[Intro: Lauryn Hill & Kanye West]
Oh, when it all (Uh), all falls down (What you singin'?)
I'm telling you all, it all falls down (I hear you, I hear you, L, but)
Oh, when it all, all falls down (Remember they used to call you that?)
I'm telling you all, it alls falls down (Merce' Lauryn? Streets say I'ma tell her)
Oh, when it all

[Verse 1: Kanye West & Lauryn Hill]
Man I promise, she's so self conscious
She has no idea what she doing in college (I'm telling you all)
That major that she majored in don't make no money
But she won't drop out, her parents will look at her funny
Now, tell me that ain't insecure
The concept of school seems so secure
Sophmore three years, ain't picked a career
She like fuck it, I'll just stay down here and do hair (Oh, when it all)
Cause that's enough money to buy her a few pairs of new Airs (All falls down)
Cause her baby daddy don't really care (I'm telling you all)
She's so precious with the peer pressure
Couldn't afford a car so she named her daughter Alexis (Oh, when it all)
She had hair so long that it looked like weave
Then she cut it all off now she look like Eve
And she be dealing with some issues that you can't believe
Single black female addicted to retail, and, well

[Chorus: Lauryn Hill & Kanye West]
Oh when it all, it all falls down
Uh, and when it falls down who you gon' call now? (Y'all mean)
Oh when it all, it all falls down
Yeah, uh
[Verse 2: Kanye West & Lauryn Hill]
Man I promise, I'm so self-conscious (Oh, when it all)
That's why you always see me with at least one of my watches (I'm telling you all)
Rollies and Pashas done drove me crazy
I can't even pronounce nothing, pass that versace (Oh, when it all)
Then I spent four-hunnid bucks on this
Just to be like, "N***a, you ain't up on this"
And I can't even go to the grocery store
Without some 1s that's clean and a shirt with a team (Oh, when it all)
It seems we living the American Dream (All falls down)
But the people highest up got the lowest self-esteem (I'm telling you all)
The prettiest people do the ugliest things
For the road to riches and diamond rings (Oh, when it all)
We shine because they hate us, floss 'cause they degrade us
We trying to buy back our forty acres
And for that paper, look how low we'll stoop
Even if you in a Benz, you still a n***a in a coupe

[Chorus: Lauryn Hill & Kanye West]
Oh when it all, it all falls down
And when it falls down who you gon' call now?
Oh when it all, it all falls down
Yeah, yeah, word

[Verse 3: Kanye West & Lauryn Hill]
I say fuck the police, that's how I treat 'em (Oh, when it all)
We buy our way out of jail, but we can't buy freedom
We'll buy a lot of clothes but we don't really need 'em
Things we buy to cover up what's inside
'Cause they make us hate ourself and love they wealth
That's why shorties hollering, "Where the ballers at?"
Drug dealer buy Jordan, crackhead buy crack
And the white man get paid off of all of that (Oh, when it all)
But I ain't even gonna act holier than thou (All falls down)
'Cause fuck it, I went to Jacob with twenty-five thou'
Before I had a house and I'd do it again (I'm telling you all)
'Cause I wanna be on 106 & Park pushing a Benz (Oh, when it all)
I wanna act ballerific like it's all terrific
I got a couple past-due bills, won't get specific
I got a problem with spending before I get it
We all self-conscious, I'm just the first to admit it
[Chorus: Lauryn Hill & Kanye West]
Oh when it all, it all falls down (Don't stop that shit, keep that shit)
I'm telling you all, it all falls down, yeah (Keep that part where I ran out of breath, we ain't doing no punch-ins, man, that's that fake shit)
Oh when it all, all falls down (If I was on stage, how I got to spit it? It's from the heart anyway)
Telling you all, it all falls down (Might cause shortness of breath, you know?)
Oh, when it all, all falls down (Couldn't have got nobody better for the job)
Telling you all, it all falls down (Thank you for very much, this a beautiful, beautiful, young lady that's inspired me, definitely)
Oh, when it all, all falls down, yeah
I'm telling you all, it all falls down

[Audience Applause]