Nas featuring Lauryn Hill Intro: Nas (Lauryn Hill singing in the background) Life..... I wonder.... Will it take me under.... I dt know Verse One: Nas Imagine smoking weed in the streets without cops harassin Imagine going to court with no trial Lifestyle cruising blue Bahama waters No welfare supporters more conscious of the way we raise our daughters Days are shorter nights are colder Feeling like life is over, these snakes strike like a cobra The world's hot my son got knocked evidently It's elementary, they want us all gone eventually Trooping out of state for a plate knowledge if coke was cooked without the garbage we'd all have the top dollars Imagine everybody flashin, fashion Designer clothes, lacing your clique up with diamond Role's Your people holdin dough, no parole No rubbers, goin' raw imagine law with no undercovers Just some thoughts for the mind I take a glimpse into time watch the blimp read "The World Is Mine" Chorus: Lauryn Hill, Nas If I ruled the world Imagine that I'd free all my sons, I love em love em baby Black diamonds and pearls Could it be, if you could be mine, we'd both shine If I ruled the world Still livin for today, in these last days and times Verse Two: Nas Yo it'll be, paradise life relaxin black, latino and anglo-saxon Armani exchange the reins Cash, Lost Tribe of Shabazz, free at last Brand new whips to crash then we laugh in the illa path The Villa houses for the crew, how we do Trees for breakfast, dime sexes and Benz stretches So many years of depression make me vision The better livin, type of place to raise kids in Open they eyes to the lies history's told foul But I'm as wise as the old owl, plus the Gold Child Seeing things like I was controlling, clique rollin Trickin six digits on kicks and still holdin Trips to Paris, I civilized every savage Gimme one shot I turn trife life to lavish Political prisonner set free, stress free No work release purple M3's and jet skis Feel the wind breeze in West Indies I make Coretta Scott-King mayor the cities and reverse feinds to Willies It sounds foul but every girl I meet will go downtown I'd open every cell in Attica send em to Africa Chorus: Lauryn Hill, Nas If I ruled the world Imagine that I'd free all my sons, I love em love em baby Black diamonds and pearls Could it be, if you could be mine, we'd both shine If I ruled the world Still livin for today, in these last days and times And then we'll walk right up to the sun Hand in hand We'll walk right up to the sun We won't land We'll walk right up to the sun Hand in hand We'll walk right up to the sun We won't land Verse Three: Nas You'd love to hear the story how the thugs live in worry Duck down in car seats, heat's mandatory Runnin from Jake, gettin chased, hunger for papes These are the breaks many mistakes go down out of state Wait, I had to let it marinate we carry weight Tryin to get laced, flip the ace stack the safe Millionaire plan to keep the gat with the cocked hammer Makin moves in Atlanta, back and forth scrambler Cause you could have all the chips, be poor or rich Still nobody want a nigga havin shit If I ruled the world and everything in it, sky's the limit I push a Q-45 Infinit It wouldn't be no such thing as jealousies or B Felonies Strictly living longevity to the destiny I thought I'd never see but reality struck Better find out before your time's out, what the fuck??? Chorus: Lauryn Hill, Nas If I ruled the world Imagine that I'd free all my sons, I love em em baby Black diamonds and pearls Could it be, if you could be mine, we'd both shine If I ruled the world Still livin for today, in these last days and times If I ruled the world, if I ruled, if I ruled Imagine that I'd free all my sons, if I ruled, if I ruled I love em love em baby Black diamonds and pearls, black dimaonds Could it be, if you could black diamonds be mine, we'd both shine If I ruled the world Still livin for today, in these last days and times If I ruled the world, if I ruled if I ruled, I'd free all my sons black diamonds, I love em love em baby Black diamonds and pearls, if I ruled If I ruled the world If I ruled the world I love em love em baby!!