[Nas]   Uhh   Yo, yo-yo, y'all   Whattup? Whattup   It's time man (Word, it's time?)   Straight up, it's time man   Aight, set that shit off   (Set it off then nigga, set it off)      Broken glass in the hallway, bloodstained 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, shook at these, unmarked vans   Parked in the dark -- NARC's, where's your heart?   Hustlers starve; they bust a U-e I jog   to my building -- come out later wearin camouflage   See the sergeant and the captain -- strangle men   Niggaz 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 niggaz, got two in heaven   Six of us, holdin it, now it's five rollin thick   The sixth one's parole flipped; five niggaz, went to fo' quick   when he went O.T., college life, converted into gangbangin   Four niggaz 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" - [Rakim])   New York, New York ("New York state of mind" - [Rakim])   [repeat while Nas is talking]      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, youknowhatImean?   New York state of mind baby, check it out      [Nas]   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 niggaz sing along   All the ciggarette smoke's cloggin my lungs, hoodrats flashin they tongue   Young thugs blastin they gun, we got reputations   Bitches and niggaz both on parole or probation   Shit is sick, niggaz got gats, army fatigues   I got my eyes glued on, whoever walk in the lead   Cause I ain't playin, niggaz'll run up in here and shoot up this shit   Stick yo' ass up, niggaz'll find the loot in your kicks   Bunch of triple-cross niggaz, just New York niggaz   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, niggaz is up North with tatted tears   Your name's on the affadavit, you ratted kid   Faggot-ass niggaz that be scared to do they bids   Fuck you, we run you out of N.Y, you can't live   Got your quiet niggaz, 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   Niggaz fightin over hundred sales, jump in the car and drive off   When the fiend come around the block, happy as hell   Niggaz, 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 niggaz scheamin, some real, some niggaz frontin   But I'm a big dreamer, so watch me come up with somethin      New York, New York   New York, New York