[Verse One]
I'd like to tell a story and it goes like this
Before I was makin money hand over fist
The mid-80's is what I'm talkin about
You will agree without a reasonable doubt
As I tell this tale, sittin on a pail
This is one you'll like when it's done
Only certain people know about Union Square
The Rooftop, Latin Quarter, cause I was there
Red Alert downtown, Brucie Bee uptown
Grandmaster Vic had a different sound
You had block parties, with free gifts
Mr. Magic and Marley gave radio a lift
You don't understand, but we do
That's why I'm tryin to explain it to you
So sit back and listen, to what I say
As I tell the story of this beautiful day[Chorus: sampled]
"We'll go dancing in the dark" - HEY!
"Walking through the park, and reminiscing"
BREAK IT ON DOWN![Verse Two]
Before Versace and DKNY
There was a lot of clothes that was fly
Like Polo, Benetton, Coca-Cola and Osh Kosh
Guess jeans and others that's acid washed
D.C. wore K-Swiss and Sergio {?}Vertini
Girls wore tennis skirts, that was mini
Spot{?}, Ewings, {?}
New Balance, Fila, Nike and Elites
African clothes and medallions was worn
And when Rakim came out, knowledge was born
In the midst of it all, I almost forgot
There was a brother uptown makin his own spot
Makin Gucci, leather and suede tailor made
That had more flavor than mom's Kool-Aid
I'm gonna tell you, the name of this man
He goes by the name of the Dapper Dan[Chorus][Verse Three]
See at this time, you might think I'm strange
Cause I wore a four-finger ring, and big gold chains
Like I was Mr. T from the A-Team
It was just a sign of me makin cream
But the cars and jeeps