I Gotcha
Salt-N-Pepa Lyrics


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You told me today that you quit your girlfriend



I'd be the next one to ease on in


You promised me it would be just us two



I'd be the only girl kissin' on you



Now you got a girl but you still want me



Remember nothing in life is free



If you want your cake and eat it too



Come here boy let me show you what to do







Why don't you just kiss me



Hold it a long time



Hold it, don't turn it loose now



Hold it a little bit longer now



Hold it, go, hold it, yeah



Now ease up off me and get back







You made me a deal, and you're gonna stick to it



You shouldn't have promised if you wasn't gonna do it



You saw me and ran in another direction



I'll teach you to play with my affection



I played mistress for too long



Now your butt is mine plus your old girl's gone



Gimme with your all, and don't try to front



So don't act dumb, boy, you know what I want







Come on now, give it here



You never should have promised to me



Give it here, don't say nothin'



Just give it here, don't hold back now



Give it here, go







Yeah, the boy tried to flip on us, Pep



Yeah, well put him in check!







I've got ya now, and I ain't lettin' go



Payday's now 'cause I said so



Forget about all the other girls 'cause ya can't have none



'cause it's time to collect not a check but fun







I want you to kiss me



Hold it a long time



Hold it, don't turn it loose now



Hold it a little bit longer now



Hold it, go, hold it, yeah



Hold it, ow







Now ease up off me and get back

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Salt-N-Pepa's "I Gotcha" speak to the idea of a guy who has cheated on his girlfriend and is now trying to juggle both her and another girl. In the song, the singer is the other girl who is expecting the guy to follow through with his promise of being with her, only to find out that he is still with his original girlfriend. The singer is not happy about being used as a mistress and decides to take matters into her own hand. The song speaks to themes of trust, loyalty, and unfaithfulness in relationships, as well as the consequences that come with playing with someone’s emotions.


The lyrics convey the message that actions speak louder than words and that one should not make promises they cannot keep. In the first verse, the guy promises the singer that he will leave his girlfriend and be with her, only to still be with his girlfriend but still want the singer. The singer, in turn, decides to confront him and make him stick to his promise. She takes control of the situation, demanding that he gives her what he promised.


The chorus of the song is a repetitive hook that emphasizes the demand of the singer. She wants the guy to kiss her, but not just any kiss, a long and passionate one. The repetition of the hook adds to the suspense of the singer's demand and gives the song a catchy and memorable quality.


Line by Line Meaning

You told me today that you quit your girlfriend
You informed me today that you ended your relationship with your girlfriend


I'd be the next one to ease on in
I would be the subsequent person to enter into a romantic relationship with you


You promised me it would be just us two
You assured me that our relationship would be exclusive


I'd be the only girl kissin' on you
I would be the only female intimate with you


Now you got a girl but you still want me
Despite being in a relationship with someone else, you continue to desire me


Remember nothing in life is free
Recall that everything in life has a cost or a consequence


If you want your cake and eat it too
If you desire to have or enjoy two seemingly incompatible things at once, like a faithful relationship and intimate relations with someone else


Come here boy let me show you what to do
Proceed here young man and allow me to teach you


Why don't you just kiss me
What is preventing you from locking lips with me right now


Hold it a long time
Maintain this embrace for an extensive duration


Hold it, don't turn it loose now
Sustain it, don't release me just yet


Hold it a little bit longer now
Prolong this gesture just a tad bit more


Hold it, go, hold it, yeah
Grasp me, continue, retain it, affirm


Now ease up off me and get back
Now release me and step away


You made me a deal, and you're gonna stick to it
You negotiated with me and now you must honor the agreement


You shouldn't have promised if you wasn't gonna do it
You should not have made a commitment if you were not willing to follow through


You saw me and ran in another direction
You spotted me and quickly went the opposite way


I'll teach you to play with my affection
I will educate you on the consequences of toying with my emotions


I played mistress for too long
I have played the part of a side lover for a considerable amount of time


Now your butt is mine plus your old girl's gone
Now you are with me exclusively and you no longer have access to your previous partner


Gimme with your all, and don't try to front
Give me everything you have and do not pretend otherwise


So don't act dumb, boy, you know what I want
Do not feign ignorance, young man, it is evident what I desire


Come on now, give it here
Let's go, relinquish it to me


You never should have promised to me
You should have never made any commitments towards me


Give it here, don't say nothin'
Pass it over, refrain from speaking


Just give it here, don't hold back now
Hand it over completely, do not be bashful


Give it here, go
Give me what I desire, now


Yeah, the boy tried to flip on us, Pep
The young man attempted to double-cross us


Yeah, well put him in check!
Yes, we need to reprimand him and make sure he knows his place


I've got ya now, and I ain't lettin' go
I have captured and secured you, and I will not release you


Payday's now 'cause I said so
The reward is at hand because I have deemed it so


Forget about all the other girls 'cause ya can't have none
Disregard any other females because you can no longer be intimate with anyone else


'cause it's time to collect not a check but fun
It is now time to repay, but not with money, with pleasure


Hold it, ow
Continue holding our embrace


Now ease up off me and get back
Release me and step away from me




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LUPE FIASCO, PHARRELL WILLIAMS, PHARRELL L WILLIAMS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Leyanna28

My friends would tease me because I loved this song so much when I was younger, So glad you posted this

J.Evans_TalktheTalk

I used to have the tape that was wayyyyyyyyyyyy back in the day lol

Angel Face

Now that's what I'm talking about. Once again Thanks.

Blue Star

2019 still loving this tune....

The M.A.

I didn't know about this song until I checked the Wikipedia page for "I Know There's Something Going On".

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