Released: November 26, 2002

Songwriter: JAY-Z

Producer: Just Blaze

[Intro]
C'mon
Fresh from London, Paris, Germany
It's Euro Jay (Haha), International Hov
Bonsoir, motherfuckers, we back
As if we never left this bitch, huh, Ty?
It's worldwide, still just blazin' this shit up (Woo)

[Verse 1]
Every place I visit, I got land there
How could niggas stand there and say I sound like them? Hell no
Push wigs back, push Bentley drops that's yellow
Started from the elbow, nigga, from the get-go
No, not the Geico, ain't nothing accidental
Just the facts that I've been through, perhaps if you was into
Half of the shit I've been through that'd make your pen move
Your mind would open, your heart would bleed
Instead y'all niggas flow, oh, so retardedly
You sound retarded to me, how could you stand there, pants there
Down to your ass, you won't spar with me
I'll put you down in the grass, it's the God MC
Young V-I-T-O, youngin, you are my hijo
My son dula, I clean the cesspool up
Rap stinks, haha, you cats are the Sphinx
You cut off your nose to spite your face
Bet you like it that way, don't ya?

[Chorus]
Don't you know when you're defeated, young punk?
Won't you throw, won't you throw in the towel, stop running your mouth?
Don't you know that we know you just running your mouth?
'Cause when this shit pops off, y'all gonna run in your house
Don't you know when you're defeated, young punk?
Won't you throw, won't you throw in the towel? I'm better with vowels
My vocabulary murders the dictionary
Flow switches every sixteen, the shit mean, man

[Verse 2]
Shit, I'm heavy in the game, I ain't worried 'bout a thing
Last man standing, blam-blamming the cannon
48 Hours, it's Reggie Hammond, the Colt be
Nick Nolte, my demeanor is Humphrey Bogie, baby
I'm comfy-cozy, my spot is solidified
Rock-a-bye, baby, I sing you a lullaby
How ill am I? BK to Philadi— ('Delphia)
Niggas feelin' how real am I, shit
I carry two Taurus, niggas, they call me Gemini
Though my birthday is one day before December five
It's S. Carter the archer, I throw darts at ya
Arrows through your apparel, I will dearly depart ya
It's clearly hard for ya, what God has bestowed on me
You're not as raw as me nigga, nigga, I'm poetry
In four-part harmony, it's like Jodeci
Check out my melody, my flow is a felony
Oh, I'm so seventies, I'm in tune with the heavenly
Governing body, check, check, check out my destiny
I walk leaving four footprints, my hood sense
My book smarts, my faith of the unknown and a good heart
What's seldom shown is the good part
Like I said, you try to bring 'em life, but they want dead
You won't listen, Hov is a nice guy, but don't diss him
That'll piss him off quick, you won't listen

[Chorus]
Don't you know when you're defeated, young punk?
Won't you throw, won't you throw in the towel, stop running your mouth?
Don't you know that we know you're just running your mouth?
'Cause when this shit pops off you gon' run in your house
Don't you know when you're defeated, young punk?
Won't you throw, won't you throw in the towel? I'm better with vowels
My vocabulary murders the dictionary
Flow switches every sixteen, the shit mean, man

[Outro]
C'mon, man, c'mon, man
C'mon, man
Woo, c'mon, man
C'mon, man
Fat shout the whole Roc

JAY-Z

Having sold over 100 million records worldwide, and holding the solo artist record of 14 Billboard 200 #1 albums, Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter is possibly the most talented, accomplished and respected rapper of all-time. He has released 13 studio albums and five collaborative albums over his 30-year career.

Three of his albums, Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album, are considered landmarks in the genre, with all of them featured in Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Hov has won 21 Grammy Awards from sixty-four nominations, making him the 10th most awarded artist of all-time.

Legendary for never writing down his lyrics, JAY-Z’s flow is considered one of the greatest to grace the genre, his wordplay and metaphorical ability is unmatched, and his live shows push the envelope of what it means to be a hip hop artist. His MTV Unplugged appearance introduced the idea of having a full band (The Roots) backing up a hip hop artist at major concerts, and during his 2004 documentary Fade to Black he doubled down, selling out Madison Square Garden (in mere minutes) while featuring an enormous live band performance.