Streets Is Watching Lyrics - Vol. 1: In My Lifetime - Jay-z

Look, if I shoot you, I'm brainless 

But if you shoot me, then you're famous -- what's a nigga to do? 

When the, streets is watching, blocks keep clocking 

Waiting for you to break, make your first mistake 

Can't ignore it, that's the fastest way to get extorted 

But my time is money, and twenty-five, I can't afford it 

Beef is sorted like Godiva, chocolates 

Niggas you bought it, I pull the slide back and cock it 

Plan aborted, you and your mans get a pass 

This rhyme, you're operating on bitch time 

Y'all n*ggaz ain't worth my shells, all y'all niggas 

tryin to do is hurt my sales, and stop trips to John McNale 

The type to start a beef then, run to the cops 

When I see you in the street got, one in the drop 

When I'd rather be on tour getting a hundred a pop 

or taking pictures with some b*tches, in front of the drop 

The streets is watching 

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*chorus* 

When the, streets is watching 

Blocks keep clocking 

Waiting for you to break, make your first mistake 

Can't ignore it 

Man, it's hard not to kill niggas 

It's like a full time job not to kill niggas, can't chill 

the streets is watching you, when you froze your arms 

niggas wanna test you and your gun goes warm 

Can't get caught with your feet up, gotta keep your heat up 

Sweet niggas running 'round swearing shit is sweeter 

Once you're tagged lame the game is follow the leader 

Everybody want a piece of your scrilla, so you gotta keep it realer 

Kidnap niggas wanna steal ya 

Broke niggas want no cash, they just wanna kill ya 

for the name, niggas don't know the rules 

Disrespectin the game, want you to blow your cool 

Force your hand, of course that man's plottin 

Smarten up, the streets is watching, it's on 

Photos 

*chorus* 

My street mentality flip bricks forever, know me and money 

we like armed co-defendants, nigga we stick together 

Shit whatever for this cheddar ran my game into the ground 

Hustle harder to see if indictment time came around 

Now you can look up and down the streets and I can't be found 

Put in twenty-four hour shifts but, niggas mouths got slow leaks 

Had to hide between my workers, couldn't play those streets 

Stay outta space like Mercury you jerkin me? Hectic 

Had to call upon my wolves to send, niggas the message 

I said this: 'Let's play fair and we can stay here 

I'm trying to transform you Boyz II Men like daycare' 

Hey there's money to be made and, niggas got the picture 

Stopped playing with my paper and, we got richer 

Then hard times fell upon us, half of my staff 

had warrants, the other half, in the casket lay dormant 

I felt like life was cheating me, for the first time 

in my life I was getting money but it was like my conscience was eating me 

Was this a lesson God teaching me? Was he saying that? 

I'm playing the game straight from Hell from which few came back 

like bad coke, pimp or die, was my mindframe bad 

Was niggas was thinkin simplify was turnin cocaine crack/ 

Ain't a whole lot of brain to that, just trying to maintain a stack 

and not collide like two trains that's on the same track 

'Fore I get my life together like the oars I bring back 

In the bottom of the pot where no, water gets hot 

Got my transporter take it 'cross the border then stop 

Set up shop with a quarter of rock, here's the plan 

For three straight weeks, niggas slaughtered the block 

But you know the game is 'lluted, that fucked up me and my dues 

One drop can wipe a nigga out, faster than the cops 

and this unstable way of living just, had to stop 

Half of my niggas got time, we done real things 

By ninety-four became the subject of half of y'all niggas rhymes 

Public apoligies to the families of those caught up in my shit 

But that's the life for us lost souls brought up in the shit 

The life and times of a nigga mind, excited with crime 

And the lavish luxuries that just excited my mind 

I figured, 'Shit why risk myself I just write it in rhymes 

And let you feel me, and if you don't like it then fine' 

The mindstate, of a nigga who boosted the crime rate 

so high in one city they send National Guards to get me