Juice (Know the Ledge) Lyrics

[Produced by Eric B]

[Verse 1]
Sip the juice, I got enough to go around
And the thought takes place Uptown

I grew up on the sidewalk where I learned street talk
And then taught to hawk New York
I go to Queens for queens, then get the crew from Brooklyn
Make money in Manhattan and never been tooken
Go Uptown in The Bronx to Boogie Down
Get Strong on the Island, recoup and lay around
Time to build my juice back up
Props stack up, suckers get smacked up
Don't doubt the clout, you know what I'm about
Knockin' niggas off, knockin' niggas out

Shakin' 'em up, wakin' 'em up
Breakin' 'em up, rakin' 'em up
Standin' on shaky ground too close to the edge
Let's see if I Know the Ledge


[Verse 2]
Corner's triflin' 'cause shorty's here
I get cock-D liftin' forties of beer
Here's a sip for the crew that's deceased
If I get revenge, then they rest in peace
Somebody gotta suffer, I just might spare one
And give a brother a fair one
Stay alert and on P's, and I do work with these like Hercules

Switch to southpaw, split your right jaw
'Cause I don't like y'all, I'm hype when night fall
Smooth, but I move like an army
Bulletproof down in case brothers try to bomb me
Puttin' brothers to rest like Eliot Ness
'Cause I don't like stress
Streets ain't the place for innocent bystanders to stand
Nothing's gonna stop the plan
I'll chill like Pacino, kill like De Niro
Black Gambino, die like a hero
Livin' on shaky grounds, too close to the edge
Let's see if I Know the Ledge

[Verse 3]
Shells lay around on the battleground
Dead bodies are found throughout the town

Try to put shame in my game to make a name
I'mma put it on a bullet, put it in your brain

Rip the block like a buckshot
Who cares where it goes? Just keep the casket closed
No remorse when a life is lost
I paid my dues, paid the cost
And my pockets are still fat
Wherever I'm at, I get the welcome mat
Even if my crew is steep, I'm one deep
I attract attention, people like to peep
So come say hi to the bad guy
Don't say goodbye, I don't plan to die

'Cause I get loose and I got troops, and crazy juice
In control of many like Ayatollah Khomeini
Hang out with Smith and Wess', don't try to play me
I'm at war a lot, like Anwar Sadat
But no warnin' shot, my gun is warm a lot
When I cook beef, the smoke will never clear
Areas in fear 'cause this here's severe
Livin' life too close to the edge
Hopin' that I Know the Ledge


[Verse 4]
A brand new morn', no time to yawn
Shower's on, power's on
Late for school, I catch the train
Girls sip the style and whisper my name
I push up like an exercise
Check they intellect and inspect the thighs
Select the best one, pull her to the side

Keep her occupied for the rest of the ride
Read her my résumé, she know already? Cool
Just meet me after school
We can moan and groan until your moms come home
And you'll be callin' me Al "Dope" Capone

Sweatin' me, she didn't want to let me loose
Come get me, that's if you want to sip the juice
'Cause the streets await me, so I take my gun off safety
'Cause a lot of niggas hate me
Comin' out of the building, they set me up
Sprayed with automatics, they wet me up
In a puddle of blood, I lay close to the edge
I guess I didn't Know the Ledge

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About

Genius Annotation

A song written specifically for the 1992 movie Juice, wherein Rakim masterfully delivers a first person narrative of a thug whose craving for power and fame leads to his bloody demise. The song samples Nat Adderley’s “Rise, Sally Rise”
Know the Ledge is a particularly apt title, since Tupac’s nihilistic character loses his grip on reality, and more literally, slips from the grip of Day 1 friend Q (Omar Epps), falling to his death off the ledge of a Harlem highrise.

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