What Does Lift Me Up By Rihanna Really Mean? Here's What We Think

The day after it was announced that Chadwick Boseman would be playing T'Challa, aka Black Panther, in a series of Marvel movies in 2014, he spoke to Vulture about admiring Rihanna from afar. "She was sitting over there," he said. "I was like, 'I see you, girl, but I'm not going to let you know that I saw you.'" We can't help but wonder what RiRi would say to Boseman if he were alive today, and songwriter Tems had a similar idea in mind when she penned "Lift Me Up" with co-writers Rihanna, Ludwig Göransson, and director Ryan Coogler.

Tems told Complex that "Lift Me Up" is a tribute to Boseman, who died in 2020 from colon cancer. "I wanted to write something that portrays a warm embrace from all the people that I've lost in my life," the singer-songwriter explained. "I tried to imagine what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them."

Some of the poignant lyrics describe the profound pain and loneliness of loss using vivid imagery. "Burning in a hopeless dream," Rihanna sings. Another verse begins with the words, "Drowning in an endless sea." She seems to plead with the love she's lost, imploring them to "Keep me safe / Safe and sound." She also repeats the lyric "Hold me" — two words that many of us who have experienced loss would love to say to our departed loved ones.

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