Live Your Life

T.I. · 2008

Listen carefully and fill in the missing words.

    Introduction
What you need to do is be (1) for the life you got
You know what I'm sayin'?
Stop lookin' at what you ain't got
And start being thankful for what you do got

Chorus
You're gonna be, a (2) star
In fancy clothes, and fancy cars
And then you'll see, you're gonna go far
'Cause everyone knows, just who ya are
So live your life (hey, ayy, ayy, ayy)
You steady (3) that paper, just live your life
Ain't got no time for no (4), just live your life
No tellin' where it'll take ya, just live your life
'Cause I'm a paper chaser, just livin' my life

Verse 1
Hey, never mind what haters say, ignore 'em 'til they (5) away
Amazin' they ungrateful after all the game I gave away
Safe to say I paved the way for you cats to get paid today
You'd still be wastin' days away now had I never saved the day
Consider them my (6), homage I think they should pay
Instead of bein' (7) they violate in a major way
I never been a hater, still I love 'em in a crazy way
Some say they sold the yay' you know they couldn't get work on Labor Day
It ain't that black and white, it has an area the shade of gray
I'm Westside anyway, even if I left today and stayed away
Some move away to make a way, not move away 'cause they afraid
I brought back to the hood, and all you ever did was take away
I pray for patience but they make me wanna melt they face away
Like I once made 'em spray, now I could make 'em put the K's away
Been (8) all my life, can't say I don't deserve to take a break
You'd rather see me catch a case and watch my future fade away

[Chorus]

Verse 2
I'm the opposite of moderate, immaculately (9) with
The spirit of a hustla and the swagger of a college kid
Allergic to the counterfeit, impartial to the politics
Articulate, but still'll grab a nigga by the collar quick
Whoever havin' problems with their record sales just holler Tip
If that don't work and all else fails then turn around and follow Tip
I got love for the game, but ayy I'm not in love with all of it
Could do without the fame, and rappers nowadays are (10)
The hootin' and the hollerin', back and forth with the arguin'
Where you from, who you know, what you make and what kind of car you in
Seems as though you lost sight of what's important when depositin'
Them checks into your bank account, and you up out of poverty
Your values is a disarray, (11) horribly
Unhappy with the riches 'cause you're piss poor morally
Ignorin' all prior advice and forewarnin'
And we mighty full of ourselves all of a sudden, aren't we?

[Chorus]

Bridge
Got everybody watchin' what I do, come walk in my shoes
And see the way I'm livin' if you really want to
Got my mind on my money
And I'm not goin' away
So keep on gettin' your paper, and keep on (12)
Look in the (13), and keep on shinin' (shinin')
'Til the game ends, 'til the clock stop
We gon' post up on the top spot
Livin' the life, the life
In the Windmill City got my whole team with me
The life, my life
I do it how I wanna do
I'm livin' my life, my life
I will never lose
I'm livin' my life, my life
And I'm not (14)
  

Live Your Life

T.I. · 2008

ClassPlan.ai

Song Worksheets

Word Family Tree

Complete the word family for each root word. Fill in all four forms where they exist. Some forms may not exist or may be the same.

1. grateful
noun: verb: adj:

2. motivate
noun: verb: adj:

3. success
noun: verb: adj:

4. create
noun: verb: adj:

5. patience
noun: verb: adj:

Song Diary Entry

Write a diary entry (60-80 words) from T.I.'s perspective the night after recording this song. Capture his thoughts about the message he wants to share.

Think about what motivated him to write these lyrics and how he feels about the impact he hopes the song will have.

Did you know?

Read these facts about the song. Which one surprises you most?

🎵The song features Rihanna on the chorus and reached number 1 in multiple countries including the US, UK, and Canada.
⭐T.I. wrote the motivational introduction after visiting troops in Iraq, wanting to inspire gratitude for life's blessings.
🎸The track samples 'Dragostea Din Tei' by O-Zone, the Romanian pop song that became a global internet meme.
📀This was T.I.'s second number 1 hit as a lead artist and spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
🎤The song's message about appreciating what you have resonated globally during the 2008 financial crisis period.

Discussion & analysis

Discuss each question with your partner.

1How does T.I. contrast material success with moral values throughout the song?
2What role does gratitude play in the rapper's philosophy of living authentically?

3When have you had to choose between what others expected and staying true to yourself?
4Can someone be truly successful while 'prioritizing horribly' as T.I. suggests some rappers do?

🎨 Play It! — Draw It!

Student comes to the board and draws — no letters, words, or numbers. They must draw the song title or artist name. Class guesses. Set a 60-second timer for each turn.