Halsey’s “You Should Be Sad” Lyrics Meaning

The best way to describe “You Should Be Sad” is as it being centered on Halsey dissing an ex-boyfriend. In fact its title, “you should be sad”, is not mentioned until the outro. Rather what Halsey is saying throughout is that she rather is the sad one. And there are two aspects of their past relationship which seem to be making her feel this way. One is that she actually fell for this dude in the first place. Indeed she basically states that she was totally unaware of his true personality while hooking up with him. And the second is that she “tried to help” him while they were together only to apparently fail.

Moreover the implication is that what she was actually trying to assist him with was something along the lines of becoming a more-mature adult, as she has concluded this guy is ‘not half the man he thinks he is’.

Is Halsey talking to G-Eazy in “You Should Be Sad”?

The prevailing rumor circulating is that this track is about a rapper named G-Eazy whom Halsey dated from 2017 to 2018. And the main evidence to support this theory is that she has allegedly spoken out about being mistreated (i.e. cheated on) by G-Eazy a few times publicly in the past, including dropping a song about their relationship in 2018.  And if there’s one thing that is pretty obvious it’s that the man she’s singing about is akin to a celebrity. So how are we sure about this? Simply because she refers to him as having “money, drugs and cars”, all of which G-Eazy is known for.

And in that regard, what Halsey is saying is that the addressee uses these items in an attempt “fill the hole inside”, as in compensate for his internal flaws and needs. However, from her perspective such is not having the desired effect. Moreover she celebrates the fact that she never had a child with this individual. And it should be noted that Halsey is on record basically stating that, at one point in time, she wanted to have kids with G-Eazy.

Addressee Tried Getting Back with Halsey

“You Should Be Sad” also insinuates that the addressee of this song tried to get back with the singer after the two of them had broken up. But she does not believe that he is sincere and has resolved to “never ever” let him ‘touch her again’.

Conclusion

So this track is based on Halsey expressing sorrow for the personal development of an ex-boyfriend but in a clearly sarcastic, demeaning kind of way. The overall implication is that he has serious issues, being a “broken man” and all, that he will likely never resolve on his own. And when she herself tried to help him, what she was instead met with was his unexpected anger.

Facts about “You Should Be Sad”

Capitol Records released this song on 10 January 2020 as the third single from Halsey’s album “Manic”.

“You Should Be Sad” was produced by Greg Kurstin and written by he and Halsey.

The music video to the song, which had Colin Tilley as its director, has drawn considerable interest as in it Halsey pays tribute to the a number of popular female artists via her attire and dance moves. These references include shoutouts to Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain, Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera.