Songfacts®:

• This song finds an Auto-Tuned Kanye West bellowing about feeling imprisoned about his failure to live an upright and honest life. Yeezy knows he will trip up again and again in his Christian walk and would head for hell if it wasn't for God posting bail; the Lord has made the payment for us all by sending his son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.
• The song starts off with a double meaning.
  
  Take what you want
  Take everything
  Take what you want
  
  Kanye acknowledges to God that everything belongs to Him. Therefore, He can take what he wants.
  
  West is also telling his wife Kim Kardashian he doesn't want a battle during their divorce; she can have everything she wants.
• Later in the song, Kanye reflects on the backlash he has endured for his past controversial remarks. He tells his detractors "we are all liars," and instead of imprisoning him with canceling, they should let it go.
• The song is one of the most-talked-about tracks on the Donda album as it marks the reunion of Kanye West and Jay-Z. In the decade following the pair's much-lauded collaborative album Watch The Throne, Yeezy and Hova had an occasionally strained relationship. Jay-Z's verse on "Jail" marks the first time the two have collaborated on a song since Drake's 2016 single "Pop Style," where Kanye contributed a verse and Jay a two-line bridge.
• During his verse, Jay reflects on his own sinful nature. The rapper says he needs to pray five times a day, like Muslims do, as he commits "so many felonies."
• Jay also hints at the possibility of Watch the Throne 2.
  
  This might be the return of The Throne (Throne)
  Hova and Yeezus, like Moses and Jesus
  You are not in control of my thesis
• West previewed the song during Donda's first listening event at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Audio engineer and producer Young Guru claimed Jay recorded his verse just hours before the event at 4 p.m.
• Kanye West co-produced the electric guitar-laden beat with:
  
  California producer Dem Jointz. He contributed to four Donda tracks in total and also supplied additional vocals on this song.
  
  88-Keys, who first met Kanye in the early 2000s when the two were both living in Newark, New Jersey. His Yeezy credits include the Watch The Throne track "No Church in The Wild" and the Yeezus song "Blood On The Leaves."
  
  Longtime Kanye West collaborator Mike Dean. Following the first listening event, West took up temporary residence in one of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium's locker rooms. He converted it into a recording studio where Dean helped him finish the recording and mixing.
  
  Writing and producing duo Ojivolta (Shawn Mendes "If I Can't Have You," Rosé's "On The Ground").
• West also recorded a polarizing sequel titled "Jail, Pt. 2" featuring controversial rapper DaBaby and contentious rocker Marilyn Manson.
• This won for Best Rap Song at the Grammy Awards in 2022. Ye wasn't at the ceremony (he was taking some time off from public appearances), but he also won Best Melodic Performance for "Hurricane."