She moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1991 with the goal of becoming a country artist. Songwriter Harlan Howard heard Sara as she sung a demo of one of his songs, "Tiger By the Tail" at County Q Studios**, and decided she should sing his music. She went under contract with RCA.
In 1997 Evans released her first album Three Chords and the Truth. Critics praised the album for returning to traditional country and recognized it on many of their top ten of the year lists. Unfortunately, it did not catch on with country radio at the time and none of the three singles made the top 40.
In 1998 Evans released her sophomore album No Place That Far. Critics slammed her for choosing a more pop/country oriented album. Her first single "Cryin' Game" hardly charted. It would be her next single "No Place That Far," a duet with Vince Gill, that would be her first number one single. The album has been certified gold. She actually had been a backup singer for Vince Gill, which definitely played a role in showcasing her talents and leading her ever growing popularity and success.
Evans released her "make it or break it" album, Born To Fly in 2000. Her first single "Born To Fly" hit the number one spot and proved to be her biggest hit until "Suds in the Bucket." The hits kept coming in as her next single "I Could Not Ask For More" hit the number two spot. "Saints and Angels," Evans' favorite song on the album, hit the number sixteen spot and the last single "I Keep Looking" made it to the number five spot. Thus far, the album has been certified double platinum.
Evans led the pack as the most nominated artist at the 2001 Country Music Association awards with seven nominations, and won her first CMA award when her song “Born to Fly” won the award for Video of the Year.
In 2003 Evans released Restless. This album showed her versatility as the songs combined different genres such as country, pop, blues, and soul. The album's first single "Backseat of a Greyhound Bus" went to number sixteen. The next single, "Perfect," went to number two. The next single "Suds in the Bucket" went to number one and became her biggest hit since "Born to Fly" and quickly became a fan favorite among her songs. The next single "Tonight" failed to reach the top 40. Restless has been certified platinum.
In 2004 Evans was the most played female singer on country music radio thanks to singles such as "Suds in the Bucket" and "Perfect."
In 2005, Sara Evans struck gold with the country ballad "A Real Fine Place to Start". With help from this single her album Real Fine Place was propelled to No.1 on the top of the country charts and No. 3 on the pop charts with over 130,000 copies sold in the first week, nearly tripling the sales from her last album debut Restless. Real Fine Place was the best debuting album of her career. The single from the album stood on top of the Billboard and Radio and Record Charts for two weeks. Evans was nominated for two CMA awards, including the prestigious "Female Vocalist of the Year" and prized "Musical Event of the Year" (the latter in part due to her duet with Brad Paisley, "New Again"). However, she lost in both categories. Sara went on the road with Brad Paisley and newcomers Sugarland on Brad's "Time Well Wasted Tour". Her current single "Cheatin'" has quickly become the fastest rising single of her career. Real Fine Place has recently been certified gold.
On December 6, 2005 Sara released Feels Like Home through Cracker Barrel stores. The album consists of alternate versions of some of her most memorable songs. For example, there is an acoustic version of "No Place That Far," a live version of "Born To Fly," and several other versions of her most popular songs.
Better Off
Sara Evans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But try and hold it in
Don't let him see you cryin'
Don't give that much to him
Don't tell him that you love him
Or that you're sorry one more time
Or get on your knees, beg and plead
Tryin' to change his mind
If he's gonna go, let him go
If he wants to leave, let him leave
If he's gonna walk, he's gonna walk
He'll only leave you better off
So go on and get that suitcase
And help him pack it up
Girl, you ain't losing nothin'
You don't need his kind of love
Don't watch him as he's goin'
It'll break your heart again
And don't stand there waitin' with the door wide open
Hoping he'll walk back in
If he's gonna go, let him go
If he wants to leave, let him leave
If he's gonna walk, he's gonna walk
He'll only leave you better off
You're gonna find someone who'll love you like he should have
And when you finally feel the difference you'll be so glad
You gave yourself the chance to move on
You'll wonder why it took you so long
And why you wasted so much time on him
Yeah, if he's gonna go, let him go
If he wants to leave, let him leave
Oh, if he's gonna walk, he's gonna walk
He'll only leave you better off
Yeah, he'll only leave you
Better off (better off)
The song "Better Off" by Sara Evans is a powerful ballad with a message of self-worth and empowerment. The lyrics speak to someone who is in a toxic and emotionally draining relationship and encourages them to let go of their partner, even if it's painful in the moment. The opening lines of the song set the tone by urging the listener to keep their emotions in check and not reveal their vulnerability to their partner. The verses warn against chasing after the partner to try and convince them to stay, and instead urges the listener to accept the situation and let their partner go. The chorus reinforces this message, emphasizing that the listener will ultimately be "better off" without their partner.
The second verse of the song takes a more positive turn, promising the listener that they will find someone who will treat them with the love and respect they deserve. The lyrics remind the listener that by letting go of their current relationship, they are giving themselves the opportunity to find true happiness with someone else. The song ends with a final repetition of the chorus, reiterating the empowering message that the listener is better off without their toxic partner.
Overall, "Better Off" is a beautifully written and emotional song that encourages listeners to prioritize their own well-being and self-worth in relationships. It reminds us that although letting go of someone we love can be painful, it can also be the first step towards finding true happiness and fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
I know your eyes are burnin'
I understand that you feel emotional and possibly upset
But try and hold it in
Keep your emotions under control for now
Don't let him see you cryin'
Don't give him the satisfaction of seeing your tears
Don't give that much to him
Don't give him so much power over your emotions
Don't tell him that you love him
Don't express your love to him because it won't change his decision
Or that you're sorry one more time
Don't apologize again because it won't change anything
Or get on your knees, beg and plead
Don't lower yourself to begging him to stay
Tryin' to change his mind
Don't try to convince him to stay because he has already made up his mind
If he's gonna go, let him go
If he wants to leave, don't try to change his decision
If he wants to leave, let him leave
If he wants to walk away, don't hold him back
If he's gonna walk, he's gonna walk
If he decides to leave, he is going to do it no matter what
He'll only leave you better off
His leaving will only make you better off in the long run
So go on and get that suitcase
Start packing his things
And help him pack it up
Assist him in taking his belongings
Girl, you ain't losing nothin'
You are not losing anything valuable by letting him go
You don't need his kind of love
You deserve better than the love he has offered you
Don't watch him as he's goin'
Don't put yourself through the pain of watching him leave
It'll break your heart again
It will hurt you even more to see him go
And don't stand there waitin' with the door wide open
Don't wait for him to come back because he won't
Hoping he'll walk back in
Don't hope for his return because it's not going to happen
You're gonna find someone who'll love you like he should have
You will eventually find another person who will treat you better
And when you finally feel the difference you'll be so glad
Once you find that person, you will realize the difference and be happy
You gave yourself the chance to move on
By letting him go, you have given yourself the opportunity to move forward
You'll wonder why it took you so long
You will question why it took you so much time to let him go
And why you wasted so much time on him
You will regret the time you spent on him, but learn from it
Yeah, if he's gonna go, let him go
Once again, if he wants to leave, don't try to stop him
If he wants to leave, let him leave
Let him go and move on with your life
Oh, if he's gonna walk, he's gonna walk
He will walk away regardless of your actions
He'll only leave you better off
Eventually, you will be better off without him
Yeah, he'll only leave you
His leaving will have a positive impact on your life
Better off (better off)
You will be better off without him
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group
Written by: KARYN ROCHELLE, MARLA CANNON-GOODMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sew'n Debi's Dream
It takes a real man to never break a woman's heart!!!!....Ever!
aries nation 5
Guess real men are rare these days dear. .
Erica Hernandez
My husband left me for another woman after 17 years. I needed to listen to this song for strength.
I can't make him stay. One day I will be better off.
Remmawii Ralte
"Girl you ain't losin nothin
You don't need his kind of love"
Superb line...Love it
A.J.
I love this song!!! Thank you God for your guidance and making me the woman I am TODAY! Don't waste your time ladies. Life is too short and so precious!
Love,
A woman who knows...
Mary Ownes
Amanda J. Amen
Tea 🤍
A. J. Amen to that. Such a beautiful way of putting it.
Cathy Phillips
Your right, before the accident i was a piece of work but after i see now my flaus
Shree
☺❤
Bobbie Longoria
Yup indurence...gotta thank them too....part of your strength, force and growth.....
Oooooraaahhh!