[Intro: Kanye West]

Yo, G, they can't stop me from rapping, can they?

Can they, Hop?

[Chorus: Kanye West, Chaka Khan]

Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall

(I spit it through the wire, man)

For a chance to be with you

I'd gladly risk it all

(There's too much stuff on my heart right now, man)

Through the fire (I'd gladly risk it all right now)

Through whatever, come what may (It's a life-or-death situation, man)

For a chance at loving you (Y'all, y'all don't really understand how I feel right now, man)

I'd take it all the way

(It's your boy Kanye to the...)

Right down to the wire

(Chi-town, what's goin' on?)

Even through the fire

[Verse 1: Kanye West]

I drink a Boost for breakfast, an Ensure for dessert

Somebody ordered pancakes, I just sip the sizzurp

That right there could drive a sane man berserk

Not to worry, Mr. H-to-the-Izzo's back to wi-zerk

How can you console my mom or give her light support

When you're telling her her son on life support?

And just imagine how my girl feel

On the plane, scared as hell that her guy look like Emmett Till

She was with me before the deal, she'd been trying to be mine

She a Delta, so she'd been throwing that Dynasty sign

No use in me tryin' to be lyin', I been tryin' to be signed

Tryin' to be a millionaire, how I used two lifelines

In the same hospital where B.I.G. and 2Pac died

The doctor said I had blood clots, but I ain't Jamaican, man

Story on MTV and I ain't trying to make a band

I swear this right here, history in the making, man

[Chorus: Kanye West, Chaka Khan]

Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall (I really apologize for everything right now if it's unclear at all, man)

For a chance to be with you (They got my mouth wired shut for like I dunno)

I'd gladly risk it all (The doctor said like six weeks, y'know he had, I had reconstructive surgery on my jaw)

Through the fire

Through whatever, come what may

(I looked in the mirror)

For a chance at loving you

(And half my jaw was in the back of my mouth, man, I couldn't believe it)

I'd take it all the way (But I'm still here for y'all right now, man)

Right down to the wire (This what I got to say right here, dawg)

Even through the fire (Yeah, yeah, turn me up, yeah, up)

[Verse 2: Kanye West]

What if somebody from the Chi' that was ill got a deal

On the hottest rap label around?

But he wasn't talking about coke and birds

It was more like spoken word

Except he's really putting it down?

And he explained the story about how blacks came from glory

And what we need to do in the game

Good dude, bad night, right place, wrong time

In the blink of a eye, his whole life changed

If you could feel how my face felt

You would know how Mase felt

Thank God I ain't too cool for the safe belt

I swear to God, Driver 2 wants to sue

I got a lawyer for the case to keep what's in my safe safe

My dawgs couldn't tell if I...

I looked like Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky

All they heard was I was in an accident like GEICO

They thought I was burnt up like Pepsi did Michael

I must got a angel, ‘cause look how death missed his ass

Unbreakable, what, you thought they'd call me Mr. Glass?

Look back on my life like the Ghost of Christmas Past

Toys "R" Us where I used to spend that Christmas cash

And I still won't grow up, I'm a grown-ass kid

Swear I should be locked up for stupid shit that I did

But I'm a champion, so I turned tragedy to triumph

Make music that's fire, spit my soul through the wire (Woo!)

[Chorus: Kanye West, Chaka Khan]

Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall (Y'know what I'm saying?)

For a chance to be with you (When the doctor told me I had, um, that I was gonna have to have a plate in my chin, I said)

I'd gladly risk it all ("Dawg, don't you realize I'll never make it on a plane now?")

Through the fire ("It's bad enough I got all this jewelry on!")

Through whatever, come what may

For a chance at loving you (She can't be serious, man)

I'd take it all the way

Right down to the wire

Even through the fire

[Outro: Elton John]

I'm still standing better than I ever did

Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid

I'm still standing after all this time

Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind

I'm still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah

I'm still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah