[Intro: Kanye West & Chaka Khan]

(Through the test of time)

Yo, Gee, they can't stop me from rappin', can they?

Can they, Hop?

[Chorus: Chaka Khan]

Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall

For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all

Through the fire, through whatever, come what may

For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way

Right down to the wire, even through the fire

[Post-Chorus: Kanye West]

I spit it through the wire, man

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

I'd gladly risk it all right now

It's a life-or-death situation, man

Y'all, y'all don't really understand how I feel right now, man

It's your boy, Kanye To The…

Chi-Town, what's goin' on?

Uh-huh, yeah, yeah

[Verse 1: Kanye West]

I drink a Boost for breakfast, an Ensure for dessert

Somebody order pancakes, I'll just sip the sizzurp

That right there could drive a sane man berserk

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

How do you console my mom, or give her light support

Tellin' her her son's 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 tryna be mine

She a Delta, so she been throwin' that Dynasty sign

No use in me tryna be lyin', I've been tryna be signed

Tryin' to be a millionaire; ha–I used two lifelines

In the same hospital where Biggie Smalls died

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

Story on MTV and I ain't tryna make Da Band

I swear, this, right here, history in the makin', man

[Chorus: Chaka Khan]

Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall

For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all

Through the fire, through whatever, come what may

For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way

Right down to the wire, even through the fire

[Post-Chorus: Kanye West]

I really apologize to everyone right now

If it's unclear at all, man

They got my mouth wired shut

For like… I dunno, the doctor said, like, six weeks

Y'know, he had–I had reconstructive surgery on my jaw

I looked in the mirror–half my jaw was in the back of my mouth, man

I couldn't believe it

But I'm still here for y'all right now, man

This what I got to say right here, dawg

Yeah, turn me up, yeah, uh

[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 talkin' 'bout coke and birds,

It was more like spoken word, 'cept he's really puttin' it down?

And he explained the story 'bout 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 (Mason Betha!)

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

I swear to God, driver two wanna 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, it was televised

"There's been 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 call me Mr. Glass?

Look back on my life like the Ghost of Christmas Past (Uh-huh)

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 (Uh-huh! Yeah!)

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

[Chorus: Chaka Khan]

Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall

For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it all

Through the fire, through whatever, come what may

For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way

Right down to the wire, even through the fire

[Post-Chorus: Kanye West]

Y'know what I'm sayin'?

When the doctor told me I had to, um...

I was gonna have to have a plate in my chin...

I said, "Dawg, don't you realize I'll never make it on a plane now?

It's bad enough I got all this jewelry on!"

She can't be serious, man

[Outro: Chaka Khan]

–to the limit

Through the fire, through whatever

Through the fire, to the limit

Through the fire, through whatever

Through the fire...

[Produced by Kanye West]