I'd say this song was written for a friend that was depressed and possibly doing themselves harm in some way. When Zooey tried to help, the person probably didn't take it well. But now, the person has forgiven her. In the first verse it seems like the person is doing a bit better, and Zooey urges "her" to keep on fighting to feel good. Put this happiness to the test to see if it will last. Chorus is all reinforcement. "You gotta be kind to yourself." The affected person has to take it easy on themself if they ever want to get better. Depression is like a dead end cycle. If you feel guilty about being depressed, you get more depressed. And harming yourself in any way is never the answer. It appears that the good feelings didn't last because by the second verse, the person has the blues again. They tried to hold up as long as they could, but they let all the little things build up. Zooey just ends the song on a hopeful, urgent note with the chorus again. It's a very good song... open ended, and relatable.
I'd say this song was written for a friend that was depressed and possibly doing themselves harm in some way. When Zooey tried to help, the person probably didn't take it well. But now, the person has forgiven her. In the first verse it seems like the person is doing a bit better, and Zooey urges "her" to keep on fighting to feel good. Put this happiness to the test to see if it will last. Chorus is all reinforcement. "You gotta be kind to yourself." The affected person has to take it easy on themself if they ever want to get better. Depression is like a dead end cycle. If you feel guilty about being depressed, you get more depressed. And harming yourself in any way is never the answer. It appears that the good feelings didn't last because by the second verse, the person has the blues again. They tried to hold up as long as they could, but they let all the little things build up. Zooey just ends the song on a hopeful, urgent note with the chorus again. It's a very good song... open ended, and relatable.