Boyz II Men is an American R&B/soul singing group from Philadelphia, Pennsy… Read Full Bio ↴Boyz II Men is an American R&B/soul singing group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1988 as a quintet, Boyz II Men found fame as a quartet, with members Wanya Morris, Michael McCary, Shawn Stockman, and Nathan Morris, on Motown Records during the early 1990s.

Based on sales, Boyz II Men is one of the most successful R&B groups of all time, having recorded five #1 pop hits between 1992 and 1997. They have since topped sales of 25 million records. Three of their #1 hits, "End of the Road", "I'll Make Love to You", and "One Sweet Day" (a duet with Mariah Carey), set and broke records for the longest period of time a single remained at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Boyz II Men were originally signed to Motown Records from 1990 to 2000, at which point they were moved to parent label Universal Records. After the 2000 album Nathan Shawn Michael Wanya, Boyz II Men moved to Arista Records. In 2003, Michael McCary left the group due to chronic back problems resulting from scoliosis. As of 2005, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, and Nathan Morris continue to tour and record as a trio.

Know What You Want
Boyz II Men Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I know that your heart has been so heavy, baby
Tryin' to find peace of mind, thinkin' 'bout him all the time
You gotta clear those guilty feelings, baby
Gave him everything you had, that's the cause for feeling bad

Girl, I know you, you're too strong to
Let a man who don't understand turn it 'round on you
So don't take all the weight, you can still be who you wanna be

If you have it in your heart

Know what you want, don't let him break your heart
Don't let him trick you into thinkin' that it's all your fault
'cause you've got a right baby to wanna love
Who will be anything and everything, anytime you want

I understand your frustrations lady
You've been there far too long for him to ever treat you wrong
Now you gotta learn to live for you, lady
Let your mind be inspiration now 'cause your heart alone won't do

Girl, I know you, you're too strong to
Let a man who don't understand turn it 'round on you
So don't take all the weight, you can still be who you wanna be
If you have it in your heart

Know what you want, don't let him break your heart
Don't let him trick you into thinkin' that it's all your fault
'cause you've got a right baby to wanna love
Who will be anything and everything, anytime you want

Baby, it's no how and no way, I would never make your heart break
Never let you go astray
Girl you deserve the very best that love has to give
I will put up a fight, I'll do everything right as long as I live
I'll give all I can give

Know what you want don't let him break your heart
Don't let him trick you into thinkin' that it's all your fault
'cause you've got a right baby to wanna love
Who will be anything and everything, anytime you want

Know what you want don't let him break your heart
Don't let him trick you into thinkin' that it's all your fault
'cause you've got a right baby to wanna love
Who will be anything and everything, anytime you want

Know what you want don't let him break your heart
Don't let him trick you into thinkin' that it's all your fault

'cause you've got a right baby to wanna love
Who will be anything and everything, anytime you want

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Boyz II Men's song "Know What You Want" is a message for women to be assertive in their relationships and not settle for less than they deserve. The song acknowledges that many women stay in unhealthy relationships because they feel guilty for wanting more or believe that it's their fault that their partner is not treating them well. The singer encourages the listener to clear their guilty feelings, live for themselves, and demand the love they deserve.

The lyrics also celebrate the strength of women and their ability to persevere through difficulties. The singer emphasizes that women are too strong to let a man turn them around or take all the weight of the relationship. They have the power to be who they want to be and demand the love they need.

Overall, the song promotes assertiveness, self-love, and respect in relationships. It recognizes that women often face societal pressure to sacrifice their needs for the sake of their partners, but encourages them to prioritize themselves and know what they want in a relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

I know that your heart has been so heavy, baby
I understand that you have been feeling a lot of emotional distress lately.

Tryin' to find peace of mind, thinkin' 'bout him all the time
You've been constantly thinking about him and trying to find peace in your mind.

You gotta clear those guilty feelings, baby
It's important for you to let go of the guilt you feel for giving him everything you had and feeling bad as a result.

Gave him everything you had, that's the cause for feeling bad
You've been feeling bad because you gave him all that you had.

Girl, I know you, you're too strong to
I know that you are a strong woman who can handle anything.

Let a man who don't understand turn it 'round on you
You shouldn't let a man who doesn't understand blame you for everything.

So don't take all the weight, you can still be who you wanna be
You don't have to bear all the weight of the situation, you can still be the person you want to be.

If you have it in your heart
If you have the willpower and determination to do so.

Know what you want, don't let him break your heart
You should be aware of what you want and not allow him to break your heart.

Don't let him trick you into thinkin' that it's all your fault
You shouldn't allow him to manipulate you into thinking that the problems in the relationship are entirely your fault.

'cause you've got a right baby to wanna love
You have the right to want to love and be loved.

Who will be anything and everything, anytime you want
You deserve someone who will be anything and everything you want, any time you want.

I understand your frustrations lady
I understand your frustrations and difficulties, ma'am.

You've been there far too long for him to ever treat you wrong
You've been with him for too long to allow him to treat you poorly.

Now you gotta learn to live for you, lady
Now is the time for you to focus on your own life and happiness, ma'am.

Let your mind be inspiration now 'cause your heart alone won't do
You need to use your mind to seek inspiration and not rely solely on your heart.

Baby, it's no how and no way, I would never make your heart break
I promise that I would never intentionally hurt you or make your heart break.

Never let you go astray
I would never allow you to be led astray or misled.

Girl you deserve the very best that love has to give
You deserve the absolute best that love has to offer.

I will put up a fight, I'll do everything right as long as I live
I will do everything I can to fight for your happiness and do what is right for you for the rest of my life.

I'll give all I can give
I will give everything I have to offer.

Know what you want don't let him break your heart
You should know what you want and not allow him to break your heart.

Don't let him trick you into thinkin' that it's all your fault
You shouldn't let him manipulate you into thinking that everything that went wrong in the relationship was your fault.