This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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
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
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This is a good song. I like Whitney...she reminds me of someone. And she's also a bit of a legendary icon...respected by thousands of women everywhere. And in this song she totally kicks ass. The song is about a woman finding out that her man has been cheating and she handles it in a very self-controlled, strong way. It's a good song to listen to if you're in this situation. And it's also really catchy, too.