Jesus Walks - Composition

Composition

"Jesus Walks" is a mid-tempo hip-hop song. It is set in common time with a moderate tempo of 87 beats per minute and composed in the key of E-flat minor. The song expresses a potent, pulsing rhythm reminiscent of a marching band, accompanied by baritone background vocal samples from the ARC Choir's arrangement of the traditional gospel song "Walk With Me, which emit a chant in cadence to the beat. Because of these elements, the composition has been widely described as evoking a militaristic atmosphere. The song begins with a medium tempo followed by its backing vocals and choral arrangement. After West's brief opening dialog, a drumroll sounds and the song's titular hook (an arrangement by Curtis Lundy of the traditional gospel song "Walk With Me")is belted by the ARC (Addicts Rehabilitation Center) choir coupled with the chorus while its melody is laced with auto-tune-processed gospel wails. Over time the song amasses itself, exhibiting multi-tracked violin flourishes and momentary vocal solos, gradually growing in intensity before peaking and immediately dissipating. The song repeats this process several times until it fades away completely at its conclusion.

The militant soundscape of "Jesus Walks" is complemented by its lyrical nuances. In the intro, the voice of a drill sergeant initiates the song with a "Order Arms" and is answered by a squad of soldiers who shout "1-2-3-4!" This exchange is followed by West's opening lines, where he declares, "we are at war with ourselves." West retains a considerable amount of dynamics in his rap delivery, as his flow features constant shifts in cadence, pitch, and volume over the simplistic rhythm. During the chorus, his voice builds in intensity in conjunction with the similarly swelling track, and peaks and fades away just before it follows suit. He also employs various rhyme schemes and phrasal techniques, at one point even using a call-and-response pattern.

For the official remix of "Jesus Walks," West had the opportunity to work with Mase, who had then recently come out of retirement from being a minister to deliver a new verse. Mase spoke positively following the collaboration, saying, "I appreciate people like, people that dare to be different. Hip-hop is supposed to be an avenue of expression, and people are supposed to be able to express what they feel, what they believe." The remix was later released on a bonus disc within his The College Dropout Video Anthology compilation DVD with an additional verse provided by Common.