She first gained recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records. She released her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number the album sold three million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry.
Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million, which sold three million copies in the United States and more than eight million copies worldwide. In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first film, Romeo Must Die. She contributed to the film's soundtrack, which spawned the single "Try Again". The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard history to achieve this goal. After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her role in Queen of the Damned, and released, in 2001, her self-titled third and final studio album, which topped the Billboard 200. Unfortunately, the 22 year old singer's life was tragically cut short in a 2001 plane crash after filming her video for "Rock The Boat" in The Bahamas.
Aaliyah became famous in her own right during the mid-1990s with several hit records from the songwriting/production team of Missy Elliott and Timbaland, and their associate Steve "Static" Garrett. Notable for recording several hit singles, including "One in A Million" and "Try Again", Aaliyah has sold over 32 million records total worldwide, including posthumous releases. Two posthumous albums have been released since Haughton's death: I Care 4 U in December 2002, and Ultimate Aaliyah in April 2005, the latter of which was released as a box set that included her greatest hits and a documentary on her life. Haughton also ventured outside of music, modeling for Tommy Hilfiger and starring in two motion pictures (Romeo Must Die & Queen of The Damned) before her untimely death.
I Don't Wanna
Aaliyah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah yeah, hey
Ohh, ooh
Ooh, yeah, yeah
I don't wanna be (be without ya, be without ya)
I don't wanna live (live without ya, live without ya)
I don't wanna go (go without ya, go without ya)
When we hooked up, we sat down
Made and an agreement, we vowed that
That we'd always be together, do whatever
We said that
No one ever get between us
This love would never ever leave us
That was a while ago
But now lately it feels like
I mean I feel like all we do is fight
Every single night, we can't make it tight
Can't get it right
I just wanna go back, take it way back
All the way back, can we start again? Do it over
Can we straighten it out? Can we work it out
'Cause I don't wanna be (be without ya, be without ya)
I don't wanna live (live without ya, live without ya)
I don't wanna go (go without ya, go without ya)
Said, sugar, I don't wanna be alone
I don't wanna be (be without ya, be without ya, ohh)
I don't wanna live (live without ya, live without ya)
I don't wanna go (go without ya, go without ya)
Sugar, I don't wanna be alone
Do you realize
I can't sleep without ya, think without ya
Eat without ya, speak without ya, be without ya?
I can't even breathe without ya (uh)
I can't feel with out ya, deal without ya, spend without ya
My whole world is upside down
Don't wanna go out 'cause I can't ride without ya
Feel like I'm gon' die without ya
What is a girl supposed to do?
When I spend my last time to be in your life
I don't wanna be without you (I don't wanna be)
I can't be (be without ya, be without ya)
Said, I don't wanna live (live without ya, live without ya)
I can't wanna go (go without ya, go without ya)
Said, I don't wanna be alone
Said, I can't be (be without ya, be without ya, ohh)
Said, I can't live (live without ya, live without ya)
I don't wanna go (go without ya, go without ya)
Said, I don't wanna be alone
How can this be (that it's not workin' out)
That it's not workin' out?
We vowed to be always together
It's hurting me (hurting me) that we don't talk no more
It wasn't supposed to be this way
Where did we go wrong?
We both made mistakes, we gotta carry on
I don't wanna be (be without ya, be without ya)
I don't wanna live (live without ya, live without ya)
I don't wanna go (go without ya, go without ya)
I don't wanna be alone
I don't wanna be (be without ya, be without ya)
I don't wanna live (live without ya, live without ya)
I don't wanna go (go without ya, go without ya)
I don't wanna be alone (be alone)
I don't wanna be (be without ya, be without ya)
I don't wanna live (live without ya, live without ya)
I don't wanna go (go without ya, go without ya)
I don't wanna be alone (yeah, baby)
I don't wanna be (be without ya, be without ya)
I don't wanna live (live without ya, live without ya) (do you hear me?)
I don't wanna go (go without ya, go without ya) (baby, are you listening?)
I don't wanna be alone (what you do to me, what you do to me)
Don't wanna be no, (no), no (no, yeah)
Alone, baby, come home
The song "I Don't Wanna" by Aaliyah is a song about heartache and desperation. The song describes a relationship that started out strong and full of promises but has now crumbled. The singer is begging her partner not to leave her, as she cannot live without him. The song explores the feelings of desperation, heartache, and fear of being alone that one feels when a relationship ends.
The song begins with the singer listing the things she doesn't want to be and do without her partner (be without ya, live without ya, and go without ya), emphasizing her fear of being alone. She then reminisces about how they made a vow to always be together and how they promised to never let anything come between them but now all they do is fight. The chorus repeats her fear of being alone and her desperation to keep her partner.
Later in the song, the singer expresses how dependent she is on her partner, telling him she can't sleep, think, eat, speak, or breathe without him. She feels like her whole world is upside down without him and describes how she can't go out or ride without him because it feels like she's going to die without him. The song ends with her pleading with her partner to come home.
Ultimately, "I Don't Wanna" is a song about how scary it can be to feel alone and how much it hurts when a relationship falls apart. The song delves into the emotions of heartache, desperation, and fear of being alone, making it relatable to anyone who has gone through a breakup.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't wanna be (be without ya, be without ya)
I don't want to exist without you in my life.
I don't wanna live (live without ya, live without ya)
I don't want to go through life without you.
I don't wanna go (go without ya, go without ya)
I don't want to move forward without you.
I don't wanna be alone
I don't want to be alone without you.
When we hooked up, we sat down
We made a commitment to each other.
Made and an agreement, we vowed that
We promised to always be together.
That we'd always be together, do whatever
We would always support each other through anything.
We said that
We made that promise to each other.
No one ever get between us
We made sure that no one would come between us and our love.
This love would never ever leave us
We believed our love would never fade or disappear.
That was a while ago
Our promise and commitment was made a while back.
But now lately it feels like
Recently, things have been different for us.
I mean I feel like all we do is fight
It seems like all we do is argue with each other.
Every single night, we can't make it tight
We can't get our relationship right, even after trying every night.
Can't get it right
We are unable to improve or fix our problems.
I just wanna go back, take it way back
I wish we could go back to when things were good between us.
All the way back, can we start again? Do it over
Is it possible for us to start fresh and restart our relationship?
Can we straighten it out? Can we work it out
Can we resolve our issues and fix our relationship?
'Cause I don't wanna be (be without ya, be without ya)
I don't want to live without you.
Said, sugar, I don't wanna be alone
I don't want to experience loneliness without you.
Do you realize
Are you aware of the extent of our relationship's importance to me?
I can't sleep without ya, think without ya
I am unable to do basic activities without thinking of you.
Eat without ya, speak without ya, be without ya?
I cannot eat, speak, or be myself without thinking of you.
I can't even breathe without ya (uh)
I am so dependent on you that I feel like I cannot breathe without you.
I can't feel with out ya, deal without ya, spend without ya
I am unable to experience emotions normally or deal with life issues without you.
My whole world is upside down
My world seems chaotic and unsettled without you.
Don't wanna go out 'cause I can't ride without ya
I don't want to go out because I can't enjoy life without you.
Feel like I'm gon' die without ya
I feel like I will not survive without you.
What is a girl supposed to do?
I don't know how I can move on without you.
When I spend my last time to be in your life
I have spent so much time and effort trying to make our relationship work.
I don't wanna be without you (I don't wanna be)
I don't want to face a future without you in it.
Said, I can't be (be without ya, be without ya)
I am unable to exist as an individual without you in my life.
Said, I can't live (live without ya, live without ya)
I cannot picture a life without our love for each other.
Said, I don't wanna go (go without ya, go without ya)
I am unwilling to continue living my life without you.
How can this be (that it's not workin' out)
How is it possible that we cannot make our relationship work?
We vowed to be always together
We promised to be with each other forever.
It's hurting me (hurting me) that we don't talk no more
It is emotionally painful for me that we aren't communicating anymore.
It wasn't supposed to be this way
This is not how we expected our relationship to turn out.
Where did we go wrong?
What happened that caused our relationship to start failing?
We both made mistakes, we gotta carry on
Both of us made errors, but we need to continue living and learning from our experiences.
Alone, baby, come home
I need you in my life, and I want you to come back to me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Johnta Austin, Darnley De Costa Scantlebury, Kevin Darrell Hicks, Phalon Anton Alexander
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind