Justify My Thug - Jay-Z

Uhh, this feel right right here, Quik

It’s like it’s supposed to happen this one right here

Young! God damn

Let me justify my thug on this one right here

It goes one o’clock, two o’clock, three o’clock, Roc

Five six seven o’clock, eight o’clock, Roc

11 o’clock, 12 o’clock, the party 'bout to pop

Then, Roc-A-Fella y’all, it’s your boy S. Dot

And I ain’t never been to jail; I ain’t never pay a nigga

To do no dirt for me I was scared to do myself

I will never tell, even if it means sittin' in a cell

I ain’t never ran, never will

I ain’t never been smacked; a nigga better keep his hands

To himself or get clapped for what’s under that man’s belt

I never asked for nothin' I don’t demand of myself

Honesty, loyalty, friends and then wealth

Death before dishonor and I tell you what else

I tighten my belt 'fore I beg for help

Foolish pride is what held me together through the years

I wasn’t felt which is why I ain’t never played myself

I just play the hand I’m dealt, I can’t say I’ve never knelt

Before God and asked for better cards at times to no avail

But I never sat back feelin' sorry for myself

If you don’t give me heaven I’ll raise hell

'Til it’s heaven

Justify my thug

for you

My thug (hoping)

My thug (praying)

for you

To justify my thug

My thug (hoping)

My thug (praying)

for you

For you

Now if you shoot my dog, I’ma kill yo' cat

Just the unwritten laws in rap, know that

For every action there’s a reaction

don’t have me relapsin'

Relaxin’s what I’m about,

but about mine

Don’t be actin like you can’t see street action

Take me back to Reasonable Doubt time

You see my mind’s on the finish line, facin' the wreck

I put my muh’fuckin' faith in the TEC, tell Satan not yet

You understand I am chasin' my breath

I am narrowly escapin' my death,

oh yes

I am the Michael Schumacher of the Roc roster

Travellin' Mach 5

, barrel in my apparel can stop God

God forgive me but I can’t let them deliver me to you

Until, I won this race, then eventually

My engine gon' burn out, I get whatever is meant for me

However it turns out fine, red line!

Justify my thug

for you

My thug (hoping)

My thug (praying)

for you

To justify my thug

My thug (hoping)

My thug (praying)

for you

For you

They say an eye for an eye, we both lose our sight

And two wrongs don’t make a right

But when you been wronged and you know all along that it’s just one life

At what point does one fight? (Good question, right?)

'Fore you knock the war, try to put your dogs in his

Ten-and-a-halfs, for a minute-and-a-half

Bet that stops all the grinnin' and the laughs

When you play the game of life and the win ain’t in the bag

When your options is none and the pen is all you have

Or the block, niggas standin' tight as lemons on the ave

Tryin' to cop a shop — call theyself cleansin' in the cash

But can’t put they name on paper 'cause, then you on blast

Mr. President, there’s drugs in our residence

Tell me what you want me to do, come break bread with us

Mr. Governor, I swear there’s a cover up

Every other corner there’s a liquor store, fuck is up?

Justify my thug

for you

My thug (hoping)

My thug (praying)

for you

To justify my thug

My thug (hoping)

My thug (praying)

for you

For you