N.Y. State of Mind, Part II Songtext
von Nas

Uhh
Yo, yo-yo, y′all
Whattup? Whattup
It's time man (word, it′s time?)
Straight up, it's time man
A'ight, set that shit off
(Set it off then nigga, set it off)

Broken glass in the hallway, blood-stained floors
Neighbors, look at every bag you bring through your doors
Lock the top lock, momma shoulda cuffed me to the radiator
Why not? It might′ve saved later from my block
N.Y. cops, hookers crawlin′ off the stroll, coughin'
Stitches in they head, stinkin′ and I dread thinkin' they be snitchin′
But who else, could it be, sat these, unmarked vans
Parked in the dark, NARC's, where′s your heart?


Hustlers starve, they bust a U-ey, I jog
To my building, come out later wearin' camouflage
See the sergeant and the captain, strangle men
Niggas gaspin' for air, ′til they move no more and just stare
With dead eyes, tired of riots, shit is quiet
Simple-minded fools infiltrate grimy crews
Overcrowded cribs, uncles home from bids, sister′s pregnant
Father's on drugs, moms is smokin′, beds is piss-infested

Had eight partners growin' up, eight turned to seven
Seven turned to six niggas, got two in Heaven
Six of us, holdin′ it, now it's five rollin′ thick
The sixth one's parole flipped, five niggas, went to fo' quick
When he went O.T., college life, converted into gangbangin′
Four niggas still hangin′, years passed and slang changin'
Three of us now, fourth nigga ain′t around
We all thought he was real, he did the snake shit

Fake shit, beat his ass down, yo, his mouth
Could've got us all wasted, what a fuckin′ clown
All I got left in the end is two of my best friends
And we all goin' out, to the death for these ends, what?

New York, New York (New York state of mind)
New York, New York (New York state of mind)


You heard about it, you see about it
You read about it, it′s in your papers
It's in your daily news ("get money!")
New York chronicles, every day
The crime rate, the murder rate
The money rate, the paper chase, you know what I mean?
New York state of mind baby, check it out

I'm at the, gamblin′ spot, my hands on a knot
New York Yankee cap cover my eyes, stand in one spot
I take a nigga dough, send him home, to a shoebox
You lost that nigga, I put your dollar in the jukebox
Hear my favorite song, all these niggas sing along
All the ciggarette smoke′s cloggin' my lungs, hoodrats flashin′ they tongue
Young thugs blastin' they gun, we got reputations
Bitches and niggas both on parole or probation

Shit is sick, niggas got gats, army fatigues
I got my eyes glued on, whoever walk in the lead
′Cause I ain't playin′, niggas'll run up in here and shoot up this shit
Stick yo' ass up, niggas′ll find the loot in your kicks
Bunch of triple-cross niggas, just New York niggas
Lift you off your feet when they was just talkin′ with you
Some of these dudes the Feds be on 'em, you knew ′em for years

Be the type when you walk in a pub, they offer you beers
That ain't gangsta, niggas is up North with tatted tears
Your name′s on the affadavit, you ratted kid
Faggot-ass niggas that be scared to do they bids
Fuck you, we run you out of N.Y, you can't live
Got your quiet niggas, that relocated down South
Comin′ back to floss, then you got the jealous loudmouths
All of a sudden, we got Crips and Bloods, D.T.'s
Runnin' ′round quick to split your mug, it′s ea-sy to score

But it's hard to get the shit off
Niggas fightin′ over hundred sales, jump in the car and drive off
When the fiend come around the block, happy as hell
Niggas, mad 'cause they ain′t get a piece of that sale
Cutthroat connivers, universal, ghetto survivors
Go to any hood that's live and make it liver
A lot of niggas schemin′, some real, some niggas frontin'
But I'm a big dreamer, so watch me come up with somethin′

New York, New York
New York, New York