[Intro: AZ (samples)]   Yeah... "the city"   This is serious, here "number one"   New York! It's beyond the 5 boroughs "keep it real" "I get ill"   "Number one" This will rock! "the city" "I gotta get in"      [AZ]   This is that, Riker's Island, not slipping rap flows   For them box bitten bing monsters, sniffin' that blow   Block covers know the style, triple that dough   Forty cal. for them cock suckers, sittin' back slow   What y'all know about coke pies, give 'em that low   I mouth them before the bowtie resemble cash flow   Rap NY, no lie, my side is back Ghost, so hot   Crooked cops are searching your asshole, it's the drop   That freeze niggaz right where they stand for the gwap   Niggaz'll play Pac and pop with they man, it don't stop   We up top, but we locked and landing   He roadblock, he flow shots, get Ghost and scram   Gingerbread niggaz on the run from feds   Shit is sick, pretty chicks'll put a gun to ya head   Never a vic', either think quick or end up dead   Cuz when we flip, what's left to be said? New York   New York, New York, New York      [Chorus 2X: samples *scratched by DJ Premier*]   "New York, New York"   "Number One"   "New York, New York"   "Keep it real" "I get ill"   "New York, New York"   "Number one"   "New York, New York"   "The city" "I gotta get in"      [Raekwon]   You know the town stupid, this is all authentic ground   You can get poked, grabbed and choked, then shot up, for product   Bank holders stay in the lab, too many dumb niggaz is scheming   You can get murked up in the cab   Shout out to niggaz that be jerking tags, rollin' in Jags   Good boy leathers, hood boys'll blast you   Niggaz that carry ones and hit grass   And love hip hop, the shit that bring money outta ziplocs   Protect your dome, I'm warning you, what harm I do to the kid   I have you on the floor with ya armor loose   Break the raw down and sign truces   Then switch the next muthafuckin' date, fuck all excuses   When you see me it's real, I'm just a natural born hustler   The castle where they wrap you in plastic, duke   So every soldier that's armed, remind your general   It's critical, you might stay a night, if you pretendable      [Chorus 2X]      [Ghostface Killah]   Yo, we was raised in the dead arm district   Before guns was called biscuits, Stapleton was on that hood shit   Live from the New York borough, keeping it thorough   Bunch of snakes in the grass, stay creepin' like squirrels   Cuz a snitch gon' crack that nut, don't give a fuck   Did ten hours long and try to wrap us up   He dry snitching, post up in the whip with a fly wisdom   Hopped out to get a dutch, but he left with his wig splitten   We from New York, my city never sleeps (No)   We runnin' with a hundred heats   When beef pop off, we ain't the one to speak   Dressed in all black, driving six feet hurses   With sixteen niggaz, dropping sixteen verses   Big faces, bolgin' outta big green purses   Stuck ya man for his vegi's and his lame ass circus   So I dare niggaz act up, y'all niggaz act up   Now like cars in reverse, y'all better back up      [Chorus 2X]