What that nigga want, God? Word up, look out for the cops though (Wu-Tang five finger shit, fam) Cash rules- Word up, two for fives over here, baby Word up, two for fives, niggas got garbage down the way Word up, know what I'm sayin'? Cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M. get- Yeah, check this old fly shit out, word up (Cash rules everything around me) take you on a natural joint (C.R.E.A.M. get the money) (Dollar dollar bill, y'all) here we, here we go, check this shit, yo I grew up on the crime side, the New York Times side Stayin' alive was no jive Had secondhands, Mom's bounced on old man So then we moved to Shaolin land A young youth, yo, rockin' the gold tooth, 'Lo goose Only way I begin the G off was drug loot And let's start it like this, son Rollin' with this one and that one, pullin' out gats for fun But it was just a dream for the teen Who was a fiend, started smokin' woolies at 16 And runnin' up in gates and doin' hits for high stakes Makin' my way on fire escapes No question, I would speed for cracks and weed The combination made my eyes bleed No question, I would flow off and try to get the dough all Stickin' up white boys in ball courts My life got no better, same damn 'Lo sweater Times is rough and tough like leather Figured out I went the wrong route So I got with a sick-ass clique and went all out Catchin' keys from 'cross seas Rollin' in MPV's, every week we made 40 G's Yo, nigga, respect mine, or here go the TEC-9 Ch-chick-pow! Move from the gate now Cash rules everything around me C.R.E.A.M., get the money Dollar dollar bill, y'all Cash rules everything around me C.R.E.A.M., get the money Dollar dollar bill, y'all It's been 22 long, hard years, I'm still strugglin' Survival got me buggin', but I'm alive on arrival I peep at the shape of the streets And stay awake to the ways of the world 'cause shit is deep A man with a dream with plans to make cream Which failed; I went to jail at the age of 15 A young buck sellin' drugs and such, who never had much Tryin' to get a clutch at what I could not- The court played me short, now I face incarceration Pacin', goin' upstate's my destination Handcuffed in the back of a bus, 40 of us Life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough But as the world turned, I learned life is hell Livin' in the world no different from a cell Every day I escape from Jakes givin' chase Sellin' base, smokin' bones in the staircase Though I don't know why I chose to smoke sess I guess that's the time when I'm not depressed But I'm still depressed, and I ask, "What's it worth?" Ready to give up so I seek the old Earth Who explained workin' hard may help you maintain To learn to overcome the heartaches and pain We got stick-up kids, corrupt cops, and crack rocks And stray shots, all on the block that stays hot Leave it up to me while I be livin' proof To kick the truth to the young black youth But shorty's runnin' wild, smokin' sess, drinkin' beer And ain't tryna hear what I'm kickin' in his ear Neglected for now, but yo, it gots to be accepted That what? That life is hectic Cash rules everything around me C.R.E.A.M., get the money Dollar dollar bill, y'all Cash rules everything around me (my niggas gots to do what they gotta do) C.R.E.A.M., get the money Dollar dollar bill, y'all (to get through, know what I'm sayin'?) Cash rules everything around me (because you can't just get by no more) C.R.E.A.M., get the money Dollar dollar bill, y'all (word up, you gotta get over, straight up and down) Cash rules everything around me C.R.E.A.M., get the money Dollar dollar bill, y'all Yeah, yeah Cash rules everything around me C.R.E.A.M., get the money Dollar dollar bill, y'all Cash rules everything around me C.R.E.A.M., get the money Dollar dollar bill, y'all Cash rules everything around me C.R.E.A.M., get the money Dollar dollar bill, y'all Cash rules everything around me C.R.E.A.M., get the money Dollar dollar bill, y'all-all-all, yeah