It was released as the third single from the album on November 1, 2009, for radio airplay in the United States. It is a down-tempo R&B love song about Carey wishing for the love and pain she feels from a break-up to turn into hate so she can get over the relationship. The song garnered a positive response from music critics, with many ranking it amongst the best on the album.
The song's music video was directed by Brett Ratner in Malibu, and features Carey in a variety of swimsuits walking along the beach. She has performed the track live on Today and Late Show with David Letterman. "H.A.T.E.U." reached number 72 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
In an interview for YouTube posted on December 24, 2009, Carey elaborated on the lyrical meaning, saying that it “really hits people in their hearts because it’s like … everybody has experienced when you love somebody, and they let you go, but you can’t let them go. So ‘I can’t wait to hate you’ is a strong statement”.
H.A.T.E.U
Mariah Carey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We swore not to say goodbye
Something got a hold of us
And we changed
And you sat alone in pride
And I sat at home and cried
How'd our fairy tale just end up this way?
Til' we knocked love out
We were laying in the ring
Not making a sound
And if that's a metaphor of you and I
Why is it so hard to say goodbye?
I can't wait to hate you
Make you pain like I do
Still can't shake you off
I can't wait to break through these emotional changes
Seems like such a lost cause
I can't wait to face you
Break you down so low there's no place left to go
I can't wait to hate you, ooh
This was all a phenomenon that no one could explain
And I wish I could press reset and feel that feeling again
I sit and press rewind
And watch us every night
Want to pause it but I can't make it stay
We went 'round for 'round
'Til we knocked love out
We were laying in the ring
Not making a sound
And if that's a metaphor of you and I
Why is it so hard to say goodbye?
I can't wait to hate you
Make you pain like I do
Still can't shake you off
I can't wait to break through these emotional changes
Seems like such a lost cause
I can't wait to face you
Break you down so low there's no place left to go
I can't wait to hate you, ooh
No need to call my phone
'Cause I changed my number today
And matter fact I think I'm moving away (away)
Sorry the frustrations got me feelin' a way
And I just keep having one last thing to say
And I just want to hold you, touch you, feel you
Be near you, I miss you babe babe babe (babe babe babe)
I am tired of tryin' to fake through
But there is nothing I can do
Boy I can't wait to hate you
I can't wait to hate you
Make you pain like I do
Still can't shake you off
I can't wait to break through these emotional changes
Seems like such a lost cause
I can't wait to face you
Break you down so low that there's no place left to go
I can't wait to hate you baby ooh
I can't wait to hate you
But right now I need you
I can't wait to hate you
I can't wait to hate you
But right now I need you
The lyrics to Mariah Carey's song H.A.T.E.U express the contradictory emotions that often come with the end of a relationship. The opening lines describe how the couple had initially made a promise not to leave each other, but as time passed they started to drift apart. The first verse is from Mariah's perspective, as she admits to crying at home while her partner stayed away, full of pride. The second verse seems to be from the perspective of both parties, as they knocked "love out" and now find themselves without any sound. They wonder why saying "goodbye" to each other has been so difficult.
The chorus of the song expresses Mariah's need to find closure by hating her former lover. The repetition of the line "I can't wait to hate you" stresses how Mariah wants to make her ex-partner feel the same pain she does, and this goal seems to be the only thing left to motivate her. However, the bridges between the chorus reveal the underlying truth of the situation. Deep down, Mariah is missing her ex and admitting that at the moment, she needs them. This conflict between hating and needing someone can be relatable to many people who have gone through the end of a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time
In the past, we had a happy relationship.
We swore not to say goodbye
We made a promise not to end our relationship.
Something got a hold of us
Something caused us to change our minds about each other.
And you sat alone in pride
You refused to admit your feelings and left me alone.
And I sat at home and cried
I was heartbroken and emotional about the end of our relationship.
How'd our fairy tale just end up this way?
We had a perfect relationship, so how did it end up like this?
We went round for round
We fought with each other.
Til' we knocked love out
Our relationship ended in a way that seemed like we destroyed our love.
We were laying in the ring
Our fight was like a boxing match, with each round taking a toll on us.
Not making a sound
We were mentally and emotionally exhausted and didn't have anything left to say.
And if that's a metaphor of you and I
If our relationship can be compared to a boxing match, then...
Why is it so hard to say goodbye?
Why is it so difficult for us to end our relationship despite everything?
I can't wait to hate you
I want to feel anger and animosity towards you.
Make you pain like I do
I want you to feel the same emotional pain that I feel.
Still can't shake you off
I can't forget about you and move on with my life.
I can't wait to break through these emotional changes
I want to overcome these emotional struggles and let go of you.
Seems like such a lost cause
It appears that trying to move on from you is a hopeless endeavor.
I can't wait to face you
I want to confront you about our breakup.
Break you down so low there's no place left to go
I want to hurt you emotionally to the point where you have nowhere to turn.
No need to call my phone
There is no reason for you to contact me.
'Cause I changed my number today
I took the step of changing my phone number to prevent you from contacting me.
And matter fact I think I'm moving away (away)
I am planning to physically remove myself from our past and from you.
Sorry the frustrations got me feelin' a way
I apologize for my emotional outburst, but my frustrations have taken over.
And I just keep having one last thing to say
I keep coming up with one final message to deliver to you.
And I just want to hold you, touch you, feel you
Despite everything, there is a part of me that desires intimacy with you.
Be near you, I miss you babe babe babe (babe babe babe)
I yearn to be close to you and miss the times we had together.
I am tired of tryin' to fake through
I am exhausted from pretending that everything is okay.
But there is nothing I can do
Despite my efforts to move on, I am still stuck in the past and can't do anything about it.
Boy I can't wait to hate you
I am eagerly anticipating the day when I can fully hate and let go of you.
But right now I need you
Despite everything, I am still emotionally dependent on you and can't fully let go yet.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER A. STEWART, MARIAH CAREY, TERIUS YOUNGDELL NASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JasonLSmallsJunior
[Verse 1]
Once upon a time we swore not to say goodbye
Something got a hold of us and we changed
Then you sat alone in pride
And I sat at home and cried
How'd our fairytale just end up this way?
[Pre-Chorus]
We went round for round 'til we knocked love out
We were laying in the ring not making a sound
And if that's a metaphor of you and I
Why is it so hard to say goodbye?
[Chorus]
I can't wait to hate you, make you pain like I do
Still can't shake you off (Still can't shake you off)
I can't wait to break through these emotional changes
Seems like such a lost cause
I can't wait to face you, break you down so low
There's no place left to go
I can't wait to hate you
[Verse 2]
Ooh, this was a love phenomenon no one could explain
And I wish I could press reset and feel that feeling again
I sit and press rewind and watch us every night
Wanna pause it, but I can't make it stay (Just gotta let it play)
[Pre-Chorus]
We went round for round 'til we knocked love out
We were laying in the ring not making a sound
And if that's a metaphor of you and I
Why is it so hard to say goodbye? (Why?)
[Chorus]
I can't wait to hate you, make you pain like I do
Still can't shake you off (Still can't shake you off)
I can't wait to break through these emotional changes
Seems like such a lost cause
I can't wait to face you, break you down so low
There's no place left to go
I can't wait to hate you
[Bridge]
No need to call my phone 'cause I changed my number today
And matter fact - I think I'm moving away (Away)
Sorry, the frustration's got me feeling that way
And I just keep having one last thing to say
And I just wanna hold you, touch you, feel you, be near you
I miss you, baby, baby, baby
I'm tired of tryin' to fake through
But there's nothing I can do
Boy, I can't wait to hate you
[Chorus]
I can't wait to hate you, make you pain like I do
Still can't shake you off (Still can't shake you off)
I can't wait to break through these emotional changes
Seems like such a lost cause
I can't wait to face you, break you down so low
There's no place left to go
I can't wait to hate you, baby (I can't wait to hate you)
@shack6000
This song is criminally underrated!
@shontriceallen5079
Love it to death!!!!
@stephenapple90210
Yes
@ahmedkakaire4509
Big time...
@nobody-gf6ub
Its trash that's why
@mimilamb4lifemariahthequee679
It’s not trashy,you are
@shaycole2658
When Mariah said “And I just keep having one last thing to say”. I felt that 😩
@zackfair5711
When Mariah said “And I just keep having one last thing to say”. I felt that 😩
@youre9658
Same 😴💔
@km4336
It always be that way 😭