[Intro]
You're born; you take shit
Get out in the world; you take more shit
Climb a little higher; take less shit
Til one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere, and you've forgotten what shit even looks like
Welcome to the layer cake, son

[Verse 1: Kano]
Check, check Check Check
I’m two albums deep a thousand shows in
Cause I fight for the right til the towel gets thrown in
We hustle down here, knuckles 'round here
Never stays pretty when you're raised in the city
It's a place full of hatred where they wanna stick me
Cause I'm making my statments and they think too quickly
I'm a victim to criticism, menace to society
Cause I’m in a position where many do admire me, (huh)
But there's always an obstacle, just move left but the stress ain't optional
It’s all bless but nah, you forget, you've gotta do better you can’t do your best
Crucial how you move cause you'll lose your breath
And this music will follow you to death
Do us part, now you're married to the game
With no footsteps to follow: pave the way
Eh, that's the layer cake, play your position
It's too fucked let me explain how the biz is
Too real, you feel that you're in control but you ain't, you're stuck in the layer cake
[Hook]
The Layer Cake
The Layer Cake
The Layer Cake
The Layer Cake (Welcome to the layer cake son..)

[Verse 2: Kano]
They layer cake's like being stuck in the system
Just for existence to be someone coming up as an infant
We seen it in Scarface, the road to the top the fucking hard way
But you know how the music is, gotta pass a few layers before you get rich
It’s a hustle, gotta struggle just so you can shit gold
And you still owe, that's why they get rich and you get broke
But I'm still writing
It's never gonna stop until you're fucking with a cherry on the top
But I'm still trying
The road think I've blown but I ain't nowhere near the icing
Obviously the radio fears my writing
But my ideas are frightening
So I'm still stuck in the layer cake, taking my chances
They're trying to put me in another box: "grime artist"
And I'm trying to see the cream in the middle
That's the money I ain't just speaking in riddles
I ain't trying to be part-time dealing a little
Or trying to see hard times, stealing in LIDLs
But things just ain't what they seem, I'm on the grind like banner said
From pirates to mainstream, and still not that ahead
Feel I should knock it on the head
Cause I'm in the industry man, in England
Where I never sell more than an indie band
You don't even wanna know the ins and outs
But let me tell you how it goes down
[Hook]

[Verse 3: Kano]
Layers and Layers of bullshit, the game's fucked up
But you've gotta play it, you can’t pause it
And you can’t forfeit, as an up-and-coming emcee
Trying to bust but your pockets' empty
I work hard, never a night off
Watch "Fabulous Life of..." and see all things that I want
But I don’t think UK's ready
My tune's on heavy rotation cause it’s got Mike on
Ever since So Solid dropped, "21 seconds", the charts ain't really had anyone reppin'
So can you get to the top of the tops? "Pow"
#11: still no Top of the Pops. How?
Said I’d probably get nominated
No disrespect to Lamar but I think I should have gone to take it
But fuck this, fuck the Brits, get pissed take the piss out of this Paris Hilton bitch
Cause I don’t belong here
I’ve come a long way it’s been a long year
And I’m so near but yet so far
Climbing the ladder to this rarefied atmosphere...
Welcome to the layer cake...
(it's the layer cake) son
(ooh yeah) (it's the layer cake)
(ooh yeah) (it's the layer cake)
Welcome to the layer son