Blackstreet was an American R&B group founded in 1994 by Teddy Riley, a New… Read Full Bio ↴Blackstreet was an American R&B group founded in 1994 by Teddy Riley, a New Jack Swing pioneer known for his work as a member of Guy. The band members were: Teddy Riley, Chauncey Hannibal, Eric Williams, and Terrell Philips (and formerly Joe Stonestreet, Levi Little, David Hollister, and Mark Middleton). Their debut album, Blackstreet, was a moderate success due to the singles "Booti Call" and "Before I Let You Go", both Top 40 hits ("Before" hit the Top 10). The follow-up, 1996's Another Level was a breakthrough success due to the top single "No Diggity" (with Dr. Dre), which was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1996, and won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, along with the Top 40 hit "Don't Leave Me". Another Level eventually went four times platinum in the United States and peaked at #3 on the Billboard chart. "No Diggity" is ranked at #91 on Rolling Stone and MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs, while Blackstreet comes in at #214 of the Top 500 Pop Artists of the Past 25 Years.

Blackstreet has also collaborated with Jay-Z on his single "The City is Mine". With the help of the Janet Jackson single "Girlfriend", Blackstreet finally had a top ten album with Finally. But personnel shifts wracked the group and contributed to the relative failure of Finally in 1999, and Blackstreet soon broke up. After rumors of legal action and a preemptive countersuit, the group reformed and released Level II in 2003.

We Gonna Take U Back /Don't Leave Me
Blackstreet Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

What we gonna do right here is go back
Way back. Back into time

No baby no baby no baby
No, no, no

If you take your love away from me
I'll go crazy, I'll go insane

No baby no baby no baby
No, no, no
No baby no baby no baby
No, no, no

You've got your problems baby
And I've got mine
Let's just spend it all by putting it together, yeah
When you say you love me it don't mean a thing
If you care, you'll be there, like you used to be, yeah
I'm searching for the words to make you realize
That I really, really want you to stay, oh
Tears of frustration I hold inside
But if you walk away
You'll make this grown man cry

Don't leave
Don't leave me girl
Please stay with me tonight
Don't leave me girl
Please stay with me tonight

Forget my pride girl, I beg you
You're my heart, you're my soul
You've got so much control
My love runs deep within the ocean and sea
But if you sail away
You'll take a center piece of me

Don't leave
Don't leave me girl
Please stay with me tonight
Don't leave me girl
Please stay with me tonight

(No, don't go)

Don't leave
Don't leave me girl
Please stay with me tonight
Don't leave me girl
Please stay with me tonight

Stay, stay, stay
Stay right here with me forever
Stay, stay, stay
Stay right here with me forever

If you take your love away from me
I'll go crazy, crazy, crazy, insane

If you take your love away from me
I'll go crazy, I'll go really crazy

If you take your love away from me
I'll go crazy, I'll go really crazy

Stay, stay, stay
Stay right here with me forever
Stay, stay, stay
Stay right here with me forever

No baby, no baby, no baby

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Blackstreet's We Gonna Take U Back / Don't Leave Me are about a man pleading with his lover not to leave him. He expresses that he will go crazy and insane without her love and how much she means to him. The song talks about the issues that both partners have but wants to put them aside and work on their relationship together. The chorus repeatedly begs the woman not to leave and stay with him tonight. The lyrics also mention the man's vulnerability and how much he cares for the woman, expressing that he's willing to forget his pride and allow her to have control over him.

The lyrics of the song convey a sentiment that many can relate to - the feeling of being without your partner and how it can drive one insane. The repetition of the lyrics "No baby, no baby, no baby" shows the desperation of the man not wanting his lover to leave him. The lyrics also highlight the importance of communication and honesty in a relationship, with the man expressing his frustration in not finding the right words to make the woman stay.

Line by Line Meaning

What we gonna do right here is go back
We're going to take you back in time.

Way back. Back into time
We're going to take you way back in time.

No baby no baby no baby
I don't want you to leave me.

No, no, no
I don't want you to go.

If you take your love away from me
If you leave me, it will drive me crazy.

I'll go crazy, I'll go insane
I'll be devastated if you leave me.

You've got your problems baby
You have your own issues to deal with.

And I've got mine
And I have my own problems too.

Let's just spend it all by putting it together, yeah
Let's forget our problems and work together as a team.

When you say you love me it don't mean a thing
Your words mean nothing if you're not there for me.

If you care, you'll be there, like you used to be, yeah
If you really care, you'll be there for me like you used to be.

I'm searching for the words to make you realize
I'm struggling to express how much I need you to stay.

That I really, really want you to stay, oh
I want you to stay with me more than anything.

Tears of frustration I hold inside
I'm keeping my frustration and sadness hidden.

But if you walk away
If you leave me.

You'll make this grown man cry
You'll make me cry like a child.

Don't leave
Don't leave me.

Don't leave me girl
Don't leave me.

Please stay with me tonight
Stay with me tonight.

Forget my pride girl, I beg you
I'm willing to put my pride aside for you.

You're my heart, you're my soul
You're everything to me.

You've got so much control
You have power over me.

My love runs deep within the ocean and sea
My love for you is immeasurable.

But if you sail away
But if you leave me.

You'll take a center piece of me
You'll take a part of me with you.

Stay right here with me forever
Stay with me forever.

If you take your love away from me
If you leave me, it will drive me crazy.

I'll go crazy, crazy, crazy, insane
I'll be devastated if you leave me.

Stay, stay, stay
Stay with me.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Karen Lynn Anderson, Chauncey Andrae Hannibal, Roosevelt Harrell, Etterlene Jordan, Teddy Riley

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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