Rivera was signed to Columbia Records as a solo musical artist in 2011 and—despite never releasing a studio album—released a single, "Sorry", featuring rapper Big Sean, in 2013. On film, Rivera made her debut as Vera in the horror film At the Devil's Door (2014) before playing a supporting role in the comedy film Mad Families (2017). Her personal life garnered significant press and media attention throughout her career. In 2016, she published a memoir titled Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up.
On July 8, 2020, Rivera was declared a missing person after her four-year-old son, Josey, was found alone in Rivera's rented BoAt at Lake Piru, near Santa Clarita, California. Her body was recovered from the lake on the morning of July 13 following a five-day search.
Valerie
Naya Rivera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I look across the water
And I think of all the things,
What you're doing and in my head I paint a picture
'Cause since I've come on home, well my body's been a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress
Won't you come on over, stop making a fool out of me
Did you have to go to jail,
Put your house on up for sale, did you get a good lawyer?
I hope you didn't catch a tan,
I hope you find the right man who'll fix it for you
Are you shopping anywhere,
Changed the color of your hair, are you busy?
And did you have to pay that fine
You were dodging all the time are you still dizzy?
'Cause since I've come on home, well my body's been a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress
Won't you come on over, stop making a fool out of me
Why don't you come on over Valerie, Valerie
Valerie, Valerie, Valerie, Valerie?
Well sometimes I go out by myself and I look across the water
And I think of all the things,
What you're doing and in my head I paint a picture
'Cause since I've come on home, well my body's been a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress
Won't you come on over, stop making a fool out of me
Why don't you come on over Valerie, Valerie?
Valerie, Valerie?
Oh Valerie, Valerie, Valerie, Valerie
Why don't you come on over Valerie?
The lyrics of Naya Rivera's song "Valerie" speak of longing and regret for someone who seems to have moved on from the singer. Rivera metaphorically looks across the water, perhaps referring to the separation between her and her former love, and wonders what the other person is doing. She paints a picture in her head, perhaps idealizing or fantasizing about what their life could have been like if they were still together.
The singer also expresses concern for the other person, asking if they had to go to jail, sell their house, or pay fines. These questions suggest that there may have been some legal trouble involved in their past, adding another layer of complexity to their relationship. Rivera hopes that the other person is doing well and finds the right man to "fix it" for them, providing a sense of care and concern for their well-being.
Overall, the song portrays the singer's deep feelings for someone she has lost, and her desire for them to come back to her. The repetition of the name "Valerie" at the end of the song adds emphasis to the longing and desperation of the singer's plea.
Line by Line Meaning
Well sometimes I go out by myself
Sometimes I go out alone
And I look across the water
And I stare out at the water
And I think of all the things,
And I think about all the things
What you're doing and in my head I paint a picture
I picture what you're doing in my head
'Cause since I've come on home, well my body's been a mess
Since I came back home, my body has been a mess
And I've missed your ginger hair and the way you like to dress
And I've missed your red hair and your sense of style
Won't you come on over, stop making a fool out of me
Please come over and stop making me look foolish
Why won't you come on over Valerie, Valerie?
Why won't you come over, Valerie?
Did you have to go to jail,
Did you go to jail?
Put your house on up for sale, did you get a good lawyer?
Did you sell your house? Did you get a good lawyer?
I hope you didn't catch a tan,
I hope you didn't get a tan
I hope you find the right man who'll fix it for you
I hope you find the right man who will make things better for you
Are you shopping anywhere,
Have you been shopping?
Changed the color of your hair, are you busy?
Did you change your hair color? Are you busy?
And did you have to pay that fine
Did you have to pay that fine?
You were dodging all the time are you still dizzy?
Were you avoiding it all the time? Are you still confused?
Valerie, Valerie, Valerie, Valerie?
Valerie, Valerie, Valerie, Valerie?
Oh Valerie, Valerie, Valerie, Valerie
Oh Valerie, Valerie, Valerie, Valerie
Why don't you come on over Valerie?
Why don't you come over, Valerie?
Lyrics © WARP MUSIC LIMITED, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PATRICIA ANN KEENAN, JAMES CARGILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@breaugs
imagine that little boy in a couple of years watching glee and realizing this is his amazing mom
@clowning2473
Her son will grow up knowing his mother was an amazing person and mother.
@journeymanuel7069
He said he wants to grow up and be on tv like his mom 🥰
@nickemac910
😞❤️
@simsp.h8041
A gift that actors have that many of us don’t
@adamyusni6165
😭
@alohakat1148
One of the best performances on Glee
@kkheflin3
Agreed. Hands down. I love "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" and "Edge of Glory" but this one rocks big time. I could watch it over and over!
@audunspachmo9673
You know isn't live, right?
@alohakat1148
@Audun Spachmo I’m aware. I love this performance though