Released: April 24, 2006
Songwriter: David Foster Kanye West Cynthia Weil Tom Keane
Producer: Kanye West
[Intro (Over Chorus): Kanye West & Audience]
Now if the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Throw your diamonds in the air
If the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Throw your diamonds in the air
If the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Throw your diamonds in the air
If the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Throw your diamonds in the air, keep your diamonds in the air
Your diamonds in the air, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah
[Chorus: Chaka Khan]
Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall
For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk–
Through the fire, through whatever, come what–
For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all–
Right down to the wire, 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 wizz-ork
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 tryna be mine
She a Delta, so she'd been throwin' that Dynasty sign
No use in me tryna be lyin', I been tryna be signed
Tryin' to be a millionaire, how 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 a 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
[Interlude (Over Chorus): Kanye West]
Yeah, through the limits, to the wall
If y'all know this, sing along with it
What? I hear you, I hear you, I hear you
Through the– uh, through whatever, come
I can't hit that note either, fam
Yeah
Uh, uh, question
[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's 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 y'all 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 two wanna sue
There's 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 on Vanilla Sky, it was televised
It's been an accident like GEICO
Y'all 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?
I 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 we turned tragedy to triumph
Make music that's fire, spit my soul through the wire
[Chorus: Chaka Khan]
Through the fire, to the limit, to the–
For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it–
Through the fire, through whatever, come what–
For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way
Right down to the wire, even through the fire
[Outro (Over Chorus): Kanye West & Audience]
Yeah, say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Now throw your diamonds in the air
If the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Keep your diamonds in the air
If the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Now keep your diamonds in the air
If the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Keep your diamonds in the air, keep your diamonds in the air
Your diamonds in the air, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah
Now if the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Throw your diamonds in the air
If the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Throw your diamonds in the air
If the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Throw your diamonds in the air
If the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Throw your diamonds in the air, keep your diamonds in the air
Your diamonds in the air, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah
[Chorus: Chaka Khan]
Through the fire, to the limit, to the wall
For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk–
Through the fire, through whatever, come what–
For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all–
Right down to the wire, 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 wizz-ork
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 tryna be mine
She a Delta, so she'd been throwin' that Dynasty sign
No use in me tryna be lyin', I been tryna be signed
Tryin' to be a millionaire, how 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 a 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
[Interlude (Over Chorus): Kanye West]
Yeah, through the limits, to the wall
If y'all know this, sing along with it
What? I hear you, I hear you, I hear you
Through the– uh, through whatever, come
I can't hit that note either, fam
Yeah
Uh, uh, question
[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's 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 y'all 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 two wanna sue
There's 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 on Vanilla Sky, it was televised
It's been an accident like GEICO
Y'all 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?
I 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 we turned tragedy to triumph
Make music that's fire, spit my soul through the wire
[Chorus: Chaka Khan]
Through the fire, to the limit, to the–
For a chance to be with you, I'd gladly risk it–
Through the fire, through whatever, come what–
For a chance at loving you, I'd take it all the way
Right down to the wire, even through the fire
[Outro (Over Chorus): Kanye West & Audience]
Yeah, say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Now throw your diamonds in the air
If the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Keep your diamonds in the air
If the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Now keep your diamonds in the air
If the Roc is in the buildin', say, "Hell yeah" (Hell yeah)
Keep your diamonds in the air, keep your diamonds in the air
Your diamonds in the air, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah
Late Orchestration
- Gold Digger (AOL Sessions)
- Late (Live at Abbey Road Studios)
- Gone (Live at Abbey Road Studios)
- Bring Me Down (Live at Abbey Road Studios)
- All Falls Down (Live at Abbey Road Studios)
- Heard ’Em Say (Live at Abbey Road Studios)
- Workout Plan (Live at Abbey Road Studios)
- Through the Wire (Live at Abbey Road Studios)
- Drive Slow (Live at Abbey Road Studios)
- Crack Music (Live at Abbey Road Studios)
- Touch the Sky (Live at Abbey Road Studios)
- Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Live at Abbey Road Studios)
- Jesus Walks (Live at Abbey Road Studios)
- Late Orchestration (2006)