tell by my attitude that I’m most definitely from…
[Hook: 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 Big lights will inspire you Let’s hear it for New York New York, New York
[Interlude: Jay Z] You’re welcome, OG I made you hot, nigga
[Verse 2: Jay Z] 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 walking with my clique though Welcome to the melting pot, corners where we sellin’ rocks 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 paying LeBron, I’m paying 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 Long live the king, yo; I’m from the Empire State, that’s…
[Hook: 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 Big lights will inspire you Let’s hear it for New York New York, New York
[Interlude: Jay Z] That boy good Welcome to the bright light, baby!
[Verse 3: Jay Z] Lights is blindin’, girls need blinders So they can 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 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 ’em Mami took a bus trip and 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 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
[Hook: 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 Big lights will inspire you Let’s hear it for New York
[Bridge: Alicia Keys] 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: “Yeah!”
[Hook: 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 Big lights will inspire you Let’s hear it for New York New York, New York