Smile Lyrics - Jay-z

Good morn' or evening, friends 

Smile, you recordin'? 

Slammin' Bentley doors like we invented doors 

20 years ago we drove Bentley Azures 

We drinkin' Cristal in, yeah 

Kept the trey on me like Chris Paulin' 

Drinkin' Ace of Spade like it's codeine now 

Tryna put a million on the whole team now 

Push through the pain so we can see new life 

So all the ladies havin' babies, see a sacrifice 

Mama had four kids, but she's a lesbian 

Had to pretend so long that she's a thespian 

Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate 

Society shame and the pain was too much to take 

Cried tears of joy when you fell in love 

Don't matter to me if it's a him or her 

I just wanna see you smile through all the hate 

Marie Antoinette, baby, let 'em eat cake 

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Bad times turn to good memories, smile 

Even when I'm gone and you remember me, smile 

Good times never fade away, smile 

Even if I'm not with you here today, smile 

Good morn' or evening, friends 

Smile 

Here's your friendly announcer 

Smile 

Far as draft picks, my name did not get called 

Bet before I go I put a billion on the board 

Hall of Fame Hov, I did it all without a pen 

Y'all knew that was comin', I had to remind y'all again, huh? 

Flyin' paper planes through the projects 

Now the whole projects on my jet 

Now you see the real in the front row 

In every one of y'all televised shows 

Super facts 

Niggas switched sides, traded pride, we don't do all that 

A loss ain't a loss, it's a lesson 

Appreciate the pain, it's a blessin' 

Photos 

Bad times turn to good memories, smile 

Even when I'm gone and you remember me, smile 

Good times never fade away, smile 

Even if I'm not with you here today, smile 

Good morn' or evening, friends 

I mastered my aesthetics 

I know you often heard me wax poetic 

'Bout bein' back in the Lexus 

But trust me, that was nothin' 

A nigga up in the hundreds of millions 

I have no ceilings, ah, this that feelin', I'm that boy 

Anita Baker's "You Bring Me Joy" 

Slappin' out of the toy, the separation is clear 

In my rear-view mirror, objects is further than they appear 

Oh yeah, I was born with a pair 

Playin' for high stakes 

Norman Cake, he looked up and out of the Lear 

How niggas can't relate? 

Fuck a slice of the apple pie, want my own cake 

Chargin' my own fate 

Respect Jimmy Iovine 

But he gotta respect the Elohim as a whole new regime 

And niggas playin' for power, huh 

So our music is ours 

Niggas only own houses 

Ours was, "Fuck you, pay me" 

Now it's, "Fuck payin' me, I pay you 

Put the rest away for Blue" 

That blood money, I giggle at it 

Can't even support my miss' habit 

Jewelry shoppin' in Paris 

All y'all jewelers should be embarrassed, huh 

Blood diamonds drippin', we cute 

I still ain't trippin', that's life, winners and losers 

Drug dealers and abusers, America like me ruthless 

My therapist said I relapsed 

I said, "Prehaps I Freudian slipped in European whips" 

God sent me to break the chain 

I'm the true and livin' 

God in the flesh, the rest of these niggas is vain 

A stain on the white suit, inferior IQ 

Niggas'll rip your shit off TIDAL just to spite you 

Ahhhh, what did I do? 

'Cept try to free you 

Niggas'll love you but hate you 'cause they can't be you 

Dump 'em all in the bayou, uh 

Everybody wave bye to the guy you thought you could lie to 

This was meant to be a haiku, huh 

But my story's too wide to fit inside the line 

And too old, these that drugs 

Heroin flow, I spaz on the stove 

This is Hov, no flex zone, nigga, who lied to you? 

Look, you a pedestrian 

Don't ever question the security I provided you 

Oh y'all thought I was washed? 

I'm at the cleaners 

Launderin' dirty money like the teamsters, huh 

Shout out to Hoffa back home, he in the church 

When I heard you got booked, that shit hurt 

Fear for you, bro, we know the system don't work 

Take a young nigga freedom over some dirt 

Yet it's legal in Colorado 

Yeah, we deny 

Black entrepreneurs, free enterprise 

That's why it's a black market, that's why it's called the trap 

That's why it's called the project 'cause it's exactly that 

All these people was gon' kill me, heh 

'Cause the more I reveal me, the more they 'fraid of the real me 

Welcome back Carter, smile 

Living in the shadow 

Can you imagine what kind of life it is to live? 

In the shadows people see you as happy and free 

Because that's what you want them to see 

Living two lives, happy, but not free 

You live in the shadows for fear of someone hurting your family or the person you love 

The world is changing and they say it's time to be free 

But you live with the fear of just being me 

Living in the shadow feels like the safe place to be 

No harm for them, no harm for me 

But life is short, and it's time to be free 

Love who you love, because life isn't guaranteed 

Smile