Posted by Flowers is a song released by Miley Cyrus in January 2023. It represents the lead single of her album Endless Summer Vacation, set for release on March 2023, and from the way Miley fed the hype the weeks before the release, fans realized that the track has a special meaning for the American singer, as a statement of independence, fueled by the famous line “I can buy myself flowers.” Specifically, people want to understand if the song really is about her past relationship with the actor Liam Hemsworth and what the references are. In this article, we will explore the song’s lines and their meaning, and you’ll also find the complete lyrics at the end.
You can watch the official video for Miley Cyrus’ Flowers below.
Miley Cyrus, “I Can Buy Myself Flowers”, the lyrics and their meaning: is the song about Liam Hemsworth?
Flowers is a song about processing the end of a long-term relationship. Yes, Miley Cyrus is singing about her feelings after the split with the actor Liam Hemsworth: the two dated on and off since 2010; they married in 2018 and divorced in 2020. Miley Cyrus has always declared in interviews that she didn’t want to break up and always hoped to find a solution, but Liam decided in 2019 to file for divorce.
The first lines in the song are a clear reference to their relationship from Miley’s point of view:
We were good, we were gold
Kind of dream that can’t be sold
We were right ’til we weren’t
Built a home and watched it burn
A part of her is sure that their relationship was worth the effort: comparing it to a dream, she implies they were a good match. But at some point, something stops working, and the singer will touch on this later in the song. The last line in the first verse is about the tragic Woolsey fire that the couple experienced in 2018, which burned their house down. No one got injured, but it still represented a massive loss for them.
One of the most meaningful lines in the song is the following:
Can love me better, I can love me better, baby
From this line, we can understand that Miley Cyrus didn’t feel loved the right way. From her point of view, the way their relationship ended is a sign that Liam Hemsworth wasn’t giving the care, love, and effort that living together requires, especially during hard times. Miley wanted to be loved differently, and that becomes even more obvious in the chorus.
I can buy myself flowers
Write my name in sand
Talk to myself for hours, yeah
Say things you don’t understand
I can take myself dancing, yeah
I can hold my own hand
Yeah, I can love me better than you can
A curiosity that came up after the release of Flowers is that Miley Cyrus explicitly referred to the lines in an old song by Bruno Mars, When I Was Your Man, as a different perspective on a breakup. Apparently, When I Was Your Man was a song Liam Hemsworth dedicated to Miley Cyrus when they were engaged, so Flowers becomes a specific act of revenge against her ex. You can find out more in the article below.
When you suddenly feel alone after a long relationship, you start missing all the romantic gestures that give you happiness every day. You know you better count on yourself now because you are the only person who will never betray you. It’s not the same, of course, but with the lines above, Miley Cyrus is fighting: she knows she needs love, but she’s also committed to receiving it with the intensity and the form she needs. And if no other man can give it to her, she’ll start showing love to herself precisely how she needs it. The flowers, therefore, become the symbol she uses in the lyrics to represent the kind of attention she needs.
After all, this is the real meaning of the lyrics inside Flowers: a song that intends to help Miley Cyrus get over the divorce with Liam Hemsworth, a self-help act that wants to remind herself how worthy she is, and what kind of love she needs. When a relationship ends, we always need to come back to our core, and restore our self-love: this is exactly what Miley does in this song.
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The complete lyrics
Below you can find the complete lyrics of Miley Cyrus’ Flowers.
We were good, we were gold
Kind of dream that can’t be sold
We were right ’til we weren’t
Built a home and watched it burn
Mmm, I didn’t wanna leave you, I didn’t wanna lie
Started to cry, but then remembered I
I can buy myself flowers
Write my name in the sand
Talk to myself for hours
Say things you don’t understand
I can take myself dancing
And I can hold my own hand
Yeah, I can love me better than you can
Can love me better, I can love me better, baby
Can love me better, I can love me better, baby
Paint my nails cherry-red
Match the roses that you left
No remorse, no regret
I forget every word you said
Ooh, I didn’t wanna leave, baby, I didn’t wanna fight
Started to cry, but then remembered I
I can buy myself flowers
Write my name in sand
Talk to myself for hours, yeah
Say things you don’t understand
I can take myself dancing, yeah
I can hold my own hand
Yeah, I can love me better than you can
Can love me better, I can love me better, baby
Can love me better, I can love me better, baby
Can love me better, I can love me better, baby
Can love me better, ooh, I
I didn’t wanna leave you, I didn’t wanna fight
Started to cry, but then remembered I
I can buy myself flowers (Uh-huh)
Write my name in the sand (Ooh, mmm)
Talk to myself for hours (Yeah)
Say things you don’t understand (Better than you)
I can take myself dancing (Yeah)
I can hold my own hand
Yeah, I can love me better than
Yeah, I can love me better than you can
Can love me better, I can love me better, baby (Uh)
Can love me better, I can love me better, baby (Than you can)
Can love me better, I can love me better, baby
Can love me better, I