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.
When I Was Down
Donell Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pushed my love right out the door
At this point I can't take no more
When I was down you wasn't there for me
That's the reason I'm leavin' you
Girl I'm through
My all and my everything
Until the cash was gone
And she fronted like she cared for me
But what's the possiblity that she was gettin'
Me for my money
When I was down you wasn't there for me
Pushed my love right out the door
At this point I can't take no more
When I was down you wasn't there for me
That's the reason I'm leavin' you
Girl I'm through
No more lies
Baby things done change
I'm not the man I used to be
I gotta look out for me
And after all that we've been through
I can't believe that you would think
That I could love you
Oh
Things done change
And my life just ain't the same
And you been tryin'to come back home to me
That ain't gonna happen
When I was down you wasn't there for me
Pushed my love right out the door
At this point I can't take no more
When I was down you wasn't there for me
That's the reason I'm leavin' you
Girl I'm through
The lyrics to Donell Jones's song "When I Was Down" tell the story of a man who is fed up with his partner's lack of support when he was experiencing tough times. He was struggling financially and emotionally but his significant other was not there for him. The man feels betrayed and hurt by the person he trusted and loved. He wants out of the relationship because he has lost faith in his partner and doesn't believe they have his best interests at heart. The song itself is a standard R&B ballad with a smooth melody that complements the lyrics.
The lyrics also bring to the surface issues of trust and manipulation within a relationship. The man feels like his partner may have been using him for money all along, particularly since their relationship started to deteriorate as soon as his money ran out. This reveals the possibility of the woman's true motive and whether her love was genuine or just a façade.
Overall, the song depicts the painful realities of love, heartbreak, and moving on. The situation described in the lyrics is relatable, and many people may have experienced similar situations in their own lives.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was down you wasn't there for me
When I was going through a tough time, you weren't there to support me.
Pushed my love right out the door
Your actions caused me to lose my feelings of love for you.
At this point I can't take no more
I've reached my limit with this relationship and can't continue anymore.
That's the reason I'm leavin' you
Your lack of support during my difficult time is the main reason why I'm breaking up with you.
Girl I'm through
I'm done with this relationship.
My all and my everything
You were my everything, and I gave you everything I had.
She couldn't do no wrong
I believed that she was perfect and couldn't make any mistakes.
Until the cash was gone
When I ran out of money, things started to change.
And she fronted like she cared for me
She pretended to care about me and my well-being.
But what's the possiblity that she was gettin'
There's a possibility that she was just using me for my money.
Me for my money
She was only interested in me because of my money.
No more lies
I can't deal with any more deceit or dishonesty.
Baby things done change
Things have changed between us, and I can't ignore that.
I'm not the man I used to be
I've grown and changed as a person, and my priorities in life have shifted.
I gotta look out for me
I need to focus on taking care of myself and my own well-being.
And after all that we've been through
Despite everything we've experienced together, I can't continue in this relationship.
I can't believe that you would think
I'm surprised that you could still imagine a future together after everything that's happened.
That I could love you
I no longer have romantic feelings for you and can't imagine loving you again.
And my life just ain't the same
My life has changed since we broke up, and I've moved on to a different place emotionally.
And you been tryin'to come back home to me
You've been attempting to reconcile with me and come back into my life.
That ain't gonna happen
I'm not interested in getting back together with you and moving backwards in my life.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Curtis Mayfield, Donell Jones, Sheldon Goode
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Soul Flower
Donell is underrated it doesnt make no sense.. love this man
Jarel Grant
Played this at work and they looked at me like I was crazy
Jason Emile
Bruh...this album is his magnum opus and probably in the top 3 albums of the early 2000’s late 90’s for its overall lyrical content, flow, consistency, vocals, musicality.
David Leonard
Jarel Grant they wasn't ready for it...most the world wasn't...props to you for trying to educate lol
Donell1975
Donell jones the smoothest in the game 🕴👌👌👌
Jason Emile
2020 it’s still a random go to song. Whole album should be canonized in the R&B bible.
Update...still listening in 2050.
R Carter
love how he flipped that curtis mayfeild
Augustus White
Like its that hard.come on, the credit is all Curtis Mayfield.
Paperplane Jane
still underrated and I still love to hear his voice💕✨
ohandza jean
One of the best song of this album