[Nas] (Alicia Keys)
Nasty, yeah, yeah (New
York, New York)
Hey yo black it's time again,
yeah, yeah
(New York, New York)
Come here,
yeah, yeah
(New York, New York)
Hey yo
black it's time

(*"yeah, yeah, hey yo
black it's time" - continues throughout
song*)

[Nas]
If you knew my
streets
You would know all everybody talk
about is who got beef
Who snitchin, who told
police
Who came home, who still gone, who
restin in peace
Now they killin over music
money, not drugs, rap replaced it
Cause thugs
with no brains got no patience
New jacks I
pistol whip 'em with the funky rhythm I be
kickin
Musician and flatten composition
A
pain, I'm like Saddam Hussein
Still alive
lookin at his dead children's burnt remains
I
burnt the game, learnt you lames a new
lesson
Your crew's soft man, ya'll need some
new weapons
The P's breathe Warriorz and
skullies and Timmies
Around mixed, spics,
niggaz and giddies
From my ghetto kings in
deep thought we don't blink
But don't think we
wastin our time
It's a New York State of
Mind

[Chorus #1 - Alicia Keys]
New
York, New York, New York
New York City, whoa
oh
New York, New York, New York
New York
City, baby

[Alicia Keys]
It's like a
jungle, out here
So much struggle, out
here
And my dream's still unphased
Greed
still the cousin of death
Always feels like
always somethin farther time
In the Streets of
New York
(New York state of mind, New York
State of mind)

[Alicia Keys]
All I see
is street homes
And who it's holdin, our
people
Only comforts the brain
It's like
I'm going insane
The revolution has to start,
don't waste no time
In the Streets of New
York
(New York state of mind, New York state
of mind)
C'mon

[Chorus #2 - Alicia
Keys]
New York, New York, New York, New York
oh
State of mind (New York City)
New York,
New York, New York, New York oh
State of crime
(New York City)
New York, New York, New York,
New York oh
Big dreams (New York City)
New
York, New York, New York, New York oh
Big
schemes

[Alicia Keys]
Oh, break the
game
Just ain't the same
Baby loves and
girls with no shame
Can't get away (get away),
epidemic plague
Every hood in every
state
Don't have no reasons cause relieve is
hard to find

[Break - Alicia Keys]
In
the streets of New York (New York state of mind)
- 4X
(*"New York state of mind" is also
repeated in background*)

[Rakim]
I'm
from the home of a million legends and trend
settin
A lot of footsteps to follow, I've been
steppin
Mind stressin tryin to find a record
crime shreddin
Time precious, I ain't have
rest since nine eleven
I live fast, hustle
like today is my last
I get cash, the
struggle's like a day on the Ave.
Crack bein
raw, gats squeezin off
Manhattan squeezin off,
from cats who tease with war
The eve of the
Apocalypse, evil keep movin politics
Every
block is at risk, the metropolitan
metropolis
The opposite of Liza Minelli and
Frank Sinatra
Alicia Keys, Nas and Ra the
gangsta's opera
So New York City walk with me,
talk gritty
It's up to us New York it's our
city
Here the man come with the anthem, hands
up
It's time the thrill is back New York,
let's stand up

[Chorus] - w/ ad
libs

[Rakim - talking behind Chorus]
Oh
yeah, crucial Key