Cardi B’s Choice Words for When You’re Betrayed

This song expresses the flooded angry thoughts of a person betrayed by someone (or someones) they believed they could trust. As aggressive as some of the lyrics are, anyone who has experienced this level of betrayal can likely relate with these words. If you’ve ever been through something like this, similar thoughts and imagery may have crossed your mind at the peak of realization and reaction.

Lyric Sample:

Be careful with me
Yeah, it’s not a threat, it’s a warnin’
Be careful with me
Yeah, my heart is like a package with a fragile label on it
(see full lyrics below)

When I listen to this song as a relationship therapist, while I connect with the emotions, I  don’t recommend actually speaking to someone the way Cardi B expresses herself in some of her verses  – Not if you want to have any type of further communication towards healing. But the refrain might be onto something…

When you’ve been super betrayed, I don’t think there’s anything more you can immediately say than something like, “Be careful with me.”  You’re not jumping to any conclusions yet. You’re not threatening, but you’re not making any promises either. You haven’t fully processed what this all means for you and the relationship. You’re just saying “be careful,” indicating you’re close to being pushed past the point of no return, you may already be pushed that far. It’s similar to saying “I need a moment,” but in the context of such a painful discovery, even “I need a moment,” might be unrealistically tame.

I think if I heard a client say “be careful with me” in a relationship session  unpacking a recent betrayal – I would likely support that kind of communication. It’s serious and conscientious.  If people want to reconcile, agreeing to tread lightly is not too much to ask. The party that enacted the betrayal may need to reflect deeply on their behavior and how to make amends as the injured person reflects on to take care of themselves.

Be Careful

Performed by Cardi B (written by Cardi B as lead writer and others)

 Yeah
Be careful, be careful, be careful with me
Yeah, look

I wanna get married, like the Currys, Steph and Ayesha sh*t
But we more like Belly, Tommy and Keisha sh*t
Gave you TLC, you wanna creep and sh*t
Poured out my whole heart to a piece of sh*t
Man, I thought you would’ve learned your lesson
‘Bout likin’ pictures, not returnin’ texts
I guess it’s fine, man, I get the message
You still stutter after certain questions
You keep in contact with certain exes
Do you, though, trust me, *****, it’s cool, though
Said that you was workin’, but you’re out here chasin’ c*lo
And p*tas, chillin’ poolside, livin’ two lives
I could’ve did what you did to me to you a few times
But if I did decide to slide, find a *****

F*ck him, suck his d*ck, you would’ve been pissed
But that’s not my M.O., I’m not that type of bitch
And karma for you is gon’ be who you end up with
Don’t make me sick, *****

 Refrain:

The only man, baby, I adore
I gave you everything, what’s mine is yours
I want you to live your life of course
But I hope you get what you dyin’ for
Be careful with me, do you know what you doin’?
Whose feelings that you hurtin’ and bruisin’?
You gon’ gain the whole world
But is it worth the girl that you’re losin’?
Be careful with me
Yeah, it’s not a threat, it’s a warnin’
Be careful with me
Yeah, my heart is like a package with a fragile label on it
Be careful with me

Care for me, care for me
Always said that you’d be there for me, there for me
Boy, you better treat me carefully, carefully, look

 I was here before all of this
Guess you actin’ out now, you got an audience
Tell me where your mind is, drop a pin, what’s the coordinates?
You might have a fortune, but you lose me, you still gon’ be misfortunate, [n-word]

Tell me, this love’s got you this f*cked up in the head
You want some random bitch up in your bed?
She don’t even know your middle name, watch her ’cause she might steal your chain
You don’t want someone who loves you instead? I guess not though
It’s blatant disrespect, you nothin’ like the ***** I met
Talk to me crazy and you quick to forget
You even got me trippin’, you got me lookin’ in the mirror different
Thinkin’ I’m flawed because you inconsistent
Between a rock and a hard place, the mud and the dirt
It’s gon’ hurt me to hate you, but lovin’ you’s worse
It all stops so abrupt, we start switchin’ it up
Teach me to be like you so I can not give a f*ck
Free to mess with someone else, I wish these feelings could melt
‘Cause you don’t care about a thing except your mothaf*ckin’ self
You make me sick, *****

 Refrain