Born in Queens, New York into a family of missionaries, Abra spent her first eight years in London, where her parents built the church they would ultimately work in. Her introduction to singing came from that church, too, where her father was pastor and her mother oversaw praise and worship. After London, her family settled in the quiet suburb of Lilburn outside Atlanta. At 14, Abra began playing guitar. She attended Parkview Highschool and was an active member of the drama department, graduating in 2007. Later in her teens, she began uploading her acoustic covers of rap songs onto YouTube. This led to her being discovered by Awful Records founder and rapper Father, who encouraged her to make original music. She later joined the label in 2014.
Her first EP, BLQ Velvet, was released in 2015. Her second EP, Princess was released by True Panther Sounds on July 15, 2016. It is her first release on a major label. The song "Fruit" off the album Rose was featured in an article on the best R&B songs of 2016 by The Guardian.
Regarding Abra's style of clothing, Vogue commented in 2016 that "deliberate contrasts are part of her artistic identity on the whole: Abra is a member of the mostly male-dominated Awful Records coterie, an outlier crew swiftly taking over Atlanta with a sound that stands apart from ATL's rap oeuvre".
Abra is one of the stars of the 2018 film Assassination Nation and plays Em.
I Guess
Abra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But don't you wanna be loved and adored
Don't wanna feel like someone special
Cause I wanna be loved and adored
But you, you, you, you
I thought you told me that I was someone special
You used to call me your baby girl, girl, girl, girl, girl
I want you to hold me
And you turned your back on me
As my eyes watered, watered, watered
But, I will not force you to love me
I gues it don't matter matter matter
I didnt realise that you didn't feel the same
And I guess I am to blame
Oh and after all this time
After all this I guess you'll never never be mine
And after all this time
After all this time I guess i'll be fine, fine, fine, fine
Why dont you look me in these eyes you adored
Oh you dont love me no more
And right after you try and say it isn't so
You are so hurried to go
Don't you wanna feel like someone special
But don't you wanna be loved and adored
Don't wanna feel like someone special
Cause I wanna be loved and adored
But you, you, you, you
You, you, you
I want you to hold me
But you cannot be bothered, bothered, bothered
And you turn your back on me
As my eyes watered
But, but, but
I will not force you to love me
I guess it dont matter, matter, matter
I didn't realise that you didn't feel the same
And I guess I am to blame
And after all this time
After all this time you'll never, ever, ever be mine
And after all this time, after all this time
I guess i'll be fine, fine, fine, fine
Don't you wanna feel like someone special
But don't you wanna be loved and adored
Don't wanna feel like someone special
Cause I wanna be loved and adored
The song "I Guess" by Abra explores the complicated feeling of wanting to feel special and loved, but also not wanting to be made to feel like someone special. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been led on by someone who gave her the impression that she was special to them but has since backed away and is no longer putting in the effort to make her feel that way. The chorus repeats the lines "Don't you wanna feel like someone special / But don't you wanna be loved and adored / Don't wanna feel like someone special / Cause I wanna be loved and adored" which can be interpreted as a desire to feel special without feeling like a burden on the person giving that attention.
The first verse talks about the conflicting emotions of wanting to be special but also wanting to be loved and adored. The second verse seems to address the person who the singer thought had made her feel special and adored but has since backed away. The lines "I want you to hold me / But you cannot be bothered, bothered / And you turned your back on me / As my eyes watered, watered, watered" suggest that the singer wants to be held and comforted but the person she thought would be there for her is no longer interested. The repetition of "I guess it don't matter, matter, matter" and "after all this time" suggest that the singer is coming to terms with the fact that the person she thought cared for her doesn't and that she needs to move on.
In conclusion, "I Guess" by Abra is a song about conflicting emotions and wanting to be loved without feeling like a burden. It speaks to the experience of being led on by someone who gives the impression of caring deeply but then backs away when things get too real.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you wanna feel like someone special
Don't you desire to feel unique and valued by someone?
But don't you wanna be loved and adored
But don't you also want to receive love and adoration from that special someone?
Don't wanna feel like someone special
I don't want to feel like a special person anymore
Cause I wanna be loved and adored
I just want to be loved and adored
But you, you, you, you
But you, specifically you
I thought you told me that I was someone special
I believed that you told me I was unique and valuable to you
You used to call me your baby girl, girl, girl, girl, girl
You used to refer to me as your little girl, your beloved
I want you to hold me
I want you to embrace me and provide comfort
But you cannot be bothered, bothered
But you seem uninterested, unbothered by my desires
And you turned your back on me
You abandoned or betrayed me
As my eyes watered, watered, watered
As I cried, tears streaming down my face
But, I will not force you to love me
Nevertheless, I won't coerce or pressure you into loving me
I gues it don't matter matter matter
I suppose it doesn't matter, regardless
I didnt realise that you didn't feel the same
I didn't understand that you didn't reciprocate my feelings
And I guess I am to blame
And I assume responsibility for my part in this
Oh and after all this time
After all the time we've spent together
After all this I guess you'll never never be mine
Despite this, I suppose you'll never be mine
And after all this time
And even after all this time
After all this time I guess i'll be fine, fine, fine, fine
After all is said and done, I'll be alright
Why dont you look me in these eyes you adored
Why don't you look into my eyes that you once found lovely?
Oh you dont love me no more
Oh, you no longer have love for me
And right after you try and say it isn't so
And immediately after you deny it
You are so hurried to go
You're in such a rush to leave
You, you, you
You, specifically you
I want you to hold me
I want you to embrace me and provide comfort
But you cannot be bothered, bothered, bothered
But you seem uninterested, unbothered by my desires
And you turn your back on me
You abandon or betray me
As my eyes watered
As I cried, tears streaming down my face
But, but, but
However, regardless
I will not force you to love me
I won't coerce or pressure you to love me
I guess it dont matter, matter, matter
I guess it doesn't matter, regardless
I didn't realise that you didn't feel the same
I didn't understand that you didn't reciprocate my feelings
And I guess I am to blame
And I assume responsibility for my part in this
And after all this time you'll never, ever, ever be mine
Even after all this time, you'll never be mine
And after all this time, after all this time
And even after all this time
I guess i'll be fine, fine, fine, fine
I'll be alright, regardless
Don't you wanna feel like someone special
Don't you desire to feel unique and valued by someone?
But don't you wanna be loved and adored
But don't you also want to receive love and adoration from that special someone?
Don't wanna feel like someone special
I don't want to feel like a special person anymore
Cause I wanna be loved and adored
I just want to be loved and adored
You, you, you
You, specifically you
Contributed by Aaliyah R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.