Headley began playing the music of her native country at a young age, including calypso, reggae and soca. She moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana in the United States at the age of fifteen when her father was offered a job as pastor of McKee Street Church of God (in Anderson, Indiana).
After graduating from Northrop High School, Headley attended Northwestern University to study communications and musical theatre. In 1997, she played Nala in The Lion King, the Broadway musical. Headley's performance was well-received and she then originated the title role in the Broadway adaptation of Aida, earning the Tony Award for Best Actress in 1999.
Headley released her debut album, This Is Who I Am, in October 2002 on RCA Records. Although its first single, "He Is", was not very successful, the second single, "I Wish I Wasn't", achieved moderate success and earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Headley was also nominated for Best New Artist.
On September 6, 2003, Headley married Brian Musso, formerly of the New York Jets. Her second album, In My Mind, was delayed due to the various executive shake-ups associated with RCA parent BMG's merger with Sony, and Headley joked that it should have been called Caught Up instead. Under BMG North America chairman/CEO Clive Davis for the first time, Headley released the album in January 2006. The title track was released as the first single; it was produced by India.Arie collaborator Shannon Sanders, and its music video was directed by Diane Martel. The song reached number-one on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
I Wish I Wasn't
Heather Headley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you're out hangin' with your friends
So you say
Somehow I know it's not quite that way
It's getting pretty late
And you haven't checked on me all day
When I called you didn't answer
I wish that you were home
Holdin' me tight in your arms
And I wish I could go back
To the day before we met
And skip my regret
I wish I wasn't in love with you
So you couldn't hurt me
It just ain't fair the way you treat me
No, you don't deserve me
Wasted my time thinkin' 'bout you
And you ain't never gon' change
I wish I wasn't in love with you
So I wouldn't feel this way
When you touch me my heart melts
(And anything you did wrong I forgive) Yeah, yeah
So you play me and take advantage
Of the love that I feel for you
Why you wanna hurt me so bad
I believed in you that's why I'm so mad
Now I'm drowning in disappointment
And it's hard for me to even look at you
I wish that you were home, oh, yes, I do
Holdin' me tight in your arms, ooh, baby
And I wish I could go back
To the day before we met
And skip my regret
I wish I wasn't in love with you
So you couldn't hurt me (I don't wanna hurt no more)
It just ain't fair (It just ain't fair, no) the way
you treat me
No, you don't desert me (You, you)
Wasted my time thinkin' 'bout you
And you ain't never gon' change (You ain't never gonna
change)
I wish I wasn't (I wasn't in love) in love with you
So I wouldn't feel this way (I wouldn't feel this way)
Said you care about me, but from what I see
I ain't feelin' that, so I disagree
Gave you all my love and understanding
And you treated me like your enemy
So leave me alone, don't bother to follow me
Now just go back where you came from
This house is no longer your home
You are not welcome no, no, no more, no more
I wish I wasn't in love with you
So you couldn't hurt me (You couldn't hurt me, baby)
It just ain't fair (It just ain't fair) the way you
treat me (The way you treat me)
No, you don't deserve me (You don't deserve me, baby)
Wasted my time (Oh, oh) thinkin' 'bout you
(Thinkin' about you)
And you ain't never gon' change (You're never gonna
change, never gonna change)
I wish I wasn't in love with you
So I wouldn't feel this way
I wish I wasn't in love with you
So you couldn't hurt me (You couldn't hurt me this
bad)
It just ain't fair (It ain't fair) the way you treat me
(No, it ain't fair)
No, you don't deserve me (You don't deserve me, my
love)
Wasted my time (Ooh) thinkin' 'bout you (Thinkin'
about you)
And you ain't never gon' change (You ain't gonna never
change)
I wish I wasn't (Wasn't) in love with you (In love
with you)
So I wouldn't feel this way
Hear you knockin' at the door again
I'm wonderin' should I let you in
I open up the door and see
The flowers for me, so beautiful in your hand
You start beggin' me to take you back
I've always been a sucker for romance
And before you know it I could see it, you're all over
me
Oh, no, here I go again
I wish I wasn't in love with you
So you couldn't hurt me
In Heather Headley's song "I Wish I Wasn't," the singer expresses her frustration and disappointment with her partner who is constantly neglecting her. She is left home alone while he is out hanging with his friends, and when she tries calling him, he ignores her. The singer wishes that she could go back to the day before they met and avoids the regret she feels for falling in love with him. She believes that if she wasn't in love with him, he wouldn't be able to hurt her. However, despite her struggles, the singer's partner keeps coming back with flowers and apologies, leaving her to question whether to let him back in or not.
The lyrics illustrate a common theme of heartbreak and betrayal in love relationships. The singer's feelings of neglect and disappointment are relatable to anyone who has been in a similar situation. She wonders why her partner wants to hurt her so badly and is angry that she believed in him. The lyrics also highlight the power of forgiveness and the difficulty of moving on from a toxic relationship, even when the other person keeps coming back.
In conclusion, the song "I Wish I Wasn't" is a powerful depiction of the complexities of love and heartbreak. It speaks to the struggles that many people face in relationships, and the difficulty of letting go even when you know that someone isn't treating you right.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm home alone again
And you're out hangin' with your friends
So you say
Somehow I know it's not quite that way
Feeling lonely at home, while you are out with friends, although you claim that this is what you are doing, I have a feeling that it's not the complete truth.
It's getting pretty late
And you haven't checked on me all day
When I called you didn't answer
Now I'm feelin' like you're ignorin' me
It's already late, and you haven't cared to check on me all day, neither did you answer when I called, leading me to believe that you are deliberately ignoring me.
I wish that you were home
Holdin' me tight in your arms
And I wish I could go back
To the day before we met
And skip my regret
I desire your presence here, embracing me with your arms tightly, and I wish I could turn back time and erase all my regrets by not meeting you.
I wish I wasn't in love with you
So you couldn't hurt me
It just ain't fair the way you treat me
No, you don't deserve me
I regret being in love with you because it makes me vulnerable to your hurtful actions, and you don't treat me fairly nor deserve someone like me.
Wasted my time thinkin' 'bout you
And you ain't never gon' change
I wish I wasn't in love with you
So I wouldn't feel this way
I wasted so much of my time pondering over you, and I know you will never change, making me wish I never fell in love with you as it wouldn't have caused me so much pain.
When you touch me my heart melts
(And anything you did wrong I forgive) Yeah, yeah
So you play me and take advantage
Of the love that I feel for you
Every time you touch me, my heart melts, and I forget all the wrongs you've done. Yet, you take advantage of my feelings and play with my emotions.
Why you wanna hurt me so bad
I believed in you that's why I'm so mad
Now I'm drowning in disappointment
And it's hard for me to even look at you
I can't understand why you want to hurt me so much. I had faith in you, which is why I am so upset now. Your betrayal has caused me to drown in disappointment, and I find it challenging to even face you anymore.
Said you care about me, but from what I see
I ain't feelin' that, so I disagree
Gave you all my love and understanding
And you treated me like your enemy
You claimed that you care about me, but from what I can observe, I don't sense your love. Therefore, I disagree with you. I gave you all my love and comprehension, yet you treated me like an adversary.
So leave me alone, don't bother to follow me
Now just go back where you came from
This house is no longer your home
You are not welcome no, no, no more, no more
I need you to leave me alone and stop following me. Please go back to where you came from as this house isn't your home anymore, and do not think that you're welcome anymore.
Hear you knockin' at the door again
I'm wonderin' should I let you in
I open up the door and see
The flowers for me, so beautiful in your hand
You start beggin' me to take you back
I've always been a sucker for romance
And before you know it I could see it, you're all over me
Oh, no, here I go again
I hear you knocking at the door again, and I am not sure if I should let you in. However, when I open the door, I see the beautiful flowers in your hands. Suddenly, you begin to beg for me to take you back, and as someone who always falls for romantic gestures, before long, you're all over me again. Unfortunately, I can see that I am about to go through this cycle again.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JAMES HARRIS III, JAMES WRIGHT, JAMES QUENTON WRIGHT, JAMES SAMUEL III HARRIS, TERRY LEWIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Divinereality.
Here I am 27 years old going through my first heartbreak and I never would have imagined it would be this painful. I pray my daughter never feels this low over a guy 😢
@brittanycrosby1551
Girl Same 😩 sending you a virtual hug ❤
@Divinereality.
@@brittanycrosby1551 thanks sis 🤗 I love you girl. We got this❣️
@alexisdarden9646
I'm 27 years old and hope my daughter doesn't go through this at all
@Divinereality.
@@alexisdarden9646 she’ll be fine as long as she has you. A father plays a huge role in a girls life and his emotional support is everything. You got this & I’m rooting for you 😘
@dnicednice7038
Never! Love no one more then you Love GOD!!!❤️🙏🏼
@quinnb7672
This song been a classic in my book. Who else agrees???
@shawnni3014
I agree it’s still 🔥🔥🔥❤️
@xolilemncube5268
Me me me
@chirene8229
i totally agree