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I'll Fly Away/Spaceship

Lyrics

I'll Fly Away

-Albert E. Brumley

 

One glad morning
When this life is over
I'll fly away
To a land where
Joy shall never end
I'll fly away

Oh I'll fly away oh glory
I'll fly away
When I die Hallelujah bye and bye
I'll fly away

 

Spaceship

[Hook x2]
I've been workin' this graveshift and I ain't made shit
I wish I could buy me a spaceship and fly past the sky

[Verse 1: Kanye West]
If my manager insults me again
I will be assaulting him
After I fuck the manager up
Then I'm gonna shorten the register up
Let's go back, back to the Gap
Look at my check, wasn't no scratch
So if I stole, wasn't my fault
Yeah I stole, never got caught
They take me to the back and pat me
Askin' me about some khakis
But let some black people walk in
I bet you they show off their token blackie
Oh now they love Kanye, let's put him all in the front of the store
So I'm on break next to the "No Smokin'" sign with a blunt in the mall
Takin' my hits, writing my hits
Writin' my rhymes, playin' my mind
This fuckin' job can't help him
So I quit, y'all welcome
Y'all don't know my struggle
Y'all can't match my hustle
You can't catch my hustle
You can't fathom my love dude
Lock yourself in a room doing 5 beats a day for 3 summers
That's a Different World like Cree Summer's
I deserve to do these numbers
"The kid that made that deserves that Maybach!"
So many records in my basement
I'm just waiting on my spaceship

[Hook]

[Verse 2: GLC]
And I didn't even try to work a job
Represent the mob
At the same time thirsty on the grind
Chi state of mind
Lost my momma, lost my mind
Life my love, that's not mine
"Why you ain't signed?"
Wasn't my time
Leave me alone, work for y'all
Half of it's yours, half of it's mine
Only one to ball
Never one to fall
Got to get mine
Got to take mine
Got a Tec-9
Reach my prime
Got to make these haters respect mine
In the mall until 12 when my schedule had said 9
Putting them pants on shelves
Waiting patiently I ask myself
Where I want to go, where I want to be
Life is much more than running in the streets
Holla at 'Ye, hit me with the beat
Put me on my feet
Sound so sweet
Yes I'm the same ol' G, same goatee
Staying low key, nope
Holler at God "Man why'd you have to take my folks?"
Hope to see Freddie G., Yusef G
Love my G, Rolly G
Police watch me smoke my weed, count my G's
Got a lot of people counting on me
And I'm just trying to find my peace
Should've finished school like my niece
Then I finally wouldn't use my piece (blaw!)

[Hook]

[Verse 3: Consequence]
I remember having to take the dollar cab
Coming home real late at night
Standing on my feet all damn day
Trying to make this thing right
And having one of my co-workers say "Yo, you look just like
This kid I seen in an old Busta Rhymes video the other night"
Well easy come, easy go, how that saying goes
No more broad service, cars, and them TV shows
I had all that snatched from me
A&Rs and they faculties all turn their back on me
And didn't want to hear a rap from me
So naturally actually had to face things factually
Had to be a catastrophe with the fridges staring back at me
Cause nothing's there, nothing's fair
I don't want to ever go back there
So I won't be taking no days off 'til my spaceship takes off

[Hook]

[Outro: Tony Williams]
I want to fly, I want to fly
I said I want my chariot to pick me up
And take me, brother, for a ride

Analysis

"I'll Fly Away" is a well known Gospel song, and mostly sung in Church. So what's it doing on West's album "The College Dropout?"

This track, which is featured just before "Spaceship" on the album, creates the idea in which West wants to fly away, leaving his earthly problems from boyhood behind him. This is similar to the belief in life beyond death, or Heaven. 

These two songs which represent escaping life are then followed by the Spiritual rap connection "Jesus Walks." Do these three songs in succession contain West's spiritual messgae? Yes. 

Beginning with the spiritual Gospel song"I'll fly away" sets up the next song to hit another level of meaning. On the surface spaceship is about wanting to leave the troubles of Chicago behind once grown; by playing "I'll Fly Away" before it adds a much more religious meaning. This religious hymn creates a sense of wanting to transcend it all and fly onto a new life in Heaven.

These two tracks together convey such a strong meaning of needing to escape this worldly life.

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