Jennings began singing at a young age in a Toledo church choir. He later joined a group called The Dotsons with two of his cousins and his older brother, Jay. The group separated in the early 1990s, and Jennings rediscovered music and started a music program at an Ohio prison where he was serving a ten-year sentence on an arson-related charge. He has cited Erykah Badu's 1997 album Baduizm as one of the reasons for his rediscovery. Jennings was released from prison in December 2002 and started to pursue a solo career in music. In January 2003, he performed in Showtime In Harlem at The Apollo. The same year, he also independently released his first EP, What Is Love. To further pursue his career, Jennings moved to New York City where he performed at rapper Nelly's concert at Radio City Music Hall, at an NAACP convention where he performed an original song called "Thank God for the NAACP", and at the Cafeteria in Chelsea, Manhattan during the blackout on August 14. He signed with Columbia Records and released his debut album Lyfe 268-192 (268-192 was his inmate number) in August 2004. His first single was Stick Up Kid, which didn't see much sucess until after the album was released. The album featured his hit single "Must Be Nice". Jennings' second album The Phoenix will be released in August 2006. The first single, "S.E.X.", feautures Jennings' protégé, singer LaLa Brown.
I Can't
Lyfe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I promise I'll
Change my ways if you stay
In my heart, in my mind, in my world
Cause you're the only girl for me
So if you're thinkin bout walkin out
Let's talk it out and work it out now
No sense in tearing down
'Cause it's oh so real
I
Can't
See
You being with no one else
But
Me
Baby I
Can't even stand
thinking bout you touching another man
What must I do for you to show you that I mean what I say
Lord I pray
we can stay together
But it don't matter
If you stay or if you leave
Cause in my heart you will always be
You're the only girl for me
Even in high school
you were so cool
what a pleasure just to know you girl
There's nothing in the world
I won't do
for you
See I
Don't want to lose this love we have
No no no
See I
Don't want to say bye-bye cause it's hard enough to find love at all
I'm willing to fight for you
There's nothing
I
Won't do
To make you stay
I don't want to lose your love
The first stanza of Lyfe Jennings's song "I Can't" contains an apology and a promise to change his ways for the woman he loves. He acknowledges that he has lied to her before but wants her to know that he is committed to her and she is the only one for him. He asks her to stay and work things out with him and not tear down their love that they feel, which is real. He then repeats the phrase "I can't" several times to express his inability to imagine her being with someone else and the pain he feels at the thought of her touching another man. He then asks what he needs to do to show her that he is sincere and asks for help from the Lord to keep them together.
The second stanza continues his declaration of love for her and his unwillingness to let their relationship end. He reminisces about how cool she was even in high school and how much he loves her. He stresses that he does not want to lose the love they have as it is hard to find and he is willing to fight for it. He repeats that there is nothing he won't do to make her stay and that he does not want to lose her love.
Overall, Lyfe Jennings's "I Can't" is a passionate and heartfelt plea for his lover to stay with him. His lyrics express his love for her and his willingness to change and fight for their relationship. It is a song that many people can relate to as a struggle to keep a relationship alive and strong.
Line by Line Meaning
First things first, baby I apologize for all of the lies that I've told you up to now
I am sorry for lying to you and will change my behavior to keep you in my life.
I promise I'll
I vow to make changes to my actions.
Change my ways if you stay
I will make an effort to behave better if you remain with me.
In my heart, in my mind, in my world
You are important to me in every aspect of my life.
Cause you're the only girl for me
I am deeply in love with you and cannot imagine life without you.
So if you're thinkin bout walkin out
If you are considering leaving me,
Let's talk it out and work it out now
Let's communicate and find a solution together.
No sense in tearing down
There is no point in destroying
this love we feel
The strong emotions we share.
'Cause it's oh so real
Our love is genuine and true.
I
I cannot
Can't
Imagine
See
Picture
You being with no one else
You being in a relationship with anyone else.
But
Except for
Me
Me.
Baby I
Darling, I
Can't even stand
Cannot tolerate
thinking bout you touching another man
Imagining you being intimate with another man.
What must I do for you to show you that I mean what I say
What actions can I take to prove my sincerity to you?
Lord I pray
I hope in prayer
we can stay together
We continue to be together.
But it don't matter
But regardless of what happens,
If you stay or if you leave
Whether you choose to stay or go.
Cause in my heart you will always be
You will always hold a special place in my heart.
Even in high school
Even when we were younger,
you were so cool
You had a great personality.
what a pleasure just to know you girl
It was wonderful getting to know you.
There's nothing in the world
There is no thing or obstacle
I won't do
I will do anything
for you
For your sake.
See I
I am aware that
Don't want to lose this love we have
I do not want to lose the love we share.
No no no
Absolutely not
Don't want to say bye-bye cause it's hard enough to find love at all
I do not want to end things, as finding love is difficult.
I'm willing to fight for you
I will do everything in my power to keep you in my life.
There's nothing
There is no obstacle or challenge
I
I will not hesitate to
Won't do
Do anything
To make you stay
To keep you in my life.
I don't want to lose your love
I do not want to lose the affection you have for me.
Lyrics © CHESTER JENNINGS DBA LYFE IN MUSIC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LYFE JENNINGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind