I am not throwin' away my shot I am not throwin' away my shot Hey yo, I'm just like my country I'm young, scrappy and hungry And I'm not throwin' away my shot I'ma get a scholarship to King's College I probably shouldn't brag, but dang, I amaze and astonish The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish I gotta holler just to be heard With every word, I drop knowledge I'm a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal Tryna reach my goal my power of speech, unimpeachable Only nineteen but my mind is older These New York City streets get colder, I shoulder Every burden, every disadvantage I have learned to manage, I don't have a gun to brandish I walk these streets famished The plan is to fan this spark into a flame But damn, it's getting dark, so let me spell out my name I am the A-L-E-X-A-N-D-E-R we are meant to be A colony that runs independently Meanwhile, Britain keeps shittin' on us endlessly Essentially, they tax us relentlessly Then King George turns around, runs a spendin' spree He ain't ever gonna set his descendants free So there will be a revolution in this century Enter me, he says in parentheses Don't be shocked when your history book mentions me I will lay down my life if it sets us free Eventually, you'll see my ascendancy