February 2019 saw the release of Kehlani’s third mixtape While We Wait, which served as a prelude to what would be their second album It Was Good Until It Wasn’t. The highly-anticipated album was released on May 8, 2020 to positive reception, with the album cover and music videos being shot in their home due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the time.
On April 29, 2022, Kehlani released their third album Blue Water Road, with features from Blxst, Justin Bieber, Syd, Jessie Reyez, Ambré and Thundercat.
The Letter
Kehlani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's ringing through the hallways
I can see your smile
It's what gets me through my hard days
And your words, was suppose to get me through my heartache, before my heartbreak
There's an emptiness, that only few ever feel
And I somehow missed, the meaning of love that is real
And it compliments, my scars that will never heal
Maybe I didn't deserve you
Maybe I just couldn't cure you
They told me that I didn't hurt you
Why do I feel like I turned you?
Maybe I don't understand it
Tell me, is this how you planned it?
Did you see us so stranded?
Maybe I'm too much to manage
And if you weren't gonna guide me
Why bring me into the light?
Must have done something to make you want to run and hide
Why, oh why, didn't you just live your life?
And every girl needs a mother
And dammit, I needed you
Instead you duck for cover
And you ran from the truth
And like kids do
You waited around for proof
Maybe I didn't deserve you
Maybe I just couldn't cure you
They told me that I didn't hurt you
Why do I feel like I turned you?
And maybe I don't understand it
Tell me is this how you planned it?
Do you see us so stranded?
Maybe I'm too much to manage
Maybe I didn't deserve you
" The Letter" by Kehlani is an intense song that deals with complex emotions of love, heartbreak, and abandonment. The first stanza of the song expresses the singer's love and admiration for someone and how that person's laughter and smile helped her get through her tough times. However, the following line indicates that the relationship did not end well, and the singer is now experiencing an emptiness that only a few people can understand. The last line of the stanza suggests that the singer has some scars that will never heal, hinting that she has been through some significant emotional trauma.
Moving onto the second stanza, the lyrics become even more poignant as the singer questions the reasons behind the relationship's collapse. She wonders if the person she loved was too damaged, and maybe she could not help them heal. The singer also questions whether she was too much to handle, ultimately questioning where things went wrong. Then in the last two lines of the stanza, the singer talks about the need for a motherly figure in her life, someone who can guide her in her moments of distress. However, the person who she regarded as her mother figure, instead of providing comfort, disappeared, leaving her feeling abandoned and alone.
Overall, "The Letter" is a heartfelt expression of a person grappling with the complexities of love and abandonment while trying to find closure and answers to the questions that haunt her.
Line by Line Meaning
I can hear your laugh
I still remember how your laughter echoed in the hallways.
It's ringing through the hallways
Your laughter was so contagious that it still resonates in my memory.
I can see your smile
The image of your smile is what keeps me going through tough times.
It's what gets me through my hard days
Your smile acts as a source of comfort and motivation for me.
And your words, was suppose to get me through my heartache, before my heartbreak
Your comforting words were supposed to help me overcome difficult times, but they failed to protect me from this heartbreak.
There's an emptiness, that only few ever feel
The hollow emptiness that I feel is something that only a few can truly understand.
And I somehow missed, the meaning of love that is real
I failed to grasp the true essence of real love.
And it compliments, my scars that will never heal
This pain and heartbreak only seem to intensify the emotional scars I already have.
Maybe I didn't deserve you
Perhaps it's true that I never deserved your love.
Maybe I just couldn't cure you
Maybe I wasn't enough to heal you from your pain and suffering.
They told me that I didn't hurt you
Others may have said that I had no role in damaging you emotionally.
Why do I feel like I turned you?
But why do I feel like I had a part in causing you pain and making things worse?
Maybe I don't understand it
Maybe I just can't fully comprehend what happened between us.
Tell me, is this how you planned it?
Was this your plan all along? Did you want things to end up this way?
Did you see us so stranded?
Did you predict that we'd be stuck in this difficult situation?
Maybe I'm too much to manage
Perhaps I was too much for you to handle emotionally and mentally.
And if you weren't gonna guide me
If you were not planning to help me through this, then why did you bring me into the light in the first place?
Why bring me into the light?
Why give me hope and then leave me in the dark?
Must have done something to make you want to run and hide
I must have caused some troubles that led to you running and disappearing from my life.
Why, oh why, didn't you just live your life?
Why didn't you choose to simply live your life and not involve me in all of this?
And every girl needs a mother
A mother figure is so important to every young girl.
And dammit, I needed you
I desperately needed a motherly figure in my life.
Instead you duck for cover
But you chose to run and hide from your position as a mother.
And you ran from the truth
You chose to ignore the reality of the situation and not face the truth.
And like kids do
Just like small children,
You waited around for proof
I sought evidence or proof that someone cared about me instead of having unwavering faith.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Kehlani Parrish, Joshua Blaxon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AbbySampson
LYRICS
I can hear your laugh
It's ringing through the hallways
I can see your smile
It's what gets me through my hard days
And your words was suppose to get me through my heartache, before my heartbreak
There's an emptiness that only few ever fill
And I somehow missed the meaning of love that is real
And it compliments my scars that will never heal
[Chorus:]
Maybe I didn't deserve you
Maybe I just couldn't cure you
They told me that I didn't hurt you
Why do I feel like I turned you?
Maybe I don't understand it
Tell me is this how you planned it?
Did you see us so stranded
Maybe I'm too much to manage
[Verse 2:]
And if you weren't gonna guide me
Why bring me into the light?
Must have done something to make you want to run and hide
Why oh why didn't you just live your life?
And every girl needs a mother
And damn it I needed you
Instead you duck for cover
And you ran from the truth
And like kids do
You waited around for proof
[Chorus]
Maybe I didn't deserve you...
@samirahdivah99
I can hear your laugh ,
Its ringing through the hallways ,
I can see your smile ,
Its what gets me through my hard days ,
And your words,
Were supposed to get me through my heartache ,
Before my heart breaks ,
There's an emptiness ,
That only few ever feel ,
And i somehow miss ,
The meaning of love that is real ,
And it complements ,
My scars that will never heal ,
Maybe i didn't deserve you ,
Maybe i just couldn't cure you ,
They told me that i didn't hurt you ,
Why do i feel like i turned you ,
Maybe i don't understand it ,
Tell me is this how you planned it ,
Did you see us so stranded ,
Maybe i'm too much to manage ,
And if you weren't gonna guide me ,
Why bring me into the light ,
Must have done something ,
To make you want to run and hide ,
Why oh why ,
Didn't you just live your life ,
And every girl needs a mother ,
And damn it i need you ,
Instead you dug from cover ,
And you ran from the truth ,
And like kids do ,
You waited around for proof ,
Maybe i didn't deserve you ,
And maybe i just couldn't cure you ,
They told me that i didn't hurt you ,
Why do i feel like i turned you ,
Maybe i don't understand it ,
Tell me is this how you planned it ,
DO you see us so stranded ,
Maybe i'm too much to manage ,
Maybe i didn't deserve you ,
@ariannahughes206
I can hear your laugh
It's ringing through the hallways
I can see your smile
It's what gets me through my hard days
And your words was suppose to get me through my heartache, before my heartbreak
There's an emptiness that only few ever feel
And I somehow missed the meaning of love that is real
And it compliments my scars that will never heal
[Chorus:]
Maybe I didn't deserve you
Maybe I just couldn't cure you
They told me that I didn't hurt you
Why do I feel like I turned you?
Maybe I don't understand it
Tell me is this how you planned it?
Did you see us so stranded
Maybe I'm too much to manage
[Verse 2:]
And if you weren't gonna guide me
Why bring me into the light?
Must have done something to make you want to run and hide
Why oh why didn't you just live your life?
And every girl needs a mother
And damn it I needed you
Instead you duck for cover
And you ran from the truth
And like kids do
You waited around for proof
[Chorus]
Maybe I didn't deserve you...
@amberlemus9313
"every girl needs a mother, and damnit i needed you" - kehlani
damn this so deep i love her music
@malavewifey
It’s a whole mood..
@teresaperrywesley7514
That's rly deep...
@thisBeautifuLife
The amazing thing about this song is even though she's singing it as an adult, it brings you back to a child's perspective. It's a very heartfelt way of communicating what a child whose parent has disappeared is probably feeling but cannot yet articulate. Makes you feel for all the abandoned children, makes you want to be a better parent, and makes you believe that even if you don't have parents around you can still make something beautiful of yourself. RESPECT.
@danyellaamison7796
BeautifuLife love it yes
@lishabrown9584
rs💯💯
@daphnecetin6105
BeautifuLife I agree with this description
@poopiyyy3419
Okay bae I’m bout
@ashleym6682
If you listen carefully you could hear her crying at the end, brings me chills every time I listen
@AKIRASNEED
I heard it 😢