Break break down,
Steady breakin' me on down, break break down,
Steady breakin' me on down,
Break break down, steady breakin' me on down,
Break break down, steady breakin' me on down.

You called yesterday to basically say
That you care for me,
But that you're just not in love
Immediately I pretended
To be feeling similarly
And led you to believe it was o.k
To just walk away from the one thing
That's unyielding and sacred to me

[Chorus]
Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath a disguise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
Till I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry

So what do you do
When somebody you're so devoted to
Suddenly just stops loving you
And it seems they haven't got a clue
Of the pain that rejection is putting you through
Do you cling to your pride
And sing "I will survive"
Do you lash out and say "How dare you leave this way?"
Do you hold on in vain as they just slip away

Yeah, c'mon, yeah, c'mon, c'mon

Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the disguise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
Till I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry

It'll break you down
Only if you let it
Everyday crazy situations rocking my mind
Tryin' to break me down
But I won't let it
Forget it (forget it)

I be feelin' like you bringing me down
Taking me around
Stressin' me out
I think i better go and get out
And let me release some stress (stress)

Don't ever wanna feel no pain (pain)
Hoping for the sun
But it looks like rain (rain, rain, rain)
Lord, I just wanna maintain

Yeah, I can feel pressures y'all
But never the less
Krayzie won't fall
It's over, it's ending here (here)

Well I guess I'm trying to be
Nonchalant about it
And I'm going to extremes to prove
I'm fine without you
But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind
Underneath the guise of a smile
Gradually I'm dying inside
Friends ask me how I feel
And I lie convincingly
Cause I don't want to reveal
The fact that I'm suffering
So I wear my disguise
Till I go home at night
And turn down all the lights
And then I break down and cry



Lyrics submitted by Ice

Track duration: 04:48

"Breakdown" as written by Steven A./combs Jordan

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Breakdown song meanings
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16 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:Verse 1: Talks about a break up done over the phone. It's an honest and kind break up, so she's unsure of how she should react. She decides to go with the flow and be understanding of what her ex wants.

    Chorus: She's trying to be strong for herself by not showing anyone the pain felt after a split. She goes through her day with a smile, but when she gets home she can't help but to breakdown and cry.

    Verse 2: She sings to the audience and asks them how they would feel if they went through what she described in verse 1. A clever way to write a song because the audience is allowed to reflect on their love life making it easy to connect to the song.

    Rap: This section has a lot of depth. Each member of BTNH put a quick flow about accepting the break up and moving on or waiting for the future and stuff like that. My fave line is "Don't let this world get the best of you".

    The song is easy to relate to and very meaningful if a person has ever been left by someone they wanted to stay with.
    Flag itsMARkDon August 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:IMO Butterfly is Mariah's greatest cd. "Breakdown" and "The Roof" are so deep. I really hope Mariah will someday go back to how she used to write and compose.
    Flag chrisguzman16on September 03, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:great lyrics. Mariah is bad.
    Flag convinceon September 14, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:*sigh* Again, overrated tosh.
    I've listened to Butterfly a ton and I STILL don't get what's so great about it. I understand if you're in middle school, but when you're 20-40 years old and still find it deep/meaningful, what the hell, people, what the hell?
    I still don't get the hype behind this album, it's probably Mariah's silliest album of all and yet every frickin' Lamb on the planet thinks that it's the greatest. Maybe if I had the brain of a 10-year-old I'd like it.
    Flag Ekkostaron February 19, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:When i first heard this song i was like wow this is exactly what im feeling. Especialy verse 2 and the chours. I dont need to explain the situation but this was all i listend to untill i got over this one person who cheated and up and left.
    Flag kellysalon March 25, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i love this song. mariah carey at her best
    Flag welcometothemachineon August 12, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:favourite song of mariah omg this song say so much
    Well I guess I'm trying to be nonchalant about it
    And I'm going the extremes to prove I'm fine without you
    But in reality I'm slowly loosing my my mind
    Underneath the guise of a smile gradually I'm dying inside
    Friends ask me how I feel and I lie convincingly
    'Cause I don't want to reveal that fact that I'm suffering
    So I wear my disguise 'til I go home at night
    And turn down all the lights and then break down and cry

    Verse

    So what do you do when somebody you're devoted to
    Suddenly just stops loving you and it seems they haven't got a clue
    Of the pain that rejection is putting you through
    Do you cling to your pride and sing "I will survive"
    Do you lash out and say: "How dare you leave this way"
    Do you hold on in vain as they just slip away
    Flag madeline19on April 05, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:they should add the BNTH rap lyrics, because they add a huge part to the song. this song got me through everything, and it's funny because after everything, i've gone back to this song to help me get throught this next break-up. the follow up to this song (where they "get back together") is Still Beleive with Krayzie Bone and Mariah. it's okay.
    Flag forelsket segon February 18, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This definitely is one of my favorite Mariah songs, it has an awesome beat and great lyrics. Bone Thugs and Harmony just make it better.
    Flag Dannysheavenon December 17, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:One of my favourites, and I do like Mariah a lot. Reminds me of the time I started to listen to it, after making love with the dearest friend of mine, and realising that it was more for me than just a one night stand, but not for him...so I kept on acting like it meant nothing, but I never quite got to be the same towards him, since I'm still broken about it, but nobody knows it.
    I hear this song and tears flow from my eyes instantly. "And I'm going the extremes to prove I'm fine without you, but in reality I'm slowly loosing my my mind, underneath the guise of a smile gradually I'm dying inside, friends ask me how I feel and I lie convincingly, 'cause I don't want to reveal that fact that I'm suffering..."
    Nobody knows I feel this way...but I'm slowly starting to show it so I can let go...
    Flag Gabigson August 12, 2005   Link

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