Born in Chicago, Illinois, Jones' upbringing was rough. He struggled between wanting to be a musician and to be a member of a street gang. After a brush with death, Jones left the gang and focused on a music career forming the group Porscha. However, Jones was gaining notice as a writer penning songs for established R&B acts such as Usher, producing the singer's 1995 hit, "Think of You", 702's "Get It Together" and also wrote for groups such as Brownstone and Silk.
In 1996, he signed with LaFace Records and released his debut album, My Heart, which included his hit cover of Stevie Wonder's 1976 ballad "Knocks Me Off My Feet". It wasn't until 1999 however that Jones began to establish himself as a R&B hit maker with the album, Where I Wanna Be. The album yielded the number-one hits such as "U Know What's Up", which featured TLC member Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes and the title track. Other hits included "Shorty (Got Her Eyes on Me)" and "This Luv".
In 2002, Jones released the gold-selling Life Goes On album, which featured the hits, "You Know That I Love You" and "Put Me Down" featuring Styles P.. Four years later, he released his fourth album, Journey of a Gemini, which featured the Tim & Bob hit, "I'm Gonna Be", which became a big hit on Urban AC. Jones is currently writing songs for Usher, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey on their upcoming albums.
Another Life
Donell Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you know right now
You know it's just getting to be too much
Ooh yeah, I really don't wanna go
Listen, it was back in '99, I was a real nigga
Took you and your shorty in just to deal witcha
In the beginning, it was rough
He's always acting up, baby, I've had enough
Don't need no child support 'cause I provided
Bought him anything he wanted you can't deny it
I've always treated him right, he's coming between our love
And what y'all got I can't mess up
Maybe in another life
We can be together
Promise that next time won't leave you ever
Maybe in another life
The sun will shine forever
With you in my life, no more stormy weather
And maybe in another life, yeah
We can be together
Promise that next time won't leave you ever
Maybe in another life
The sun will shine forever
With you in my life, no more stormy weather
I got to walk away, look at the big picture
A son needing his mother is the real issue
I'm not a selfish guy, you know I want you in my life
It's killing me inside, don't wanna say goodbye
Can't even show affection 'cause he don't like it
Every time we get romantic, we gotta hide it
The way we living ain't right, he's coming between our love
And what y'all got I can't mess up
Maybe in another life
We can be together
Promise that next time won't leave you ever
And maybe in another life
The sun will shine forever
With you in my life, no more stormy weather
And maybe in another life
We can be together
Promise that next time won't leave you ever
And maybe in another life
The sun will shine forever
With you in my life, no more stormy weather
I can't come between a son and a mother
It's unfortunate that this is over
You don't leave me any choice
This could end up in divorce
Take a nigga straight to court
This decision is the best, yeah
And I'm sorry it had to end this way
In this relationship, I can not stay
I can see that this is it
It ain't nothing we can fix
Should be living for you kid
And maybe in another life
We can be together
Promise that next time won't leave you ever
And maybe in another life
The sun will shine forever
With you in my life, no more stormy weather
In another life
We can be together
Promise that next time won't leave you ever
Another life
The sun will shine forever
With you in my life, no more stormy weather
We can be together
Promise that next time won't leave you ever
The sun will shine forever
With you in my life, no more stormy weather
We could be
We can be together
Promise that next time won't leave you ever
In another life
The sun will shine forever
With you in my life, no more
The song "Another Life" by Donell Jones is a heartbreaking tale of a man who loves his partner dearly but is struggling to maintain their relationship due to her son's resentment towards him. The song's title refers to the idea that in another life or alternate reality, the couple could be together without any obstacles, particularly the presence of the son.
The song's lyrics paint a picture of a love triangle where the singer feels like he's always competing for the attention of his partner with her son. Despite loving her deeply, he feels like he has to walk away from the relationship because he doesn't want to come between her and her son. The pain and heartbreak in the singer's voice are palpable, particularly in the lines, "I'm not a selfish guy, you know I want you in my life, it's killing me inside."
What makes "Another Life" particularly poignant is the way the song tackles the theme of sacrifice. The singer loves his partner enough to let her go so that she can prioritize her relationship with her son. The song is a reminder that love isn't always about selfishly holding onto someone, but sometimes letting them go so that they can be happy.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, you know I love you
I love you, and you know it.
But you know right now
But lately, things have become difficult between us.
You know it's just getting to be too much
The situation is overwhelming me, and I can't deal with it anymore.
Ooh yeah, I really don't wanna go
I still have feelings for you, and leaving is hard for me.
Listen, it was back in '99, I was a real nigga
This situation started a while ago when I was young and foolish.
Took you and your shorty in just to deal witcha
I welcomed you and your child into my life, hoping to build a relationship with you.
In the beginning, it was rough
The early days of our relationship were challenging.
'Cause sumtin' was missing that he love
Something was missing, and I didn't know what it was that he wanted.
He's always acting up, baby, I've had enough
Your child's behavior is causing problems and straining our relationship.
Don't need no child support 'cause I provided
I have provided for your child and don't need to pay child support.
Bought him anything he wanted you can't deny it
I have also bought him anything he wanted, and you know it to be true.
I've always treated him right, he's coming between our love
I have been a good parent and treated your child well, but his behavior is harming our relationship.
And what y'all got I can't mess up
I don't want to ruin what we have, but I can't continue in this situation.
I'm not a selfish guy, you know I want you in my life
I am not selfish, and I want you in my life, but the situation is not working for me.
It's killing me inside, don't wanna say goodbye
The thought of leaving you hurts me deeply, and I don't want to do it.
Every time we get romantic, we gotta hide it
We have to hide our romantic relationship from your child, which is difficult.
I can't come between a son and a mother
I don't want to harm the relationship between a mother and her child.
It's unfortunate that this is over
Sadly, our relationship has come to an end.
This could end up in divorce
Our situation is serious, and it could lead to a divorce.
Take a nigga straight to court
You might take me to court over the situation.
This decision is the best, yeah
This decision is the best decision for both of us, even though it is painful.
I can see that this is it
I can see that our relationship has come to an end.
It ain't nothing we can fix
Our problems are beyond repair, and there is nothing we can do to fix them.
Should be living for you kid
Our focus should be on what's best for your child.
We could be
We have the potential to be together.
The sun will shine forever
Our future together looks bright and full of happiness.
With you in my life, no more stormy weather
With you by my side, the difficult times will become easier to weather.
Promise that next time won't leave you ever
I promise that I won't leave you again in the future.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Walt Disney Music Company, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CIARAN JEREMIAH, KEVIN JEREMIAH, RICHARD JONES, DANIEL SELLS, PAUL STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tiffany Moesby
on BABY IT'S YOU
I'm not satisfied with out an apology over one song. Mysteriously I don't want it anymore.