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Credits
PERFORMING ARTISTS
Maleah Joi Moon
Vocals
Shoshana Bean
Vocals
Chris Lee
Performer
Adam Blackstone
Keyboards
Aaron Romero
Electric Upright Bass
Belinda Whitney
Violin
Ben Weiss
Guitar
Carla Fabiani
Viola
Chad Carstarphen
Vocals
Darryl Yokley
Saxophone
Enrico de Trizio
Drum Programming
Erskine Hawkins
Keyboards
Gabriela Rengel
Violin
Jackie Leon
Vocals
Jakeim Hart
Vocals
Jaylen Petinaud
Drums
John Walsh
Trumpet
John Yun
Keyboards
Lamont Walker II
Vocals
Lily Ling
Music Director
Linda Aziza Miller
Keyboards
Marc Malsegna
Guitar
Melissa Westgate
Cello
Mike Reid
Drums
Nyseli Vega
Vocals
Randy Cohen
Programming
Rema Webb
Vocals
Vanessa Ferguson
Vocals
Victor Pablo
Percussion
Willie Applewhite
Trombone
COMPOSITION & LYRICS
Alicia Keys
Songwriter
Mark Batson
Songwriter
Lamont Jody Hawkins
Songwriter
Kasseem Dean
Songwriter
Shawn Martin
Songwriter
Robert Diggs
Songwriter
Corey Woods
Songwriter
Dennis Coles
Songwriter
Jason S. Hunter
Songwriter
Adam Blackstone
Vocal Arranger
Tom Kitt
Orchestrator
PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING
Alicia Keys
Producer
Adam Blackstone
Producer
Tom Kitt
Producer
Ann Mincieli
Recording Engineer
Brendan Morawski
Mixing Engineer
Dave Kutch
Mastering Engineer
Eric Schilling
Mixing Engineer
Frank Holland
Assistant Recording Engineer
Jill Dell'Abate
Studio Personnel
Ken Lewis
Mixing Engineer
Robert Regeiro
Assistant Recording Engineer
Steve Tejeda
Assistant Recording Engineer
Lyrics
[Intro]
It's like
Like all of New York City is singing to you
[Intro]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
[Verse 1]
I said we're all God's children
Products of the ghetto
Mama cooked the soup
Daddy did the yelling
[Verse 2]
Uncle was a drunk
Cousin was a felon
And when he got pinched
He told 'em he wasn't tellin'
[Verse 3]
Auntie was a cook
Her husband was a crook
'Cause every job he had
They be payin' him off the books
[Verse 4]
Ghetto University knowledge is all it took
In the tenement, I was listenin' to the hook
[Verse 5]
Change gon' come, spirit of Sam Cooke
And when the feds comin', everybody be shook
[Verse 6]
Now we doing life like Eddie Murphy and Martin
On the chain gang, I was singing into the coffin
[Verse 7]
Roaches and the rats
Heroin in the cracks
Couldn't blame me
I'm just giving the facts
[PreChorus]
I'm tryna hit the top 'cause the bottom ain't where it's at
Everybody got a past, but you can never go back
[Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
[Bridge]
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
[Verse 8]
I'll tell it like it is
How we ever gon' live?
If we ain't gettin' money
How we feedin' the kids?
[Verse 9]
It's a revolving door
When brothers be doing bids
I know it sound wrong, but the dope'll be what it is
[Verse 10]
Survival of the fittest, this poor girl's the illest, uh
Broke mirrors and black cats give me heebie-jeebies
[Verse 11]
Life seems hard, but nothing ever come easy
Whatever's in the dark will always become the light
If you ain't in the battle, how you gon' win the fight?
[Verse 12]
Gotta speak the truth when I'm up in the booth
The streets be flyin' birds, but they don't be on the roof
[Verse 13]
Poverty is a pain like you pullin' a tooth
Told the streets, "Don't let me go"
Like I'm Bishop in Juice
[Verse 14]
Roaches and the rats
Heroin in the cracks
Couldn't blame me
I'm just giving the facts
[PreChorus]
Tryna hit the top, bottom ain't where it's at
Everybody got a past, but you can never go back
[Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Sing
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
You gotta sing
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Just as a king
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
[Outro]
Enough! Ali, upstairs now!
Written by: Alicia Keys, Corey Woods, Dennis Coles, Jason Hunter, Kasseem Dean, Lamont Jody Hawkins, Mark Batson, Robert Diggs, Shawn Martin