Ain't No Way
Whitney Houston & Mary J Blige Lyrics


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Ain't no way
For me to love you
If you won't let me

It ain't no way
For me to give you all you need
If you won't let me
Give all of me

I know that a woman's duty
Is to have and love a man
And that's the way it was planned

Oh but how can I, how can I, how can I
Give you all the things I can
If your tying up both of my hands
Oh ain't no, ain't no way (ain't no way)

It ain't no way no, no, no (ain't no way)
Sho' ain't no way (ain't no way)
It ain't no way (ain't no way)

It ain't no way for me to love you
If you won't let me

So, stop trying to be
Someone your not

Hard, cold and cruel is a man
Who paid to much for what he's got

And if you need me
Won't you say, say you do
Because if you need me




Don't you know I need you
Ain't no way

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Whitney Houston and Mary J. Blige's song "Ain't No Way" talk about a woman's inability to love a man who won't let her love him. It is a song that shows the frustration of a woman who desires to give love to a man who isn't interested in receiving it. She sings that it is impossible for her to give all she has to offer if her hands are tied and she isn't given the chance to love him openly. She recognizes that it is a woman's responsibility to love a man but it is upsetting when the man doesn't reciprocate the love she's willing to give.


The woman in the song pleads with the man to stop pretending to be someone he's not, to stop being hard, cold, and cruel as it is a sign of someone who has paid too much for what he has. She requests that if he truly needs her, he should let her know so she can give him all the love he deserves. It's a song that talks about the power of love, the need to express it, and the frustration one can feel when that love isn't reciprocated.


Line by Line Meaning

Ain't no way
It's impossible


For me to love you
To have feelings of affection towards you


If you won't let me
If you don't allow me to do so


It ain't no way
It's impossible


For me to give you all you need
To provide everything that you require


If you won't let me
If you don't allow me to do so


Give all of me
To offer myself completely


I know that a woman's duty
I understand the expectations society has of women


Is to have and love a man
Is to be in a romantic relationship with a man


And that's the way it was planned
And that's how it's supposed to be


Oh but how can I, how can I, how can I
But how can I possibly


Give you all the things I can
Offer everything that I have to offer


If your tying up both of my hands
If you restrict me


Oh ain't no, ain't no way (ain't no way)
It's truly impossible (truly impossible)


It ain't no way no, no, no (ain't no way)
It's just not possible (just not possible)


Sho' ain't no way (ain't no way)
Absolutely not possible (absolutely not possible)


It ain't no way (ain't no way)
It's simply not possible (simply not possible)


So, stop trying to be
Cease attempting to act as though you are


Someone your not
Someone who you're not genuinely


Hard, cold and cruel is a man
A man can become rough, insensitive, and harsh


Who paid to much for what he's got
Who gave too much and is miserably compensating for it


And if you need me
And if you require my presence


Won't you say, say you do
Can't you express that you do


Because if you need me
Because if you really require me


Don't you know I need you
You should recognize that I also require you


Ain't no way
It's impossible




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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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@DeCurtaRican

Geniuses HAVE to do that, and they GET to do it without insulting anyone. Even the best jazz artists in the world got carried by Miles Davis, and they felt it was a privilege.

But let’s not get it twisted: Mary may not have had Whitney’s pure singing ability (who did?!), but she had a “voice” that was equally powerful and more powerful in in one respect. It came from her body and her heart instead of her vocal cords.

Whitney couldn’t sing about the raw sh!t like Mary could because she was a pure singer. Mary was a vocalist, meaning she could put into a song whatever it needed at any particular moment. That was and remains her gift. To her credit, Whitney clearly understood this about Mary. She knew what Mary could offer.

Whitney couldn’t do what Nary could, but she didn’t have to either. Her natural singing voice spoke for itself.

Both of these women…extraordinary.



@ameliabedelia7018

“Stop tryin' to be someone you're not.
Hard cold and cruel is a man
Who paid too much for what he's got.
And if you need me to love you
Say, say yeah you do
Oh then please, please, please
Don't you know that I need you?”

The most heartfelt and heartbreaking lyrics that anyone has written ever. Thank you Baby Sister, Carolyn Franklin.



All comments from YouTube:

@donovanrobinson1843

This was a pivotal moment for Mary. She recalls how performing with Whitney opened doors for her. There will never be another like Ms. Houston

@nataliegraham3287

💯 And I can’t believe I’m just seeing this performance🎤 My Newark, NJ and My Mary🙌🏾🫶🏾 brought me to 😭 Rest Well Whitney🙏🏾🥲

@blessandhighlyfavored1263

💯💯💯

@jnid1758

wasn't she already successful when this performance happened? so I'm not sure what you're talking about with the doors 🤔

@arkhamcapper1493

@@jnid1758 yeah she came out around the same time as Mariah she was definitely more successful than Whitney was in this year lol

@nikosgr9290

@@arkhamcapper1493 Well, she was never more succesful than Whitney to start of with not even that year, then if you watch some of Mary`s older interviews you`ll discover that she said what performing with Whitney did for her career and how many doors it opened. She said!

38 More Replies...

@elizabethwashington9168

Mary brought the pain, and Whitney brought the soul...beautiful duet...loved the red leather outfits too! Rest in peace Whitney...

@malikabryan329

Yesssssss 🙌🏾🙌🏾😊

@lesliekinard2261

Perfectly explained.

@cegert6466

And in red leather!!!

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