Jay-z - Smile lyrics

[Intro – JAY-Z & Stevie Wonder] Good morn' or evening, friends Smile, you recording? [Verse 1 – JAY-Z] Slamming Bentley doors like we invented doors 20 years ago we drove Bentley Azures We drinking Cristal in, yeah Kept the trey on me like Chris Pauling Drinking Ace of Spade 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 having babies, see a 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 [Hook/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 coming, I had to remind y'all again, huh? Flying 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 Mixed with side, traded pride, we don't do all that A loss in a loss is a lesson Appreciate the pain as a blessing [Hook/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 3 – JAY-Z] I mastered my aesthetics I know you often heard me wax poetic 'bout being back in the Lexus But trust me, that was nothing A n***a up in the hundreds of millions I have no ceilings, ah, this that feeling, I'm that boy Anita Bakers, you bring me joy Slapping out of the toy, the separation is clear In my rearview mirror, objects is further than they appear Oh yeah, eyes, born with a pair Playing for high stakes Norman Cake, he looking out of the Lear How n***as can't relate f** a slice of the apple pie, want my own cake Charging my own fate Respect Jimmy Lovine But he gotta respect the Elohim as a whole new regime And n***as playing for power, huh Say our music is ours n***as only own houses Ours was, (f** you, pay me) Now it's, (f** paying me, I pay you Put the rest away for Blue) That blood money, I giggle at it Can even support my miss' habit Jewelry shopping in Paris All y'all j**elers should be embarra**ed, huh Blood diamonds dripping, we cute I still ain't tripping, that's life, winners and losers Drug dealers and abusers, America like me ruthless My therapist said I relapsed I said, (Prehaps I Freudian slipped in European whips) God sent me to break the chain I'm the true and living God in the flesh, the rest of these n***as is vain A stain on the white suit, inferior IQ n***as'll rip your sh** off TIDAL just to spite you Ahhhh what did I do? ‘Cept try to free you n***as'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 the line And too old, these that d** Heroin flow, I spaz on the stove This is Hov, no flex zone, n***a, who lied to you? Look, you a pedestrian Don't ever question the security I provided you Oh y'all thought I was washed? I'm at the cleaners Laundering dirty money like the teamsters, huh Shout out to Hoffa back home, he in the church When I heard you got booked, that sh** hurt Fear for you bro, we know the system don't work Take a young n***a freedom over some dirt Yet it's legal in Colorado Yeah 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 project 'cause it's exactly that All these people was gon' k** 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