She is best known for her singles You Got Me her collaboration with The Roots, as well as her own songs Tyrone, Love of My Life, On & On, Bag Lady, The Healer, Honey and Soldier. Her lyrics are highly personal urban philosophy which throw emotional challenges in the face of the listener. She weaves unusual musical influences together creating a rich texture of sound.
Some music journalists have labeled her Nu soul, nouvelle-soul or neo soul, often comparing her to Billie Holiday in lyrical delivery and grouping her with Maxwell and D'Angelo in musical genre.
Baduizm, Badu's highly acclaimed debut album, was released in early 1997 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts. Lead single On & On reached #12 on the singles charts in both the U.S. and UK. Badu received notice for her introspective lyrics and jazzy, bass-heavy sound, and was hailed as one of the leading lights of the burgeoning neo soul genre. Her sophisticated style of singing drew many comparisons to Billie Holiday. Baduizm eventually went triple platinum and, along with On & On, won Grammy Awards at the 1998 ceremonies.
During that year, Badu became involved with rapper André 3000 of OutKast, with whom she had a child, Seven, who was born in 1997. Their relationship ended sometime in the late 90s. Badu recorded her first live album, Live, while pregnant with Seven, and the release of the recording coincided with the birth to her child. Live reached #4 on the Billboard charts, selling double platinum, and spawned another R&B hit single in Tyrone a song chiding a selfish, cheap, and inattentive boyfriend. Badu also collaborated with The Roots (who had previously handled production duties on a number of tracks on Baduizm) on their breakthrough 1999 release, Things Fall Apart. She was featured on the song You Got Me co-written by Jill Scott, which hit the top 40 and won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
After taking some time off to raise her child, Badu returned in 2000 with Mama's Gun, an album more organic in sound than her previous studio album, and primarily produced by the Soulquarians and noted bassist Pino Palladino. A remix of one of the album's songs, Bag Lady was issued as the first single and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. The album was well-received, with the lyrical content winning notices from many publications who found some of her lyrics hard to decipher on her initial releases. Despite not charting as high as her first two albums, Mama's Gun was another platinum-selling success, and Bag Lady was nominated for a Grammy.
By 2000, Badu was in a romantic relationship with fellow Soulquarian Common, and Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop) was released as a collaboration between the two on the Brown Sugar soundtrack. Love of My Life hit #9 on the pop charts, topped the R&B listings, and Badu was awarded her fourth Grammy for the song in 2003.
After the release of Mama's Gun and Love of My Life, Badu went through a period of writer's block. She hit the road throughout 2002 and much of 2003 on what she dubbed the "Frustrated Artist Tour," in search of inspiration to write and perform new material. The conclusion of the tour saw Badu head back to the studio with new material, and in September of 2003, the Worldwide Underground was released. More jam-oriented than any of her prior releases, Badu was quoted as saying that the release was designed to serve as one continuous groove. Worldwide Underground reached #3 on the Billboard charts and was certified gold not long after its release, and Badu received four further Grammy nominations for the EP.
After almost four years and the birth of a daughter, Puma, it was revealed in 2007 that Badu had three albums in the works over the course of 2007 and 2008. Honey, a new single produced by 9th Wonder, was leaked online in November 2007, and the new album, titled New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), was released on February 26, 2008.
On August 23, 2008, Badu joined the rock band My Morning Jacket on stage at their show in Dallas, Texas to perform her song Tyrone. Her surprise appearance was met with an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.
On February 1, 2009 Badu gave birth to her third child, a girl named Mars Merkaba with her boyfriend Jay Electronica.
Her album New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) was released on March 30, 2010.
A Child With The Blues
Erykah Badu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Could hurt you so very bad
Could have never known that witches
Would make you feel so very sad
I don't know what to do
I just feel so confused
I'm a child with the blues
Take your time smell the flowers
Oh yeah, make smile for yourself
Girl, don't make livin' so hard, so hard, so hard
I keep tellin' myself
Feels like I'm goin' away
Sometimes it ain't all damn fair
A child with the blues
Sisters, sisters, I know you watchin' me
There are lot of care reachin' for you constantly
When you thing you're grown you enterin' the unknown
Baby, check yourself
Brace yourself
Protect yourself
Face yourself
Feels like my life is just existing
And I'm missin' some one
It's hard to replace the simple fact
Cause my lover is gone, gone, no, oh
Never too young to pay a dues
And if you're walkin' in my shoes
You're a child with the blues
So blue, so blue
I can't stop the float, it ain't stop it
Of wet tears in my eyes
And if you're any other many kind of women in pain
Woman in pain rely, rely
Same emotion we share
Movin' fast but goin' nowhere
Like a child with the blues
Child with the blues
Without the blue, blue, blue
A child with the blues
In Erykah Badu's song "A Child With The Blues," the lyrics express a deep sense of confusion and sadness. The first two lines discuss the unexpected pain that comes from discovering something that was once seen as harmless can harm you deeply. The use of windows and witches as examples also enhances the feeling of being caught off-guard. The line "I don't know what to do, I just feel so confused" expresses the singer's vulnerability and helplessness in the face of this pain. The repetition of "a child with the blues" echoes the feeling of being powerless-like a child trying to make sense of something they don't yet understand.
The following lines switch to a more hopeful tone with the advice to "take your time smell the flowers" and to create moments of joy for oneself. However, this is quickly balanced with the acknowledgement that life can still be hard and unfair. The line "when you think you're grown you're entering the unknown" highlights the feeling of uncertainty and unknowing even when one thinks they have it all figured out. The final lines express a sense of loneliness and longing for what's lost-whether it's a partner or something else that provided comfort. The use of "no, oh" at the end of this line amplifies this feeling of despair.
Overall, the lyrics of "A Child With The Blues" express a sense of powerlessness in the face of pain and uncertainty, while also offering glimpses of hope and the importance of finding joy even in difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
Could have never known that windows
She didn't know that something as simple as windows could cause her so much pain
Could hurt you so very bad
She didn't know that windows could cause such intense emotional pain
Could have never known that witches
She didn't know that witches could cause her emotional distress
Would make you feel so very sad
She didn't realize that witches could affect her emotions so negatively
I don't know what to do
She's feeling lost and uncertain
I just feel so confused
She's feeling overwhelmed by her emotions and doesn't know how to handle them
I'm a child with the blues
She's feeling emotionally vulnerable and helpless, like a child
Take your time smell the flowers
She's encouraging others to slow down and appreciate the simple things
Oh yeah, make smile for yourself
She's encouraging others to find joy within themselves
Girl, don't make livin' so hard, so hard, so hard
She's advising others to not make life more difficult than it needs to be
I keep tellin' myself
She's reminding herself of these same ideas
Feels like I'm goin' away
She feels like she's losing herself
Sometimes it ain't all damn fair
She's acknowledging that life can be unfair
A child with the blues
She's still feeling emotionally vulnerable and helpless
Sisters, sisters, I know you watchin' me
She's addressing other women and acknowledging that they are watching her
There are lot of care reachin' for you constantly
She's reminding other women that there are people who care about them and want to help
When you thing you're grown you enterin' the unknown
She's warning other women that even when they feel like adults, there is still much they don't know
Baby, check yourself
She's advising other women to reflect on their own actions and behaviors
Brace yourself
She's telling other women to prepare themselves for what's to come
Protect yourself
She's advising other women to take steps to protect themselves from harm
Face yourself
She's encouraging other women to confront their own emotions and experiences
Feels like my life is just existing
She feels like she's just going through the motions of life, without truly living
And I'm missin' some one
She's missing someone important in her life
It's hard to replace the simple fact
She's acknowledging that some things are irreplaceable
Cause my lover is gone, gone, no, oh
She's revealing that she's missing a romantic partner
Never too young to pay a dues
She's stating that even young people can experience difficulties
And if you're walkin' in my shoes
She's acknowledging that others may be going through similar struggles
You're a child with the blues
If you're experiencing these emotions, you're feeling vulnerable and helpless like a child
So blue, so blue
She's emphasizing the intensity of her emotions
I can't stop the float, it ain't stop it
She can't control her emotions
Of wet tears in my eyes
She's crying
And if you're any other many kind of women in pain
She's acknowledging that there are many types of pain women can experience
Woman in pain rely, rely
Women in pain often rely on each other for support
Same emotion we share
Women share common emotional experiences
Movin' fast but goin' nowhere
She feels like she's not making progress, even though she's working hard
Without the blue, blue, blue
Without her emotions, she wouldn't be experiencing such pain
A child with the blues
She's still feeling emotionally vulnerable and helpless
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS MAYFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind