In 2004, Ciara released her debut studio album, Goodies. It was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and garnered two nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2006, Ciara released her second studio album, The Evolution, which reached number one in the U.S. and was certified platinum.
Ciara's third studio album, Fantasy Ride (2009) was less successful than her first two albums. However, it produced the international top-ten single "Love Sex Magic (feat. Justin Timberlake)", which received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The following year, Ciara released her fourth studio album, Basic Instinct, which included the R&B top-five single "Ride (feat. Ludacris)", but was met with low sales, continuing a downward trend in her commercial performance. Ciara signed a new record deal with Epic Records in 2011. In 2013, she released her fifth studio album, Ciara, which spawned the R&B top-ten single "Body Party". Her sixth album, Jackie (2015), included the singles "I Bet" and "Dance like We're Making Love". Her seventh album, Beauty Marks (2019), included the hit single "Level Up". Ciara's awards include three BET Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, three MOBO Awards and one Grammy Award. As of 2019, Ciara's worldwide sales total over 45 million.
In 2006, Ciara made her film debut in All You've Got, and later appeared in the films Mama, I Want to Sing! (2012) and That's My Boy (2012). In 2013, she had a recurring role in the US TV series, The Game. In 2016, Ciara signed a signed a modeling contract with IMG. That year, she became a Global Brand Ambassador for the cosmetics giant Revlon and she married quarterback Russell Wilson.
So Hard
Ciara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He made it so hard to trust someone, trust someone
He made it so hard to fall in love, fall in love
Not tryna mess up this relationship thinking
'Cause the last man did me that way
You gon' do the same things
I don't wanna be this way
You see, I trusted him with everything
Never held back anything
Thought we'd be together for the rest of our lives
So suddenly he took his love away
And made it hard to trust again, oh
I know I've been holding back, but he really hurt me bad
I don't wanna take my past and put it all on you
I'm not tryna hold you back
Really hope you understand
I don't know what I'm gonna do
When I think of what he did to me
It makes it hard to fall in love
When I think about just what I need
It makes it hard to trust someone
Baby, I gotta let go
Don't wanna miss out on love this time
Gotta leave those things behind
Whatever's yours, you call it ours
Send flowers with love, you keep me showered
And so did my ex-man at first
You see what started out so simple
All flew out the window
There I go comparing you to him again
It keeps holding me down. I gotta let it go
I wanna give love a chance, 'cause you may never know
Baby, you could be the one for me
Yes, the only one for me
And I don't wanna lose a good thing, no
I know I've been holding back, but he really hurt me bad
I don't wanna take my past and put it all on you
I'm not tryna hold you back
Really hope you understand
I don't know what I'm gonna do
When I think of what he did to me
It makes it hard to fall in love
When I think about just what I need
It makes it hard to trust someone
Baby, I gotta let go
Don't wanna miss out on love this time
Gotta leave those things behind
One disappointment, one heartbreak
Too many mistakes in love I've made
I can't come with all this baggage
Thinking he's gon' have it
See, I know I'm being selfish, but I gotta let it go
Close that chapter, close that book
Faith and love is all it ever took
That's why I never gave up
And I never gave in
'Cause I know true love is waiting for me again
I know I've been holding back, but he really hurt me bad
I don't wanna take my past and put it all on you
I'm not tryna hold you back
Really hope you understand
I don't know what I'm gonna do
When I think of what he did to me
It makes it hard to fall in love
When I think about just what I need
It makes it hard to trust someone
Baby, I gotta let go
Don't wanna miss out on love this time
Gotta leave those things behind
He made it so hard to trust someone, trust someone
He made it so hard to fall in love, fall in love
Ooh
Ciara sings about the difficulty of moving on from past hurt and learning to trust and fall in love again in her song "So Hard." She explains how a previous relationship left her with baggage and made it hard for her to trust anyone again. The lyrics suggest that despite wanting to move on and give love another chance, it can be challenging to put the past behind and begin a new relationship. Ciara also acknowledges that she doesn't want to hold her new partner back because of her insecurities from her past relationship. She hopes that her new partner can help her let go of her hurt and pain and make it possible to trust and fall in love again.
The chorus reveals Ciara's struggle with falling in love and trusting someone due to the aftermath of her previous relationship. She holds back because she's scared and doesn't want to experience the same heartache again. However, she realizes that to find true love, she has to let go of her fear and try again. The lyrics suggest that she wants to leave behind the past hurt and embrace the possibilities of love because true love is waiting for her.
Line by Line Meaning
He made it so hard
The previous man made it difficult for me to trust again and fall in love.
To trust someone
I find it hard to trust someone again because of how the last man treated me.
To fall in love
The hurt and disappointment from my past relationship makes it difficult for me to open up and fall in love.
Not trying to mess up this relationship (thinkin')
I am trying my best not to ruin this relationship by overthinking and comparing it to my past experience.
'Cause the last man did me that way
I have trust issues because of how my previous partner treated me badly.
You gon do the same things I
I fear that you will treat me the same way like my ex-partner did.
Don't wanna be this way
I don't want to have trust issues and fear of love, but my past experiences make it hard for me not to feel that way.
But I'm hoping you can change
I have faith that you can change my perception of love and trust through your actions.
The way that I feel
I hope that you can change the way I feel about relationships.
(ooooo)you see
Can't you understand where I'm coming from?
I trusted him with everything
I gave my all to my previous partner, and it still ended in heartbreak.
Never held back anything
I didn't hold anything back in my past relationship; I opened up completely.
Thought we'd be 2gether for the rest of our lives
I thought my previous relationship would last forever despite any obstacles.
So suddenly he took his love away
My previous partner's love for me vanished so suddenly without any explanation.
And made it hard to trust again (oooo)
The hurt from my previous partner made it hard for me to trust someone again (can't you see that?).
I know I been holding back
I am aware that I have been holding back in this relationship.
But he really hurt me bad
My previous partner hurt me deeply, and it is hard to forget.
I don't wanna take my past
I don't want my past to affect the present relationship.
And put it all on you
I don't want to burden you with my past hurt and insecurities.
I'm not tryna hold you back
I don't want to hinder the growth of our relationship because of my past.
Really hope you understand
I wish that you can sympathize with my fears and concerns.
I don't know what I'm gonna do
I am uncertain of how to handle my past pain and move forward.
When I think of what he did to me
When I recall my past experience with my ex, I become hurt and guarded.
It makes it hard to fall in love
It is difficult for me to open up and fall in love because of the previous hurt.
When I think about just what I need
I have a clear idea of what I want in a relationship, but my past makes it hard to trust someone.
Baby I gotta let go
I need to move on from my past to experience love once more, but it's not easy.
Don't wanna miss out on love this time
I don't want to pass opportunities for love because of my past.
Gotta leave those things behind
I need to forget my past and move forward to experience love once again.
Whatever's yours
Everything that is yours belongs to us when we are together.
You call it ours send flowers
You show your affection by giving gifts and making romantic gestures to me.
With love you keep me showered
Your love makes me feel loved and appreciated.
But so did my x-man at first
My ex-partner also showered me with love and gifts at the beginning of our relationship.
You see what started out so simple
Our relationship started out as something simple, but my past keeps making things complicated.
All flew out the window
All the simplicity and ease of our relationship vanished because of my fears and reservations.
There I go comparing you to him again
I keep comparing you to my ex-partner, and I know it's not fair to you.
It keeps holding me down (i gotta let it go)
My past and my comparisons hold me back from being vulnerable and open in this relationship. I need to let it go.
I wanna give love a chance (but you may never know)
I want to try to give love another chance without letting my past cloud my judgment, but I am unsure if I can do it.
Baby you can be the the one for me
I believe that you can be the one that I can trust and love despite my past.
Yes the only one for me
I have faith that you can be the only person who can heal my broken heart and love me for who I am.
And I don't want to loose a good thing nooo...
I don't want to lose a chance at true love and happiness with you because of my past.
One disappointment, one heart break
Just one disappointment and heartbreak can scar me and make it hard for me to trust someone again.
To many mistakes in love I've made
I have made too many mistakes in love in the past that have hurt me and left me jaded.
I can't come with all this baggage
I am aware of the baggage that I carry from my past, and I don't want to bring it to a new relationship.
Thinking he's gonna have it
I don't want to assume that my new partner will have to deal with my burden and baggage from the past.
See I know I'm being selfish
I understand that my past insecurities and fears are causing me to be selfish and miss out on a potentially good relationship.
But I gotta let it go
I need to move on from my past and let go of my fears and reservations.
Close that chapter, close that book
I need to end the chapter of my past hurt and heartbreak and start a new one with a fresh mindset.
Faith in love is all it ever took
All it takes to move forward and try again is to faith in love and believe that I will find my true love.
That's why I never gave up and never gave in
I never stopped believing in love, despite my past disappointments and heartbreaks.
'Cause I know true love is waitin' for me again
I believe that true love is still possible for me, and I am willing to try again despite past hurts.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ciara Princess Harris, Balewa M. Muhammad, Candice Clotiel Nelson, Bryan Michael Paul Cox, Troy Cameron Clark, Kendrick Ashley Jevon Dean
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind