Nas: I Know I Can

I know i can
be what i wanna be
if i work hard at it,
i'll be where i wanna be
I KNOW I CAN, i know i can
BE WHAT I WANNA BE, be what i wanna be
IF I WORK HARD AT IT, if i work hard at it
I'LL BE WHERE I WANNA BE, i'll be where i wanna be
ok boys and girls listen up, you can be anything in the world
in god we trust, an architect, doctor, maybe an actress
but nothin' comes easy it takes much practice,
i knew a woman who was becoming a star,
she was very beautiful leaving people in awe
singin' songs later horn, but the younger version,
hung with the wrong person, got her strung on the herowin,
cocaine sniffi'n up drugs all in her nose,
could've died so young, now looks ugly and old,
no fun cuz now when she reaches for hugs
people hold their breath cuz she smells of corrosion and death,
watch the company you keep, and the crowd you bring,
cuz they came to do drugs and you came to sing,
so if you gonna be the best I'm gonna tell you how,
put your hands in the air and take a bow
Chorus:
I know i can
be what i wanna be
if i work hard at it,
i'll be where i wanna be
I KNOW I CAN, i know i can
BE WHAT I WANNA BE, be what i wanna be
IF I WORK HARD AT IT, if i work hard at it
I'LL BE WHERE I WANNA BE, i'll be where i wanna be
x2
boys and girls listen again
this is for grown looking girls who's only ten,
the ones who watch videos and do as they see
as cute as can be, up in the clubs with fake i.d.,
careful 'fo you meet a man with h.i.v.
you can host a tv show like Oprah Winfrey
whatever you decide, be careful, some men be rapists
so act your age, don't pretend to be older than you are,
give yourself time to grow, you're thinkin' he can give you wealth
but so young boy, you could use alot of help you know
ya thinkin' life's all about smokin' weed and ice,
you don't wanna be my age and can't read and write
beggin' different women for a place to sleep at night,
smart boys turn to men and do whatver they wish
if you believe you can achieve, then say it like this
Chorus:
I KNOW I CAN, i know i can
BE WHAT I WANNA BE, be what i wanna be
IF I WORK HARD AT IT, if i work hard at it
I'LL BE WHERE I WANNA BE, i'll be where i wanna be
x2
be before we came to this country,
we were kings and queens-never porch monkeys
there was empires in africa called kush,
timbuktu, where every race came to get books to learn from black teachers
who taught greeks and romans, asians arabs, and gave them gold
when gold was converted to money
money then became empowerment for europeans,
the persian military invaded
they heard about the gold, the teachings and everything sacred
africa was almost robbed naked,
slavery was money, so they began making slaveships
egypt was the place that alexander the great went
he was in shock that in the mountains were black faces
shot off thier nose to impose what basically
still goes on today you see
if the truth is told the youth can grow,
they'll learn to survive, until they gain control
nobody says you have to be gangsters, hoes
read more, learn more, change the globe
ghetto children do your thing
hold your head up little man you're a king
young princess when you get your wedding ring
your man's saying she's my queeeen
Chorus:
I KNOW I CAN, i know i can
BE WHAT I WANNA BE, be what i wanna be
IF I WORK HARD AT IT, if i work hard at it
I'LL BE WHERE I WANNA BE, i'll be where i wanna be
x2