Released: September 16, 1997

Songwriter: Mariah Carey

Producer: Mariah Carey Walter Afanasieff

[Verse 1]
It's hard to explain
Inherently it's just always been strange
Neither here nor there
Always somewhat out of place everywhere
Ambiguous
Without a sense of belonging to touch
Somewhere halfway
Feeling there's no one completely the same

[Chorus]
Standing alone
Eager to just
Believe it's good enough to be what
You really are
But in your heart
Uncertainty forever lies
And you'll always be
Somewhere on the
Outside

[Verse 2]
Early on, you face
The realization you don't have a space
Where you fit in
And recognize you
Were born to exist

[Chorus]
Standing alone
Eager to just
Believe it's good enough to be what
You really are
But in your heart
Uncertainty forever lies
And you'll always be
Somewhere on the
Outside

[Bridge]
And it's hard
And it's hard
And it's hard

[Verse 3]
Irreversibly
Falling in between
And it's hard
And it's hard
To be understood
As you are
As you are
Oh, and God knows
That you're standing on your own
Blind and unguided
Into a world divided
You're thrown
Where you're never quite the same
Although you try, try, and try
To tell yourself
You really are
But in your heart - uncertainty forever lies
And you'll always be
Somewhere on the outside
You'll always be
Somewhere on the outside

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and philanthropist.

Under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, Carey released her self-titled debut studio album Mariah Carey in 1990; it went multi-platinum and spawned four consecutive number one singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993 and success with hit records “Emotions” (1991), “Music Box” (1993), and “Merry Christmas” (1994), Carey was established as Columbia’s highest-selling act. Daydream (1995) made music history when its second single “One Sweet Day”, a duet with Boyz II Men, spent a record sixteen weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, and remains the longest-running number-one song in U.S. chart history, along with Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito.” During the recording of the album, Carey began to deviate from her R&B and pop beginnings and slowly traversed into hip hop. This musical change became evident with the release of Butterfly (1997), at which time Carey had separated from Mottola.