I was just a little girl Skinny legs, a press and curl My mother always thought I’d be a star But way before my record deal, The streets that nurtured lauryn hill Made sure that I’d never go too far Every ghetto, every city and suburban place I’ve been Make me recall my days in the new jerusalem Story starts at hootaville grew up next to ivy hill When kids were stealing quartervilles for fun Kill the guy in carter park Rode a mongoose ’til it’s dark Watching kids show off the stolen ones Every ghetto, every city and suburban place I’ve been Make me recall my days in new jerusalem You know it’s hot, don’t forget what you’ve got Looking back, Looking back, looking back, looking back You know it’s hot, don’t forget what you’ve got Looking back Thinking back, thinking back, thinking back A bag of bontons, twenty cents and a nickel Springfield ave. had the best popsicles Saturday morning cartoons and kung-fu Main street roots tonic with the dreds A beef patty and some coco bread Move the patch from my lees to the tongue of my shoe ’member frelng-huysen used to have the bomb leather Back when doug fresh and slick rick were together Looking at the crew, we thought we’d all live forever You know it’s hot, don’t forget what you’ve got Looking back Thinking back, thinking back, thinking back You know it’s hot, don’t forget what you’ve got Looking back Thinking back, thinking back, thinking back Drill teams on munn street Remember when hawthorne and chancellor had beef Moving records was on central ave. I was there at dancing school South orange ave. at borlin pool Unaware of what we didn’t have Writing your friends’ names on your jeans with a marker July 4th races off of parker Fireworks at martin stadium The untouchable p.s.p., where all them crazy niggers be And car thieves got away through irvington Hillside brings beef with the cops Self-destruction record drops And everybody’s name was muslim Sensations and ’88 attracted kids from out-of-state And everybody used to do the wop Jack, jack, jack ya body Nah, the biz mark used to amp up the party I wish those days, they didn’t stop Every ghetto, every city and suburban place I’ve been Make me recall my days in new jerusalem You know it’s hot, don’t forget what you’ve got Looking back Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back You know it’s hot, don’t forget what you’ve got Looking back Thinking back, thinking back, thinking back Thinking back, thinking back, thinking back