Love has a place in hip hop history as a member of the Native Tongues Posse, a positive-minded rap collective which included Queen Latifah, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, and Black Sheep.
Love's debut album, Down To Earth, spawned two, Grammy-nominated hits, "Monie In The Middle", and "It's a Shame (My Sister)". The album reached #26 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Sophomore album "In A Word Or 2" was produced with Marley Marl, and featured the Prince-produced single, "Born To B.R.E.E.D.", as well as a re-release of "Full Term Love".
Monie In The Middle
Monie Love Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need to shove a sprint between your eyes for you to see
You and me were never meant to be
Your homeboy likes me, I like him, too, get out the picture
I get your point but I'm not rolling with the punch
I scrunched up the letter you wrote me in lunch
In 5th period I pay no notice to your motion
My work is on the table, my pen's in locomotion
I try to ignore you, the bell rings, I race out the room
Zoom to another room, sit down, what do you know?
The lover's in town
The other brother (Who?) The one I want to talk to
Sitting three seats back, and I'm a walk over to him
And give him the letter I wrote
Because my feelings towards him are brewing, ya know?
Monie in the middle (Where she at?) In the middle
Yep, Monie's in the middle (Where that at?) In the middle
Monie in the middle (Where she at?) In the middle
(Go Mon, Mon, what is she?) Monie in the middle (Repeat 2x)
In 7th the knucklehead walks in and sits down beside me
I said "Yo why you trying to ride me?"
Day in and day out I can't seem to get you off my back
What do you think I should do about that?
In fact it's embarrassing, what a bufoon
You even follow me in the ladies bathroom
Give me a break, I can't take it, the stakes are too high
Besides, there goes the other brother
I'm not Keith Sweat, so don't sweat me
The other brother's smooth approach is what gets me
He intruiges the Mon you know
So I suggest the course towards me you blow
You're wasting time pursuing Monie
Cause she's pursuing the lover only
And as my mother did she told me
Go for what you know, Mo, yo
Monie in the middle (Where she at?) In the middle
Yep, Monie's in the middle (Where that at?) In the middle
Monie in the middle (Where she at?) In the middle
(Go Mon, Mon, what is she?) Monie in the middle (Repeat 2x)
Bringing matters to a close and everybody knows
That I'm no longer in the middle
I made my decision, precisely, precision is a must
For me to solve another riddle
Step into a brand new rhythm, ism schisms
Nope, I'm not with 'em, I've given
My undivided attention, you know what I'm saying?
No type of games I'm playing when
Monie in the middle (Where she at?) In the middle
Yep, Monie's in the middle (Where that at?) In the middle
Monie in the middle (Where she at?) In the middle
(Go Mon, Mon, what is she?) Monie in the middle (Repeat 4x)
Monie in the Monie in the Monie in the Middle
Monie in the Monie in the Monie in the Middle
Monie in the Monie in the Monie in the Middle
The middle, the middle, the the the middle (Repeat 2x)
(ad-libs to fade)
In Monie Love's song "Monie in the Middle," she expresses frustration over a persistent suitor who doesn't seem to take the hint that she's not interested. She warns him that he and she were never meant to be, and that she's interested in his friend instead. She crumples up the letter he wrote her during lunch and tries to ignore him in class, but he keeps looking her way. Eventually, Monie decides to pursue her crush on the other brother, and she tells her suitor to move on because she's not interested.
This song is a classic example of the "friend zone" trope in which someone is interested romantically in another person who just wants to be friends. Monie's lyrics offer a glimpse into the frustrations and awkwardness that can arise in such a situation.
One interesting fact about this song is that it was produced by the legendary DJ and producer DJ Prince Paul, known for his work with De La Soul and other groups in the 1980s and 1990s. The song was released in 1990 and became a hit, reaching #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Line by Line Meaning
Brother what is with you, you can't take a hint?
Why can't you understand that I'm not interested in you?
I need to shove a sprint between your eyes for you to see
I have to be aggressive and confrontational for you to realize the truth.
You and me were never meant to be
We don't have a romantic connection and never will.
Your homeboy likes me, I like him, too, get out the picture
Your friend is interested in me and I reciprocate, so you should move on and focus on someone else.
I get your point but I'm not rolling with the punch
I understand what you're saying, but it's not going to persuade me to be with you.
I scrunched up the letter you wrote me in lunch
I threw away the note you passed to me during lunchtime.
In 5th period I pay no notice to your motion
During class time, I don't even acknowledge your attempts to interact with me.
My work is on the table, my pen's in locomotion
I am focused on my schoolwork and not interested in talking to you during class.
Every time I turn around, you're looking at my face
You are constantly staring at me and it's uncomfortable.
I try to ignore you, the bell rings, I race out the room
I avoid you as best I can and hurry out of the classroom when the bell rings.
Zoom to another room, sit down, what do you know?
I change classrooms and happen to end up sitting near the guy I actually like.
The lover's in town
The guy I'm interested in is here.
The other brother (Who?) The one I want to talk to
I'm referring to the guy I have a crush on, not you or your friend.
Sitting three seats back, and I'm a walk over to him
I'm going to go talk to the guy I'm interested in who is sitting a few seats away.
And give him the letter I wrote
I'm going to give the guy I like a letter expressing my feelings for him.
Because my feelings towards him are brewing, ya know?
I am developing strong feelings for him and need to express them.
In 7th the knucklehead walks in and sits down beside me
Later in the day, the guy I'm uninterested in sits next to me again.
I said "Yo why you trying to ride me?"
I confront him and ask why he keeps bothering me.
Day in and day out I can't seem to get you off my back
You are constantly bothering me and it's getting frustrating.
What do you think I should do about that?
I want to know if you have any suggestions for making you leave me alone.
In fact it's embarrassing, what a bufoon
Your behavior is embarrassing and foolish.
You even follow me in the ladies bathroom
Your behavior has crossed a line and is inappropriate.
The other brother's smooth approach is what gets me
The reason I am interested in the other guy is because of his charismatic and suave demeanor.
He intruiges the Mon you know
The other guy fascinates me and captures my attention.
So I suggest the course towards me you blow
You should move on from trying to be with me and focus on someone else.
You're wasting time pursuing Monie
You're spending too much time trying to pursue me romantically and it's not going to happen.
Cause she's pursuing the lover only
I'm only interested in the other guy and will be pursuing him instead.
And as my mother did she told me
My mother taught me a valuable lesson.
Go for what you know, Mo, yo
Pursue what you are certain about, Mo.
Bringing matters to a close and everybody knows
It's time to wrap things up and make a decision.
That I'm no longer in the middle
I'm not stuck between two guys anymore.
I made my decision, precisely, precision is a must
I have made a clear decision and it was important to be decisive.
For me to solve another riddle
I had to figure out how to handle this situation and make a choice.
Step into a brand new rhythm, ism schisms
I'm moving on to a new step in life and leaving behind any conflicts or drama.
Nope, I'm not with 'em, I've given
No, I'm not going along with any unnecessary drama or bad situations. I'm moving on.
My undivided attention, you know what I'm saying?
I'm giving my complete attention and focus to what's important to me.
No type of games I'm playing when
I am serious and genuine about what I want and am not playing any games.
Monie in the middle (Where she at?) In the middle
This is the chorus, repeating the title of the song.
Yep, Monie's in the middle (Where that at?) In the middle
This is the chorus, repeating the title of the song.
Monie in the middle (Where she at?) In the middle
This is the chorus, repeating the title of the song.
(Go Mon, Mon, what is she?) Monie in the middle (Repeat 2x)
This is the chorus, repeating the title of the song with a call and response of 'Go Mon, Mon.'
Monie in the Monie in the Monie in the Middle
The chorus repeats with added repetition of 'Monie in the Middle.'
The middle, the middle, the the the middle (Repeat 2x)
The chorus repeats with added repetition of 'the middle.'
(ad-libs to fade)
The song ends with ad-libbing by Monie Love.
Lyrics © THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Royalty Network
Written by: DAVID STEELE, Simone Johnson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mysticakhenaton1701
My Generation X 1965-1982/the days when Hip Hop Music was KOOL and FUN to listen too.
@blujaygirl85
80s 90 was no joke
@sergioinoa1421
I am with you 100% blujay girl!!!
@natedablack7857
I know. I lived thru both...
@themoonandthesky4803
Literally the best decades for music to get the crowd. on the dancefloor steaming.....I was DJ at that time. Simply no words to describe the weekends.....
@emanueletorregrossa4218
Amen to that!!!
@melodysanger103
HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY
SIMONE GOODEN
"MONIE LOVE"
(JULY 2, 2020)
@lamaracwest8580
Happy 50th Birthday to one of the most charismatic, insanely talented rappers ever Miss Monie Love. ❣️
@DLICIOUS42
I thought she was from New York back then but she's actually from London. Definitely a classic!
@saintlegend7424
Yeah man from the UK I was always impressed by her and that fact she was representing England made me feel good. And she was doing tunes with the he heavy hitters like queen latifah