Songwriter: Rakim

Producer: Nick Wiz

[Chorus]
Once was a time I thought that love could be sold or bought and (Uh) everything fell in place for me, for me, for me. (Yeah) The fashion of passion, the crashing with caution because of the notion the potion of passion had never been passed to me, to me, to me

(Lady hustler stand up). Once was a time I thought that love could (Uh huh) be sold or bought (Uh huh) and everything fell in place for me, for me, for me. (Nick Wiz they're gonna love you for this) The fashion of passion, the crashing with caution (Uh) because of the notion the potion of passion (Yeah) had never been passed to me, to me, to me

Yeah
Uh

[Verse 1]
Go look at her, livin' a world of give and take
A girl that only get with dudes that's gettin' cake
But don't hate cuz, just feed her with gifts to get a date
Diamonds and pearls and trips to get away
And plus ten steps ahead she's slick
Turnin' to love slays and leave 'em straight out whipped
She too much, get what she out to get, and here's the trick
The tricks get out-tricked, the pimps get out-pimped
In bed, beyond compare, ma's rare
Her computer know what to do with hardware, ah yeah
Shinin' in a diamond brassiere
Tattoo on her rear "Swipe credit card here"
She [?] thinking above the scale
And having second thoughts about love for sale
No regret, had a feeling love would fail
She had fun, but now she want love for real
She said....

[Chorus]
Once was a time I thought that love could be sold or bought and (Uh) everything fell in place for me, for me, for me (Love for sale). The fashion of passion, the crashing with caution because of the notion the potion of passion had never been passed to me, to me, to me (Love for sale) (Never been passed to me, baby)

Once was a time I thought that love could be sold or bought and everything fell in place for me, for me, for me (Love for sale) (Yeah). The fashion of passion, the crashing with caution because of the notion the potion of passion had never been passed to me (Uh), to me, to me (Yeah)

[Verse 2]
She ain't dumb, let him stack his cash
'Cause when he get home she gon' crack his stash and get half
Love to check the racks for rags
In the Jag packed with bags from Saks 5th Ave
In the club (Yeah), make the scene go wild
Always singled out, and her bling go blow
Switch up, never rock the same old style
Designer name profile, she's bilingual now
And the [?] speak Manolo, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli
Look at mami, speak Donatella Versace, Jimmy Choo, Prada, Valentino Garavani and Red
Step off the aeroplane
Just to hang out under the sunset somewhere in Spain
In Madrid, spell like Chanel and Vera Wang
But she forgettin' one thing, she missing the wedding ring
She said....

[Chorus]
Once was a time I thought that love could be sold or bought and (Uh huh) everything fell in place for me, for me, for me (Love for sale). The fashion of passion, the crashing with caution because of the notion the potion of passion had never been passed to me, to me, to me (Love for sale) (Never been passed to me, baby)

Once was a time I thought that love could be sold or bought (Yeah) and everything fell in place for me, for me, for me (Love for sale). The fashion of passion, the crashing with caution because of the notion the potion of passion had never been passed to me, to me, to me (Love for sale)

[Verse 3]
It ain't love, you know a man attracted to fashion
Cashmere, chiffon, silk, suede and satin, and flashin'
Love Franklin, Grants and Jacksons and cash and
Nobody never gave her passion, just lust
No one can [?] 'til mami demand more
A man that can't fall, and trust
Starting to understand more
'Cause if they share yours you declare war
When they met, wanted no strings attached
He can take it where he wants if he brings a bat
And it's wraps, the necklace, earnings to match
Everything fell into place but things collapse
Instead, think it ain't as tight as it was
And now she only want what's rightfully hers
Is respect, she need a man to wifey her up
She wanna know what if feel like to be loved
She said....

[Chorus]
Once was a time I thought that love could be sold or bought and everything fell in place for me, for me, for me (Yeah). The fashion of passion, the crashing with caution because of the notion the potion of passion had never been passed to me, to me, to me (Love for sale) (Never been passed to me, baby)

(This is for my lady hustlers)

Once was a time I thought that love could be sold or bought and everything fell in place for me, for me, for me (Love for sale). The fashion of passion, the crashing with caution (Uh) because of the notion the potion of passion had never been passed to me, to me, to me (Love for sale)

Rakim

The God MC, William Michael Griffin Jr. (b. January 28, 1968), known professionally as Rakim, is an American rapper representing the East Coast, hailing from Long Island, New York. Widely regarded as one of hip-hop’s most influential lyricists of all time, Rakim’s pioneering multisyllabic rhyming techniques demonstrated his lyrical superiority and helped cement his legacy.

Prior to his celebrated solo efforts, Rakim served as one half of the hip-hop duo, Eric B. & Rakim. The duo would go on to release a total of four studio albums before separating in 1992. Their 1987 debut album, Paid in Full, became a benchmark within hip-hop and inspired many future rappers, partly due to Rakim’s lyrical proficiency.

Coming off of a five-year hiatus, Rakim released his acclaimed debut solo album, The 18th Letter, in 1997. It is considered by many to be his best album, debuting at #4 on the Billboard 200 charts. Rakim’s 1999 sophomore album, The Master, received mixed reviews—it would be his last studio album for a decade until re-emerging with 2009’s, The Seventh Seal.