Smile

[Intro: JAY-Z & Stevie Wonder] Good morn' or evening, friends Smile, you recordin'? [Verse 1: JAY-Z] Slammin' Bentley doors like we invented doors Twenty years ago, we drove Bentley Azures We drinkin' Cristal then Yeah, kept the tray on me like Chris Paul then Drinkin' Ace of Spades like it's codeine now Tryna put a million on the whole team now Push through the pain so we can see new life So all the ladies havin' babies, see ya sacrifice Mama had four kids, but she's a lesbian Had to pretend so long that she's a thespian Had to hide in the closet, so she medicate Society shame and the pain was too much to take Cried tears of joy when you fell in love Don't matter to me if it's a him or her I just wanna see you smile through all the hate Marie Antoinette, baby, let 'em eat cake [Chorus: JAY-Z & Stevie Wonder] Bad times turn to good memories, smile Even when I'm gone and you remember me, smile Good times never fade away, smile Even if I'm not with you here today, smile Good morn' or evening, friends Smile Here's your friendly announcer Smile [Verse 2: JAY-Z] Far as draft picks, my name did not get called Bet before I go I put a billion on the board Hall of Fame Hov, I did it all without a pen Y'all knew that was comin', I had to remind y'all again, huh? Flyin' paper planes through the projects Now the whole projects on my jet Now you see the real in the front row In every one of y'all televised shows Super facts Niggas switched sides, traded pride, we don't do all that A loss ain't a loss, it's a lesson Appreciate the pain, it’s a blessin' [Chorus: JAY-Z & Stevie Wonder] Bad times turn to good memories, smile Even when I'm gone and you remember me, smile Good times never fade away, smile Even if I'm not with you here today, smile Good morn' or evening, friends [Verse 3: JAY-Z] I mastered my aesthetics I know you often heard me wax poetic 'bout bein' back in the Lexus But trust me, that was nothin' A nigga up in the hundreds of millions, I have no ceilings Ah, this that feelin', I'm that boy Anita Baker's "You Bring Me Joy" slappin' out of the toy The separation is clear In my rear-view mirror objects is further than they appear Oh yeah, I was born with a pair, playin' for high stakes Norman's Cay, he looked up and out of the Lear How niggas can't relate? Fuck a slice of the apple pie, want my own cake In charge of my own fate, respect Jimmy Iovine But he gotta respect the Elohim as a whole new regime And niggas playin' for power, huh So our music is ours, niggas own their own houses Ours was, "Fuck you, pay me" Now it's, "Fuck payin' me, I pay you Put the rest away for Blue" That blood money I giggle at it Can't even support my miss' habit Jewelry shoppin' in Pa- all ya jewelers should be embarrassed Huh, blood diamonds drippin' with guilt, I still ain't trippin' That's life, winners and losers Drug dealers and abusers, America left me ruthless My therapist said I relapsed I said, "Pre-haps I Freudian slipped in European whips" God sent me to break the chain, I'm the true and livin' God in the flesh, the rest of these niggas is vain A stain on the white suit, inferior IQ Niggas'll rip your shit off TIDAL just to spite you Ahhhh, what did I do? 'Cept try to free you Niggas'll love you but hate you 'cause they can't be you Dump 'em all in the bayou, uh Everybody wave bye to the guy you thought you could lie to This was meant to be a haiku, huh But my story's too wide to fit inside a line or two Oh, these that drugs, heron flow I spaz on the stove, this is Hov, no flex zone Nigga, who lied to you? Look, you're a pedestrian, don't ever question the security I provided you Oh y'all thought I was washed? I'm at the cleaners Launderin' dirty money like the Teamsters, huh Shout out to Hoffa back home, he in the church When I heard you got booked, that shit hurt Feel for you bro, we know the system don't work Take a young nigga freedom over some dirt Yet it's legal in Colorado, yet, we deny Black entrepreneurs, free enterprise That's why it's a black market, that's why it's called the trap That's why it's called the projects 'cause it's exactly that All these people was gon' kill me, heh 'Cause the more I reveal me, the more they 'fraid of the real me Welcome back Carter, smile [Outro: Gloria Carter] Living in the shadow Can you imagine what kind of life it is to live? In the shadows people see you as happy and free Because that's what you want them to see Living two lives, happy, but not free You live in the shadows for fear of someone hurting your family or the person you love The world is changing and they say it's time to be free But you live with the fear of just being me Living in the shadow feels like the safe place to be No harm for them, no harm for me But life is short, and it's time to be free Love who you love, because life isn't guaranteed Smile