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I was born in the forest with my boy Lew
Growing up I learned science at Roosevelt's zoo
Dined with the devil then got my life on track
Made a lot of money and never gave any back
Now I'm retired and brush shoulders with rappers
I'll die in Jamaica surrounded by nappers

Hint:

My friends and I beat knaves, kings, and mimes
Best to stand clear when you hear my chimes

Hint 2:

I'm surprised there is such a delay in solving this riddle. It was meant to be the express version!

Hint 3:

Finally figured out how to tag this riddle: "large", "pomaceous"

Hint 4:

Hint in response to @jmoriarty's guess

My name is not spoken by pirates, @jmoriarty!
But my friends and I do initial a Mr. Roy G.

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  • $\begingroup$ Hi! Welcoming to Puzzling! I tend to suggest riddles do some sort of play on words or reference to the final answer in a riddle to help confirm the answer. $\endgroup$
    – n_plum
    May 23, 2017 at 18:23
  • $\begingroup$ Are you referring to the title? It is related to the content of the riddle :) $\endgroup$
    – Eric
    May 23, 2017 at 18:24
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Well then, I've already been deceived! $\endgroup$
    – n_plum
    May 23, 2017 at 18:26
  • $\begingroup$ Added a tag. If not required, kindly remove. $\endgroup$
    – Techidiot
    May 23, 2017 at 18:58
  • $\begingroup$ Sounds like it could be some sort of name that fits various lines.. E.g Clark to go with Lewis in a forest. $\endgroup$
    – n_plum
    May 25, 2017 at 17:26

2 Answers 2

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Answer:

A (New York City Subway service).

Not sure how to tag this riddle

I imagine a train, especially a moving one, would be quite challenging to tag (graffiti).

I was born in the forest with my boy Lew

The A-line begins in Inwood, Manhatten. Inwood sounds like "in wood", hence "in the forest". Not sure about the "with my boy Lew" part.

Growing up I learned science at Roosevelt's zoo

The A-line passes the American Museum of Natural History, situated in Theodore Roosevelt Park.

Dined with the devil then got my life on track

The A-line has a stop in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan.

Made a lot of money and never gave any back

The A-line has a stop in Financial District, Manhattan.

Now I'm retired and brush shoulders with rappers

In Brooklyn, the A-line briefly crosses the path of the J/Z-line. From these letters we may be brushing shoulders with rappers Jay Z and AZ.

I'll die in Jamaica surrounded by nappers

One of three potential final stops for the A-line is in Rockaway Park, which borders Jamaica Bay. The depot for the A-line is the Pitkin Yard, though there is a depot called the Jamaica Yard. Train tracks rest on railway sleepers, hence "surrounded by nappers".

My friends and I beat knaves, kings, and mimes

"My friends and I" are the trains using the IND Eighth Avenue Line: A, C, E. In most card games an ace is ranked higher than a knave or a king. Not sure what a mime is.

Best to stand clear when you hear my chimes

When you hear the whistle of a train approaching you are told to 'stand clear'.

I'm surprised there is such a delay in solving this riddle. It was meant to be the express version!

The A-line's full name is the "A Eighth Avenue Express".

Finally figured out how to tag this riddle: "large", "pomaceous"

The Big Apple (New York).

My name is not spoken by pirates, @jmoriarty!
But my friends and I do initial a Mr. Roy G.

So, not the R-line, as I previously thought. Mr. Roy G. appears to be an illusion to ROYGBIV, a common acronym for the sequence of hues in a rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). The colour of the IND Eighth Avenue Line trains is blue. Alternatively, IND are the first three letters of indigo.

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  • $\begingroup$ You are so close! It is another trainline that is not the R. The correct answer fits these hints better: I was born in the forest with my boy Lew, Growing up I learned science at Roosevelt's zoo, Now I'm retired and brush shoulders with rappers, My friends and I beat knaves, kings, and mimes $\endgroup$
    – Eric
    Jun 10, 2017 at 7:33
  • $\begingroup$ @Eric I've updated my answer to reflect your most recent hint. Still can't figure out the "rapper" and "Jamaica" clues. $\endgroup$
    – jmoriarty
    Jun 25, 2017 at 8:49
  • $\begingroup$ You got it! It looks like you figured out the rapper and Jamaica clues in your edits. The nappers part is a reference to the people still on the train at the end. $\endgroup$
    – Eric
    Jun 25, 2017 at 18:57
  • $\begingroup$ @Eric Can you explain the "my boy Lew" and "mimes" parts? $\endgroup$
    – jmoriarty
    Jun 25, 2017 at 19:56
  • $\begingroup$ Lew Alcindor is the birth name of famous athlete born in Inwood (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Mimes are the joker card in a deck. I will admit that one is a bit of a stretch to get a rhyme. $\endgroup$
    – Eric
    Jun 26, 2017 at 1:27
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Partial:

You are

Usain Bolt

I was born in the forest with my boy Lew:

According to Wiki, Bolt was born in "Sherwood." Not sure about Lew.

Growing up I learned science at Roosevelt's zoo:

Something about the White House. Apparently Teddy Roosevelt had quite the menagerie.

Dined with the devil before getting my life on track

He runs track. Don't know about the devil.

Made a lot of money and never gave any back:

Was never busted for steroids, so got to keep his winnings

Now I'm retired and brush shoulders with rappers

He did meet his idol JayZ recently, who also sings "brush your shoulders off"

I'll die in Jamaica surrounded by nappers

He is from Jamaica, a fitting place for him to die

Title:

Fast people are hard to tag.

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  • $\begingroup$ A good attempt! Your guess for one of the clues is correct, but the solution is not very close to your guess. $\endgroup$
    – Eric
    May 23, 2017 at 20:03
  • $\begingroup$ Dang. Thought I was on to something. Some of it fit really well, but the rest was a super weird fit. $\endgroup$
    – Forklift
    May 23, 2017 at 20:10

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