Video Clip
Lyrics
I once knew a nigga whose real name was William
– Ego cognovi quorum verum nomen erat a nigga William
His primary concern was makin’ a million
– Eius primaria cura fuit makin ‘ decies centena millia
Bein’ the illest hustler that the world ever seen
– Bein ‘ illest hustler quod mundus umquam vidit
He used to fuck movie stars and sniff coke in his dreams
– Solebat irrumabo pelliculas stellas et olfacio coke in somniis suis
A corrupted young mind at the age of 13
– A corrupta iuvenis mens ad annos 13
Nigga never had a father and his mom was a fiend
– Nigga numquam patrem habuit et mater eius fiend erat
She put the pipe down, but for every year she was sober
– Et posuit fistulam descendit, sed quia omnis annus erat sobrius
Her son’s heart simultaneously grew colder
– Cor filii eius simul frigidius crevit
He started hangin’ out, sellin’ bags in the projects
– Coepit hangin ‘e, sellin’ saccos in inceptis
Checkin’ the young chicks, lookin’ for hit-and-run prospects
– Checkin ‘pullos iuvenes, lookin’ pro hit-et-currunt spes
He was fascinated by material objects
– Ille fascinavit per materiam obiecti
But he understood money never bought respect
– Sed pecuniam intellexit reverentiam numquam emit
He built a reputation, ’cause he could hustle and steal
– Famam aedificavit, ‘ causa agitando et furantur potuit
But got locked once and didn’t hesitate to squeal
– Dimittas, cum mihi consulendi causa fuerit, ut dubitare desinerem
So criminals he chilled with didn’t think he was real
– Itaque scelestos et friguit cum non puto erat realis
You see, me and niggas like this have never been equal
– Vides me et niggas huius modi numquam aequales fuerunt
I don’t project my insecurities on other people
– Non projicio mihi in aliis insecurities
He fiended for props like addicts with pipes and needles
– Fulcit fistulas et acus addictas sicut fistulas
And so he felt he had to prove to everyone he was evil
– Et sic sensit quod quisque probare quod malum esset
A feeble-minded young man with infinite potential
– Un uomo malvisto dai giovani in infinita potentia
The product of a ghetto-bred capitalistic mental
– Productum ex ghetto-bred capitalistic mentis
Coincidentally dropped out of school to sell weed
– Coincidentally cecidit e schola vendere viriditas
Dancin’ with the Devil, smoked until his eyes would bleed
– Dancin cum Diabolo fumabat donec oculi eius cruentarent
But he was sick of sellin’ trees and gave in to his greed
– Ille autem male vellini dedit avaritiam suam
Everyone tryin’ to be trife, never face the consequences
– Omnes tryin ‘ esse levis, numquam faciem consequatur
You probably only did a month for minor offenses
– Probabiliter tantum mensem pro minoribus delictis fecisti
Ask a nigga doin’ life if he had another chance
– Interroga nigga doin vitam si alium casum habuit
But then again, there’s always the wicked that knew in advance
– Sed tunc iterum semper impii sunt qui in antecessum sciebant
Dance forever with the Devil on a cold cell block
– Saltare aeternum Cum Diabolo in cellam frigidam scandalum
But that’s what happens when you rape, murder, and sell rock
– Sed quod suus quid accidit cum rapere, occidendum, et vendere petram
Devils used to be God’s angels that fell from the top
– Angelos esse Solebat Diabolus Dei qui cecidit de summo
There’s no diversity because we’re burnin’ in the melting pot
– Nulla diversitas est quia burnin in olla liquescens sumus
So Billy started robbin’ niggas, anything he could do
– Robbin igitur coepi Puer ‘ nemo, quicquam potest facere
To get his respect back in the eyes of his crew
– Ut reverentiam suam in oculis cantavit
Startin’ fights over little shit up on the block
– Startin ‘ parum pugnat super stercore sursum in obstructionum
Stepped up to sellin’ mothers and brothers the crack rock
– Venezuela imparte un venditore ‘ la madre e i fratelli a crack rock
Workin’ overtime for makin’ money for the crack spot
– Workin ‘tempus subsicivum makin’ pecuniam pro cra macula
Hit the jackpot and wanted to move up to cocaine
– Jackpot percute et ad cocainum movere voluit
Fulfillin’ the Scarface fantasy stuck in his brain
– Fulfillin ‘ Phantasia Scarface adhaesit cerebro
Tired of the block niggas treatin’ him the same
– Taedet obstructionum niggas tractare ‘ e lo stesso
He wanted to be major like the cut throats and the thugs
– Maior esse voluit sicut faucium et percussores incisi
But when he tried to step to ’em, niggas showed him no love
– Sed cum conatus ad gradum ‘ em, niggas ostendit illi non amorem
They told him any motherfuckin’ coward can sell drugs
– Et dixerunt ei quis motherfuckin ‘ ignavus medicinae potest vendere
Any bitch nigga with a gun can bust slugs
– Quis canis nigga cum sclopeto imaginem limaces potest
Any nigga with a red shirt can front like a Blood
– Quaelibet nigga cum tunica rubra potest frontem Sicut sanguis
Even Puffy smoked a motherfucker up in the club
– Etiam Tumidam fumabat motherfucker in clava
But only a real thug can stab someone ’til they die
– Sed solum verum thug aliquem confodere potest ‘ sed uno die
Standin’ in front of them, starin’ straight into their eyes
– Standin ‘ante eos, starin’ recta in oculos eorum
Billy realized that these men were well-guarded
– Billy intellexit hos homines bene custoditos esse
And they wanted to test him before business started
– Et volebant eum probare antequam negotium incepit
Suggested rapin’ a bitch to prove he was cold-hearted
– Rapina suggessit ‘ a canis probare erat corde frigus,
So now he had a choice between goin’ back to his life
– Nunc igitur electionem habuit inter goin ‘ ad vitam suam
Or makin’ money with made men up in the cyph’
– Vel makin pecuniam cum hominibus factis in cypho
His dreams about cars and ice made him agree
– Somnia eius de carris et glacie eum consentiunt
A hardcore nigga is all he ever wanted to be
– A hardcore nigga est omnes semper voluit esse
And so he met them Friday night at a quarter to three
– Itaque occurrit eis nocte veneris ad quartam ad tres
Everyone tryin’ to be trife, never face the consequences
– Omnes tryin ‘ esse levis, numquam faciem consequatur
You probably only did a month for minor offenses
– Probabiliter tantum mensem pro minoribus delictis fecisti
Ask a nigga doin’ life if he had another chance
– Interroga nigga doin vitam si alium casum habuit
But then again, there’s always the wicked that knew in advance
– Sed tunc iterum semper impii sunt qui in antecessum sciebant
Dance forever with the Devil on a cold cell block
– Saltare aeternum Cum Diabolo in cellam frigidam scandalum
But that’s what happens when you rape, murder, and sell rock
– Sed quod suus quid accidit cum rapere, occidendum, et vendere petram
Devils used to be God’s angels that fell from the top
– Angelos esse Solebat Diabolus Dei qui cecidit de summo
There’s no diversity because we’re burnin’ in the melting pot
– Nulla diversitas est quia burnin in olla liquescens sumus
They drove around the projects slow while it was rainin’
– Eiecerunt circa incepta tarda dum pluviae’
Smokin’ blunts, drinkin’ and jokin’ for entertainment
– Smokin ‘blunts, potus’ et iociner ‘ enim hospitii
Until they saw a woman on the street, walkin’ alone
– Donec mulierem in platea viderunt, walkin ‘ solus
Three in the mornin’, comin’ back from work, on her way home
– In tertio nocturno [an] ut vidit beatus. reversus ab opere, in via domum suam
And so they quietly got out the car and followed her
– Itaque quiete currum egressi sunt et eam secuti sunt
Walkin’ through the projects, the darkness swallowed her
– Walkin ‘ per incepta, tenebrae eam absorbuerunt
They wrapped her shirt around her head and knocked her onto the floor
– Tunicam circa caput eius involverunt et eam in solum pulsaverunt
“This is it, kid, now you got your chance to be raw”
– “Hoc est, hedum, nunc obtinuit tuum forte esse rudis”
So Billy yoked her up and grabbed the chick by the hair
– Puer igitur eam iugulavit et pullum crinibus apprehendit
And dragged her into a lobby that had nobody there
– Et traxit eam in vestibulum quod nullus ibi habuit
She struggled hard, but they forced her to go up the stairs
– Et laboravit, sed coactus eam usque ad similitudinem tribunalis
They got to the roof and then held her down on the ground
– Et surrexit ad tectum et tenuit eam super terram
Screamin’, “Shut the fuck up, and stop movin’ around!”
– Screamin’, “claudite irrumabo sursum, et nolite movin’ circuitu!”
The shirt covered her face, but she screamed and clawed
– Tunica faciem suam operuit, sed exclamavit et unguibus
So Billy stomped on the bitch until he’d broken her jaw
– Itaque puer stomped in ferreo canis exprimamus donec youd ‘ rumpitur eius maxilla
The dirty bastards knew exactly what they were doin’
– Perspiciatis debitis sapiente quas sunt’
They kicked her until they cracked her ribs and she stopped movin’
– Calce eam usque dum cras eius costas et desiit movin’
Blood leakin’ through the cloth, she cried silently
– Sanguis leakin ‘ et in pallio, et clamavit tacite
And then they all proceeded to rape her violently
– Et tunc omnes processerunt violenter eam rapere
Billy was made to go first, but each of them took a turn
– Puer primum ire factus est, sed uterque vicem sumpsit
Rippin’ her up and chokin’ her until her throat burned
– Rippin ‘eam sursum et chokin’ eam donec faucium ardeat
Her broken jaw mumbled for God, but they weren’t concerned
– Or deus cuius [hodierna die] praeconium et cetera.
When they were done and she was layin’
– Et de hoc sermo est, quando quaeritur.’
Bloody, broken and bruised
– Sanguine, et suffocato, et fornicatione
One of them niggas pulled out a brand new .22
– Unus ex illis niggas extraxerunt novam .22
They told him that she was a witness of what she’d gone through
– Et dixerunt ei quod erat testimonium quod perambulabat
And if he killed her, he was guaranteed a spot in the crew
– Et si eam occidit, macula in cantavit praestatus est
He thought about it for a minute, she was practically dead
– Et cogitavi super eam paulisper, prope mortuus est
And so he leaned over and put the gun right to her head
– Itaque et recubuit super caput eius et posuit gun ius
I’m fallin’ and I can’t turn back
– Ego fallin ‘ et non revertar
I’m fallin’ and I can’t turn back
– Ego fallin ‘ et non revertar
Right before he pulled the trigger and ended her life
– Et extraxerunt rectum coram felis et finita vita eius
He thought about the cocaine with the platinum and ice
– Cogitavit de cocaino cum platino et glacie
And he felt strong standin’ along with his new brothers
– Et stantem fortem sensit cum novis fratribus
Cocked the gat to her head and pulled back the shirt cover
– Gat Cocked ad caput eius et tunicam operculum retraxit
But what he saw made him start to cringe and stutter
– Sed quod vidit fecit eum incipere cringe et balbutire
‘Cause he was starin’ into the eyes of his own mother
– ‘Causa starin erat’ in oculis matris suae
She looked back at him and cried ’cause he had forsaken her
– Et respexit ad eum et clamavit: “causa dereliquerat eam
She cried more painfully than when they were rapin’ her
– Et clamavit dolore quam cum essent rapin ‘ eam
His whole world stopped, he couldn’t even contemplate
– Totus mundus eius cessavit, ne contemplari quidem potuit
His corruption had successfully changed his fate
– Corruptio eius fatum feliciter mutaverat
And he remembered how his mom used to come home late
– Et recordatus est quomodo mater eius nuper domum venire solebat
Workin’ hard for nothin’, because now what was he worth?
– Workin ‘dura nothin’, quia nunc quid valet?
He turned away from the woman that had once given him birth
– Et declinavit a muliere quae olim pepererat ei
And cryin’ out to the sky, ’cause he was lonely and scared
– Et clamans ad caelum: “causa erat solus, et terrebis
But only the Devil responded, ’cause God wasn’t there
– Responderunt: Habent deum cui reddant rationem.
And right then he knew what it was to be empty and cold
– Et tunc sciebat quid esset vacuum et frigidum
And so he jumped off the roof and died with no soul
– Et fugit ad salices et se cupit ante videri
They say death takes you to a better place, but I doubt it
– Dicunt mors te meliorem locum accipit, sed dubito
After that, they killed his mother, and never spoke about it
– Deinde, qui occisus est mater eius, et non locutus est super eam
And listen, ’cause the story that I’m tellin’ is true
– Et audi, ‘causam fabulam quam sum tellin’ verum est
‘Cause I was there with Billy Jacobs, and I raped his mom too
– ‘Causa ibi eram cum Billy Jacobs, et matrem quoque eius rapui
And now the Devil follows me everywhere that I go
– Et nunc diabolus sequitur me undique quod vado
In fact, I’m sure he’s standin’ among one of you at my shows
– In facto, im ‘certus suus’ standin ‘ inter vos apud me ostendit
And every street cypher, listenin’ to little thugs flow
– Et omnis platea cypher, ausculta’ ut parum percussores influunt
He could be standin’ right next to you, and you wouldn’t know
– Stantem esse poterat’ apud te est, et non tu scis
The Devil grows inside the hearts of the selfish and wicked
– Diabolus intra corda contentionis et impii crescit
White, brown, yellow and black — color is not restricted
– Albus, fuscus, flavus et niger color non restringitur
You have a self-destructive destiny when you’re inflicted
– Habes fatum sui perniciosum cum illata es
And you’ll be one of God’s children that fell from the top
– Et eris unus ex Filiis Dei qui a summo cecidit
There’s no diversity because we’re burnin’ in the melting pot
– Nulla diversitas est quia burnin in olla liquescens sumus
So when the Devil wants to dance with you, you better say never
– Cum ergo diabolus tecum saltare vult, melius dicis numquam
Because a dance with the Devil might last you forever
– Quia saltatio cum Diabolo perdurare potest in aeternum
Oh, y’all motherfuckers thought it was over, huh?
– Sed tu, hypodidascale, quid putas?
Well, it’s not, you didn’t count on a fallen angel gettin’ back
– Et non est, quia non recessit a angelo caduco gettin ‘ retro
Into the grace of God and comin’ after you
– Or deus cuius [hodierna die] praeconium et cetera.
Y’all niggas ain’t shit, your producers ain’t shit
– Nichil est, quod vos non pudeat,
Your fuckin’ A & R ain’t shit
– A & R tuum fuckin, non stercore
I’ll fuckin’ wipe my ass with your demo deal
– Ego fuckin ‘ absterget asinum tuum demo paciscor
Yo, Diabolic, take this motherfucker’s head off
– Io, Diabolica, haec motherfucker caput off
Go ‘head and grip Glocks
– Ite Caput et tenaci Glocks
I’ll snap your trigger finger in six spots
– Digitum felis tuum in sex maculis disrumpam
You’ll have to lip lock with hypodermic needles to lick shots
– Labrum seram habebis cum acus hypodermicis ad ictus lambendi
I’ll watch you topple flat
– Et videbunt maiora tua
Put away your rings and holla back
– Corsa all ‘ anello e torna
Can’t freestyle; you’re screwed off the top, like bottle caps
– Non potest freestyle; vestri ‘ aura popularis off summo, sicut utrem caps
Beneath the surface
– Sub superficie
I’m overheatin’ your receiving circuits
– Im ‘overheatin’ circuitus accepto tuo
By unleashin’ deeper verses than priests speak in churches
– Une espace’ altius quam sacerdotes in ecclesiis loquuntur
What you preach is worthless
– Et quia praesentium nihil est
Your worship defeat the purpose
– Tuum cultum vincere propositum
Like President Bush takin’ bullets for the secret service
– Sicut Praeses bush takin’ indicibus ad secretum servitium
Beyond what y’all fathom, I shit on cats and jaw tap ’em
– Quam quod ego pathom y ‘all, ego stercore super maxilla et feles ictus’ em
Show no compassion, like havin’ a straight-faced orgasm
– Non deest pia compassio, cum sit ‘ un pittore sulla soglia della luce
Tour jack ’em, have his half-a-10 bitch suck my friend’s dick
– Pretium jack ‘ em, habere dimidium-a-10 canis lac filio meo dick
In the meantime, you can french kiss this clenched fist
– Interim gallicum osculum hunc pugnum strictum potes
Diabolic: a one-man brigade spreadin’ cancer plague
– Diabolica: unus homo legio spreadin ‘ cancer plaga
Fist-fuckin’ a pussy’s face, holdin’ a hand grenade
– Pugnus-fuckin ‘a pussy faciem, holdin’ manus grenade
So if I catch you bluffin’, faggot, you’re less than nothin’
– Sic si te capiunt bluffin’, faggot, vestri ‘minus quam nothin’
I just had to get that stress off my chest like breast reduction
– Ego iustus had impetro ut accentus off pectus meum sicut pectus reductionem
You motherfuckers are nothin’, you cannot harm me
– Vos maledicti estis nothin, me nocere non potestis
I’ll resurrect every aborted baby and start an army
– Et resurrecturus sum omnis abortivus infans et exercitus committitur
Storm the planet, huntin’ you down, ’cause I’m on a mission
– Tempestas planetae, huntin ‘tu deorsum,’ ego sum causa missionis
To split your body into a billion one-celled organisms
– Ad corpus tuum dividendum in organismos sescenti unius cellulae
Immortal Technique’ll destroy your religion, you stupid bitch
– Ars immortalis religionem tuam destruet, stultus canis
You’re faker than blue-eyed crackers nailed to a crucifix
– Tu magis quam hyacintho luscus fragor verá en esto un crucifijo,
I’m ’bout to blow up, like NASA Challenger computer chips
– Im ‘ irca ut succendam sursum, sicut computatrum Nasa Aemulator eu
Arsenic language transmitted revolutionarily
– Lingua arsenica camarada revolucionario
I’m like time itself: I’m gonna kill you inevitably
– Ego sum sicut tempus ipsum: im ‘ agnus dei occidere vos necesse
Chemically bomb you, fuck usin’ a chrome piece
– Chemica bomb vos, irrumabo usin ‘ chrome fragmentum
I’m Illmatic, you won’t make it home, like Jerome’s niece
– Im ‘ Illmatic, non faciam eam in domum suam, Sicut Neptis Hieronymi
I’ll sever your head diagonally for thinkin’ of dissin’ me
– Obliquus caput tuum avertam ad cogitandum’ de dissin ‘ mihi
And then use your dead body to write my name in calligraphy
– Et tunc utere corpore mortuo tuo ad scribendum nomen meum in calligraphia
This puppet democracy brain-washed your psychology
– Haec pupa democratia cerebrum-lavit tuum psychologia
So you’re nothin’, like diversity without equality
– Tu igitur nothin’, sicut diversitas sine aequalitate
And your crew is full of more faggots than Greek mythology
– Et cantavit plenus est magis faggots quam mythologia graeca
Usin’ numerology to count the people I sent to Heaven
– Usin ‘ numerology ad Populum quem misi ad Caelum
Produces more digits than 22 divided by seven
– Plures digitos producit quam 22 divisus per septem
You’re like Kevin Spacey: your style is usually suspect
– Tu Es sicut Kevin Spacey: stilus tuus suspicari solet
You never killed a cop, you, not a motherfuckin’ thug yet
– Numquam occidit cop, tu, non motherfuckin ‘ thug tamen
Your mind is empty and spacious
– Mens tua vacua et spatiosa
Like the part of the brain that appreciates culture in a racist
– Sicut pars cerebri quae culturam in racist aestimat
Face it, you’re too basic, you’re never gonna make it
– Faciem eam, nimium fundamentalis es, numquam amet fac
Like children walkin’ through Antarctica, butt-naked
– Sicut pueri walkin ‘ per Antarcticam, butt-nudus
