Released: September 8, 2009

Featuring: Mr. Hudson

Songwriter: Frank Mertens Marian Gold Bernhard Lloyd Kanye West JAY-Z

Producer: Kanye West

[Intro: Mr. Hudson]
Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while
Heaven can wait, we're only watching the skies
Hoping for the best but expecting the worst
Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?
Let us die young or let us live forever
We don't have the power but we never say never
Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip
The music's for the sad man

[Chorus: Mr. Hudson (Jay-Z)]
Forever young, I wanna be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever, and ever?
Forever young (young)
I wanna be (Aye, may the best of your todays)
Forever young (Be the worst of your tomorrows)
Do you really want to live forever (But we ain't even thinkin' that far)
Forever (ya know what I mean?)
Forever young

[Verse 1: Jay-Z]
So we living life like a video (video)
Where the sun is always out and you never get old
And the champagne's always cold and the music's always good
And the pretty girls just happen to stop by in the hood
And they hop they pretty ass up on the hood of that pretty ass car
Without a wrinkle in today, 'cause there's no tomorrow
Just a picture perfect day that last a whole lifetime
And it never ends cause all we have to do is hit rewind
So let's just stay in the moment, smoke some weed, drink some wine
Reminisce, talk some shit, forever young is in your mind
Leave a mark they can't erase, neither space nor time
So when the director yells cut, I'll be fine
I'm forever young

[Chorus: Mr. Hudson]
Forever young, I wanna be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever, and ever?
Forever young, I wanna be forever young (forever young)
Do you really want to live forever, forever? Forever young

[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
Fear not when, fear not why, fear not much while we're alive
Life is for living, not living uptight, 'till you're somewhere up in the sky
Fear not die, I'll be alive for a million years, bye bye's
Are not for legends, I'm forever young, my name shall survive
Through the darkest blocks, over kitchen stoves, over Pyrex pots
My name shall be passed down to generations
While debating up in barbershops
Young slung, hung here, showed that a nigga from here
With a little ambition, just what we can become here (yeah)
And as the father pass the story down to his son's ears
Young'll get younger every year, yeah
So if you love me baby, this is how you let me know
Don't ever let me go, that's how you let me know, baby

[Chorus: Mr. Hudson]
Forever young, I wanna be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever, and ever?
Forever young, I wanna be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever? Forever young

[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
Just let it run..
Slamming Bentley doors, hopping outta Porsches
Popping up on Forbes' list, gorgeous (hold up)
Niggas thought I lost it, they be talking bullshit
I be talking more shit, they nauseous (hold up)
I'll be here forever, you know I'm on my fall shit
And I ain't with foreclosure, I will never forfeit
Less than four bars, Guru bring the chorus in
Did you get the picture yet?
I'm painting you a portrait of Young

[Chorus: Mr. Hudson]
Forever young, I wanna be forever young
Do you really want to live forever, forever? Forever young

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.