Chorus;
It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated we get tricked
Instead of kisses we get kicked
It's the hard knock life Talking: Check the bassline out, uh huh Jigga
uh huh uh huh uh huh yeah, let it bump though 
Chorus 
It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated we get tricked
Instead of kisses we get kicked
It's the hard knock life [1st Verse]
>From standin' on the corners boppin'
to drivin' some of the hottest cars New York has ever seen,
for droppin' some of the hottest verses rappers ever heard,
For the dope spot with the smoke lot bringin' the murder scene,
You know me well from nightmares of a lonely cell my only hell
But since when y'all niggas know me to fail?
Fuck naw Where all my niggas with the rubber grips or shots?
And if you with me mama rub on ya tits & what not
I'm from the school of the hard knocks you must not
let outsiders violate our blocks & my plot
is stick up the world and split it 50/50
uh huh let's take the dough & stay real tricky
uh huh let's sip the Crist & get pissy pissy
flow infinitely like the memory of my nigga Biggie (Baby)
You know it's hell when I come through
The Life & Times of Shawn Carter nigga Volume 2
Y'all niggas get ready (chorus comes in) Chorus 
It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated we get tricked
Instead of kisses we get kicked
It's the hard knock life 
[2 verse]
I flow for those throwed out all my niggas
locked down in a 10 by 4 controllin' the house
we livin' hard knocks we don't take over
we borrow blocks burn 'em down & you
can have it back daddy I'd rather that
I flow for chicks wishin' they didn't have
to strip to pay tuition I see ya vision mama
I put my money on the long shots 
all my ballers that's born to clock 
Noone would be on top whether I perform or not 
I went from lukewarm to hot 
sleepin' off of ? & cots to king size
bring machines to breathe fire
decieve pies let the thang between my eyes analyze
life's ills then I put it down type real (it's a hard knock life)
I'm tight grill with the phony ...raappers
y'all might feel we homies
I'm like still "Y'all don't know me shit."
I'm tight grill when my situation ain't improvin'
I'm tryin' to murder everything movin'
Feel me (chorus comes in) Chorus 
It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated we get tricked
Instead of kisses we get kicked
It's the hard knock life 
[3rd Verse]
I don't know how to sleep I gotta eat stay on my toes
got a lot of beef so logically I prey on my foes
Hustle still inside of me the far'hest progress
you'd be hard pressed to find another rapper 
hot as me I gave you prophecy on my first joint
but ya all lamed out didn't really appreciate it
'til the second one came out so I strech the game out
X'ed your name out put Jigga on top
and dropped albums nonstop for ya nigga Chorus 
It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated we get tricked
Instead of kisses we get kicked
It's the hard knock life Chorus 
It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated we get tricked
Instead of kisses we get kicked
It's the hard knock life Chorus 
It's the hard knock life for us
It's the hard knock life for us
Instead of treated we get tricked
Instead of kisses we get kicked It's the hard knock life!