SZA randomly dropped a brand new song to air out some thoughts she had been bottling in. On August 22, 2021, SZA released “I Hate You” alongside another track “Joni” on her Soundcloud account. In this article, we dive into the former, fueled with anger about a love affair that did not float.
SZA is gearing up for the release of her second studio album, after a successful debut studio album ‘Ctrl’ in 2017. The follow-up album has been a long-time coming and has seen a few singles released such as “Good Days” and “Hit Different.” The two Soundcloud songs released are expected to be a part of the new album.
On “I Hate You,” SZA does not hold back. She is in anger, pain, and disgust over a relationship that did not work. She misses the sex, his touch, his warmth, and hates the fact that he did not turn out to be the person she thought he would be. This song is a whirlwind of different emotions.
Listen to “I Hate You” by SZA
SZA “I Hate You” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
SZA starts off the track strong;
I be so sick of you n*ggas, y’all contradicting
And with the follow-up line, we know she is wound up in a whole bunch of emotions;
I be so bored with myself, can you come and f*ck me?
She is angry at the guy who walked out on her and to make things worse, she urges him. It is a very emotional situation to be in. SZA invites somebody to come in and fill in the void. But she also remembers that a fling would not do much for her right now.
Because everybody has been tiring out her lately; “Treat me like corduroy, wear me out.” Corduroy is a type of cotton used in clothing. When you wear clothes, they wear out. Clever wordplay by SZA, while also staying true to the theme of the song.
Next, SZA also gives us a little context into what went wrong in their relationship. Constant arguments and his suspicious eye wore her out. He wanted to know her whereabouts all the time and this can get tiring really fast.
All these emotions keep SZA awake at night and this does not help at all. Despite having anger towards him, she still calls him ‘baby.’ This might be the awake-at-night-feeling-needed SZA talking. She goes back and forth — “Lost in the lie of us.”
Missionary gettin’ boring, can you switch positions? (Yeah)
Hard to save your soul, you don’t ever listen, no (No)
In the last two lines of the second verse, SZA lets us know that she tried to change him for the better but her efforts were in vain. A missionary is a religious person who spreads the word of the religion and converts people into their religion. SZA was on a missionary mission, too — to change him to something more dependable. Missionary is also one of the most common sex positions and also deemed one of the dullest positions at that. SZA plays on the two meanings of the word ‘missionary’ here.
In the last line of the verse, SZA builds on the above idea. A missionary can only convert someone who listens to them. SZA could not make him a better man because he did not listen to a word she had to say. Or maybe he just pretended to listen.
What I would do to make you feel just like this?
SZA harbors some anger towards the guy. She wants him to feel the same way she does right now. But she has no clue how she can make it happen. If he really did care, he would already be feeling like her. But he has been silent — which speaks volumes.
Let us hear what you think about this song in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.