Kanye West - Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1
[Intro: Pastor T.L. Barrett / Choir & Future]
You're the only power (Power)
You're the only power that can
You're the only power (Power)
You're the only power that can
Oh, oh, oh, father...
(If young Metro don't trust you, I'm gon' shoot you)
[Pre-Chorus: Kid Cudi & Pastor T.L. Barrett / Choir]
Beautiful mornin', you're the sun in my mornin', babe
Who can I turn to?
Nothin' unwanted
After all, who can I turn to?
Beautiful mornin', you're the sun in my mornin', babe
If I don't turn to you
Nothin' unwanted
No other help I know, I stretch my hands
[Chorus: Kanye West & Pastor T.L. Barrett / Choir]
I just wanna feel liberated, I-I, na-na-na
Who can I turn to?
I just wanna feel liberated, I-I, na-na-na
After all, who can I turn to?
If I ever instigated, I am sorry
If I don't turn to you
Tell me who in here could relate, I-I-I
No other help I know, I stretch my hands
On “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1,” Kanye reflects on an argument he had with a girl he loves. By the end of the verse, he realizes nothing else matters but waking up next to her every morning. Stretching one’s hands out is a common image of prayer and supplication. As in the opening sample, Kanye is expressing a desire to submit to God’s will despite his own pride. This song is one of the songs that popularized Metro’s tag. "What has Chance the Rapper, who is a credited writer, said about the song?" In an interview with Complex, Chance was asked if he wrote the “bleached asshole” line. After replying that he hadn’t written the line, Chance said the following: "‘Ye is a comedian in a lot of ways. He writes stuff that is painfully funny and painfully true. And that’s why you respect comedy and that’s why you respect his work. His best lines are lines that are just funny, whether it’s, like, a word being mispronounced, or a weird take on something that a lot of people wouldn’t necessarily say out loud—not making light of [it], but in a clever way exposing something that’s socially wrong, you know?'" “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1” was certified 3x platinum by the RIAA on September 23rd, 2020.