Father Stretch My Hands

"Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1"
Single by Kanye West
from the album The Life of Pablo
ReleasedJune 7, 2016 (2016-06-07)
Recorded2015–2016
Genre
Length2:16
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Kanye West singles chronology
"That Part"
(2016)
"Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1"
(2016)
"Champions"
(2016)
"Pt. 2"
Single by Kanye West
from the album The Life of Pablo
ReleasedJune 7, 2016 (2016-06-07)
Recorded2015–2016
Genre
Length2:10
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Kanye West
  • Menace
  • Rick Rubin
Kanye West singles chronology
"That Part"
(2016)
"Pt. 2"
(2016)
"Champions"
(2016)

"Father Stretch My Hands" are songs by American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). They are split into two parts on the album: "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" and "Pt. 2". "Pt. 1" contains vocals by American rapper Kid Cudi and American R&B singer Kelly Price, while "Pt. 2" includes vocals from American rapper Desiigner and American musician Caroline Shaw. Prior to release, the latter was played by West for Desiigner when the two met.

On June 7, 2016, both parts of "Father Stretch My Hands" were sent to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations through GOOD Music and Def Jam as a two-part single, standing as the second single from The Life of Pablo. Both parts of the song sample gospel musician and preacher T. L. Barrett's track "Father I Stretch My Hands"; "Pt. 2" remixes Desiigner's song "Panda" and features a sample of a sound clip from the 1991 video game Street Fighter II. West raps about models in his "Pt. 1" verse and delivers confessions in his "Pt. 2" verse.

"Father Stretch My Hands" received general acclaim from music critics, with praise mostly being directed towards the T. L. Barrett sample and Metro Boomin’s producer tag placement in "Pt. 1" and West's verse on "Pt. 2". The former was listed among the best songs of 2016 by multiple publications, including Complex and HipHopDX. It was an Award-Winning R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap Song at the 2017 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards, and was among the 35 Most Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at the 2017 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. Both parts of the song charted in the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Canada in 2016. "Pt. 1" and "Pt. 2" have since been certified sextuple platinum and platinum, respectively, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States, while both respective parts have been certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the United Kingdom.

A reinterpretation of "Pt. 1", produced by West, was released under the title of "Father Stretch" on Sunday Service Choir's debut studio album, Jesus Is Born (2019). It lacks sexually explicit lyrics and includes more elements of the gospel than the original. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. The majority of them commented on the song's development of the original, while some critics noted its appeal to certain audiences. The song peaked at number ten on the US Billboard Gospel Songs chart in 2020.