Songfacts®:

• This is the opening track of Lemonade, an album, which finds Beyoncé recounting a story of discovering , struggling with and finally forgiving her husband Jay-Z's cheating. (It may be fictional or based in real life). The record was described by Tidal, where it was first released for streaming as being, "based on every woman's journey of self-knowledge and healing."
• The ballad finds Beyoncé picking up signs of Jay's infidelity.
  
  Prayin' to catch you whispering
  I'm prayin' you catch me listening
  I'm prayin' to catch you whispering
  I'm prayin' you catch me
  
  The singer actually wants to be caught snooping, so that her lover notices her suspicion and her hurt.
• Beyoncé wrote the song with:
  
  British electro-soul singer James Blake, whose second studio album Overgrown won the Mercury Music Prize in 2013. (The Mercury is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland.) Blake also featured on and produced the Lemonade track "Forward."
  
  Brooklyn singer-songwriter, Kevin Garrett, who is signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation publishing label. His debut EP, Mellow Drama, was released on April 7, 2015.
• The writing of the track was a collaborative effort with Beyoncé. Garrett told Billboard magazine: "It's an incredibly special song to me because of the way it was written, lyrics first and on a guitar. Once she added her voice and her honesty to the track, it really pushed everything over the top."