“You Should Be Sad” is heartbreaking yet empowering at the same time. Halsey sings about a lover who isn’t part of her life anymore, and it sounds like it’s for the best. Most of Halsey’s fans assume that this song is written about her on-and-off-again ex-boyfriend, G-Eazy. The lyrics are sad and stinging at the same time; you can feel Halsey’s simultaneous heartbreak and frustration. It seems like this song is about how people’s true colors come out in relationships, and how selfish, hurtful people deserve to have their behavior called out. She sings about the trauma of being with someone like that, and expresses this in the line “I had no warning about who you are.” In this song, Halsey owes it to herself to let the world know how badly she was treated. Her ex doesn’t deserve to get off without any consequences, so she’s going to make sure he doesn’t.
One of my favorite lines in the song is “no, you're not half the man you think that you are… and you can't fill the hole inside of you with money, drugs, and cars.” This lyric feels like Halsey is taking her power back. She’s letting the entire world know that she’s aware of her true worth, even if her ex isn’t aware of his. He thinks too highly of himself, and he values material possessions more than people. No matter how much of that extravagant lifestyle he consumes, he’ll never be able to fill the Halsey-shaped hole in his life. He has something missing from himself, and Halsey points out that he’ll never be able to find it living the selfish life that he’s living. She drives this point home with the lyric “I'm so glad I never ever had a baby with you, 'cause you can't love nothing unless there's something in it for you.” This line cuts right through the heart of the issue; this man is selfish and self-absorbed, only caring about himself and his needs. Halsey’s choice to make sure he knows she would never want to carry his child is perhaps the most powerful expression in the entire song.
Halsey further exposes her ex-lover’s issues with the lines “oh, I feel so sorry, I feel so sad. I tried to help you, it just made you mad.” This implies that Halsey tried to help her ex see the parts of himself that were unhealthy, and he reacted in anger and defensiveness. If he truly lived a life obsessed with money, drugs and cars when they were together, it makes sense that Halsey would try to motivate him to become a healthier person. She tried to help him, and he wouldn’t receive it. Personally, I love this attitude of “you hurt me, and people need to know who you really are.” I think far too many ex-lovers treat their significant others with no respect or kindness, and G-Eazy totally deserves this diss track of sorts. The music itself is beautiful, the lyrics are biting and powerful, and Halsey’s vocals deliver an emotional performance.
“You Should Be Sad” is heartbreaking yet empowering at the same time. Halsey sings about a lover who isn’t part of her life anymore, and it sounds like it’s for the best. Most of Halsey’s fans assume that this song is written about her on-and-off-again ex-boyfriend, G-Eazy. The lyrics are sad and stinging at the same time; you can feel Halsey’s simultaneous heartbreak and frustration. It seems like this song is about how people’s true colors come out in relationships, and how selfish, hurtful people deserve to have their behavior called out. She sings about the trauma of being with someone like that, and expresses this in the line “I had no warning about who you are.” In this song, Halsey owes it to herself to let the world know how badly she was treated. Her ex doesn’t deserve to get off without any consequences, so she’s going to make sure he doesn’t.
One of my favorite lines in the song is “no, you're not half the man you think that you are… and you can't fill the hole inside of you with money, drugs, and cars.” This lyric feels like Halsey is taking her power back. She’s letting the entire world know that she’s aware of her true worth, even if her ex isn’t aware of his. He thinks too highly of himself, and he values material possessions more than people. No matter how much of that extravagant lifestyle he consumes, he’ll never be able to fill the Halsey-shaped hole in his life. He has something missing from himself, and Halsey points out that he’ll never be able to find it living the selfish life that he’s living. She drives this point home with the lyric “I'm so glad I never ever had a baby with you, 'cause you can't love nothing unless there's something in it for you.” This line cuts right through the heart of the issue; this man is selfish and self-absorbed, only caring about himself and his needs. Halsey’s choice to make sure he knows she would never want to carry his child is perhaps the most powerful expression in the entire song.
Halsey further exposes her ex-lover’s issues with the lines “oh, I feel so sorry, I feel so sad. I tried to help you, it just made you mad.” This implies that Halsey tried to help her ex see the parts of himself that were unhealthy, and he reacted in anger and defensiveness. If he truly lived a life obsessed with money, drugs and cars when they were together, it makes sense that Halsey would try to motivate him to become a healthier person. She tried to help him, and he wouldn’t receive it. Personally, I love this attitude of “you hurt me, and people need to know who you really are.” I think far too many ex-lovers treat their significant others with no respect or kindness, and G-Eazy totally deserves this diss track of sorts. The music itself is beautiful, the lyrics are biting and powerful, and Halsey’s vocals deliver an emotional performance.