Yo jˈəʊ His palms are sweaty hɪz pˈɑːmz ɑː swˈɛtɪ knees weak nˈɪz wˈɪk arms are heavy ˈɑːmz ɑː hˈɛvɪ There's vomit on his sweater already ðeəz vˈɒmɪt ˌɒn hɪz swˈɛtəɹ ɔːlɹˈɛdɪ mom's spaghetti mˈɒmz spɐɡˈɛtɪ He's nervous hɪz nˈɜːvəs but on the surface he looks calm and ready to drop bombs bˌʌt ɒnðə sˈɜːfɪs hɪ lˈʊks kˈɑːm and ɹˈɛdɪ tə dɹˈɒp bˈɒmz But he keeps on forgetting what he wrote down bˌʌt hɪ kˈɪps ˌɒn fəɡˈɛtɪŋ wɒt hɪ ɹˈəʊt dˈaʊn The whole crowd goes so loud ðə hˈəʊl kɹˈaʊd ɡəʊz sˌəʊ lˈaʊd He opens his mouth hɪ ˈəʊpənz hɪz mˈaʊθ but the words won't come out bˌʌt ðə wˈɜːdz wəʊnt kˈʌm ˈaʊt He's choking how hɪz tʃˈəʊkɪŋ hˈaʊ everybody's joking now ˈɛvɹɪbˌɒdɪz dʒˈəʊkɪŋ nˈaʊ The clock's run out ðə klˈɒks ɹˈʌn ˈaʊt time's up tˈaɪmz ˈʌp over ˈəʊvə bloah! blˈəʊ Snap back to reality snˈap bˈak tə ɹɪˈalɪtɪ Oh there goes gravity ˈəʊ ðeə ɡəʊz ɡɹˈavɪtɪ Oh ˈəʊ there goes Rabbit ðeə ɡəʊz ɹˈabɪt he choked hɪ tʃˈəʊkt He's so mad hɪz sˌəʊ mˈad but he won't give up that bˌʌt hɪ wəʊnt ɡˈɪv ˌʌp ðˈat Easy ˈɪzɪ no nˈəʊ He won't have it hɪ wˈəʊntɐv ɪt he knows his whole back's to these ropes hɪ nˈəʊz hɪz hˈəʊl bˈaks tə ðɪz ɹˈəʊps It don't matter ɪt dˈəʊnt mˈatə he's dope hɪz dˈəʊp He knows that but he's broke hɪ nˈəʊz ðat bˌʌt hɪz bɹˈəʊk He's so stagnant hɪz sˌəʊ stˈaɡnənt he knows hɪ nˈəʊz When he goes back to his mobile home wˌɛn hɪ ɡəʊz bˈak tə hɪz mˈəʊbaɪl hˈəʊm that's when it's ðats wˈɛn ɪts Back to the lab again bˈak tə ðə lˈab ɐɡˈɛn yo jˈəʊ This whole rhapsody ðɪs hˈəʊl ɹˈapsədɪ He better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him hɪ bˈɛtə ɡˌəʊ kˈaptʃə ðɪs mˈəʊmənt and hˈəʊp ɪt dˈəʊnt pˈas hˌɪm You better lose yourself in the music juː bˈɛtə lˈuːz jɔːsˈɛlf ɪnðə mjˈuːzɪk the moment ðə mˈəʊmənt You own it juː ˈəʊn ɪt you better never let it go juː bˈɛtə nˈɛvə lˈɛt ɪt ɡˈəʊ You only get one shot juː ˈəʊnlɪ ɡɛt wˈɒn ʃˈɒt do not miss your chance to blow duːnˌɒt mˈɪs jɔː tʃˈans tə blˈəʊ This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo ðɪs ɒpətjˈuːnɪtɪ kˈʌmz wˈɒns ɪn ɐ lˈaɪftaɪm jˈəʊ You better lose yourself in the music juː bˈɛtə lˈuːz jɔːsˈɛlf ɪnðə mjˈuːzɪk the moment ðə mˈəʊmənt You own it juː ˈəʊn ɪt you better never let it go juː bˈɛtə nˈɛvə lˈɛt ɪt ɡˈəʊ You only get one shot juː ˈəʊnlɪ ɡɛt wˈɒn ʃˈɒt do not miss your chance to blow duːnˌɒt mˈɪs jɔː tʃˈans tə blˈəʊ This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo ðɪs ɒpətjˈuːnɪtɪ kˈʌmz wˈɒns ɪn ɐ lˈaɪftaɪm jˈəʊ (You better) juː bˈɛtə The soul's escaping ðə sˈəʊlz ɛskˈeɪpɪŋ through this hole that is gaping θɹuː ðɪs hˈəʊl ðat ɪz ɡˈeɪpɪŋ This world is mine for the taking ðɪs wˈɜːld ɪz mˈaɪn fəðə tˈeɪkɪŋ Make me king mˌeɪk mˌɪ kˈɪŋ as we move toward a new world order az wɪ mˈuːv tʊwˈɔːd ɐ njˈuː wˈɜːld ˈɔːdə A normal life is boring ɐ nˈɔːməl lˈaɪf ɪz bˈɔːɹɪŋ but superstardom's close to post mortem bˌʌt sˈuːpəstˌɑːdəmz klˈəʊs tə pˈəʊst mˈɔːtəm It only grows harder ɪt ˈəʊnlɪ ɡɹˈəʊz hˈɑːdə homie grows hotter hˈəʊmɪ ɡɹˈəʊz hˈɒtə He blows. It's all over. These hoes is all on him hɪ blˈəʊz ɪts ˈɔːl ˈəʊvə ðɪz hˈəʊz ɪz ˈɔːl ˈɒn hˌɪm Coast to coast shows kˈəʊst tə kˈəʊst ʃˈəʊz he's known as the globetrotter hɪz nˈəʊn az ðə ɡlˈəʊbtɹɒtə Lonely roads lˈəʊnlɪ ɹˈəʊdz God only knows ɡˈɒd ˈəʊnlɪ nˈəʊz He's grown farther from home hɪz ɡɹˈəʊn fˈɑːðə fɹɒm hˈəʊm he's no father hɪz nˈəʊ fˈɑːðə He goes home and barely knows his own daughter hɪ ɡəʊz hˈəʊm and bˈeəlɪ nˈəʊz hɪz ˈəʊn dˈɔːtə But hold your nose 'cause here goes the cold water bˌʌt hˈəʊld jɔː nˈəʊz kˈɔːz hˈiə ɡəʊz ðə kˈəʊld wˈɔːtə His hoes don't want him no more hɪz hˈəʊz dˈəʊnt wˈɒnt hˌɪm nˈəʊmˌɔː he's cold product hɪz kˈəʊld pɹˈɒdʌkt They moved on to the next schmoe who flows ðeɪ mˈuːvd ˌɒn tə ðə nˈɛkst ʃmˈəʊ hˌuː flˈəʊz He nose dove and sold nada hɪ nˈəʊz dˈʌv and sˈəʊld nˈɑːdə So the soap opera is told and unfolds sˌəʊ ðə sˈəʊp ˈɒpəɹəɹ ɪz tˈəʊld and ʌnfˈəʊldz I suppose it's old partner but the beat goes on aɪ sʌpˈəʊz ɪts ˈəʊld pˈɑːtnə bˌʌt ðə bˈɪt ɡəʊz ˈɒn Da da dum da dum da da dˈɑː dˈɑː dˈʌm dˈɑː dˈʌm dˈɑː dˈɑː No more games nˈəʊmˌɔː ɡˈeɪmz I'ma change what you call rage aɪmˈa tʃˈeɪndʒ wɒt juː kˈɔːl ɹˈeɪdʒ Tear this motherfucking roof off like two dogs caged tˈiə ðɪs mˈʌðəfˌʌkɪŋ ɹˈuːf ˈɒf lˈaɪk tˈuː dˈɒɡz kˈeɪdʒd I was playing in the beginning aɪ wɒz plˈeɪɪŋ ɪnðə bɪɡˈɪnɪŋ the mood all changed ðə mˈuːd ˈɔːl tʃˈeɪndʒd I've been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage aɪv bˌɪn tʃjˈuːd ˌʌp and spˈɪt ˈaʊt and bˈuːd ˈɒf stˈeɪdʒ But I kept rhyming and stepped right into the next cypher bˌʌt aɪ kˈɛpt ɹˈaɪmɪŋ and stˈɛpt ɹˈaɪt ˌɪntʊ ðə nˈɛkst sˈaɪfə Best believe somebody's paying the pied piper bˈɛst bɪlˈɪv sˈʌmbɒdɪz pˈeɪɪŋ ðə pˈaɪd pˈaɪpə All the pain inside amplified by the fact ˈɔːl ðə pˈeɪn ɪnsˈaɪd ˈamplɪfˌaɪd baɪ ðə fˈakt That I can't get by with my 9 to 5 ðat aɪ kˈɑːnt ɡɛt baɪ wɪð maɪ nˈaɪn tə fˈaɪv And I can't provide the right type of life for my family and aɪ kˈɑːnt pɹəvˈaɪd ðə ɹˈaɪt tˈaɪp ɒv lˈaɪf fɔː maɪ fˈamɪlɪ Cause man kˈɔːz mˈan these goddamn food stamps don't buy diapers ðɪz ɡˈɒdam fˈuːd stˈamps dˈəʊnt bˈaɪ dˈaɪpəz And it's no movie and ɪts nˈəʊ mˈuːvɪ there's no Mekhi Phifer ðeəz nˈəʊ mˈɛkhaɪ fˈaɪfə this is my life ðɪs ɪz maɪ lˈaɪf And these times are so hard and ðɪz tˈaɪmz ɑː sˌəʊ hˈɑːd and it's getting even harder and ɪts ɡˌɛtɪŋ ˈɪvən hˈɑːdə Trying to feed and water my seed tɹˈaɪɪŋ tə fˈɪd and wˈɔːtə maɪ sˈɪd plus plˈʌs Teeter totter caught up between being a father and a prima donna tˈɪtə tˈɒtə kˈɔːt ˌʌp bɪtwˌɪn bˌɪɪŋ ɐ fˈɑːðə and ɐ pɹˈaɪmə dˈɒnə Baby mama drama's screaming on and bˈeɪbɪ mˈɑːmɐ dɹˈɑːməz skɹˈɪmɪŋ ˈɒn and Too much for me to wanna tˈuː mʌtʃ fɔː mˌɪ tə wˈɒnə Stay in one spot stˈeɪ ɪn wˈɒn spˈɒt another day of monotony ɐnˈʌðə dˈeɪ ɒv mənˈɒtənɪ Has gotten me to the point hɐz ɡˈɒtən mˌɪ tə ðə pˈɔɪnt I'm like a snail aɪm lˈaɪk ɐ snˈeɪl I've got to formulate a plot or I end up in jail or shot aɪv ɡɒt tə fˈɔːmjʊlˌeɪt ɐ plˈɒt ɔːɹ aɪ ˈɛnd ˌʌp ɪn dʒˈeɪl ɔː ʃˈɒt Success is my only motherfucking option səksˈɛs ɪz maɪ ˈəʊnlɪ mˈʌðəfˌʌkɪŋ ˈɒpʃən failure's not fˈeɪliəz nˈɒt Mom mˈɒm I love you aɪ lˈʌv juː but this trailer's got to go bˌʌt ðɪs tɹˈeɪləz ɡɒt tə ɡˈəʊ I cannot grow old in Salem's lot aɪ kˈanɒt ɡɹˈəʊ ˈəʊld ɪn sˈeɪləmz lˈɒt So here I go it's my shot. sˌəʊ hˈiəɹ aɪ ɡˌəʊ ɪts maɪ ʃˈɒt Feet fˈɪt fail me not fˈeɪl mˌɪ nˈɒt this may be the only opportunity that I got ðɪs mˈeɪ bɪ ðɪ ˈəʊnlɪ ɒpətjˈuːnɪtɪ ðat aɪ ɡˈɒt You can do anything you set your mind to juː kan dˈuː ˈɛnɪθˌɪŋ juː sˈɛt jɔː mˈaɪnd tuː man mˈan