Hill is noted as a humanitarian, and in 1996 she received an Essence Award for work which has included the 1996 founding of the Refugee Project, an outreach organization that supports a two-week overnight camp for at-risk youth, and for supporting well-building projects in Kenya and Uganda, as well as for staging a rap concert in Harlem to promote voter registration.
In 1999's Grammy Awards, Hill was nominated eleven times and won Album of the Year (beating Madonna's critically acclaimed album Ray of Light), Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, setting a new record for a female performer.
Hill has four children with retired (American) football player Rohan Marley, son of the late reggae music icon, Bob Marley: Zion David Marley, born 1997, Selah Louise Marley, born 1998, and second son Joshua, born 2002. A fourth child, John, was born in 2003 and the couple married soon after.
Early life
Lauryn Hill was born in East Orange, New Jersey. Hill was the second of two children born to high school English teacher Valerie Hill and computer programmer Mal Hill. As a child, Hill incessantly listened to her parents' Motown and 1960s soul records. Music was a central part of the Hill home. Mal Hill sang at weddings, Valerie played the piano, and Lauryn's older brother Melaney played the saxophone, guitar and drums.
Hill graduated from Columbia High School (New Jersey) in Maplewood, New Jersey. Hill was an active student, cheerleader, and performer. She began her acting career at a young age, and started performing music in 1987. In 1988, 13-year old Hill appeared as an Amateur Night contestant on It's Showtime at the Apollo. Hill sang her own version of William "Smokey" Robinson's song "Who's Lovin' You?". A nervous Hill sung far away from the mic and was heckled at first; but persisted and finished her song to a standing applause, though she did not win.
Hill was childhood friends with actor Zach Braff and they both graduated from Columbia High School in 1993. Braff mentions inviting Hill to his bar Mitzvah in 1988.[1]
Hill appeared on the soap opera, As The World Turns as Kira Johnson. In December 1993, she starred in "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" as Rita Louise Watson. In the film, she performed the songs "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" (a duet with Tanya Blount) and "Joyful,Joyful" . It was in this role, as Rita, that she first came to national prominence, with Roger Ebert calling her "the girl with the big joyful voice". Although Sister Act I and II were originally conceived as vehicles for comedian Whoopi Goldberg, the second installment won Lauryn equal notice.
Her other acting work includes the play Club XII with MC Lyte, and the motion pictures King of the Hill (as Arletta the Elevator Operator), Hav Plenty (1997), and Restaurant (1998). She appeared on the soundtracks to Conspiracy Theory in 1996 (on the track "Can't Take My Eyes Off You") and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood in 2002 (on the track "Selah").
Her most recent album (mixtape) entitled "The Re-Education of Lauryn Hill" was released in 2007.
Ex-Factor
Lauryn Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you'd rather make it hard
Loving you is like a battle
And we both end up with scars
Tell me, who I have to be
To get some reciprocity
No one loves you more than me
And no one ever will
Is this just a silly game
That forces you to act this way?
Forces you to scream my name
Then pretend that you can't stay
Tell me, who I have to be
To get some reciprocity
No one loves you more than me
And no one ever will
No matter how I think we grow
You always seem to let me know
It ain't workin', It ain't workin' (No, it ain't workin')
And when I try to walk away
You'd hurt yourself to make me stay
This is crazy, this is crazy (This is crazy, uh-huh)
I keep letting you back in
How can I explain myself?
As painful as this thing has been
I just can't be with no one else
See I know what we've got to do
You let go, and I'll let go too
'Cause no one's hurt me more than you
And no one ever will
No matter how I think we grow
You always seem to let me know
It ain't workin', It ain't workin' (It ain't workin')
And when I try to walk away
You'd hurt yourself to make me stay
This is crazy, this is crazy
Care for me, care for me
I know you care for me
There for me, there for me
Said you'd be there for me
Cry for me, cry for me
You said you'd die for me
Give to me, give to me
Why won't you live for me?
Care for me, care for me
You said you care for me
There for me, there for me
Said you'd be there for me
Cry for me, cry for me
You said you'd die for me
Give to me, give to me
Why won't you live for me?
Care for me, care for me
You said you care for me
There for me, there for me
Said you'd be there for me
Cry for me, cry for me
You said you'd die for me
Give to me, give to me
Why won't you live for me?
Care for me, care for me
You said you care for me
There for me, there for me
Said you'd be there for me
Give to me, give to me
Why won't you live for me?
Cry for me, cry for me
You said you'd die for me
The lyrics of Lauryn Hill's song Ex-Factor are a poignant reflection on the complexities of love and relationships. The opening lines convey the idea that the love between the singer and her partner should be simple, but for some reason, it's not. The next few lines reveal that the relationship is fraught with conflicts and struggles, leading both parties to experience emotional and physical scars as a result. The singer seeks answers, wondering who she needs to become to receive some reciprocity, or perhaps asking why they can't just love each other in a simpler way.
In the next few lines, the singer challenges her partner, asking if this is all just some game to him, forcing him to act in ways that hurt them both. She continues to wonder who she needs to be to receive some reciprocation and highlights that no one loves him more than she does. But despite the pain that this love has caused her, she can't bear to be without him, and he hurts himself to make her stay.
The lyrics to Ex-Factor reveal a complicated and painful relationship between the two parties. They both appear to be emotionally invested in each other, yet unable to make it work. This song is considered one of Lauryn Hill's most significant works, and it has resonated with listeners worldwide, who can relate to the emotions and experiences captured in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
It could all be so simple
Our relationship could be easy and uncomplicated
But you'd rather make it hard
But you make it difficult with your behavior
Loving you is like a battle
Loving you is a constant struggle
And we both end up with scars
And as a result, we both have emotional wounds
Tell me, who I have to be
Please tell me what I need to do to make this work
To get some reciprocity
So that we can have mutual respect and equal treatment in this relationship
No one loves you more than me
I love you more than anyone else ever could
And no one ever will
And no one will ever love you more than I do
Is this just a silly game
Are you playing games with my emotions?
That forces you to act this way?
Is there a reason why you behave like this?
Forces you to scream my name
Is there a reason why you call out to me in distress?
Then pretend that you can't stay
And then act like you can't be with me
No matter how I think we grow
No matter how much we try to improve our relationship
You always seem to let me know
You always find a way to show me
It ain't workin', It ain't workin' (No, it ain't workin')
That it's not working out between us
And when I try to walk away
And when I try to leave you
You'd hurt yourself to make me stay
You make it seem like you'll harm yourself if I don't stay
This is crazy, this is crazy (This is crazy, uh-huh)
This situation is ridiculous, it's driving me insane
I keep letting you back in
Even though we have our problems, I keep giving you another chance
How can I explain myself?
I don't know how to justify why I keep coming back to you
As painful as this thing has been
As difficult as our relationship has been
I just can't be with no one else
I can't picture myself with anyone else
See I know what we've got to do
I know what we need to do to fix things
You let go, and I'll let go too
We both need to let go of our hurt and move on
'Cause no one's hurt me more than you
Because no one has hurt me as much as you have
And no one ever will
And no one ever will hurt me as much as you have
Care for me, care for me
Take care of me, show me love and affection
I know you care for me
I know you have feelings for me
There for me, there for me
Be there for me in times of need
Said you'd be there for me
You promised that you'd always be there for me
Cry for me, cry for me
Show me your emotions, be vulnerable with me
You said you'd die for me
You promised that you'd do anything for me, even risking your life
Give to me, give to me
Show me your love, contribute to our relationship
Why won't you live for me?
Why won't you make our relationship a priority and commit to making it work?
Give to me, give to me
Show me your love, contribute to our relationship
Why won't you live for me?
Why won't you make our relationship a priority and commit to making it work?
Care for me, care for me
Take care of me, show me love and affection
You said you care for me
You promised that you care for me
There for me, there for me
Be there for me in times of need
Said you'd be there for me
You promised that you'd always be there for me
Cry for me, cry for me
Show me your emotions, be vulnerable with me
You said you'd die for me
You promised that you'd do anything for me, even risking your life
Give to me, give to me
Show me your love, contribute to our relationship
Why won't you live for me?
Why won't you make our relationship a priority and commit to making it work?
Care for me, care for me
Take care of me, show me love and affection
You said you care for me
You promised that you care for me
There for me, there for me
Be there for me in times of need
Said you'd be there for me
You promised that you'd always be there for me
Give to me, give to me
Show me your love, contribute to our relationship
Why won't you live for me?
Why won't you make our relationship a priority and commit to making it work?
Cry for me, cry for me
Show me your emotions, be vulnerable with me
You said you'd die for me
You promised that you'd do anything for me, even risking your life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Lauryn Hill, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Marvin Hamlisch, Robert Diggs, Corey Woods, Jason Hunter, Clifford Smith, Lamont Hawkins, Dennis Coles, Gary Grice, Russell Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fwanna
Lauryn Hill, live in Tokyo, 1999
Yo, y-yo, yo, y-yo
Yo, uh, yo, y-yo, yo, y-yo
It could all be so simple (ba-ba-ba-baby, baby, baby)
But you'd rather make it hard (huh, uh)
Loving you is like a battle (it's like a battle)
And we both end up with scars
Tell me who I have to be (who I have to be)
To get some reciprocity
See, no one loves you more than me (more than me)
And no one ever will (no one ever will, yeah)
Is this just a silly game (silly game)
That forces you to act this way? (to act this way)
Forces you to scream my name
Then pretend that you can't stay (yeah)
Tell me, who I have to be (I know what we gotta do)
To get some reciprocity
See, no one loves you more than me
And no one ever will
No matter how I think we grow
You always seem to let me know
It ain't working (it ain't working, no), it ain't working
And when I try to walk away
You'd hurt yourself to make me stay
This is crazy, this is crazy (oh, this is crazy, uh-huh)
I keep letting you back in (you back in)
How can I explain myself? (I don't understand why)
As painful as this thing has been
I just can't be with no one else
See I know what we've got to do (yeah)
You let go (you let go), and I'll let go too (and I'll let go)
'Cause no one's hurt me more than you
And no one ever will
No matter how I think we grow
You always seem to let me know
It ain't working (it ain't working), it ain't working (it ain't working)
And when I try to walk away
You'd hurt yourself to make me stay
This is crazy (this is crazy), this is crazy (this is crazy)
Care for me, care for me
I know you care for me
(There) There for me, there for me
Said you'd be there for me
(Cry) Cry for me, cry for me
You said you'd die for me
(Give) Give to me, give to me
Why won't you live for me?
(Care) Care for me, care for me
You said you'd care for me
(There) There for me, there for me
Said you'd be there for me
(Cry) Cry for me, cry for me
You said you'd die for me
(Give) Give to me, give to me
Why won't you live for me?
Take it down now
(Cry) Take it down now
(Give) Take it down now
(Care) Take it down now
(There) Take it down now
(Cry) Take it down,take it down for now
(Give)
@itsyanabanks
Literally the 1% Who’s reading this, God bless you , stay safe and have a wonderful day.
@Thealexiswhite
Thank you so much, you too!! ❤️
@dwaynelewis7809
Same to you hun you be safe out here in these streets now boo. 😘
@tr3dubmobstars1
You too peace and love !!
@denzel7822
You too hun🤗
@dal-x4637
Likewise to you stay blessed
@xmiunax4385
"you said you'd die for me... why wont you live for me?" man it cuts deep
@maonycruz9499
Yes it does.
@destinixshakur
It’s when she said “ where were you , when I needed you” for me EVERY time
@lookhowshegobbledthat
This was about Wyclef who she had an affair with. Y'all not gonna come for her like y'all come for Alicia Keys 24/7?