It's All Over
Beyoncé Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Effie, Curtis was supposed to
Love me Curtis was supposed to love me
There you are Effie I've been looking all over
I turn my back and find myself out on the line You could have warned me, but that would have been too kind!
I've been warning you for months to clean up your act You've been late; you've been mean given all kinds of bullshit flack
That's a lie! That's a lie! It's just I haven't been feeling that well
Effie, please Stop excusing yourself You've been late; you've been mean and getting fatter all the time
Now you lying, lying; I never been so thin You lying, lying, 'cause your knocking up that piece who thinks she's better than everybody She ain't better than anybody, she ain't nothing but common!
Now who you callin' common you self-indulgent, self-absorbed and unprofessional
You! I'm calling you, I'm calling you, the common piece is knocking off!
Now you listen to me, Miss Blame-It-On-The-World See I put up with you for much too long I have put up with your bitching, I've put up with your nagging, and all your screaming too!
Oh now when are you two gonna stop all this fighting?
Stay outta this Lorelle, this is between Deena and me!
Yeah, well it's between me too! I am as much a part of this group as anybody else! And I'm tired, Effie I'm tired, of all the problems you're making up!
I always knew you two were together!
What!
Always knew you two were ganging up on me!
She had nothing to do with this change It was you! It was you always thinking of you Always thinking of you!
I knew you were trouble from the start
Trouble?
You were real bad trouble from the start!
Curtis, I'm your woman!
You're getting out nowI'm not building this group to have you tear it apart Go ahead and rant and scream and shout Don't worry baby, I'll buy you out
There's no money dirty enough to buy me out You remember that, Curtis
Lay off Effie, just take the money and run
You in this with them, CC?
Cool it Effie, this time you know what you've done!
So they've got your black ass too, huh?
I said cool it Effie, this time you've gone too far
Oh I can go further, I can go further!
I don't wanna stay around this I'm just breaking into this business This is between all of you This is none of my affair
Yeah? Well it's between you too now, little sister This small job is just as much your sin Look at me, look at me! How much did you put out to get in?
Now you watch your mouth, watch your mouth, Ms Effie White 'Cause I don't take that talk from no second-rate diva, who can't sustain
I'm not feeling well I've got pains
Effie, we all got pains!
Oh! For seven years I have sung with you I was your sister!
You were trouble
Now you're telling me it's all over?
And now we're telling you: it's all over
And now I'm telling you, I ain't going!
It's all over




I ain't going!
It's all over

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are from the song "It's All Over" by Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson, which is a part of the musical "Dreamgirls." The song is a pivotal moment in the story where we see the tensions and dynamics within the group unraveling. The group, called "The Dreams," is made up of three young African American women, Deena (played by Beyoncé), Lorrell (played by Anika Noni Rose), and Effie (played by Jennifer Hudson). In this scene, we see Effie confronting her manager and former lover, Curtis, for cutting her out of the group and replacing her with the more visually appealing Deena.


From the lyrics, we can see that Effie is angry and hurt that she has been cast aside despite her talent and loyalty to the group. She blames Curtis for not loving her and for not warning her about the impending change. Curtis, on the other hand, defends himself by saying that he's been warning Effie for months to clean up her act and that she's been causing problems with her tardiness and bad attitude. As the argument heats up, the other members of the group, Lorrell and Deena, get involved and it becomes clear that there are deeper tensions and resentments between them all.


Overall, "It's All Over" is a powerful song that highlights the struggles and sacrifices that many artists face in the cutthroat entertainment industry. It is a reflection of the realities of racism, sexism, and exploitation in the music industry during that time, but it also serves as a message of empowerment and resilience for those who have experienced similar challenges.


Line by Line Meaning

Effie, Curtis was supposed to
Effie thought that Curtis was supposed to love her, but something has changed.


Love me Curtis was supposed to love me
Effie believed that Curtis promised his love to her, but he has broken that promise.


There you are Effie I've been looking all over
Deena has been searching for Effie, and has finally found her.


I turn my back and find myself out on the line You could have warned me, but that would have been too kind!
Deena feels betrayed by Effie's behavior, and believes that Effie should have been warned about the consequences of her actions, but no one wanted to tell her the truth.


I've been warning you for months to clean up your act You've been late; you've been mean given all kinds of bullshit flack
Deena has been telling Effie for months to improve her behavior, as she has been frequently late, mean and difficult to work with.


That's a lie! That's a lie! It's just I haven't been feeling that well
Effie denies that she has been acting poorly, and instead blames her behavior on not feeling well.


Effie, please Stop excusing yourself You've been late; you've been mean and getting fatter all the time
Deena wants Effie to stop making excuses for her poor behavior, and points out that she has been frequently late, mean, and gaining weight.


Now you lying, lying; I never been so thin You lying, lying, 'cause your knocking up that piece who thinks she's better than everybody She ain't better than anybody, she ain't nothing but common!
Effie accuses Deena of lying, and then insults her by saying that she is pregnant by a common person and not better than anyone else.


Now who you callin' common you self-indulgent, self-absorbed and unprofessional
Deena responds to Effie's insult by calling her self-indulgent, self-absorbed and unprofessional.


You! I'm calling you, I'm calling you, the common piece is knocking off!
Effie is calling Deena a common person who is stealing her position.


Now you listen to me, Miss Blame-It-On-The-World See I put up with you for much too long I have put up with your bitching, I've put up with your nagging, and all your screaming too!
Deena tells Effie that she has had enough of her complaining, nagging and screaming, and has put up with her for too long.


Oh now when are you two gonna stop all this fighting?
Lorelle wants Deena and Effie to stop fighting with each other.


Stay outta this Lorelle, this is between Deena and me!
Effie and Deena want Lorelle to stay out of their argument, as it does not concern her.


Yeah, well it's between me too! I am as much a part of this group as anybody else! And I'm tired, Effie I'm tired, of all the problems you're making up!
Lorelle asserts that she is part of the group too and is tired of the problems that Effie is creating.


I always knew you two were together!
Effie believes that Deena and Curtis are working together against her.


What!
Effie is surprised and confused by Deena's response.


Always knew you two were ganging up on me!
Effie believes that Deena and Curtis are conspiring against her, leading to her current situation.


She had nothing to do with this change It was you! It was you always thinking of you Always thinking of you!
Deena tells Effie that she was the one responsible for the changes in their group, and was only thinking of herself throughout the process.


I knew you were trouble from the start
Deena has always known that Effie was going to cause problems for their group.


Trouble?
Effie is surprised and offended that Deena is calling her trouble.


You were real bad trouble from the start!
Deena clarifies that Effie has been causing trouble for their group from the beginning.


Curtis, I'm your woman!
Effie reminds Curtis that they are in a relationship and should be working together.


You're getting out nowI'm not building this group to have you tear it apart Go ahead and rant and scream and shout Don't worry baby, I'll buy you out
Curtis tells Effie that she needs to leave their group, as he cannot let her tear it apart. He offers to buy her out and end their partnership.


There's no money dirty enough to buy me out You remember that, Curtis
Effie refuses Curtis' offer, saying that there is no amount of money that can make her leave the group. She warns him to keep that in mind.


Lay off Effie, just take the money and run
CC tells Effie to take the deal and leave their group behind.


You in this with them, CC?
Effie questions CC's loyalty and asks if he is working with Deena and Curtis against her.


Cool it Effie, this time you know what you've done!
CC tells Effie to calm down and acknowledge the things she has done to contribute to their current situation.


So they've got your black ass too, huh?
Effie accuses CC of being in league with Deena and Curtis, based on his skin color.


I said cool it Effie, this time you've gone too far
CC repeats his request for Effie to calm down and points out that she has gone too far in her behavior.


Oh I can go further, I can go further!
Effie threatens to escalate the situation further, even beyond what she has already done.


I don't wanna stay around this I'm just breaking into this business This is between all of you This is none of my affair
Lorrell realizes that she does not want to be involved in this drama, as she is just starting out in the music industry and this argument is not her responsibility.


Yeah? Well it's between you too now, little sister This small job is just as much your sin Look at me, look at me! How much did you put out to get in?
Effie tells Lorrell that she is now involved in this issue, and accuses her of sleeping with someone to get into the music industry.


Now you watch your mouth, watch your mouth, Ms Effie White 'Cause I don't take that talk from no second-rate diva, who can't sustain
Lorrell tells Effie to watch her words, and reminds her that she is not a successful enough performer to be insulting others.


I'm not feeling well I've got pains
Effie continues to excuse her behavior, citing her physical discomfort.


Effie, we all got pains!
The others in the group point out that they are all dealing with their own problems, and Effie's situation is not unique.


Oh! For seven years I have sung with you I was your sister!
Effie is hurt and upset that she has been kicked out of the group, as she has been part of it for seven years and considered the others to be like family.


You were trouble
Deena responds to Effie's emotional outburst by simply stating that she was causing problems for the group.


Now you're telling me it's all over?
Effie is still in disbelief that she has been kicked out of the group and that it is really over.


And now we're telling you: it's all over
The others confirm to Effie that their partnership is officially over.


And now I'm telling you, I ain't going!
Effie refuses to accept the end of their partnership and vows to continue on her own.


It's all over
The group confirms to Effie one final time that their partnership is finished.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DEBORAH LURIE, HENRY KRIEGER, TOM EYEN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@liaNalishaDanz

Trying To Sing Everybody's Part 😂

@paulmichaelhilary3790

lolzzzzzz okay

@JRae1

Mastered it 2 years ago 😏

@MsAshaanderson150

Alisha Brantley mastered it when I was 7

@nezh6826

Alisha Brantley 😂😂😂 this comment is me HAHAHAHAHAHAH

@alyssarichardson2385

Alisha Brantley fr😂

55 More Replies...

@vmlksm9

They did Effie so wrong in this scene. First of all Deena sleeping with her suppose to be best friend's man. I don't think it was Effie only thinking of her self. Curtis was the one promising Effie all this success then started pushing deena out in the front because of the way She looked to appeal to the audience even though Effie had the voice. Effie knew what was up.

@princesspeachandeveryone1943

And the real reason she miss so many practices because she is pregnant

@dawonfields7018

***** she's pregnant she never said any thing about being pregs

@princesspeachandeveryone1943

yes she did she said she been getting sick and Curtis told her she was getting fat if you watch the whole movie through she has a child

More Comments

More Versions