Side Effects
Mariah Carey FT Busta Rhymes Lyrics

It's M.C. And Y.J.
Mariah Carey and Young Jeezy are collaborating on this song.

Another hit, okay
This song is expected to be successful, like many of Mariah Carey's previous hits.

We lookin' fine, takin' off
Mariah and Young Jeezy are confident and ready to take on the music industry with this song.

Saw us on a runway
People have seen them succeed in their careers and are now enjoying their accomplishments.

On any given Sunday Monday, Tuesday (haha)
Mariah and Young Jeezy's success is consistent and not tied to any particular day of the week.

They try to confuse me I never let 'em use me
Some people try to manipulate or trick Mariah, but she doesn't let them have any power over her.

I was a girl, you was a man I was too young to understand I was naive, I just believed Everything that you told me
Mariah is reflecting on a past relationship in which she was young and impressionable, and her partner took advantage of that innocence by lying to her.

Said you were strong, protecting me Then I found out that you were weak
Her partner pretended to be strong and protective, but in reality, he was weak and insecure.

Keeping me there under your thumb 'Cause you were scared that I'd become much More than you could handle
He kept her under his control because he was afraid of her becoming more successful than him.

Shining like a chandelier That decorated every room Inside this private hell we built And I dealt with it like a kid
Their relationship appeared to be happy and successful from the outside, but the reality was that it was a private hell that she dealt with like a child.

I wished I could fly away but instead I kept my tears inside 'cause I knew if I Started I'd keep cryin' for the rest of my Life with you I finally built up the strength To walk away don't regret it But I still live with the side effects
Mariah had the desire to leave the relationship, but instead she bottled up her emotions to avoid crying. Eventually, she found the strength to leave, but she still lives with the emotional scars from that relationship.

Wakin' up scared some nights Still dreamin' 'bout the violent times Still a little protective 'bout the people That I let inside Still a little defensive Thinkin' folks be tryin' to run my life Still a little depressed Inside I fake a smile and deal with the Side effects
Even though Mariah has moved on, she still deals with the emotional trauma through nightmares, protective instincts towards people she lets into her life, feeling defensive about those who try to control her, and putting on a fake smile to hide her depression.

Vacant inside no one was there Couldn't be real, had to keep quiet Once in a while put up a fight It's just too much night after night
Mariah felt empty inside and had no one to turn to. She had to hide her true feelings by keeping quiet, but sometimes she would stand up for herself. The emotional pain was too much to bear every night.

After a while I would just lie You were dead wrong said you were right Did what I could just to survive Couldn't believe this was my life
Mariah resorted to lying to keep the relationship going, even though she knew that her partner was wrong about certain things. She did what she could to survive, but couldn't believe that this was the life she had to live.

Flickering like a candle Doin' my best to handle Sleepin with the enemy Aware that he was smothering Every last part of me So I broke away and finally Found the strength to breathe
Mariah compares her life to a candle flickering, trying to hold on while being smothered by her partner. She eventually found the strength to break away and breathe on her own.

Hey Magnifico or should I say Magnificent? Ain't nothing worth your happiness And I ain't caring who you're with Misery love company so we ain't tryin' to hang with y'all Hurt you if you let 'em in Gotta keep your circle small Keep tryin' to play I tell him I ain't blowin' tho Think they want me outta here I tell 'em I ain't goin' tho Side effects be drowsiness Loneliness How is this? I think the call it hateration What can you prescribe for this?
The lyrics switch to Young Jeezy, who advises Mariah to not let anyone bring her down and to keep her circle of friends small. He then talks about how the side effects of negative people are drowsiness and loneliness. He views these negative people as haters, and wonders how to avoid them.

Forgive but I can't forget it Everyday I deal with this I live with the side effects But I ain't gon let them get the best of me
Even though Mariah forgives those who hurt her, she can't forget the pain they caused. She still deals with the emotional side effects, but won't let them control her life.