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.

Wanna Be There
R. Kelly Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Things that I have to say to you
You need to hear
And I know we've got some rebuildin', oh
But I believe time will heal

Anything that you wanna do
Baby girl I'mma support you
And anything that you're going through

I swear I will be there for you, you
It's been so many years so I know it feels awkward
Know you had to tuck all of your tears in your school locker
And I understand your position
And why your heart went missin'
And things that you wondered

Oh oh-ooh
I know that you mad at me, thinkin' that I didn't care
Talk to me, 'cause

I just wanna be there
When you conquer the world I just wanna be there
But no matter how successful baby girl
When you need someone to lean on I just wanna be your shoulder
When you need someone to call on I wanna be the one to hold ya
I just wanna be there
(Be there
Be there, be there)
I just wanna be there

Call me back when I be calling you
'Cause I be feelin' like I'm stalking you
And I know you've got issues with rejection, oh
I'm just being honest, I know what you're thinking, never did I neglect ya, no
'Cause I love you too much (?)
And I would just kill myself before I do anything to hurt ya
One hunnid, all I ever wanted to do is please you
And I don't know what happened to us but I need you

I just wanna be there
When you conquer the world I just wanna be there
But no matter how successful baby girl
When you need someone to lean on I just wanna be your shoulder
When you need someone to call on I wanna be the one to hold ya
I just wanna be there
(Be there
Be there, be there)
I just wanna be there

I know that there were so many things going on
And there were some times I thought I wouldn't make it
But my brothers and me kept each other strong
How do I tell 'em why you're not there when I don't even know myself
I hate you, I love you, I do and I don't wanna see you
You tell us you need us but that we just need to believe you
My heart is broke, it's so hard to cope
And every night I cry out to heaven 'cause I need you both more
And sometimes it was easy to not say anything
My mind was at war, baby you're not the enemy
And it still feels like we're miles away
But I can meet you halfway 'cause at the end of the day

I just wanna be there
Be there for you, yeah, yeah
When you conquer the world I just wanna be there
But no matter how successful baby girl
When you need someone to lean on I just wanna be your shoulder
When you need someone to call on I wanna be the one to hold ya
I just wanna be there
(Be there

Be there, be there)
I just wanna be there

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of R. Kelly's song "Wanna Be There" reflect on the importance of being there for someone you care about, especially during times of difficulty. The song starts by acknowledging the need for rebuilding in the relationship between the singer and his loved one. He acknowledges that it will take time to heal, but assures her that he will be there to support and stand by her no matter what. The singer then acknowledges the pain and hurt that his loved one has gone through in the past, and understands why she might be hesitant to open up to him again. He reassures her of his love and commitment to her, and expresses his desire to be by her side through both the successes and struggles of her life.

Throughout the song, R. Kelly's lyrics convey a strong sense of love and commitment, as well as an empathy for his loved one's struggles. His words reflect the importance of listening, understanding and standing by someone, especially when they are going through difficult times. The song also touches on the complex emotions that can arise in a relationship that has experienced hurt and pain, but ultimately emphasizes the importance of forgiveness and support in overcoming these challenges.

Overall, "Wanna Be There" is a heartfelt song that highlights the importance of being there for someone you care about, both in good times and in bad. The lyrics are honest and emotional, and convey a sense of empathy and understanding towards the struggles of others.

Line by Line Meaning

Things that I have to say to you You need to hear And I know we've got some rebuildin', oh But I believe time will heal
There are things I need to say to you, things you really need to hear. I know we have some rebuilding to do but I believe that with time, everything will be alright.

Anything that you wanna do Baby girl I'mma support you And anything that you're going through I swear I will be there for you, you
Whatever it is that you want to do, I'll support you no matter what. Whenever you're going through tough times, I promise to be there for you.

It's been so many years so I know it feels awkward Know you had to tuck all of your tears in your school locker And I understand your position And why your heart went missin' And things that you wondered
I know it's been years, and it might feel strange that I'm reaching out. I know you had to hide your tears in school, and I understand why you've been standoffish. I know that there are things on your mind that you've been wondering about.

Oh oh-ooh I know that you mad at me, thinkin' that I didn't care Talk to me, 'cause
I know you're angry at me, thinking that I didn't care about you. But please, talk to me so we can work it out.

When you conquer the world I just wanna be there But no matter how successful baby girl When you need someone to lean on I just wanna be your shoulder When you need someone to call on I wanna be the one to hold ya I just wanna be there (Be there Be there, be there) I just wanna be there
I want to be there for you when you become successful and conquer the world, but more importantly, I want to be there for you whenever you need someone to lean on or call upon. I just want to be there for you.

Call me back when I be calling you 'Cause I be feelin' like I'm stalking you And I know you've got issues with rejection, oh I'm just being honest, I know what you're thinking, never did I neglect ya, no
Please call me back when I call you because I feel like I'm bothering you. I understand that you've had issues with rejection, and I want to be honest with you. I never neglected you.

'Cause I love you too much (?) And I would just kill myself before I do anything to hurt ya One hunnid, all I ever wanted to do is please you And I don't know what happened to us but I need you
I love you too much and would never intentionally hurt you. All I ever wanted was to make you happy. I don't know what happened between us, but I need you.

I know that there were so many things going on And there were some times I thought I wouldn't make it But my brothers and me kept each other strong How do I tell 'em why you're not there when I don't even know myself I hate you, I love you, I do and I don't wanna see you You tell us you need us but that we just need to believe you My heart is broke, it's so hard to cope And every night I cry out to heaven 'cause I need you both more And sometimes it was easy to not say anything My mind was at war, baby you're not the enemy And it still feels like we're miles away But I can meet you halfway 'cause at the end of the day
So much was happening, and there were times when I thought I wouldn't make it through. But my brothers and I supported each other, and we made it. It's hard to explain to them why you're not around when I don't understand it myself. I have mixed feelings about you, and sometimes it was easier to say nothing. But you're not the enemy, and it feels like we're so far apart. But I'm willing to meet you halfway, because at the end of the day...

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBERT KELLY, LARRY GRIFFIN JR, STUART LOWERY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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