Hard Staying Sober
Miranda Lambert Lyrics


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It's hard staying sober when you ain't staying over
It's easy getting messed up on the truth
It's hard standing here watching taillights disappear
It's hard staying sober when I'm getting over you

It's hard to the leave the house when all I think about
Is how hard it might be to come back home
I wait here and watch the rain when you come back for all your things
You'll get what you want and then you'll go

It's hard staying sober when you ain't staying over
It's easy getting messed up on the truth
It's hard standing here watching taillights disappear
It's hard staying sober when I'm getting over you

It's hard to quit this smoking when my will to fight is broken
It's hard to quit a habit in a rush
Hits me in the morning, just like you I'm looking for 'em
Can't seem to put down this pick-me-up

It's hard staying sober when you ain't staying over
It's easy getting messed up on the truth
It's hard standing here watching taillights disappear
It's hard staying sober when I'm getting over you
It's hard staying sober when I'm getting over you

Why you think the world drinks?
Why you think the world smokes?
Why you think we all sit around and tell a bunch of dirty jokes?

Somebody somewhere is out having a ball
And somebody's sitting around heartbroke

Why you think we all drink? (Why you think we call drink)
Why you think we all smoke?





Why you think we all drink?
Why you think we all smoke?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Miranda Lambert’s song Hard Staying Sober express the difficulties of moving on after a breakup, especially when one partner has moved out and the other is left to confront their emotions alone. It’s hard for Lambert to resist the temptation to numb the pain with drugs and alcohol when she’s no longer distracted by her partner's presence. She acknowledges that it’s easy to get messed up on the truth when she’s not busy trying to keep up appearances, pretending that everything is okay. The reality is that it’s hard to stand there and watch the taillights disappear, knowing that the person she loves is gone.


Lambert reveals her struggle to leave the house and face the world when her thoughts are consumed by her ex-partner. Even when she stays home, she’s haunted by their memory whenever it rains, reminding her of the day when her partner came back to collect their things. She knows that her partner will return and leave as they please, and she feels helpless in the face of their power to dictate the pace of their breakup. Lambert acknowledges the difficulty of quitting smoking or any other habit when she feels defeated by her broken heart.


The song closes with a series of rhetorical questions that reflect the universal experience of people seeking relief from their troubles through smoking, drinking and jokes. The repetition of the question “Why you think we all drink? / Why you think we all smoke?” implies that no one has a clear answer to these problems, and that these habits might be ways of coping with the pain of heartbreak, even if they only provide temporary solace.


Line by Line Meaning

It's hard staying sober when you ain't staying over
It's difficult to maintain sobriety when you're not physically present to support me


It's easy getting messed up on the truth
The truth is hard to deal with and it's easier to numb the pain with alcohol and drugs


It's hard standing here watching taillights disappear
It's painful to watch you leave and know that it's over


It's hard staying sober when I'm getting over you
It's tough to stay clean while I'm trying to move on from you


It's hard to the leave the house when all I think about
Leaving the house is difficult because I'm constantly reminded of you


I wait here and watch the rain when you come back for all your things
I stay here and watch the rain when you come to collect your belongings before leaving for good


You'll get what you want and then you'll go
You'll take what's yours and leave, moving on with your life


It's hard to quit this smoking when my will to fight is broken
It's challenging to quit smoking when I'm feeling defeated and helpless


It's hard to quit a habit in a rush
Trying to quit a habit quickly is a difficult process


Hits me in the morning, just like you I'm looking for 'em
The addiction hits me hard in the morning and it's hard to resist the urge to use again, just like it's hard to resist thinking about you


Can't seem to put down this pick-me-up
The addiction serves as a temporary escape from the pain and it's challenging to leave it behind


Why you think the world drinks?
People turn to alcohol to numb the pain and escape reality


Why you think the world smokes?
People smoke to ease anxiety and stress or as a coping mechanism


Why you think we all sit around and tell a bunch of dirty jokes?
People often distract themselves from their pain by engaging in humor or making light of difficult situations


Somebody somewhere is out having a ball
While some people are struggling, others are out enjoying themselves and having fun


And somebody's sitting around heartbroke
There are always people who are heartbroken and struggling to cope with their pain




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: MIRANDA LAMBERT, NATALIE HEMBY, LUKE LAIRD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Debbie Bass

Lyrics
It's hard staying sober when you ain't staying over
It's easy getting messed up on the truth
It's hard standing here watching taillights disappear
It's hard staying sober when I'm getting over you

It's hard to the leave the house when all I think about
Is how hard it might be to come back home
I wait here and watch the rain when you come back for all your things
You'll get what you want and then you'll go

It's hard staying sober when you ain't staying over
It's easy getting messed up on the truth
It's hard standing here watching taillights disappear
It's hard staying sober when I'm getting over you

It's hard to quit this smoking when my will to fight is broken
It's hard to quit a habit in a rush
Hits me in the morning, just like you I'm looking for 'em
Can't seem to put down this pick-me-up

It's hard staying sober when you ain't staying over
It's easy getting messed up on the truth
It's hard standing here watching taillights disappear
It's hard staying sober when I'm getting over you
It's hard staying sober when I'm getting over you

Why you think the world drinks?
Why you think the world smokes?
Why you think we all sit around and tell a bunch of dirty jokes?

Somebody somewhere is out having a ball
And somebody's sitting around heartbroke

Why you think we all drink? (Why you think we call drink)
Why you think we all smoke?

Why you think we all drink?
Why you think we all smoke?



All comments from YouTube:

Benita Yeung

I love every song in Platinum! 80s/90s country rocks!

Johnathan Vest

This is the best country record I've heard in quite a while. 

countrygirl country musiclover

Johnathan Vest apparently it's the ONLY country record you've heard in a while because there are TONS of records from country stars just as incredible as this CD. Here's a list of just a FEW albums from 2014 that are just as equally incredible as Miranda's platinum CD. I'm doing 2014 because that's when Miranda's platinum CD came.out. Just a few other CDs from 2014 just as EQUALLY as incredible as this are Blake Shelton bringing back the sunshine lee Brice I don't dance Dierks Bentley riser Eric church the outsiders Jason aldean old boots new dirt deluxe edition Carrie Underwood greatest hits sam hunt Montevallo Jerrod niemann high noon dustin lynch where it's at

The Mess Ender

Just love this album!!! I am bleeding out so much pain, it really helps!!! and I love how she processes shit. So real. Love you M! Keep it real girl.

Judith Bastian

Love her and her music ❤️

kevinsbestgirl

Brilliant song, just awesome, love it, adore this new album of Miranda's :-)

Jessica M

I love this song! Surprised it wasn't a hit.

Kayla hime

its hard to quit this smoking when my will to fight is broken... I can relate to all of her songs!

Judith Light

It's alcohol like tequila

Debbie Bass

Lyrics
It's hard staying sober when you ain't staying over
It's easy getting messed up on the truth
It's hard standing here watching taillights disappear
It's hard staying sober when I'm getting over you

It's hard to the leave the house when all I think about
Is how hard it might be to come back home
I wait here and watch the rain when you come back for all your things
You'll get what you want and then you'll go

It's hard staying sober when you ain't staying over
It's easy getting messed up on the truth
It's hard standing here watching taillights disappear
It's hard staying sober when I'm getting over you

It's hard to quit this smoking when my will to fight is broken
It's hard to quit a habit in a rush
Hits me in the morning, just like you I'm looking for 'em
Can't seem to put down this pick-me-up

It's hard staying sober when you ain't staying over
It's easy getting messed up on the truth
It's hard standing here watching taillights disappear
It's hard staying sober when I'm getting over you
It's hard staying sober when I'm getting over you

Why you think the world drinks?
Why you think the world smokes?
Why you think we all sit around and tell a bunch of dirty jokes?

Somebody somewhere is out having a ball
And somebody's sitting around heartbroke

Why you think we all drink? (Why you think we call drink)
Why you think we all smoke?

Why you think we all drink?
Why you think we all smoke?

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