Lonely
NE‐YO Lyrics
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42nd street, 4am
I'm rolling slowly
No destination in mind
Driver looking at me strange cuz I got in
Handed him a wad of cash
Sat back and told him just drive
I'm thinkin bout the day
Sayin you knew all about Chanel, Tiffany, Tracy, Stephanie
You went away,
so I'm writing in the fog upon the window to express myself
and how I'm feelin
Chorus:
Y, L, E, N, O, L
As I rode past you in this taxi cab
If you care at all, that means I'm lonely
Y, L, E, N, O, L
As I rode past you in this taxi cab
If you care at all
That means I'm lonely
Verse 2:
I see a woman walking with her man (man), man with his woman
Smiling as they stroll into this little bar (Bar)
As they kiss each other holding hands
I get sick to my stomach
So jealous of how f*ing happy they are, lucky N*ggas
There's a couple different people I could call right now
But the one I'm wanting don't want me at all right now
And that hurts through my heart, my mind, and my soul (soul)
Rolling in this cab writing on the window
Singing Y
Chorus:
Y, L, E, N, O, L
As I rode past you in this taxi cab
If you care at all, that means I'm lonely (Ohh)
Y, L, E, N, O, L
As I rode past you in this taxi cab
If you care at all
That means I'm lonely
Bridge:
What am I supposed to do now
Rolling round, feeling like a fool now
Cryin like a b--- in the back of this taxi cab
So used to it
Driver tries to ask if I'm alright
I say "Never mind, mind your business and just drive dammit
You don't know nothing about how I feel right now, let me spell it out"
Chorus:
Y, L, E, N, O, L (O, L)
As I rode past you in this taxi cab (Past you in this taxi cab)
If you care at all, that means I'm lonely
(Means I'm lonely, means I'm lonely baby) (Ohh)
Y, L, E, N, O, L (O, L)
As I rode past you in this taxi cab
If you care at all (If you even give a damn baby)
That means I'm lonely (That means I'm lonely, it means I'm lonely, oh)
Y, L, E, N, O, L (What it means baby)
As I rode past you in this taxi cab (Said I'm sorry that I did you wrong)
If you care at all, that means I'm lonely
(And I'm lonely without you, I miss you baby) (Ohh)
Y, L, E, N, O, L (L)
As I rode past you in this taxi cab (Taxi cab)
If you care at all, that means I'm lonely
(That means I'm lonely baby, lonely baby, oh oh oh)
The lyrics of NE-YO's song "Lonely" describe the feeling of heartbreak and loneliness. The singer is driving through the city streets in a taxi and reminiscing about the day his lover left, expressing his emotions on the window in the fog. He witnesses a happy couple and becomes upset, feeling jealous and alone. Despite having the option to contact other people, he admits that the one he truly wants doesn't want him back, causing a deep hurt.
The chorus repeats the letters Y, L, E, N, O, L, which is "Lonely" spelled backward. This repetition emphasizes the song's theme of loneliness, and the singer's feelings are mirrored in the lyrics of the song. He is heartbroken and seeking emotional support. The bridge further emphasizes this heightened feeling of sadness, as he cries and wishes he had his lover back.
NE-YO's use of metaphors in this song is striking; he uses Tiffany, Chanel, and other luxury brand names to refer to his ex-partner's supposed materialistic nature. This implies that he feels that their love was only based on superficial things and that she left him due to something he lacked. This can also be seen in how he thinks the happy couple is lucky to have found true love while he continues to struggle alone.
Overall, "Lonely" is a poignant song that explores the pain of heartbreak and the deep emotional ramifications of lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
42nd street, 4am
It's early in the morning and the singer is on 42nd Street.
I'm rolling slowly
The singer is in a car and is not in a rush.
No destination in mind
The singer does not have a specific place to go.
Driver looking at me strange cuz I got in
The driver is giving the artist a weird look because of the time or the appearance of the artist.
Handed him a wad of cash
The artist paid the driver upfront with a large sum of money.
Sat back and told him just drive
The singer instructed the driver to start driving.
I'm thinkin bout the day you packed your things and left
The singer is reflecting on the day when his/her partner left him/her.
Sayin you knew all about Chanel, Tiffany, Tracy, Stephanie
The partner mentioned some other people, possibly friends or acquaintances of their circle.
You went away, so I'm writing in the fog upon the window to express myself and how I'm feelin
The artist is writing on the car's window in the fog to express his/her feelings about being left behind.
Y, L, E, N, O, L
The acronym for 'You're Lonely' which spells out the word lonely as a way of expressing how the artist feels.
As I rode past you in this taxi cab
The singer is passing by someone he/she knows.
If you care at all, that means I'm lonely
If the other person cares about the artist, then he/she shouldn't have left and the artist wouldn't be lonely.
I see a woman walking with her man (man), man with his woman
The singer observes a happy couple walking by.
Smiling as they stroll into this little bar (Bar)
The couple is going into a bar together and appear to be enjoying each other's company.
As they kiss each other holding hands
The couple is affectionate towards each other.
I get sick to my stomach
The sight of the happy couple makes the artist feel nauseous.
So jealous of how f*ing happy they are, lucky N*ggas
The artist feels envious of the couple's happiness and calls them lucky.
There's a couple different people I could call right now
The singer has other people he/she could talk to for comfort.
But the one I'm wanting don't want me at all right now
The singer wants to talk to a specific person who does not want to talk to him/her at the moment.
And that hurts through my heart, my mind, and my soul (soul)
The artist is emotionally hurt by the rejection from the person he/she wants to talk to.
What am I supposed to do now
The artist is unsure of what to do in his/her current situation.
Rolling round, feeling like a fool now
The artist is driving around aimlessly and feels foolish for not having a plan.
Cryin like a b--- in the back of this taxi cab
The singer is crying uncontrollably in the back of the taxi cab.
So used to it
The artist is accustomed to feeling lonely and crying in the back of a taxi cab.
Driver tries to ask if I'm alright
The driver is concerned about the singer's well-being.
I say 'Never mind, mind your business and just drive dammit
The singer is dismissive of the driver's concern and wants him to focus on driving.
You don't know nothing about how I feel right now, let me spell it out
The singer believes the driver cannot understand how he/she feels and wants to express his/her feelings through the YLENO acronym.
Lyrics © DistroKid, WARP MUSIC LIMITED, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: LINDSEY, MCCULLOUGH, WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
princess lopez
I luv this song wish it was on iTunes 😔
Mawaiyal Levi
@Taikyokills I’m old enough to remember having CDs and I had the album, Cd version, but now I’m all digi and have to come here to listen to it
Mawaiyal Levi
Yo, why is this not on Apple Music? They got other songs from the same album xept this one
Taikyokills
It’s on the Japanese edition of the album it was a bonus if you bought the CD.you won’t find it
NICOLE
I thought it was just me 🤦🏾♀️ I was on Apple music putting in every combination possible to pull up this song
Ebony Knuckles
Same I been looking for it for years 💯🤷🏽♀️
Skylah pryce
He spells lonely backwards because he's riding in the taxi and he wrote it on the window so if u see it, it explains why he's ylenol (lonely)
CHR LDA
Never would've figured it out by myself
2020 and still
Ta’Quilla JoynerDavidson
Still listening in 2019!!!💪🏽🔥🔥 This song never gets old.
Joel Belgrove
I know exactly how ne-yo feels in the song. It sucks when you love someone and you lose them because of bad decisions you made. Perfect song for the mood I'm in...