歌词
I'm just, tryin to stay above water y'know
尝试挣扎着去生活(Notorious B.I.G. 在1996年MTV的采访)
Just stay busy, stay workin
让自己去工作保持忙碌
Puff told me like, the key to this joint
老爹（吹牛老爹Puff Daddy）告诉我说，关键的核心
The key to staying, on top of things
能够保持领先的核心
is treat everything like it's your first project, knahmsayin?
就是对待任何事情都像你第一次一样，懂么
Like it's your first day like back when you was an intern
就像你工作的第一天，像一个新手
Like, that's how you try to treat things like, just stay hungry
就是，就是你对待事情的态度，“求知若饥”
Uhh, uhh, yes, yes
嗯~嗯~
Y'all wanna know, why he don't stop
你们想知道我为何不停下
Y'all wanna know, why he don't flop
你们想知道我为何没失败
Let me tell you pe-eople why
让我告诉你们为什么
Came from the bottom of the block I
因我出身于街区最角落
When I was born, it was sworn, I was never gon' be shit
当我出生时就注定，绝不是当垃圾的命
Had to pull the opposite out this bitch
就是要反其道而行
Had to get my ri-ide on
就是要上自己的车
Eyes on the prize, Shawn knew I had to
眼睛盯着价格，我知道自己就是要
Had to had to get these chips
就是要有钱有势（chips在黑人英语中指代金钱和地位）
Had to make moves like Olajuwon
就是要像Olajuwon一样（Olajuwon不仅是NBA球星，也获得了大学学位）
Started out sellin dimes and nicks
从10块5块的小包（毒品）
Graduated to a brick
卖到一磅重的大件
No exaggeration, my infatuation with the strip
不夸张的讲，我是迷上贩毒了
Legendary like a schoolboy
就像是学校里的男生
Crushin merely nearly every every chick
只想着睡遍每一个姑娘
Heavy shit - that's how schoolboy got whipped
这也是那些男生为何被扁
And got left on some "Just +Me, Myself and I+"
然后被抛弃，像Trugoy说的那样
On some Trugoy shit
只有“我和我自己”（“Me, Myself and I”是说唱组合De La Soul的一首歌，Trugoy是组合里的一人）
Had your boys threw place up, to a place of no return
被兄弟们扔下，走投无路
Had to play with fire and get burned
只能到玩火自焚
Only way the boy ever gon' learn
才能学点教训
Had to lay way in the cut, 'til I finally got my turn
只能开创自己的路，直到轮到我的那天
Now I'm on top in the spot that I earned
现在我站在成功的顶峰
It's my life - it's my pain and my struggle
这就是我的生活，我的痛苦与挣扎
The song that I sing to you it's my ev-ery-thing
我唱给你的歌就是我全部身家
Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first
不忘初心，有始有终
And my thirst is the same as - when I came
我还有刚入行的饥渴
It's my joy and my tears and the laughter it brings to me
这是我的笑我的泪，带给我的快乐
It's my ev-ery-thing
就是我的全部
Like I never rode in a limo
好像我从没坐过豪车
Like I just dropped flows to a demo
好像我刚刚才录好一段Demo
Like it's ninety-two again and
好像又回到了92年
And I got O's in the rental
我还在为租金发愁
Back in the Stu' again, no prob' livin was a whole lot simpler
重新回到原来的街头（Stu'在这里指布鲁克林名为Stuyvesant的地区，和下面指Studio的Stu'有不同），生活好像还容易了许多
When you think back, you thought that
回想过去，你忍不住发现
you would never make it this far, then you
你绝不会走这么远，所以
take advantage of the luck you handed
利用手中拥有的运气
Or the talent, you been given
还有天赐的能力
Ain't no, half steppin, ain't no, no slippin
不能出现闪失，也不能半途而废
Ain't no different from a block that's hidden
和原来的街头生活一模一样
Gotta get it while the getting's good
机遇就要抓住
Gotta strike while the iron's hot, 'fore you stop
打铁就要趁热
Then you gotta bid it, good riddance
然后努力争取，现在总算摆脱了
Goodbye, this is my second major breakup
再见吧，这是我第二次退休
My first was, with a pager
第一次是拿着呼机（接毒品的单）
With a hooptie, a cookpot, and the GAME
开着破车（不引人注目），端着小锅（制毒），就是这个游戏
This one's with the stool, with the stage, with the fortune
这次是在录音棚里，在舞台上，赚大把的钱
Maybe not the fortune, but certainly the FAME
可能赚不了太多，但肯定有了名气
It's my life - my pain and my struggle
这就是我的生活，我的痛苦与挣扎
The song that I sing to you it's my ev-ery-thing
我唱给你的歌就是我全部身家
Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first
不忘初心，有始有终
And my thirst is the same as - when I came
我还有刚入行的饥渴
It's my joy and my tears and my laughter it brings to me
这是我的笑我的泪，带给我的快乐
It's my ev-ery-thing
就是我的全部
Treat my first like my last, and my last like my first
不忘初心，有始有终
And my thirst like the first song I sang
我的饥渴还像我第一次开唱一样
Woo!
哇哦~
It's like the blues - we gon' ride out on this one
听起来像布鲁斯啊，这将是我们的谢幕曲
Ta-tah, be-hah
Ty-Ty, 还有B-High（都是Jay Z的朋友）
Yo Hah, 'member you was makin them dashes
嘿High，记不记得你过去送香槟篮
for them niggaa at radio and shit?
给那些电台的人
Clark Kent, that was good lookin out nigga
嘿Clark Kent，那个帅哥（Clark Kent是和Jay一起工作的制作人，DJ及A&R训练艺人）
Carlene - who ever thought we'd make it this far homey?
还有Carline，谁能想到我们走这么远（Carline是Jay的私人助理）
Sha, they can't stop us, knahmsayin? Lenny S
还有Sha，别人阻止不了咱们（A&R部门主管）
Dame whattup? Robbin the bank
Dame你怎么样，还在偷银行的钱（Dame是Jay Z公司Rock-A-Fella的共同创始人，后与Jay交恶，Jay暗指他挪用公司的钱）
Niggaz thought we was crazy man, 'member uhh
旁人都觉得我们是疯子，记得吗
You had that fucked up ass handwritin
你写的字烂透了
You was writin all the numbers that we was spendin now
你还记下了我们花的每一笔钱
for the videos we was doin ourselves, whattup?
用来自己制作MV
Original Flavor, your accountant was crazy wrong and shit
Ski你怎么样，还有Original Flavor（Jay Z最早出现在组合Original Flavor的歌里，Ski是组合成员），你的会计错的离谱
But we we still put it together
还好我们最后把事办了
Bigs, whassup? 'Member we went to St. Thomas and uh
Biggs你怎么样（Rock-A-Fella合伙人），记不记得我们去St. Thomas（拍MV）
But y'all my nizzle, your dog peed on homey leg and shit
John Meneilly，你的狗尿在了腿上？/
at his crib - I think that was Rudy
我觉得那是Rudy的家（crib）
And they was havin a lil trouble with the pool
他们的游泳池还出了点问题
You and Ta-tah was laughin
你和Ty-Ty还在笑
Emory was there, whattup Emory? What up Ta?
Emory也在，Emory你怎么样（Jay Z好友）
Hip-Hop, whattup man?
Hip-Hop你怎么样（通过Rock-A-Fella升上来的艺人）
Ay, ay Hobb, you ain't, you ain't have no uhh
嘿Hop，你本来没有，呃、、
You ain't have no muh'fuckin seat on your, on your bicycle
你本来一无所有，什么都不是
Now you uhh, the head of black music
现在你看你，爬到了黑人音乐的顶峰
That's what I'm talkin bout right there homey - G, whattup G?
这就是我现在想说的，Gee你怎么样（A&R艺人）
Yessir, e'rybody in the Roc
对，这就是Rock-A-Fella的每个人
Hey Guru, I know you spoiled man
嘿Guru（Jay Z的混音师），我太迁就你了
I be takin them shits in one take
这些东西我录一次就能过
You gon' have to punch niggaz shit, STICK IT, you gon' be tight
对其他人我都是用打的，你得抓点紧
OG One, whattup?
OG Juan你怎么样（Jay工作的录音棚的主人）
I'm a little upset that you wasn't involved in this whole process
有点遗憾你没参与到这张专辑
But it's all good - whassup Dash?
但现在看还不错，Dash你怎么样
My whole family, my nephew, cousin Angie, whassup? Te-Tee
还有我的家人，我的侄子，表亲Angie你们都怎么样，还有（侄女）Ti-Ti
(B, B, B, B) Mom, you made the album, how crazy is that?
还有小碧，妈妈是你成就了这张专辑，你看多有意思
Bob Allah, rest in peace
Bobalob安息（Biggs的兄弟，后被枪杀）
My pops, rest in peace (Sup A.J.?)
爸爸，你也安息
Biggie Smalls, rest in peace
大先生，你也安息
Uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh
啊啊，呼呼，哦哦，哇哇
Nigga, I'm bout to go golfin man
伙计，我要去打高尔夫了
Ay, I might even have me a cappuccino, fuck it!
呃，我可能还要来杯卡布奇诺
I'm goin somewhere nice where no mosquitos at nigga
我要去个舒服又安逸的地方
Holla at me
大声对我说
it's your boy!
这是你的兄弟（Jay Z用这个标志性的短语来结束最后一张专辑，后面还能明显听到他扔掉耳机的声音，以此表示离开Rap音乐）
专辑信息