Posted by Without Me is one of the most popular songs made by Halsey to date. She released it in 2018, and people never stopped loving it: not only because of the catchy beat and the melody full of harmony but also because of the lyrics, which are about a personal, painful story experienced by the singer. In this article, we will delve into the song’s lyrics and their meaning.
You can find the official video of the song below.
Without Me: the lyrics and their meaning
Without Me is about what we feel after a breakup, when you sacrificed so much in that relationship and see all your efforts fading away. Halsey admits in the song that for years she entirely dedicated herself to the man she loved, ignoring what the others thought about it. She did her best to elevate her man symbolically, and now that they are no longer together, she wonders how he feels without her.
In the song’s first lines, Halsey describes how she gave even more than needed to this relationship. She didn’t care about what they told her; she only cared about him. And after all that, he just left, ungrateful for everything she did.
Found you when your heart was broke
I filled your cup until it overflowed
Took it so far to keep you close (Keep you close)
I was afraid to leave you on your own (Ooh)
I said I’d catch you if you fall (Fall)
And if they laugh, then f**k ’em all (All)
And then I got you off your knees
Put you right back on your feet
Just so you could take advantage of me
She placed him on a pedestal, and now she reminds him that she was the one elevating him up to the sky. She asks him if he feels lonely up there, without her.
Tell me, how’s it feel sittin’ up there?
Feelin’ so high, but too far away to hold me
You know I’m the one who put you up there
Name in the sky, does it ever get lonely?
Thinkin’ you could live without me
Thinkin’ you could live without me
Is the song about the relationship between Halsey and G-Easy?
Halsey always wanted to keep her personal life private, but in 2018, when she broke up with the American rapper G-Eazy, she needed to share it with the fans. The breakup was emotionally intense, and yes, Without Me expresses everything she felt in that period, after the relationship with G-Eazy had ended. As a confirmation, G-Eazy even answered Halsey’s lyrics in one of his songs, Had Enough, where he sings:
How could I forget about you?
You wonder how I lived without you, babe
In the last lines of Without Me, Halsey reuses the words Justin Timberlake made for Cry Me A River, which was about his breakup with Britney Spears. Whereas Justin Timberlake sings, “You don’t have to say, what you did / I already know, I found out from him,” Halsey says:
You don’t have to say just what you did
I already know
I had to go and find out from them
These lines refer to the fact that, as reported by Narcity, G-Eazy was caught sexting another woman, and the screenshots of those conversations went online publicly. From this point of view, Halsey didn’t need to know the truth from him, as the whole world already knew.
After all, Without Me lyrics have an introspective meaning: I’m hurt, you cheated on me after everything I did for you, and I wonder how you feel right now, while I’m devastated. Nevertheless, Halsey is facing her pain and will come out of it faster.
For the curious fans: some months after the breakup, Halsey started dating the actor Alev Aydin, and the two had a baby in 2021.
Read other popular song lyrics and their meaning on Auralcrave
The complete lyrics
Found you when your heart was broke
I filled your cup until it overflowed
Took it so far to keep you close (Keep you close)
I was afraid to leave you on your own (Ooh)
I said I’d catch you if you fall (Fall)
And if they laugh, then f**k ’em all (All)
And then I got you off your knees
Put you right back on your feet
Just so you could take advantage of me
Tell me, how’s it feel sittin’ up there?
Feelin’ so high, but too far away to hold me
You know I’m the one who put you up there
Name in the sky, does it ever get lonely?
Thinkin’ you could live without me
Thinkin’ you could live without me
Baby, I’m the one who put you up there
I don’t know why (Yeah, I don’t know why)
Thinkin’ you could live without me
Live without me
Baby, I’m the one who put you up there
I don’t know why (I don’t know why, yeah, yeah)
Gave love ’bout a hundred tries (Hundred tries)
Just runnin’ from the demons in your mind
Then I took yours and made ’em mine (Mine)
I didn’t notice ’cause my love was blind
Said I’d catch you if you fall (Fall)
And if they laugh, then f**k ’em all (All)
And then I got you off your knees
Put you right back on your feet
Just so you could take advantage of me
Tell me, how’s it feel sittin’ up there?
Feelin’ so high, but too far away to hold me
You know I’m the one who put you up there
Name in the sky, does it ever get lonely?
Thinkin’ you could live without me
Thinkin’ you could live without me
Baby, I’m the one who put you up there
I don’t know why (Yeah, I don’t know why)
Thinkin’ you could live without me
Live without me
Baby, I’m the one who put you up there
I don’t know why, yeah
You don’t have to say just what you did (What you did)
I already know (I know)
I had to go and find out from them (Oh-woah)
So tell me, how’s it feel? (Oh-woah)
Tell me, how’s it feel sittin’ up there?
Feelin’ so high, but too far away to hold me
You know I’m the one who put you up there
Name in the sky, does it ever get lonely?
Thinkin’ you could live without me
Thinkin’ you could live without me
Baby, I’m the one who put you up there
I don’t know why (Yeah, I don’t know why)
