Song lyrics Respect by Notorious B I G

[Verse 1:]
Nineteen-seventy somethinī, nigga I donīt sweat the date
My moms is late so I had to plan my escape
out the skins, in this world of fly girls
Tanqueray and Hennessy until I cold hurl
Ten months in this gut, what the fuck
I wish momsīd hurry up so I could get buck
wild, juvenile rippinī mics and shit
New York New York, ready for the likes of this, uh
Then came the worst date, May 21st
2:19, thatīs when my momma water burst
No spouse in the house so she rode for self
to the hospital, to see if she could get a little help
Umbilical cordīs wrapped around my neck
Iīm seeinī my death and I ainīt even took my first step
I made it out, Iīm bringinī mad joy
The doctor looked and said, "Heīs gonna be a Bad Boy"

[Verse 2:]
Now Iīm thirteen, smokinī blunts, makinī cream
On the drug scene, fuck a football team
Riskinī ruptured spleens by the age of sixteen
Hearinī the coach scream at my lifetime dream, I mean
I wanna blow up, stack my dough up
So school I didnīt show up, it fucked my flow up
Mom said that I should grow up and check myself
before I wreck myself, disrespect myself
Put the drugs on the shelf? Nah, couldnīt see it
Scarface, King of New York, I wanna be it
Rap was secondary, money was necessary
Until I got incarcerated--kinda scary
C74-Mark 8 set me straight
Not able to move behind the great steel gate
Time to contemplate, damn, where did I fail?
All the money I stacked was all the money for bail

[Verse 3:]
Ninety-four, now I explore new horizons
Mama smile when she see me, thatīs surprisinī
Honeys is tantalizinī, they freak all night
Peep duckinī cops on the creep all night
As I open my eyes and realizinī I changed
Not the same deranged child stuck up in the game
And to my niggas livinī street life
Learn to treat life to the best, put stress to rest
Still tote your vest man, niggas be trippinī
In the streets without a gat? Nah, nigga youīre slippinī
If Iīm pimpin on The F with weed on my breath
Original hustler with the muffler on the Tec
Respect to the Macīs and the Acīs
To the freaks in the Jeeps, lick shots to my peeps