Lessons

Album: Heavy Is the Head (2019)
Charted: 9
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This heartfelt song finds Stormzy addressing his split from long-term girlfriend, radio and TV host Maya Jama. The rapper is believed to have added the breakup track as a late addition to Heavy Is The Head. As well as referencing highs like headlining Glastonbury in his lyrics, he also wanted to address the lows in his personal life as well.
  • Stormzy and Maya split up in August 2019 after being together for four years.

    Greatest love I ever knew, I poured it down the drain
    Maybe it's the only way we both call it a day
    You gave me the world and then I gave you disrespect
    Hand on my heart, this is my biggest of regrets
    Thought I'd say it here than rather fling it in a text
    Until you're ready to forgive I'm always wishing you the best


    It seems that Stormzy did something that caused the split. Speaking on BBC Radio 1Xtra's Breakfast Show, he said the breakup was the result of "a public disrespect that needed a public apology," Stormzy went on to confess to disrespecting Maya, who he said loved him "wholeheartedly."

    He added: "I'm going on the record now and I'm apologizing and I'm trying to lay it all bare. I'm trying to be very truthful and very clear in my truth. I'm not trying to shy away from it."
  • Stormzy previously paid homage to Maya Jama on his Gang Signs & Prayer track "Cigarettes & Cush."
  • So what does Maya Jama think about Stormzy rapping about their relationship? Speaking during an online Q&A with Madison Beer, she admitted people should expect to have their life immortalized in a song if they date a musician. "I feel that going out with an artist," she said, "you kind of sign an invisible contract where it's like, 'This is this, it's everybody's business.'"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Intentionally Atrocious

Intentionally AtrociousSong Writing

A selection of songs made to be terrible - some clearly achieved that goal.

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80s

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80sSongwriter Interviews

'80s music ambassadors Wang Chung pick their top tracks of the decade, explaining what makes each one so special.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.