I am not throwing away my shot I am not throwing away my shot Hey yo, I'm just like my country I'm young, scrappy and hungry And I'm not throwing away my shot I'ma get a scholarship to King's College I prob'ly shouldn't brag, but dag, I amaze and astonish The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish I gotta holler just to be heard With every word, I drop knowledge I'm a diamond in the rough, a shiny piece of coal Tryin' to reach my goal my power of speech, unimpeachable Only nineteen but my mind is older These New York City streets get colder, I shoulder Every burden, every disadvantage I have learned to manage, I don't have a gun to brandish I walk these streets famished The plan is to fan this spark into a flame But damn, it's getting dark, so let me spell out the name I am the A-L-E-X-A-N-D-E-R we are meant to be A colony that runs independently Meanwhile, Britain keeps shittin' on us endlessly