Lorde's "Liability" Is The Ballad We Need

Lorde fans were in for quite a treat Thursday, as the singer released another single from her highly anticipated album Melodrama. The New Zealand native delivered the single "Green Light" on Mar. 2, spilling the beans about her LP's "getting over heartbreak" theme. And Lorde's newest single "Liability" does just that. It's more somber than the dance record "Green Light," but both singles deliver the down-to-earth and full of meaning lyrics we look forward to hearing from the star.

"Liability" sums up all of the fears about dating that most of us have occasionally had. It's not going to be rainbows and sunshine all of the time. And working hard to keep the love affair alive doesn't always guarantee that it's going to stand the test of time.

It feels good to know that we, normal folks, aren't alone when it comes to dealing with the trickiness of love and relationships. Lorde wore her heartache on her sleeve in this wonderful ballad, and I appreciate her for it. "Liability" reminded me just how important it is to cultivate and nurture a relationship with ourselves. Lovers will come and go, and so picking up the pieces is something that's, unfortunately, inevitable.

Lorde comes straight out the gate with a few gut-wrenching lines about the heartbreak she experienced, saying:

Baby really hurt me

Crying in the taxi

He don't wanna know me

Says he made the big mistake of dancing in my storm

Says it was poison

We all know that her album Melodrama would give us the rundown of her most recent love affair, but I didn't expect it to get this deep. She was in love with someone who thought she was a little too much to handle, and I've totally been there.

Oh, but it gets better. The singer then hits us with an all too familiar stanza about who she runs to when she needs a little cheering up — herself. Because at the end of the day, who else can you count on?

So I guess I'll go home

Into the arms of the girl that I love

The only love I haven't screwed up

She's so hard to please

But she's a forest fire

I do my best to meet her demands

Play at romance, we slow dance

In the living room, but all that a stranger would see

Is one girl swaying alone

Stroking her cheek

But, the chorus is the most touching part. Even though she's begun the healing process, she still can't seem to shake the words that her ex has branded her with.

They say, "You're a little much for me

You're a liability

You're a little much for me"

So they pull back, make other plans

I understand, I'm a liability

Get you wild, make you leave

I'm a little much for everyone

It sounds like the singer has been down this road more than once, and now considers herself to be a liability. Meaning — dating her is too risky. I'm going to assume that her lovers end up leaving because of the same reason, which, in turn, makes her think that there's something wrong with her.

She's fun and exciting in the beginning of the relationship, but once the new car smell is gone, her partners just aren't interested anymore.

The truth is I am a toy

That people enjoy

'Til all of the tricks don't work anymore

And then they are bored of me

Just listening to her sing these lyrics with such conviction totally crushes me. Lorde continues, giving us a synopsis of how her relationships typically go from start to finish:

I know that it's exciting

Running through the night, but

Every perfect summer's

Eating me alive until you're gone

Better on my own

Whether you've been through similar scenarios as Lorde or not, I'm sure you can admit that you've felt like you'd be better off single a time or two. Or at least, I can.

Lorde continues with the chorus, driving home just why being single may be her safest option. She never once discounted her role in the relationships failing throughout the song. And, I think that's so mature.

She ends the sorrow-filled track with a few lines that I'm, honestly, still trying to decode:

They're gonna watch me

Disappear into the sun

You're all gonna watch me

Disappear into the sun

I understand that she's plotting a grand escape, but I'm not quite sure if heading to the sun is a positive or negative in this situation. All in all, the biggest takeaway here is that no one is immune from heartbreak. Even Lorde — a very talented and successful artist — questions her worth from time to time.