Rehab
Rihanna ft. Justin Timerlake Lyrics

Baby, baby
This song is a lament from Rihanna to a former lover who was her best friend and her romantic partner, but who left her devastated and alone.

When we first met, I never felt something so strong
When the two first met, Rihanna felt a connection with her lover that was intense and unlike anything she had felt before.

You were like my lover and my best friend
The person Rihanna is addressing was both her romantic partner and her closest confidant.

All wrapped in one with a ribbon on it
The person Rihanna is addressing was like a gift to her because they fulfilled both roles of lover and best friend.

And all of a sudden you went and left
The person Rihanna is addressing left her unexpectedly, and she was not prepared for the emotional consequences of their departure.

I didn't know how to follow
Rihanna was left feeling lost and confused by the sudden departure of her lover and friend.

It's like a shock that spun me around
The sudden departure of the person Rihanna loved and trusted so deeply was like a violent shock that disrupted her entire world.

And now my heart's dead
Rihanna's heart feels completely numb and lifeless after the person she loved left her.

I feel so empty and hollow
Rihanna feels completely empty and devoid of any emotion after the departure of her former lover.

And I never gave myself to another the way I gave it to you
Rihanna is saying that she never gave herself so completely to anyone else the way she gave herself to the person she's addressing in the song.

You don't even recognize the ways you hurt me, do you?
Rihanna is hurt that the person she loved so much doesn't seem to realize how much their departure has hurt her.

It's gonna take a miracle to bring me back
Rihanna feels that it will take something nearly impossible, like a miracle, to help her recover from the hurt she's experienced.

And you're the one to blame
The person Rihanna is addressing is to blame for the pain she is experiencing because they left her.

And now I feel like
Rihanna is trying to express the depth of her feelings, but she can't quite put it into words.

Oh, you're the reason why I'm thinking
This line is a refrain that comes up throughout the song; Rihanna blames the person she's addressing for her obsessive thoughts and feelings of heartbreak.

I don't wanna smoke on these cigarettes no more
Rihanna is saying that she doesn't want to engage in self-destructive behaviors like smoking cigarettes as a way to cope with her pain.

I guess that's what I get for wishful thinking
Rihanna is reflecting on the fact that her hopes and dreams for a future with the person she loved did not come to pass, so now she is paying the price for her hopeful fantasies.

I should've never let you enter my door
Rihanna is saying that she wishes she had never let the person she loved into her life, because the pain of their departure is too much for her to bear.

Next time you wanna go on and leave
Rihanna is warning the person she's addressing that if they ever try to leave her again, she won't try to stop them.

I should just let you go on and do it
Rihanna is saying that she should just let the person she loves go if they want to leave, rather than trying to convince them to stay and suffering the pain of their departure again.

'Cause now I'm using like I bleed
This line is a metaphor for how Rihanna is using drugs or unhealthy behaviors as a way to cope with her emotional pain and heartbreak.

It's like I checked into rehab
Rihanna is saying that her emotional pain is so intense that it feels like she has checked into a rehab center to try to recover from it.

And, baby, you're my disease
The person Rihanna is addressing is the root of her emotional pain and heartbreak, and so she sees them as a kind of disease that she needs to recover from.

I gotta check into rehab
Rihanna is saying that she needs to take extreme measures, like checking into rehab, to try to recover from the pain she feels.

'Cause, baby, you're my disease
This line reinforces the idea that the person Rihanna is addressing is the source of her pain and heartbreak, and is like a disease that she needs to overcome.

(Uh, uh, now, ladies, gimme that)
This line is a spoken interlude in the song that serves as a transition to the last verse.

Damn, ain't it crazy when you're love swept?
This line is a rhetorical question that emphasizes how intense and overwhelming the feelings of love can be.

You'd do anything for the one you love
This line emphasizes how much Rihanna was willing to do for the person she loved, because she felt so strongly about them.

'Cause anytime that you needed me I'd be there
Rihanna is saying that she was always available and willing to help the person she loved, no matter what the circumstances were.

It's like you were my favorite drug
This line is a metaphor for how the person Rihanna loved was like an addiction for her, because she couldn't get enough of them.

The only problem is that you was using me
Rihanna is saying that the person she loved was using her in a way that was detrimental to her emotional health and well-being.

In a different way than I was using you
This line suggests that Rihanna was using the person she loved in a different and more positive way than they were using her.

But now that I know it's not meant to be
Rihanna is saying that she has come to the realization that her relationship with the person she loved is not meant to be, and that she needs to move on.

It gotta go, I gotta wean myself off of you
Rihanna is saying that she needs to remove herself from the toxic relationship she had with the person she loved, and slowly and carefully wean herself off of them.