Album: Late Registration (2005)

Charted: 8 43

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• Diamonds are forever (forever, forever)
  Throw your diamonds in the sky if you feel the vibe
  Diamonds are forever (forever, forever)
  The Roc is still alive every time I rhyme (forever)
  Forever ever? Forever ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever?
  Ever, ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever?
  
  Good mornin', this ain't Vietnam still
  People lose hands, legs, arms, for real
  Little was known of Sierra Leone
  And how it connect to the diamonds we own
  When I speak of diamonds in this song
  I ain't talkin' about the ones that be glowin'
  I'm talkin' about Roc-a-Fella, my home
  My chain, these ain't conflict diamonds
  Is they Jacob? Don't lie to me, man
  See, a part of me sayin' "Keep shining"
  How? When I know what a blood diamond is
  Though it's thousands of miles away
  Sierra Leone connects to what we go through today
  Over here it's a drug trade, we die from drugs
  Over there they die from what we buy from drugs
  The diamonds, the chains, the bracelets, the charmses
  I thought my Jesus-piece was so harmless
  'Til I seen a picture of a shorty armless
  And here's the conflict
  It's in a black person soul to rock that gold
  Spend your whole life trying to get that ice
  Bought a Polo rugby, it looks so nice
  How can somethin' so wrong make me feel so right?
  Right? 'Fore I beat myself up like Ike
  You can still throw your Roc-a-Fella diamond tonight because
  
  Diamonds are forever (forever, forever)
  Throw your diamonds in the sky if you feel the vibe
  Diamonds are forever (forever, forever)
  The Roc is still alive every time I rhyme (forever)
  Forever ever? Forever ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever?
  Ever, ever? Ever, ever? Ever, ever? (Uh)
  
  People asking me is I'm gon' give my chain back (uh)
  That'll be the same day I give the game back (uh)
  You know the next question dawg, "Yo, where Dame at?" (Uh)
  This track the Indian dance that bring our rain back (woo)
  "What's up with you and Jay, man? (Woo)
  Are y'all okay, man?"
  
  Yup, I got it from here, 'Ye, damn
  The chain remains, the gang is intact (uh-huh)
  The name is mine, I'll take blame for that
  The pressure's on, but guess who ain't gon' crack?
  Pardon me, I had to laugh at that
  How could you falter when you're the Rock of Gibraltar?
  I had to get off the boat so I could walk on water
  This ain't no tall order, this is nothin' to me
  Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week
  I do this in my sleep
  I sold (so?), I'm guessin' I can sell CDs
  I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man
  Let me handle my business, damn
  Kanyeez you got me, Freeway then Foxy
  YG's, Teairra Mari, Peedi watch me
  Bleek could be one hit away his whole career
  As long as I'm alive, he's a millionaire
  And even if I die, he's in my will somewhere
  So he could just kick back and chill somewhere
  Oh, yeah, he don't even have to write rhymes
  The Dynasty like my money, last three lifetimes
  Shirley Bassey's in the rear saying exactly
  What I've been saying practically my whole career
  A diamond is forever, I've been minin' this forever
  Now the Louis Vuitton Don's timin' couldn't be better
  People lined up to see the Titanic sinkin'
  Instead we rose from the ash like a phoenix
  If you're waitin' for the end of the Dynasty sign
  It would seem like forever is a mighty long time
  (I'm Young)
  
  Good night Writer/s: Andre Benjamin, Antwan Patton, David Sheats, Devon Harris, Don Black, John Barry, Kanye West
  Publisher: BMG Rights Management, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 12

• Marissa from Akron, Ohthis is a really good song but the part that goes "forever ever forever ever?" and gets really high pitched is annoying. but the fact that it's a rap song that actually has a meaning beyond criminal activity, self-indulgent lifestyle and promiscuous women makes up for any part of it that might be annoying.
• Zul from Cotonou, BeninGood morning this aint vietnam still....
• Musicmama from New York, NyI like this song a lot, and find it interesting that it charted higher in the UK than in the US. In some weird way, I think of this song as an updated, dystopian version of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds." Maybe that's what the Brits like about it. Great song that shows Kanye isn't "just a rapper," although I don't think there's anything wrong with a musician being that.
• Victor from Palm Desert, CaGreat song! its about time a REAL rapper comes and saves hippity hop. BIG ups to kanye, lupe, talib kweli, mos def, and common.
• Nikki from Chicago, IlDevo Springsteen (Devon Harris) won a 2006 Grammy Award for producing "Diamonds are Forever (From Sierra Leone)" and it was his idea to use Shirley Bassey's track (she has no case because she doesn't own the rights to the song, they got the proper permission to use the song, she was just merely the singer on the original, not the writer). Devo Springsteen is also Kanye West's first cousin who was also John Legend's college roommate. Devo is the one who introduced John Legend to Kanye West, and they started working together, they both were very instrumental in the discovery of eachother's careers.
• Nikki from Chicago, IlKanye got the idea for the remix and to touch the topic of "Blood Diamonds" after Q-Tip (of a Tribe Called Quest) came to his studio one day and told Kanye about the diamond trade.
• Nikki from Chicago, IlThe original version is about Rocafella Records after the rumors of the Dynasty ending, and he is letting everyone know that The Dynasty lasts forever (The symbol for the Dynasty is a Diamond shape, just like the Delta's use as their sign)----The remix, however, talks about the Diamonds from Sierra Leone, until Jay-Z does his verse. The video for the original does shine light on the coldness of the diamond trade and how many children in Africa were murdered or got limbs cut off as a result, many people lost blood because of the diamonds.
• Australia from Aggieland, TxActually Ben, if you listen to the remix of the song he clearly discusses exactly what Lauren has described. This version is rarely on the radio though (@ least where I'm from)!
• Ben from Nyc, Msit cant. it can s**k, but it can't be political. Duran Duran is more talented than "Kanye West"
• Andrew from Batavia, IlShirley Bassey became very angry with Kanye West by using her song "Diamonds Are Forever" in the chorus without asking her permission.
• Christina from Nor*cal, Caand who said rap couldnt be politcal.
• Lauren from Hobart, AustraliaIn this song Kanye is actually referring to how in the african country Sierra Leone young children in mine fields often loose limbs and risk death in order to create the gold needed for bling bling that many rappers wear, and kanye is describing how he once thought wearing these jewels were harmless but children on the other side of the world are forced to risk these elements for welthy materialistic celebrities.

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