[Intro: Wyclef Jean & Kenny Rogers]
Yo I'm happy to be in the South
To set off my tour in the countryside
But who better to set it off for me than this man right here
Yo this Kenny Rogers chillin on the country side
With men like Wyclef (uh-huh) Jerry Wonder (uh-huh)
Big Jack (mm-hmm) Big Beast (mm-hmm)
And we gon' do something like this for you

[Chorus: Kenny Rogers & (Wyclef Jean)]
You got to know when to hold 'em (YEAH, YEAH!)
Know when to fold 'em (DJ's, DJ's!)
Know when to walk away (HIP-HOP, HIP-HOP!)
Know when to run.. (YEAH, YEAH!)
You got to count your dubplates (GHETTO, GHETTO)
Before you touch the turntables (ALL HOODS!)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done (Y'ALL READY?)
You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em (soundbwoys)
Know when to walk away
Know when to run (Hey, hey, hey, hey)
You got to count your dub-plates
Before you touch the turntables (DJs)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done
[Verse 1: Pharoahe Monch]
Get the hell up! 'Clef said, get the hell up!
Now throw your hands in the sky (BO! BO! BO! BO!)
Brooklyn in the back shootin' craps, y'all, wassup?
Ladies, lookin' hot and pretty
Doin your thing in the club, House of Diddy
(WORLDWIDE) The gritty committee pity the fool that
Act {shitty} in the midst of the calm, the witty
(You got to know when to hold 'em) Y'all know the name!
Same assassin from before, but the beat just changed a little
Riddle me this, though, who flip flows
That got women in they thongs gettin' it on but not Sisqo?
Select your squad team and ya ain't {shit}
They know my flow muy caliente, fuego
No disrespect to soundbwoys, but you better step away from me
Easily defeat measly MCs and tease you
Ease back, squeeze two in your wig and breeze through

[Chorus: Kenny Rogers & (Wyclef Jean)]
You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em (soundbwoys)
Know when to walk away
Know when to run (Hey, hey, hey, hey)
You got to count your dub-plates
Before you touch the turntables (DJs)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done
[Verse 2: Wyclef Jean & (Pharoahe Monch)]
C'mon, c'mon (Get the hell up!)
Soundbwoys ('Clef said, get the hell up!)
(Now throw your hands in the sky)
Yo, this combination gon' bust from Brooklyn to Shanghai
Feel the boogie-boogie, Henny got me tipsy-tipsy
Kenny Rogers and Pharoahe Monch? No way, this can't be
48 tracks, country meets rap
Put this on full blast, I'm about to break all formats
My destiny is to lead while y'all follow
This is Showtime and I'm Live at the Apollo

[Chorus: Kenny Rogers & (Wyclef Jean)]
You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em (soundbwoys)
Know when to walk away
Know when to run (Hey, hey, hey, hey)
You got to count your dub-plates
Before you touch the turntables (DJs)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done
You got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em (soundbwoys)
Know when to walk away
Know when to run (Hey, hey, hey, hey)
You got to count your dub-plates
Before you touch the turntables (DJs)
'Cause if you run out of big tunes
That means your sound is done