The Meaning Behind “Cinderella” by Mac Miller and Ty Dolla Sign and a Viral Hit 10 Years On

This year, “Cinderella” by the late rapper Mac Miller went viral online, a decade after its release. The song also features Ty Dolla Sign and finds Miller expressing his feelings for a romantic partner. And there’s little left to the imagination here in Miller’s devotion.

Though the alt-hip-hop track is meant to be a kind of romantic expression, the raw details are more Brothers Grimm than Disney.

You In My Dreams

“Cinderella” appears on Miller’s 2016 album, The Divine Feminine. Exploring the early stages of attraction, this verse finds Miller infatuated.

You in my dreams, that’s why I sleep all the time.
Just to hear you say, “I love you,” just to touch you, just to leave you behind.
I told you, you don’t have to worry, you’ll be fine.
This type of thing, I heard it happen all the time, yeah.

So the lovesick rapper wants Cinderella to stay out with him. But Ty Dolla Sign knows her worried father wants her home. Now.

Daddy told you, better bring your a*s home,
Cinderella, better get your a*s home.
Man, I swear that parents just don’t understand,
You ain’t gotta be old to be a man.

For Heaven’s Sake

Also, “Cinderella” is loaded with explicit details about Miller’s relationship with this girl. It’s a mix of primal and tenderness. But chaos always feels close.

Ooh, Cinderella, don’t you run out of time,
It feels like you’ve been takin’ all day, yeah.
Well, wherever you came from,
Wherever you goin’, I promise I’m not far behind, yeah.
So don’t you dare throw this away.

Ariana Grande revealed on social media that “Cinderella” was written about her. And she later described the relationship, which ended in 2018, as “toxic.”

But I still respect your game,
Every time I’m outta line, you always set me straight.
The sex is great, for heaven’s sakes, I need it every day.
I yell your name, Cinderella,
Never gonna find nobody better, all my life.

Tragically, Miller, who struggled with depression and addiction, died in 2018 at 26.

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for The Meadows