2nd Childhood

By Nas

On Stillmatic

Released on December 18, 2001

91K Views

Thumbnail

[Intro]

Yeah, hahaha

When I flow for the street, who else could it be?

Nas


[Verse 1]

Yo, explode, my thoughts were drunken from quarts of beers

Was years back, before Nasir would explore a career in rap

As a music dude, I mastered this Rubik's Cube

Godzilla, fought Gargantua, eyes glued to the tube

Was a long time ago, John Boy Ice

Geronimo po-lice jumpin' out Chryslers, e-z wider paper

Pops puffin' his cess, punchin' his chest like a gorilla

Outside was psychos, killers

Saw Divine, Goon, and Chongo, Lil' Turkey

R.I.P. Tyrone, 'member no cursin' front of Ms. Vercey

Big Percy, Crazy Paul, the Sledge Sisters

My building was 40-16, once in the blue, hallways was clean

I knew all that I'd seen had meant somethin'

Learned early to fear none, little Nas was huntin'

Livin' carefree laughin', got jokes on the daily

Y'all actin' like some old folks, y'all don't hear me

Yo, I'm in my second childhood


[Chorus: scratches by DJ Premier]

When I flow for the street, who else could it be?

N-A-S, Nas

Resurrect through the birth of my seed, Queensbridge

Make everything right, get yours, nigga

When I flow for the street, who else could it be?

N-A-S, Nas

Resurrect through the birth of my seed, Queensbridge

Make everything right, get yours


[Verse 2]

Yo, dude is 31, livin' in his mom's crib

Ex-convict, was paroled there after his long bid

Cornrows in his hair, still slingin', got a crew

They break his mom's furniture, watchin' Comicview

Got babies by different ladies, high, smokin' L's

In the same spot he stood since '85, well

When his stash slow, he be crazy

Say he by his moms, hit her on her payday

Junior high school dropout, teachers never cared

They was paid just to show up and leave, no one succeeds

So he moves with his peers, different blocks, different years

Sittin' on different benches like it's musical chairs

All his peoples moved on in life, he's on the corners at night

With young dudes, it's them he wanna be like

It's sad but it's fun to him, right? He never grew up

31 and can't give his youth up, he's in his second childhood


[Chorus: scratches by DJ Premier]

When I flow for the street, who else could it be?

N-A-S, Nas

Resurrect through the birth of my seed, Queensbridge

Make everything right, get yours, nigga

When I flow for the street, who else could it be?

N-A-S, Nas

Resurrect through the birth of my seed, Queensbridge

Make everything right, get yours


[Verse 3]

Baby girl, she's always talkin', name droppin', hangin' late

Drinkin', smokin', hates her baby daddy, craves shoppin'

E poppin', ecstasy takin', won't finish her education

Best friend she keeps changin', stuck with limitations

Lustin' men, many hotels, Fendi, Chanel

With nothin' in her bank account frontin' she do well

Her kid suffers, he don't get that love he deserve

He the Sun, she the Earth, single mom, even worse

No job, never stay workin', mad purty

Shorty, they call her the brain surgeon

Time flyin', she the same person

Never matures, all her friends married, doin' well

She's in the streets yakkety yakkin' like she was twelve

Honey is twenty-seven, argues fights

Selfish in her own right for life

Guess she's in her second childhood


[Chorus: scratches by DJ Premier]

When I flow for the street, who else could it be?

N-A-S, Nas

Resurrect through the birth of my seed, Queensbridge

Make everything right, get yours, nigga

When I flow for the street, who else could it be?

N-A-S, Nas

Resurrect through the birth of my seed, Queensbridge

Make everything right, get yours

Who else could it be?

N-A-S, Nas