In September 2005, Fantasia published her memoir (which she dictated to a freelance writer), Life is Not a Fairy Tale. In it she revealed that she is functionally illiterate. She discussed this in an interview on 20/20, saying she hadn't been able to read contracts, and she simply memorized the songs she was told to perform and sing on her records.
Selfish
Fantasia Barrino Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I dont need anybody else
But you
Come on
[weird voice]
[Fantasia:]
Boy
Stop playin tricks on me
'cause when i think i found the right one
I end up lonely
So dont judge me
Before you get to know me
I dont wanna say your love
Make me your one and only
Ooh
[chorus]
Come on
I dont want nobody else
I want you to myself
You can call me selfish if you want to
I dont need nobody else
I wanna say you love
I wanna be the only one you run to
[verse 2]
My heart
Cant take another heart break
Because every time i fall deep in love
Somebody go and hurt me
So this time
There will be no mistakes
If you allow me to prove myself
Boy i can make you happy
[chorus]
I dont want nobody else
I want you to myself
You can call me selfish if you want to
I dont need nobody else
I wanna say you love
I wanna be the only one you run to
[Missy Elliott:]
Im stinjy with my man
Im stinjy with the goodies
If you think my style fly then check the way i boogie
This one tough cookie
My girl told the hotties ??
Will approve any chic that walks up to my man
Never understand my man be my man
I shut the game down
This dude is mine now
Bring it to the ring
K yo won one round
Miss demeanor and fantasia with the break down
[Fantasia:]
I want to be the only one
The only one that you run to
I sure dont need nobody else
Your the one your the one your the one your the one
I wanna be
I want to be the only one
The only one that you run to
I sure dont need nobody else
Your the one your the one your the one your the one
[chorus]
Come on
I dont want nobody else
I want you to myself
You can call me selfish if you want to
I dont need nobody else
I wanna say you love
I wanna be the only one you run to
[weird voice]
The lyrics of the song "Selfish" by Fantasia Barrino revolve around the singer's desire to have a committed and exclusive relationship with the person she loves. The song starts with a brief introduction by Missy Elliott, after which Fantasia's voice comes in, singing the first verse. She tells her lover to stop playing games with her since she always ends up feeling lonely when she thinks she has found the right one. She urges the person to get to know her before judging her, and promises to make them her one and only.
In the chorus, Fantasia repeats that she wants nobody else but her lover, and she doesn't want to share them with anyone. She calls herself selfish, but she doesn't need anybody else except the person she loves. In the second verse, she reveals that she has been hurt before, and her heart can't take another heartbreak. She promises to make no mistakes if given a chance and that she can make her lover happy.
The song ends with Fantasia expressing her desire to be the only one for her lover, and she doesn't need anybody else despite being called selfish. Overall, the song speaks about the simplicity of love and the importance of being exclusive in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
[Intro Missy Elliott:]
I dont need anybody else
But you
Come on
Fantasia is addressing her lover and says she doesn't need anyone else but her lover
[Fantasia:]
[verse 1]
Boy
Stop playin tricks on me
'cause when i think i found the right one
I end up lonely
So dont judge me
Before you get to know me
I dont wanna say your love
Make me your one and only
Ooh
Fantasia talks to her lover and says she has been lonely when she thought she found the right one. She pleads with her lover not to judge her before getting to know her, and she wants to be the only one for him.
[chorus]
Come on
I dont want nobody else
I want you to myself
You can call me selfish if you want to
I dont need nobody else
I wanna say you love
I wanna be the only one you run to
Fantasia reiterates that she doesn't want anyone else but her lover. She asks him to call her selfish if he wants to, but she wants to be the only one he runs to when he needs someone.
[verse 2]
My heart
Cant take another heart break
Because every time i fall deep in love
Somebody go and hurt me
So this time
There will be no mistakes
If you allow me to prove myself
Boy i can make you happy
Fantasia says she can't take another heartbreak because she has been hurt every time she has fallen in love in the past. She wants her lover to give her a chance to prove that she can make him happy without any mistakes this time.
[Missy Elliott:]
Im stinjy with my man
Im stinjy with the goodies
If you think my style fly then check the way i boogie
This one tough cookie
My girl told the hotties ??
Will approve any chic that walks up to my man
Never understand my man be my man
I shut the game down
This dude is mine now
Bring it to the ring
K yo won one round
Miss demeanor and fantasia with the break down
Missy Elliott talks about being stingy with her man and not allowing anyone to come between them. Fantasia and Missy Elliott team up to prove that they are the only ones their men need.
[Fantasia:]
I want to be the only one
The only one that you run to
I sure dont need nobody else
Your the one your the one your the one your the one
I wanna be
I want to be the only one
The only one that you run to
I sure dont need nobody else
Your the one your the one your the one your the one
Fantasia repeats that she wants to be the only one her lover runs to and she doesn't need anyone else. She reiterates that her lover is the only one for her.
Contributed by Lucas N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.