Rule

(album: Stillmatic - 2001)

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 housing 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, every day 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 slipping
On this life mission, never know what's next
Ancient kings from Egypt, up to Julius Caesar
Had a piece of the globe, every continent
Yo, there's Asia, Africa, Europe, France, Japan
Pakistan, America, Afghanistan
Yo, there's Protestants, Jews, Blacks, Arabics
Call a truce, world peace, stop acting 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 fighting
Lost lives in the Towers and Pentagon, why then
Must it go on? we must stop the killing
Tell me why we die, we all God's children

All this hate can't last 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 and creeds, is to whom 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 guard it with missiles
And I become the most wanted
But is it worth hearing 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

All this hate can't last 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

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 highlight 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
Hoping I reach the world leaders and win
Ain't nothing 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, none less
Popping 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

All this hate can't last 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, niggas ain't forget shit, know what I'm saying?
Niggas ain't forget nothing
Men, women and children killed by the police and shit
Niggas ain't gon' forget that man, 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, this is what my country is, and my country's a motherfucker