Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: funk
Song Meaning of “What I Gotta Do” by Mint Condition
What I Gotta Do is a song about understanding and facing the truth about a relationship, regardless of how difficult that might be. The song looks at the choice between staying in the present and investing in the future, highlighting the struggle between maintaining a relationship and ending it.
The speaker in the song knows deep down that “what they gotta do” is break it off and start anew, but the emotions and history that go along with the relationship holds them back. They understand that something just isn’t working anymore and that they’ll have to face the consequences of their decision.
The chorus is emphatic and comes across with a sense of urgency, “What I gotta do (oh, yeah) What I gotta do (oh yeah) Gotta put an end to this, Move forward and forget what I knew.” The speaker knows that they must make a difficult but necessary move in order to break out of the stagnant relationship and experience freedom.
At the same time, the song also suggests that relationships are not always a straightforward process. There are emotions, history, and happiness involved. While ending the relationship might be the logical course of action, it’s not guaranteed to be the ultimate solution to the speaker’s problems. The singer’s plea to the listener with the line, “Help me, what should I do,” acknowledges the uncertainty of the situation.
Ultimately, What I Gotta Do is a song about facing hard truths and learning how to move on from them. The speaker in the song must take a difficult step and let go of the past in order to create a better future.