Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, Nas, uh, yo, yo
 Life, they wonder, can they take me under?
 Nah, never that, nah, yo, yo

 I come from the housin tenement buildings
 Unlimited killings, menaces marked for death
 Better known as the projects where junkies and rock heads dwell
 Though I owe to it my success
 With survival of the fittest, everyday is a chal'
 I would think I'm a part of U.S.A. and be proud
 Confronted with racism, started to feel foreign
 Like, the darker you are the realer your problems
 I reached for the stars but I just kept slippin
 On this life mission, never know what's next
 Ancient kings from Egypt, up to Julius Cezar
 Had a piece of the globe, every continent
 Yo, there's Asia, Africa, Europe, France, Japan
 Pakistan, America, Afghanstan
 Yo, there's Protestants, Jews, Blacks, Arabics
 Call a truce, world peace, stop actin like savages
 No war, we should take time and think
 The bombs and tanks makes mankind extinct
 But since the beginning of time it's been men with arms fightin
 Lost lives in the Towers and Pentagon, why then?
 Must it go on, we must stop the killin
 Tell me why we die, we all God's children

 [Chorus - Amerie, Nas in background]
 World is hating, that's forever (uh, c'mon)
 It's time that we stand together (yeah, for the world)
 Everybody wants to rule the world (what, what, what, what, what, c'mon)
 World (peace), world (peace), world (peace), world

 Yo, there's brothers on the block, posted up like they own it
 That's they corner, from New York to California
 Got blocks locked down
 Like, "dog you safe whenever you with me, see this is my town"
 So the youngsters, grows in ghettos, goes to prison
 At an early age, already know it's against him
 So in order for him to survive, one day he must
 Open up his eyes to the set backs and rise
 'Cause, everybody wants a shot, in this land of opportunity
 Look at what this country's got
 There shouldn't be nobody homeless
 How can the president fix other problems when he ain't fixed home yet
 The earth wasn't made for one man to rule alone
 To all colors increases, to home it belongs
 I want land, mansions, banks and gold
 The diamonds in Africa, oil in my control
 The world's natural resources, all its residuals
 But then comes foes, I have to gaurd it with missels
 And I become the most wanted
 But is it worth hearin a million people problems and followed by Secret Service
 I guess, attempts at my life with loaded barrels
 So move over Colin Powell or just throw in the towel, yo

 [Chorus]

 Y'all know that's my style, to hit you at the right time
 No other compares to what Nas write down
 Tell you my dreams, show you my pain is yours
 You could get what you love, be a chain in cause
 You alive right now
 There's so many that's dead or locked up inside the beast, I'm a hot light now
 It's whatever man think of manifest to the real
 The plan is to wake up 'cause time reveals
 All this hate can't forever last
 All my ghetto heroes in Heaven, it's like you right here and never passed
 You just transcend, I know I'm gon' see you again
 Hopin I reach the world leaders and win
 Ain't nothin without struggle, listen up, it's critical
 We used to fear arms, now the weapons are chemical
 In Hip-Hop, the weapons are lyrical
 To be the best you challenge the best, then the blessings are spiritual
 Top of the world for the kid and unless
 Poppin any rapper's head off his shoulders no contest
 I know the Most High hear me, so fly you can't near me
 You scared of a mirror, my theory is that - knowledge is power
 To every projects and every street corner, we gotta get ours now

 [Chorus]

 [talking]
 Yo, niggas ain't forget shit, know what I'm sayin?
 Niggas ain't forget nothin
 Men, women and children killed by the police and shit
 Niggas ain't gon' forget that, you know what I mean?
 Yo, what this war just show me is like, whatever you want out of life
 Whatever you feel is rightfully yours, go out and take it
 Even if that means blood and death
 You know, that's what I was raised up on, that's what this country's about
 This is what my country is, and my country's a muthafucka