[Intro: Kelly Price (Jay-Z)]
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Throughout my life (uh huh uh huh uh)
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No matter what Ive done (right)
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Youve been merciful and your love endureth (yeah)
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Through all things (yeah)
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For that I am eternally grateful
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[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
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Since my date of birth bought you nothing but hurt
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Play those video games, stole change from ya purse
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Sat on the cold court bench til I was arraigned in ya skirt
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Saw the pain in ya face, still you maintained a smirk
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All you did was motivate me, “Dont let em hold you back”
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What I do? I turned around and I sold you crack
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I was a bastard for that, still Im drowning in shame
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Just remember one thing now: youre not to blame
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You was newly separated tryin to escape ya world
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And through my thirst I didnt help you I just made things worse
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I hated me and everybody that created crack
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Had me thinkin the newest kicks and the latest gat
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Still havent apologized, so please play this back
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While I try to come to terms with such a heinous act
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You know, in more than one way, cocaine numbs the brain
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All I did was think about how the funds once came
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Then I ran across this memory and it stung the brain
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How can you ever destroy the beauty from which one came?
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Thats a savage, youre the reason
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Why me and these beats make a marriage
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Why I rhyme above average, and I aint shit
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Glad you got yourself together, no thanks to me
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Strong and beautiful, the way thangs should be
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You must love me
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[Chorus: Kelly Price]
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You must love me…
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Say that you love me
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All I know say that you must love me
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Ohh yeah
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[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
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We used to fight every night, but I never would suffer
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Just smile, my big brothers tryna make me tougher
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As we grew, fussing and fighting continued
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As I plundered through ya stuff and snuck ya clothes to school
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Got intense, real intense as we got older
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Never believed it would lead to me poppin one in your shoulder
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“Where my rings?” Knew you had it cause you took too long
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As Mickey, Annie and the girl that bought it looked on
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Huffin and puffin, gun in my hand, told you “Step outside”
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Hoping you said no, but you hurt my pride
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Made our way down the steps, maybe you thought it was just a threat
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Or maybe ya life was just that crazy, and you was beggin for death
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Id try to justify this in my young mind
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But the adrenaline and my ego hurt combined
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Drove me berserk, saw the devil in your eyes
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High off more than weed
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Confused, I just closed my young eyes and squeezed [gunshot]
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What a sound! Opened my eyes just in time
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To see ya stumbling to the ground
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Damn, what the fuck I done now?
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Runnin around in a circle, thinking Im assed out
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Hot gun burnin my waist, ran straight to Jaz house
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Like a stranger, damn, I just shot my nigga
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And ran off into the night as if it was not my nigga
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Left the scene, how could I go out that way?
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Still you asked to see me in the hospital the next day
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You must love me
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[Chorus: Kelly Price]
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What after all the wrong Ive done
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You must love me…
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I know you must
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You must love me…
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[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
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Everything in my power and within my frame
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To protect you from this life and keep you away from the game
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But you was one of the few people that I can trust
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And the fact of the matter I slang these pies for us
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You put the pressure on me daily, rarely would you let it go
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Was a thousand and one times I had to tell you no
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But it was one of those days when nobody was around
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And I need an emergency trip out of town
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Searched my mental Rolodex for all the numbers I know
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As you stared in my face, asking me could you go
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And my greed said “Send her, everythingll go smooth
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Just tell her what to do and everythingll go through”
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Strapped your body with them thangs as you boarded the plane
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Couldnt explain the strange feeling that I caught in the vein
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Im thinking, “Why would I send you when I knew it aint right?”
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Im thinking, “What would make you sacrifice ya life?”
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You mustve love me
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[Chorus: Kelly Price]
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(“You must love me” repeats in background)
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After everything that Ive done wrong
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I know inside you must love me
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I know that you love me
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You showed me I know it
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I know
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Say that you love me
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Say that you love me
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I know you must love me
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Oh yes you do
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Inside I know it
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Youve always shown it
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You love me yea yeah
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Oh yeah
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I know that you love me
