It's Not Right But It's Okay
Whitney Houston Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Friday night, you and your boys went out to eat, uh
Then they hung out, but you came home around three, yes, you did
If six of y'all went out, uh, then four of you were really cheap, yeah
'Cause only two of you had dinner, I found your credit card receipt

It's not right, but it's okay
I'm gonna make it anyway
Pack your bags up and leave
And don't you dare come runnin' back to me
It's not right, but it's okay
I'm gonna make it anyway
Close the door behind you, leave your key
I'd rather be alone than unhappy, yeah, uh

I'm packin' bags so you can leave town for a week, yes, I am
The phone rings, and then you look at me (why'd you turn and look at me?)
You said it was one of your friends down on 54th Street, boy
So why did 213 show up on your caller ID? Oh

(I've been through all of this before) I've been through all this before
(So how could you think) don't think about it, don't think about it
(That I would stand around and take some more) get gone, get gone
(Things are gonna change) things are gonna change, baby
('Cause I won't be your fool anymore) you don't stand no chance, boy
(That's why you have to leave) I said, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(So don't turn around to see my face) don't you turn around
There's no more tears left here for you to see

Was it really worth you goin' out like that? Tell me, boy
See, I'm movin' on, and I refuse to turn back, yeah
See, all of this time, I thought I had somebody down for Whitney
It turns out, you were makin' a fool of me, oh

It's not right, but it's okay (sure enough, okay, ha)
I'm gonna make it anyway (make it anyway)
Pack your bags up and leave (pack your bags, get out and leave)
And don't you dare come runnin' back to me (don't you dare, back to me, boy)
It's not right, but it's okay (it's not right, it's okay)
I'm gonna make it anyway (I'm gonna, I'm gonna, ah)
Close the door behind you, leave your key (close the door and leave your key)
I'd rather be alone than unhappy (rather be alone than unhappy, oh)
It's not right, but it's okay (it's not right, it's okay, baby)
I'm gonna make it anyway (I can pay my own rent)
Pack your bags up and leave (pay my light bill, take care of my babies)
And don't you dare come runnin' back to me (oh, oh, oh-whoa)
It's not right, but it's okay (oh, Lord, oh, ooh)
I'm gonna make it anyway (get up and leave)
Close the door behind you, leave your key (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
I'd rather be alone than unhappy (I'd rather be alone than unhappy)
It's not right, but it's okay (I'm gonna be okay, I'm gonna be alright)
I'm gonna make it anyway (I'm gonna be okay, I'm gonna be alright)
Pack your bags up and leave (I'm gonna be okay, I'm gonna be alright)
And don't you dare come runnin' back to me (things are gonna change)
It's not right, but it's okay (I'm gonna be okay, I'm gonna be alright)
I'm gonna make it anyway (I'm gonna be okay, I'm gonna be alright)
Close the door behind you, leave your key (I'm gonna be okay, I'm gonna be alright)
I'd rather be alone than unhappy (there's no more tears left here for you to see)

It's not right, but it's okay
I'm gonna make it anyway
Pack your bags up and leave
And don't you dare come runnin' back to me
It's not right, but it's okay
I'm gonna make it anyway




Close the door behind you, leave your key
I'd rather be alone than unhappy, yeah

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Whitney Houston's "It's Not Right But It's Okay" describe the aftermath of a late-night dinner that her partner had with their friends, where only two of them paid for dinner. She later finds the credit card receipt and confronts him. He denies any wrongdoing and accuses her of not trusting him. She packs his bags and kicks him out, asserting that she is better off alone than with someone who's unfaithful. The chorus delivers an empowering message, where Whitney declares that she's going to make it through without him and that he shouldn't come running back to her.


The song's themes center on self-empowerment, strength, and independence. The powerful chorus makes use of Whitney's powerful vocals to convey a message of empowerment to her female audience, urging them to stand up for themselves and take control of their lives.


The song was a massive commercial success, reaching number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, and topping the US Dance Club Songs, Hot Dance Singles Sales, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs.


Line by Line Meaning

Friday night, you and your boys went out to eat, uh
You went out to eat with your friends last Friday night.


Then they hung out, but you came home around three, yes, you did
You stayed out late and returned home at 3am, but your friends stayed out longer.


If six of y'all went out, uh, then four of you were really cheap, yeah
Out of the six of you who went out, only two paid for dinner, and the other four were cheap.


'Cause only two of you had dinner, I found your credit card receipt
I found your credit card receipt, which shows that only two people paid for dinner.


It's not right, but it's okay
I know what you did was wrong, but I will still make it through without you.


I'm gonna make it anyway
I don't need you to be happy or to live my life. I will find a way on my own.


Pack your bags up and leave
You need to leave and take your things with you.


And don't you dare come runnin' back to me
Don't you ever come back to me again, even if you want to.


Close the door behind you, leave your key
Leave the key and close the door tightly, so you can never come back again.


I'd rather be alone than unhappy, yeah, uh
I don't need you to make me happy; I'd rather be alone than unhappy with you.


I'm packin' bags so you can leave town for a week, yes, I am
I'm helping you pack your bags so you can leave town for a week.


The phone rings, and then you look at me (why'd you turn and look at me?)
The phone rings, and you turn to look at me, which makes me suspicious.


You said it was one of your friends down on 54th Street, boy
You claim that it was one of your friends on 54th Street who called you.


So why did 213 show up on your caller ID? Oh
Your caller ID shows the number 213, not the friend you claimed called you. Your story doesn't add up.


(I've been through all of this before) I've been through all this before
I've been through similar situations before where my trust was broken.


(So how could you think) don't think about it, don't think about it
Don't try to justify or argue with me about it. Whatever you say won't change my mind.


(That I would stand around and take some more) get gone, get gone
I won't tolerate or put up with your behavior anymore. You need to go away.


(Things are gonna change) things are gonna change, baby
Things are going to change around here, whether you like it or not.


('Cause I won't be your fool anymore) you don't stand no chance, boy
I won't let you take advantage of me or deceive me again. You don't have a chance with me anymore.


(That's why you have to leave) I said, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
You need to leave because I won't allow you to disrespect and deceive me again.


(So don't turn around to see my face) don't you turn around
Don't even bother looking back at me when you leave because I don't want to see you again.


There's no more tears left here for you to see
I have no more tears to cry over you. I'm done with you.


Was it really worth you goin' out like that? Tell me, boy
Was it worth betraying me and going out with your friends like that? Tell me the truth.


See, I'm movin' on, and I refuse to turn back, yeah
I'm moving on from this relationship and I won't let myself be held back or turn back.


See, all of this time, I thought I had somebody down for Whitney
I thought that you were someone who would always be loyal and faithful to me.


It turns out, you were makin' a fool of me, oh
But it turns out that you were just deceiving and betraying me like a fool.


Sure enough, okay, ha
Despite the hurt and betrayal, I will be okay and I will move on.


(I can pay my own rent) pay my light bill, take care of my babies
I can take care of myself, my bills, and my children without you. I don't need you.


(oh, Lord, oh, ooh) get up and leave
You need to leave and get out of my life, for good.


Things are gonna change
From now on, things will be different and you won't be a part of it.




Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Fred III Jerkins, Lashawn Ameen Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Isaac J. Phillips, Toni J. Estes

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@lohanthony

"if six of y'all went outΒ 
then four of you were really cheapΒ 
cause only two of you had dinnerΒ 
i found your credit card receipts" LMAO SERVE THOSE RECIEPTS KWEEN. #SHOWMETHERECIEPTS

@ninapao1671

😍😍😍

@hilarygutierrez3447

Lol I came here cause I saw your story and I was like oooo yeah this song!

@longbranch11207

THE SHADE THO RIGHT? GOTTA LOVE WHITNEYΒ 

@realjamilla

IM SCREAMING shes so fierce in the beginning i literally feel empowered... i wanna fight somebody :/

@apewrathful

jamillaΒ lol. Just flip a table over. RAAAARRRGH. *punches random stranger in the face.

69 More Replies...

@mogznwaz

This era of Whitney was representative of someone who was older, wiser and had been through hard times - everything about it says growth and rebirth and resilience.

@Swahili14

Why does this sound so true 😭β™₯️

@Lovetolivetruely

Art is amazing.

@thundercloud2.0

πŸ’―πŸ’™

More Comments

More Versions