Ever questioned why your friend or even you have stayed with your significant other after they cheated, lied, or hurt you? Why you were still drawn to them and why you couldn’t bring yourself to leave. People questioned Beyonce the same way after allegations that her husband of 8 years and father to her 4-year-old daughter, Jay-Z had cheated on her, multiple times. Like all of us Beyoncé had two choices: ignore it or face it head on. Bey, being the queen she is, created a stunning visual album titled Lemonade going through the 10 stages of raw emotion we live with after those we love hurt us. Lemonade is for the girls who stayed.

Track 1: INTUITION

“You can taste the dishonesty. It’s all over your breath, as you pass it off so cavalier. But even that’s a test, constantly aware of it all. My lonely ear, breast against the walls of your world, praying to catch you whispering, I pray you’ll catch me listening.”

“I tried to make a home out of you. But doors lead to trap doors, a stairway leads to nothing. Unknown women wander the hallways at night. Where do you go when you go quiet? You remind me of my father, a magician, able to exist in two places at once. In the tradition of men, in my blood, you come home at 3:00 AM and lie to me. What are you hiding? The past and the future emerge to meet us here. What luck? What a f*cking curse.”

As this first track rolls onto the screen Beyoncé begins with her monologue to all men. Like most women when we have a shred of doubt we become obsessed. Her ears are always open waiting to catch him in a lie know what she is doing could sabotage her relationship and secretly hoping he catches on because yes it is better to know but no one actually wants to catch the person they love lying to them. She calls her partner a home. A home is built on foundation just as a relationship is built on trust and respect. When these ground works become corrupt the stability of the house is unpredictable and will eventually fall.

Track 2: DENIAL

“Hold up, they don’t love you like I love you. Slow down, they don’t love you like I love you. Cant’ you see there’s no other man above you. What a wicked way to treat the girl that loves you.”

“I tried to change, tried to close my mouth more tried to be softer, prettier, less awake…. In that time, I grew my hair past my ankles. I slept on a mat on the floor. I swallowed a sword. I levitated, went to the basement confessed my sins and was baptized in a river. Got on my knees and said amen and said I mean I whipped my own back and asked for dominion at my feet. I threw myself into a volcano. I drank the blood and drank the wine. I sat alone and begged and bent at the waist for God. I crossed myself and thought I saw the devil. I grew thickened skin on my feet. I bathed in bleach and plugged my menses with pages from the holy book but still inside me coiled deep was the need to know...Are you cheating on me?”

Bey is not playing games and we are only 2 stages in. She’s pulled back from her intuitive tendencies and reserved her energy to changing herself as if she is the problem in this scenario. Ladies, how many times have you changed yourself for a relationship that you thought was going downhill? How many times did it work? In my experience, it never has. She is blocking her time; filling her mind with religion, work, hobbies anything to keep they fire inside of her to unveil the truth she started to believe herself. Denial is a dangerous emotion and one of the hardest to overcome.

Track 3: ANGER

“When you hurt me, you hurt yourself. Try not to hurt yourself. When you play me, you play yourself. Don’t play yourself. When you lie to me, you lie to yourself. You’re only lying to yourself. When you love me you love yourself. Love got herself. This is your final warning. You know I give you life. If you try this sh*t again, you gon’ lose your wife.”

“If it’s what you truly want I can wear her skin over mine her hair over mine her hands as gloves her teeth as confetti her scalp a cap her sternum my bedazzled can we can pose for a photograph all three of us immortalized you and your perfect girl. Why can’t you see me? Why can’t you see me? Why can’t you see me; everyone else can."

Beyoncé has moved into her 3^rd stage: anger. She is now mocking her denial and her plan to change herself for him, to turn herself into her when she is no average woman. She’s f*cking Beyoncé, for crying out loud. When you try and hurt or lie or hide something from someone you love. You aren’t hurting them they were hurt when you carried out the deed. This anger and this frustration stem from the lack of responsibility.

Track 4: APATHY

“He only want me when I’m not there. He better call Becky with the good hair.”

“So, what are you going to say at my funeral, now that you’ve killed me? Here lies the body of the love of my life whose heart I broke without a gun to my head. Here lies the mother of my children both living and dead. Rest in peace, my true love, who I took for granted. Who, because of me, sleep evaded, her shroud is loneliness. Her God was listening. Her heaven will be a love without betrayal. Ashes to ashes, dust to side chicks.”

Apathy describes the lack of interest. At the 4^th stage in Beyoncé’s guide to grieving, you no longer care what he’d doing. You no longer apologize or try to rationalize what he is doing. You begin to be you again and YOU don’t apologize for sh*t.

Track 5: EMPTINESS

“Six-inch heels, she walks in the club like nobody’s business. God D*mn, she murdered everybody and I was her witness. She don’t gotta give it up cause she’s professional.”

“Dear moon, we blame you for floods, for the flush of blood, for men who are also wolves. We blame you for the night, for the dark, for the ghosts.”

She speaks of her empty bed, the sleepless nights, reminiscing of their nights together and how good they could be but she doesn’t let the thought cloud her judgment she doesn’t need to give up her stance and her choice because of loneliness because of emptiness or the fear of emptiness. She misplaces blame to rationalize and speculate to make herself feel better when she caves and call him but it is no one nor no thing’s fault for his free will and his conscious choices.

Track 6: ACCOUNTABILITY

“My daddy warned me about men like you, he said baby girl he’s playing you. So, when trouble comes to town, or men like me come around, my daddy said shoot.”

“You go to her music box and find her black tube. You desperately want to look like her. You look nothing like your mother. You look everything like your mother. Your mother is a woman and women like her cannot be contained. Mother Dearest, let me inherit the earth.”

Bey mentions both of her parents' influence on her in this song. Her mother is strong, but she was oppressed by the era and the times. Her father raised her tough and wise. She had all the tools for success and yet she still falls at the foot of those she loves who hurt her with no accountability for the actions. Next time, shoot him, Bey.

Track 7: REFORMATION

“Ten times out of nine I know you’re lying but nine times out of ten I know you’re trying. So, I’m trying to be fair and you’re trying to be there and to care.”

“Why do you deny yourself heaven? Why do you consider yourself undeserving? Why are you afraid of love? You think it’s not possible for someone like you, but you are the love of my life.”

Reformation is all about coming full circle. Yes, he wronged you but you can look past this. Or at least Beyoncé can and I will try anything after Beyoncé endorses it. Together you move mountains, together you bring light to darkness, together you are heaven in your eyes. Reformation describes the act or process of recreating a practice from once before. This includes upgrade and new standards but does not destroy the practice’s roots. In this case, the practice being her marriage.

Track 8: FORGIVENESS

“We built sandcastles that washed away. I made you cry, when I walked away and although I promised that I couldn’t stay baby, every promise don’t work out that way.

“Now that reconciliation is possible, if we’re gonna heal, let it be glorious.”

This video features Jay as she is holding his hand and forgiving him wholly. She welcomes him with open arms because although she said she couldn’t stand to be with him and be with a liar she knows he is a good man. This is the kicker: it is easier to walk away than it is to stay and love someone wholly and accept them and forgive them for their transgressions but it is a practice of biblical proportions and roots. We love and we hurt because of how much we love someone. As she said in her first song: “What a love we shared, what a f*cking curse it is.”

Track 9: HOPE

“I break chains all by myself, won’t let my freedom rot in hell. Hey, Imma keep running cause a winner don’t quit on themselves.”

“You are terrifying and strange and beautiful.”

This song is about not forming back into the old roles and how she handled her situations. She begs her freedom to cut her loose. An oxymoron demonstrating that the apathy and the DGAF attitude are no longer part of her routine she has hope for a future, hope for a solution and she won’t have anyone including herself hold her back from achieving this.

Track 10: REDEMPTION

“We found the truth beneath your lies and true love never has to hide.Trade your broken wings for mine. I’ve seen your scars and kissed your crime.”

“My grandma said, nothing real, can be threatened. True love brought salvation back to me. With every tear came redemption. My torturer became my remedy. So we’re gonna heal, we’re gonna start again.”

Bey recognizes flaws even when she is flawless. She sees her husband for his heart and she loves him fully. She calls their love true and defends their relationship wholly after all allegations. It was a rocky road to get to this part but at least now you see why she acts the way she does. Try as some of us might, we cannot fight who we love or who they are. Lemonade, thank you for showing us this.

We love you, Bey.