Yaya Bey is one of R&B’s most exciting storytellers. Using a combination of… Read Full Bio ↴Yaya Bey is one of R&B’s most exciting storytellers. Using a combination of ancestral forces and her own self-actualization, the singer/songwriter seamlessly navigates life’s hardships and joyful moments through music. Bey’s new album, ‘Remember Your North Star’ (out June 17), captures this emotional rollercoaster with a fusion of soul, jazz, reggae, afrobeat and hip-hop that feeds the soul. The artist’s knack for storytelling is best displayed in the album’s lead single, “keisha”. It’s an anthemic embodiment of fed-up women everywhere who have given their all in a relationship, yet their physical body nor spiritual mind could never be enough.

Either Way
yaya bey Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The world is moving in a circle
Around the sun
Before me and after me
With me and without me
I am not the world
Or the sun
I am moving nowhere with you
And never without you

You are always a pain

And a yearning
Threatening to ruin me either way

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Yaya Bey's song "Either Way" are striking in their simplicity yet contain a depth of meaning that prompts the listener to reflect upon the cyclical nature of life. The first lines create an image of the world revolving endlessly around the sun, emphasizing the smallness of the individual in the grand scheme of things. The lines "With me and without me" and "I am not the world/Or the sun" reiterate this message, highlighting the idea that life carries on regardless of our presence or absence.

The following lines introduce the idea of a relationship and the conflict and complexity that comes with it. The line "I am moving nowhere with you/And never without you" describes the inescapable entanglement of two people in a relationship, while the following lines "You are always a pain/And a yearning/Threatening to ruin me either way" encapsulate the paradoxical nature of love. The pain and yearning that comes with love is juxtaposed with the potential for destruction, indicating the precariousness of relationships and the potential for both joy and sorrow.

Overall, Yaya Bey's lyrics in "Either Way" emphasize the cyclical nature of life and the complexity of relationships. The song reveals the universal nature of these experiences and prompts the listener to reflect upon their own lives and relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

The world is moving in a circle
The world is constantly changing and evolving in a cyclical pattern.

Around the sun
The sun is at the center of our solar system and everything in it revolves around it.

Before me and after me
The world existed before I was born and will continue to exist after I die.

With me and without me
The world exists and operates regardless of my presence or absence.

I am not the world
I am just an individual in this vast world and do not have control over its actions.

Or the sun
I cannot control the sun or the natural forces that govern the world.

I am moving nowhere with you
Despite being in a relationship with you, I feel stuck and stagnant.

And never without you
I cannot imagine my life without you, even though being with you also causes me pain.

You are always a pain
Being in this relationship is challenging and sometimes causes me emotional pain.

And a yearning
At the same time, I have a strong desire and yearning to be with you.

Threatening to ruin me either way
My relationship with you is so intense that it has the power to completely destroy me or leave me feeling lost, no matter what path I choose.

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Hadaiyah Bey

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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