[Nas] (Alicia Keys)
  Nasty, yeah, yeah (New York, New York)
  Hey yo black it's time again, yeah, yeah
  (New York, New York)
  Come here, yeah, yeah
  (New York, New York)
  Hey yo black it's time
  
  [Nas]
  If you knew my streets
  You would know all everybody talk about is who got beef
  Who snitchin, who told police
  Who came home, who still gone, who restin in peace
  Now they killin over music money, not drugs, rap replaced it
  Cause thugs with no brains got no patience
  New jacks I pistol whip 'em with the funky rhythm I be kickin
  Musician and flatten composition
  A pain, I'm like Saddam Hussein
  Still alive lookin at his dead children's burnt remains
  I burnt the game, learnt you lames a new lesson
  Your crew's soft man, ya'll need some new weapons
  The P's breathe Warriorz and skullies and Timmies
  Around mixed, spics, niggaz and giddies
  From my ghetto kings in deep thought we don't blink
  But don't think we wastin our time
  It's a New York State of Mind
  
  [Chorus #1 - Alicia Keys]
  New York, New York, New York
  New York City, whoa oh
  New York, New York, New York
  New York City, baby
  
  [Alicia Keys]
  It's like a jungle, out here
  So much struggle, out here
  And my dream's still unphased
  Greed still the cousin of death
  Always feels like always somethin farther time
  In the Streets of New York
  (New York state of mind, New York State of mind)
  
  [Alicia Keys]
  All I see is street homes
  And who it's holdin, our people
  Only comforts the brain
  It's like I'm going insane
  The revolution has to start, don't waste no time
  In the Streets of New York
  (New York state of mind, New York state of mind)
  C'mon
  
  [Chorus #2 - Alicia Keys]
  New York, New York, New York, New York oh
  State of mind (New York City)
  New York, New York, New York, New York oh
  State of crime (New York City)
  New York, New York, New York, New York oh
  Big dreams (New York City)
  New York, New York, New York, New York oh
  Big schemes
  
  [Alicia Keys]
  Oh, break the game
  Just ain't the same
  Baby loves and girls with no shame
  Can't get away (get away), epidemic plague
  Every hood in every state
  Don't have no reasons cause relieve is hard to find
  
  [Break - Alicia Keys]
  In the streets of New York (New York state of mind) - 4X
  (*"New York state of mind" is also repeated in background*)
  
  [Rakim]
  I'm from the home of a million legends and trend settin
  A lot of footsteps to follow, I've been steppin
  Mind stressin tryin to find a record crime shreddin
  Time precious, I ain't have rest since nine eleven
  I live fast, hustle like today is my last
  I get cash, the struggle's like a day on the Ave.
  Crack bein raw, gats squeezin off
  Manhattan squeezin off, from cats who tease with war
  The eve of the Apocalypse, evil keep movin politics
  Every block is at risk, the metropolitan metropolis
  The opposite of Liza Minelli and Frank Sinatra
  Alicia Keys, Nas and Ra the gangsta's opera
  So New York City walk with me, talk gritty
  It's up to us New York it's our city
  Here the man come with the anthem, hands up
  It's time the thrill is back New York, let's stand up
  
  [Chorus] - w/ ad libs
  
  [Rakim - talking behind Chorus]
  Oh yeah, crucial Keys
  Your God Rakim Allah
  New York City, Nasty Nas
  A. Keys, yeah, c'mon