Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois), better … Read Full Bio ↴Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois), better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is a Grammy award winning American R&B singer-songwriter, rapper, actor and record producer. Debuting in 1991 with the group Public Announcement, Kelly went solo in 1993, starting off a successful career with the release of the album 12 Play. He has since released a further nine studio albums, collaborated with Jay-Z on two albums and has had many successful singles including Bump N' Grind, I Believe I Can Fly, Ignition, The World's Greatest and the hip-hopera Trapped in the Closet.

Kelly has also produced and performed in many tracks by other R&B and hip-hop artists. In 1994, Kelly produced and wrote the debut album of R&B singer Aaliyah and in 1995, Kelly co-produced and wrote the song "You Are Not Alone" for Michael Jackson, which was included on Jackson's album, HIStory. Kelly has sung the hooks for many notable hip-hop songs, such as "Fuckin' You Tonight" by The Notorious B.I.G., "We Thuggin'" by Fat Joe, "Gigolo" by Nick Cannon, and "Go Getta" by Young Jeezy, and has collaborated for two albums with Jay-Z.

Ain't No Way
R. Kelly Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mmm, ain't no way
For me to love you
If you don't let me
(Oh no, no, no)
And ain't no way
For me to give you all you need
If I can't give all of me

I know the way ain't easy
But I'm giving you my hand (yes I am)
Oh that's just the way, the way it was planned
But how can I, how can I, how can I give you
All I have
If you're tyin' both of my hands

Ain't no way, ain't no way, ain't no way
Ain't no way, ain't no way
For me to love you
I can't love you if you don't let me

Oh oh oh oh oh
Stop tryin' to be something you're not
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Faithful is the man who gives everything
Everything from his heart
And if you need me
If you need me like you say you do
Oh, baby you got to know that I'm here for you

Ain't no way, ain't no way, ain't no way
You got to know this
Ain't no, ain't no, ain't no way I can
No way, no way, no way, ohhh
For me to love you, no no no no
If you don't let me

I really wanna love you, yes I do
But first you've gotta let me, yeah
Mmmm
You gotta, you gotta let me
No way I can love you, no no no no

Mmmm
You gotta let me, oh ohh

Overall Meaning

In the lyrics to R. Kelly's song "Ain't No Way," the singer expresses his desire to love and give all of himself to someone, but he acknowledges that it is impossible if they do not allow him to do so. The refrain of "Ain't no way for me to love you, if you don't let me" highlights the theme of needing mutual openness and vulnerability in a relationship for love to flourish.

The first verse suggests that despite the challenges and difficulties they may face, R. Kelly is extending his hand and offering his support to the person he loves. He believes that it is all part of the plan for their relationship, but he feels constrained when the other person restricts his actions and holds him back. The line "But how can I give you all I have if you're tyin' both of my hands" symbolizes how their limitations on his freedom prevent him from fully expressing his love.

In the second verse, R. Kelly urges his partner to stop pretending to be someone they are not. He values faithfulness and emphasizes that he is willing to give everything from his heart. He reassures them that he is there for them if they truly need him, but they must understand that he cannot love them if they continue to withhold their trust and prevent him from fully loving them.

Overall, "Ain't No Way" is a plea for openness, trust, and reciprocation in a relationship. It emphasizes the importance of both parties being willing to let go of their inhibitions and fears to allow love to thrive.

Line by Line Meaning

Mmm, ain't no way
There is absolutely no possibility

For me to love you
For me to have deep affection and care for you

If you don't let me
If you don't allow me to

(Oh no, no, no)
(Expressing strong disagreement or refusal)

And ain't no way
And there is absolutely no possibility

For me to give you all you need
For me to provide you with everything you require

If I can't give all of me
If I'm unable to give my whole self

I know the way ain't easy
I understand that the path is challenging

But I'm giving you my hand (yes I am)
But I'm extending my support and assistance

Oh that's just the way, the way it was planned
Oh, that's simply how it was meant to be

But how can I, how can I, how can I give you
But how can I, in what manner can I give you

All I have
Everything that belongs to me

If you're tyin' both of my hands
If you're restricting or limiting my actions

Ain't no way, ain't no way, ain't no way
There is absolutely no possibility, no possibility, no possibility

Ain't no way, ain't no way
There is absolutely no possibility, no possibility

For me to love you
For me to have deep affection and care for you

I can't love you if you don't let me
I'm unable to love you if you don't allow me to

Oh oh oh oh oh
Expressing strong emotion or frustration

Stop tryin' to be something you're not
Cease attempting to portray yourself falsely

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Expressing agreement or affirmation

Faithful is the man who gives everything
A man who gives his all is trustworthy

Everything from his heart
Everything that originates from his deepest feelings

And if you need me
And if you require my presence or support

If you need me like you say you do
If you truly need me as much as you claim

Oh, baby you got to know that I'm here for you
Oh, darling, you must understand that I'm available to you

Ain't no way, ain't no way, ain't no way
There is absolutely no possibility, no possibility, no possibility

You got to know this
You must be aware of this

Ain't no, ain't no, ain't no way I can
There is absolutely no possibility that I can

No way, no way, no way, ohhh
Absolutely not, absolutely not, absolutely not

For me to love you, no no no no
For me to have deep affection and care for you, not at all

If you don't let me
If you don't allow me to

I really wanna love you, yes I do
I genuinely desire to love you, yes I do

But first you've gotta let me, yeah
But first, you must allow me to, yeah

Mmmm
Expressing contemplation or hesitation

You gotta, you gotta let me
You must, you must allow me to

No way I can love you, no no no no
Absolutely not, I cannot love you, not at all

Mmmm
Expressing contemplation or hesitation

You gotta let me, oh ohh
You must allow me, oh ohh

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Carolyn Franklin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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