Requested Jay-Z Lyrics

Hey there good folks.

On Friday I mentioned this internal conflict I was having regarding the rumors circulating about Jay-Z's social ties and religious beliefs. I also said if anyone wanted to see the lyrics to let me know. Well "Anonymous" requested them. Who are you, "Anonymous"? Why aren't you following me? Read THIS. Look at the indented portion of the words. It's not that hard :) Let's be friends LOL

Anywho, I literally just copy and pasted the email I sent to my old roommate into this portion of the post. Again, it's literally everything. Which is a lot. So, here's how this is going to work. Granted, it may be self-explanatory... " may be" involves the possibility that it isn't so the BOLD, CAPS LOCK written words are song titles, following that are his lyrics and anything written in [lower font size/brackets/italics] explains my possible interpretation of the lyrics... which means I think he may have been hinting at [this], but I have no way of knowing and have yet to make a decision for myself as to what he really was doing.

Maybe I just don't want to. Whatever the case, let the lyrics begin:

(D'EVILS)
Whoever said illegal was the easy way out couldn't understand the
mechanics
And the workings of the underworld [giving your soul to the devil], granted
Nine to five is how to survive, I ain't tryin' to survive [or do what's right]
I'm tryin' to live it to the limit and love it a lot
Life ills, poison my body
I used to say 'fuck mic skills,' and never prayed to God, I prayed to
Gotti
That's right it's wicked, that's life I live it
Ain't askin' for forgiveness for my sins, endz
I break bread with the late heads, picking their brains for angles on
all the evils that the game'll do
It gets dangerous, money and power is changing us
And now we're lethal, infected with D'Evils...
[devils, not d'evils. that's so blatant/self-explanatory, IDK if I'd even call it a double entendre]

My flesh, no nigga could test
My soul is possessed by D'Evils in the form of diamonds and lexus'es
The exorcist, got me doin' skits like Homie
You don't know me, but the whole world owe me

Was thought to be a pleasant guy all my fuckin' life
So now I'm down for whatever, ain't nothing nice
Throughout my junior high years it was all friendly
But now this higher learnin' got the Remy in me
Liquors invaded my kidneys
Got me ready to lick off, mama forgive me
I can't be held accountable, D'Evils beating me down, boo [literally]
Got me runnin' with guys, makin' G's, tellin' lies that sound true
[a part of earning rankings in Masonry is making people of lower ranking think they understand things they don't by lying to them]
Come test me, I never cower
For the love of money, son, I'm givin' lead showers
Stop screamin', you know the demon said it's best to die
And even if Jehovah witness, bet he'll never testify, D'Evils...
[blasphemy]

LUCIFER
Lord forgive him
He got them dark forces in him [simple enough.]
But he also got a righteous cause for sinnin

Jesus
I ain't tryin to be facetious
But "Vengeance is mine" said the Lord
You said it better than all

Like an evangelist
I can introduce you to your maker
Bring you closer to nature
Ashes after they cremate you bastards
Hope you been readin your psalms and chapters
Payin your ties being good Catholics
I'm comin [people need to be prepared to meet their maker upon your arrival? hmm.]

[Chorus:]
Lucifer, dawn of de morning! I'm gonna, chase you out of Earth
[when Lucifer comes, the rest will leave or learn his way-which is just what I've come to think it may be according to the rest of the song lyrics as a whole. not just my basic understanding of the chorus which is a whole one line.]

And when i perish
The meek shall inherit the earth
Until that time it's on and poppin Church

The Black Albums second verse is like
Devil's Pie please save some dessert for us
[your food for though is Devil's Pie?]

Man i gotta get my soul right
'For i'm locked up for my whole life
Evertime it seems it's all right
Somebody want they soul to rise
(I'll chase you off of this Earth)
[this bugged me out cause I interpreted it as him saying everytime he tried to go back to God someone wanted to cross to the "other side" with him, to where he is]

ALLURE
The allure of breakin the law
Is always too much for me to ever ignore
I gotta thing for them big body Benzes, it dulls my senses
[as in, he's numb]

It's just life, I solemnly swear
To change my approach, stop shavin coke
Stay away from hoes, put down the toast
Cause I be doin the most.. oh no!
But every time I felt that was that, it called me right back
It called me right back, man it called me right back - oh no!
[again, he wants to do right but keeps being called to the "other side"]

All of y'all can get it like group page in your 2-way
I'm livin proof that crime do pay
Say hooray to the bad guy, and all the broads
Puttin cars in they name for the stars of the game

The game is a light bulb with eleventy-million volts
And I'm just a moth, addicted to the floss
And doors lift from the floor and the tops come off
By any means necessary, whatever the cost
Even if it means lives is lost..
[he'll do what's wrong, no matter what. period.]

I'm in the blueberry 5, you blink three times
I may not even be alive
How mean James Dean couldn't escape the allure
Dyin young, leavin a good lookin corpse
Of course
[like, he realizes the penalty may be death but it's a bittersweet cost to pay]

JUSTIFY MY THUG
I just play the hand I'm dealt, I can't say I've never knelt
before God and asked for better cards at times to no avail
But I never sat back feelin sorry for myself
If you don't give me heaven I'll raise hell
'Til it's heaven

[THIS BUGGED ME THE FUCK OUT b/c it's one of my favorite verses of all time, but when I got to thinking too hard I thought he could mean that he'd raise hell, not as in "kick up dust" but literally bring hell to the level of heaven... like, if it doesn't work out via God, he'll work with the devil until the devil takes God's place. I only think this cause he says "til it's heaven" at the end, which isn't said in the verse as part of the rap-just separately and he could have gone without it, idk.]

I am the Michael Schumacher of the Roc roster
Travellin Mach 5, barrelin, my power can stop God [can stop God? What?!]
God forgive me but I can't let them deliver me to you
Until, I won this race, then eventually
My engine gon' burn out, I get whatever is meant for me
However it turns out fine - red line!
[basically, it's whatever]

MOMENT OF CLARITY
Thank God for granting me this moment of clarity
This moment of honesty
The world'll feel my truths
Through my Hard Knock Life time
My Gift and The Curse
I gave you volume after volume of my work
So you can feel my truths
I built the Dynasty by being one of the realest niggas out
Way beyond a Reasonable Doubt
(You all can't fill my shoes)
From my Blueprint beginnings
To that Black Album ending
Listen close you hear what I'm about

[this also had me trippin', cause initially I just thought he was listing his albums but if you think about it, it seems like he's saying if you listen closely to his music you'll see how "black" it really is, esp. because he says "MY gift and the curse", not THE gift and the curse-which makes it seem as if he knows the curse that now comes along with his gift of writing]

DIAMOND IS FOREVER
flow is black magic, I'm at it again
Rose Bowl with black karats, "Horse & Carriage" to spend
like Mason Betha, chasin this cheddar, to the end
of the road because the end I'm told is nearer than we know
What can I say but live for today

How so, how Jay get up out that, here, yeah
I snatched purses I per-se-vered, yeah
I had work, fiends purchased, it was clear
I was out there sellin hope for despair
[this reminded me of something I read about Masonry, but I can't remember what. Sowwy.]

03 BONNIE & CLYDE
[Beyonce]
(Talk to 'em B)
If I was your girlfriend
I'll be there for you, if somebody hurts you
Even if that sombody's me
Yeah-hee (break it down for 'em)
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be
And so I put this on my life
Nobody or nothing will ever come between us
And I promise I'll give my life
my love and my trust if you was my boyfriend
Put this on my life
The air that I breathe in, all that I believe in
I promise I'll give my life
my love and my trust if you was my boyfriend
[to flip it, Beyonce saying this part made me think that it sounded like she was pledging her allegiance to him by agreeing to adopt Masonry or devil-worshiping as well.. like, "all that I believe in"-when it's common knowledge she grew up in the church-so it's like she's saying I'll give up God to be your girl. Crazy.]

OH MY GOD
They gunning for me
Wanna see me fall
You know my story
I been through it all
Nights I felt like dying
But I ain't crying
What didn't kill me
Made me strong as iron
I am
I am
Oh my God, HOV
[so in audio, it just sounds like OMG, Hov. but written, it opens my eyes to a different interpretation cause now it seems like he's saying I am God (Hov)]

Now I'm knee-deep in the concrete
Like the streets made of quicksand beyond deep
I got a chemical romance, two left feet
So now I dance with the devil, please GOD
Save me from the black parade, release me
[him saying that he's being pulled to the other side, and wants God to save him]

I'm feeling like the world's against me Lord
Call me crazy but strangely I love the odds
[in opposition, he's ok with being where he is]

KINGDOM COME
And I'm so evolved I'm so involved
I'm showing growth, I'm so in charge
I'm C.E.O. and yeah going god
I'm so indebted, I should have been deaded
Selling blow in the park, this I know in my heart
Now I'm so enlightened I might glow in the dark
[something about this just sounds/reads funny to me. I can't explain it.]

I don't know what life will be in H.I.P. H.O.P.
Without the boy H.O.V. (I will be, I will be)
Not only N.Y.C. I'm hip hop's savior (Yeah)
So after this flow you might owe me a favor (Yeah)
When kingdom come, you ready? (I will be)
[when God comes, will you be ready? he will be. he's savior. ughhhh]

BEACH CHAIR
I'm still hear mon frerre
you know the cost i bear
they like thats why they call you Hov, I'm like yeah
[no bull, this is a tough line. but again, it's another God comparison]

Some said HOV, how you get so fly
I said from not being afraid to fall out the sky
[as in not being afraid to fall from/lose God's grace]

FALLIN
I know i shouldnt've did that
I know its gon' come right back
I know its gon' destroy everything i made
Its probably gon' get ya boy sent away
But this game I play, ain't no way to fix it
Its inevitable that i'm-
fallin
[somewhat self explanatory, like he knows he shouldn't have gone to "the dark side", but the decision was inevitable and he knows what the price is]

Said where i would stop before i even started
When i get to one brick, then The Game i will depart with
Got to one brick then i looked to the sky, said
Sorry God, i lied, but give me one more try
[he tried to do right, but couldn't]

Fight, and you'll never survive
Run, and you'll never escape
So just fall from grace
[exactly. just go on over to the dark side.]

FOREVER YOUNG
[Mr. Hudson]
Let’s dance in style,
Let’s dance for a while,
Heaven can wait we’re only watching the skies
Hoping for the best but expecting the worst,
Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?
Let us die young or let us live forever,
[this goes back to his verse about James Dean in Lucifer]

[Chorus]
Forever young,
I wanna be forever young
Do you really want to live forever?

...forever young is in your mind
Leave a mark that can’t erase neither space nor time
So when the director yells cut,
I’ll be fine,
I’m forever young…
[kind of like when life's over he will be elsewhere so it's irrelevant]

Fear not when, fear not why,
Fear not much while were alive,
Life is for living not living up tight,
See ya somewhere up in the sky,
Fear not die, I'll be alive for a million years, bye bye,
So not for legends, I'm forever young
My name shall survive
[immortal, maybe?]

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
Hail Mary to the city, you're a virgin
And Jesus can't save you, life starts when the church end
[since when can't Jesus save you? like, it seems like this was one of those lines saying the real world is beyond God's reach.]

A DREAM
Then B.I. said, "Hov' remind yourself
nobody built like you, you've designed yourself"
I agree I said, my one of a kind self
Get stoned every day like Jesus did
What he said, I said, has been said before
"Just keep doing your thing," he said, say no more
[again, a God comparison and then him opting to continue doing whatever he's doing-and I don't think it's something with a positive connotation]

Alright, I'm tapped out. Again, I was just reading into things heavier than I normally do, and these were my thoughts. I haven't decided how I really feel about it. Maybe I'm being foolish or naive or selective because I love this man's lyrics so frickin' much.

Only God knows. How ironic.

Maybe It's Not Ironic At All,
B