"Don't Know What to Tell Ya" is about a broken relationship. The song contains uncredited samples of "Batwans Beek" by Algerian singer Warda Al-Jazairia and "No Respect" by Kool Moe Dee for a drum pattern. In the song, Aaliyah expresses her view on how a man cannot trust his girlfriend and keeps on comparing her to his previous lover, "Don't compare me to your last one/I can't help that she was a fast one, a sassy one/I'm a classy one". "Don't Know What to Tell Ya" was another hit single for Aaliyah in Europe and Asia, peaking in the top forty in countries such as China, Ireland, and Israel.
The music video for "Don't Know What to Tell Ya" was directed by Marlon Boss and incorporates different scenes from most of Aaliyah's music videos. It received airplay on MTV Base and MTV Germany. There were two versions of the video one for the UK and one for Germany.
Don't Know What to Tell Ya
Aaliyah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, hey, yeah
Ohh
You wanna handcuff me
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
You want my intimacy
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
I swear, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
You want my lock and my key
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
Incarceration's what I'm facin'
When I'm with you
Your watchin' my every move
Tryin' to pick up on some clues
We play twenty questions
Every time I walk in or out the door
What do you bother for? (What do you bother for?)
Get comfortable it's yours
It's gonna take T-R-U-S-T to keep my L-O-V-E (it's gonna take)
It's gonna take T-R-U-S-T to keep my L-O-V-E crackin'
Stressing and second guessing
Me time and time again
We go from lovers back to friends
Got to put this to an end
You wanna handcuff me
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya (I don't know what to tell ya)
You want my intimacy (no)
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
You wanna wall around me
I swear, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
You want my lock and my key
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
No justification for your actions
Should have been somewhere relaxing
Don't compare me to your last one
I can't help it she was a fast one, a sassy one
I'm a classy one
I can't keep them from getting at me, hun
Seems like that should make you happy, hun
(It's gonna take, yeah) it's gonna take T-R-U-S-T to keep my L-O-V-E
It's gonna take T-R-U-S-T to keep my L-O-V-E cracking (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
I can't deny or lie I try to put up with you
These insecurities every day
Pushing my love away, hey
You wanna handcuff me
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
You want my intimacy (no, no)
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
You wanna wall around me
I swear, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
You want my lock and my key (my lock and my key)
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
You wanna handcuff me (yes, you do)
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
You want my intimacy
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
You wanna wall around me
I swear I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
You want my lock and my key
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
(Said it's gonna take)
It's gonna take T-R-U-S-T to keep my L-O-V-E
It's gonna take T-R-U-S-T to keep my L-O-V-E (it's gonna take)
It's gonna take T-R-U-S-T to keep my L-O-V-E (it's gonna take)
It's gonna take T-R-U-S-T to keep my L-O-V-E (it's gonna take)
Cracking (cracking)
Aaliyah's song "Don't Know What to Tell Ya" is a powerful and emotional expression of the frustration and suffocation felt in a relationship where one partner is suffocating the other with their possessiveness and jealousy. In the lyrics, Aaliyah expresses her reluctance to be tied down by her partner's controlling tendencies, stating that she doesn't know how to tell him what he wants to hear. The lyrics depict a situation of incarceration where she feels that she cannot breathe or move freely without being watched and questioned by her partner.
The repeated phrase "It's gonna take T-R-U-S-T to keep my L-O-V-E crackin'" emphasizes the importance of trust in any relationship. Aaliyah makes it clear that without trust, it is impossible to maintain a healthy and loving relationship. The line "No justification for your actions, should have been somewhere relaxing" highlights her partner's unreasonable and unwarranted behavior and speaks to the fact that he may be projecting his own insecurities and trust issues onto her.
Ultimately, Aaliyah's message is one of empowerment, urging her partner to overcome his own issues and work on building trust rather than resorting to controlling behavior. The song's chorus is a powerful reminder that love cannot be forced or controlled, and that it is only through mutual trust and respect that true love can thrive.
Line by Line Meaning
You wanna handcuff me
You want to control me.
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya (don't know what to tell ya)
But I don't know how to explain this to you.
You want my intimacy
You want to be close to me physically.
You wanna wall around me
You want to surround me with restrictions.
You want my lock and my key
You want access to everything about me.
Incarceration's what I'm facin' / When I'm with you
I feel trapped when I'm with you.
Your watchin' my every move / Tryin' to pick up on some clues
You're monitoring my behavior and looking for any signs of deception.
We play twenty questions / Every time I walk in or out the door / What do you bother for?
You repeatedly question me about my actions, and I don't understand why.
Get comfortable it's yours
You can trust me and make yourself at home in our relationship.
It's gonna take T-R-U-S-T to keep my L-O-V-E (it's gonna take)
Building trust is necessary to maintain our love.
Stressing and second guessing / Me time and time again
You frequently doubt me, causing me stress and frustration.
We go from lovers back to friends / Got to put this to an end
Our relationship is unstable, and we need to address this problem.
No justification for your actions / Should have been somewhere relaxing
There is no reason for you to act this way, and you should be somewhere relaxing instead of exerting control over me.
Don't compare me to your last one / I can't help it she was a fast one, a sassy one / I'm a classy one / I can't keep them from getting at me, hun / Seems like that should make you happy, hun
Please don't compare me to your ex, who was different. I am who I am, and other people are interested in me too, but that should make you happy because you have something special.
I can't deny or lie I try to put up with you / These insecurities every day / Pushing my love away, hey
I can't deny that your insecurities are affecting our relationship, causing me to push away from you.
It's gonna take T-R-U-S-T to keep my L-O-V-E cracking
Building trust is essential to keeping our love strong.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Omar Batiesha, Salah El Sharnobi, Stephen Garrett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
blossomz🧸
Lyrics:
You wanna handcuff me
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya
(Don't know what to tell ya)
You want my intimacy
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya
(Don't know what to tell ya)
You want a wall around me
I swear, I don't know what to tell ya
(Don't know what to tell ya)
You want my lock and my key
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya
(Don't know what to tell ya)
Incarceration's what I'm facing
When I'm with you
You're watching my every move
Trying to pick up on some clues
We play 20 questions
Every time I walk in or out the door
What do you bother for?
(What do you bother for?)
Get comfortable with yours
It's gonna take
(Take)
T R U S T to keep our L O V E
It's gonna take
(Gonna take)
It's gonna take
(Take)
T R U S T to keep our L O V E crackin'
Stressin' second guessin' me
Time and time again
We go from lovers back to friends
Got to put this to an end
(Hey, yeah)
You wanna handcuff me
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya
(Don't know what to tell ya)
You want my intimacy
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya
(Don't know what to tell ya)
You want a wall around me
I swear, I don't know what to tell ya
(Don't know what to tell ya)
You want my lock and my key
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya
(Don't know what to tell ya)
No justifications for your actions
Should have been somewhere relaxin'
Don't compare me to your last one
I can't help it she was a fast one
A sassy one
I'm a classy one
I can't keep you from getting happy hon
Seems like that she'll make you happy hon
It's gonna take
(Gonna take)
T R U S T to keep our L O V E
It's gonna take
(Gonna take)
It's gonna take
(Take)
T R U S T to keep our L O V E crackin'
I can't deny or lie
I tried to put up with you
These insecurities every day
Pushing my love away
You wanna handcuff me
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya
(Yeah, no)
(Don't know what to tell ya)
You want my intimacy
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya
(Don't know what to tell ya)
You want a wall around me
I swear I don't know what to tell ya
(I swear, yeah)
(Don't know what to tell ya)
You want my lock and my key
(My lock and my key)
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya
(Don't know what to tell ya)
(No)
You wanna handcuff me
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya
(Yes, you do)
(Don't know what to tell ya)
You want my intimacy
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya
(No)
(Don't know what to tell ya)
You want a wall around me
(You want to wall around me)
I swear, I don't know what to tell ya
(I swear)
(Don't know what to tell ya)
You want my lock and my key
But yo, I don't know what to tell ya
(Don't know what to tell ya)
Said is gonna take
It's gonna take
(Take)
T R U S T to keep our L O V E
(Yeah)
It's gonna take
It's gonna take
T R U S T to keep our L O V E
It's gonna take
It's gonna take
T R U S T to keep our L O V E
It's gonna take
It's gonna take
T R U S T to keep our L O V E crackin', crackin'
K S
As a northern Sudanese and Afro Arab , the melody hits deep as it was one of the most famous songs of Wardah the Algerian a phenomenal singer RIP Aaliyah and Wardah 💙
Hamza Rikha
im Algerian Bro , and the sample is dear to us , you know why I bet
[DCF] God Usopp
@Hamza Rikha hello can you remember me the name of the arab beat sound ( Violon)
if you speak french (l'instrumental avec le violon, il vient de quelle musique ? °
Abu Bäytnighan
@[DCF] God Usoppbatwanas beek
Saggwakwam
Being Middle Eastern myself I was so impressed by Timbaland who sampled the music in this track from Warda - Batwanes Beek. He turned every track into 🔥 this is one of my favorite tracks and I can only IMAGINE what dope choreography Fatima Robinson would have created for this song if this came out as a music video. When I think about all this it makes me so frustrated and sad, she was way too young to leave us this soon. I’ve missed her for 20 years and I miss her as much till’ this day. R.I.P from your biggest fan in Sweden ❤️
kAshmir
Fatima 😇
Monae Johnson
Thanks so much for this comment because I was just about to ask where did this beat come from.
It was played at the end of Episode 3 of the Marvel Egyptian show Moon Knight. I was like, that beat sounds like that Aaliyah song.
NightBlossom
Omg Fatima would’ve absolutely done an amazing job and the video would’ve been 🔥 What they did together on “More Than a Woman” and “Rock the Boat” was only the beginning. Flawless, effortless talent ❤️
Emanuella Silva
❤️❤️❤️❤️
husein palmer
Oooo