His second studio album Illuminate (2016) also debuted at number one in the US, with its singles "Treat You Better" and "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" reaching the top 10 in several countries. His self-titled third studio album (2018) was supported by the lead single "In My Blood". The album's number one debut in the US made Mendes the third-youngest artist to achieve three number one albums. In 2019, he released the hit singles "If I Can't Have You" and "Señorita", with the latter peaking atop the US Billboard Hot 100. His fourth studio album, Wonder (2020), made Mendes the youngest male artist ever to top the Billboard 200 with four studio albums.
Among his accolades, Mendes has won 13 SOCAN awards, 10 MTV Europe Music Awards, eight Juno Awards, eight iHeartRadio MMVAs, two American Music Awards, and received three nominations for a Grammy Award and one nomination for a Brit Award. In 2018, Time named Mendes as one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual list.
The Weight
Shawn Mendes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How you guys feelin' tonight?
This is absolutely insane right now
Thank you so much for comin' out
I'd be happy to see the singalong crowd
Just sing along with me, alright
Whoa, now you sing (whoa)
Whoa-oh, sing it out (whoa-oh)
Whoa, yeah, sing
Whoa-oh, scream it
I want to go back
Forget that it's over, yeah
It's painted in black
When you left me alone, nah
No I never knew, she was sleeping next door
With the kid I grew up with
And I can't go back tp her, no, anymore, no, sing
You tell me you were happier with him, but you want me to stay
And you tell me that you needed time but you push me away
But then you try to take me back, my heavy heart just breaks
No, I can't lift the weight
I can't lift the weight, oh, yeah
Put you in the past
Try to forget you 'cause it's over
And every time you ask
I pretend I'm okay
You're inside my head, now you guys
I dream I can hold you
And I can't go back to you, yeah anymore
No
You tell me you were happier with him, you want me to stay
And you tell me that you needed time, but you push me away, sing
But then you try to take me back, my heavy heart just breaks
But, I can't lift the weight
I can't lift the weight, yeah
And I can't lift the weight, no, I can't lift the weight
Yeah, you stand on my shoulders and my heart just breaks
And I can't lift the weight, no, I can't lift the weight
Yeah, you stand on my shoulders and my heart just breaks
And I can't lift the weight, no, I can't lift the weight
Yeah, you lower your standards and I raise the stakes
No I can't lift the weight, no, I can't lift the weight
You tell me you were happier with him, but you want me to stay
And you tell me that you needed time but you, but you push me away
But then you try to take me back
Say, someday you might change, but I don't wanna wait
I love you guys, thank you
The lyrics of The Weight by Shawn Mendes tell the story of someone struggling to move on from a past relationship. The singer expresses a desire to forget the past and move forward, but is haunted by memories of his ex-partner. Despite her hurting him and finding someone new, she continues to reach out to the singer and try to take him back, causing his heart to break again and again. He recognizes that he cannot shoulder the burden of her emotional baggage and that it’s time for him to move on.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of “weight” that the singer cannot lift. This weight could represent the emotional baggage that his ex carries with her, or the weight of his own pain and heartbreak. Either way, it is clear that he cannot continue to carry it, and he must learn to let go in order to move on.
This song is a powerful testament to the complexity of human emotions and the struggle to move on from someone you once loved. The weight of the past can be difficult to lift, but ultimately it is necessary in order to move forward and find happiness once again.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to go back
The singer wishes to reverse time and undo the break-up
Forget that it's over
The singer wants to erase the memory of the break-up
Painted in black
The singer feels sad and hopeless after the break-up
When you left me alone
The singer was abandoned by his lover
I never knew, she was sleeping next door
The singer was unaware that his lover was seeing someone else
With the kid I grew up with
The person his lover was seeing was someone he knew since childhood
And I can't go back to her anymore, no more
The singer can't return to his past relationship because of the betrayal
You tell me you were happier with him, you want me to stay
The singer's ex wants him to stay despite being happier with someone else
And you tell me that you needed time but you push me away
The ex gave the reason of needing time but still pushed the singer away
But then you try to take me back, my heavy heart just breaks
The ex's attempts to reconcile only cause the singer deeper pain
No, I can't lift the weight
The emotional burden of trying to be with the ex is too much for the singer
Put you in the past
The singer wants to move on and forget about the past relationship
Try to forget you 'cause it's over
The singer attempts to forget the past relationship because it has ended
And every time you ask
The ex continues to ask the singer to come back
I pretend I'm okay
The singer pretends to be fine around the ex even though he is hurting
You're inside my head
The ex is constantly in the singer's thoughts
In the middle of the night
The singer thinks about the ex even when trying to sleep
When I don't feel right
The singer feels uncomfortable when thinking about the ex
I dream I can hold you
The singer fantasizes about holding the ex
And I can't go back to you anymore, yeah, yeah
The singer can't return to the past relationship because it is too painful
Yeah, you stand on my shoulders and my heart just breaks
The ex's actions cause the singer emotional distress
Yeah, you lower your standards and I raise the stakes
The singer feels that the ex has lowered their standards while he has raised his expectations
You told me that you needed time but you, you push me away
The ex gave the reason of needing time but still pushed the singer away (repeated)
And then you try to take me back
The ex still tries to reconcile even after hurting the singer
Say someday you will change, but I don't wanna wait
The singer doesn't want to wait for the ex to change and just move on
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Shawn Mendes, Scott Harris Friedman, Joshua Stephen Grant
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vikirwin1723
The story of his album
Life of the party: his first date with the girl likes
Show you: there dating but she's telling him what he can and can't do
The weight: she cheated on him with his best friend but wants him back
One of those nights: remembering everything they had together
@namelesstribute4852
"The Weight"
I wanna go back,
Forget that it's over
Paint it in black,
When you left me alone
I never knew,
She was sleeping next door with the kid I grew up with,
And I can't go back to her anymore, no
You tell me you were happier with him, you want me to stay
And you tell me that you needed time but you pushed me away
And when you try to take me back, my heavy heart just breaks
No, I can't lift the weight
Put you in the past,
Try to forget you 'cause it's over
And every time you ask
I'll pretend I'm okay
You're inside my head
In the middle of the night
When I don't feel right
I dream I can hold you,
And I can't go back to you anymore, yeah, yeah
You tell me you were happier with him, you want me to stay
And you tell me that you needed time but you pushed me away
And when you try to take me back, my heavy heart just breaks
But I can't lift the weight, and I can't lift the weight
And I can't lift the weight, no, I can't lift the weight
Yeah, you stand on my shoulders and my heart just breaks
And I can't lift the weight, no, I can't lift the weight
Yeah, you stand on my shoulders and my heart just breaks
And I can't lift the weight, no, I can't lift the weight
Yeah, you lower your standards and I raise the stakes
And I can't lift the weight, no, I can't lift the weight
You tell me you were happier with him, but you want me to stay
And you tell me that you needed time but you, you pushed me away
And when you try to take me back, my heavy heart just breaks
But I can't lift the weight, and I can't lift the weight
You tell me you were happier with him, but you want me to stay
You told me that you needed time but you, you pushed me away
And when you try to take me back, you say someday you will change,
But I don't wanna wait
@ariabailon3267
I wanna go back,
Forget that it's over
Paint it in black,
When you left me alone
I never knew,
She was sleeping next door with the kid I grew up with,
And I can't go back to her anymore, no
You tell me you were happier with him, you want me to stay
And you tell me that you needed time but you pushed me away
And when you try to take me back, my heavy heart just breaks
No, I can't lift the weight
Put you in the past,
Try to forget you 'cause it's over
And every time you ask
I'll pretend I'm okay
You're inside my head
In the middle of the night
When I don't feel right
I dream I can hold you,
And I can't go back to you anymore, yeah, yeah
You tell me you were happier with him, you want me to stay
And you tell me that you needed time but you pushed me away
And when you try to take me back, my heavy heart just breaks
But I can't lift the weight, and I can't lift the weight
And I can't lift the weight, no, I can't lift the weight
Yeah, you stand on my shoulders and my heart just breaks
And I can't lift the weight, no, I can't lift the weight
Yeah, you stand on my shoulders and my heart just breaks
And I can't lift the weight, no, I can't lift the weight
Yeah, you lower your standards and I raise the stakes
And I can't lift the weight, no, I can't lift the weight
You tell me you were happier with him, but you want me to stay
And you tell me that you needed time but you, you pushed me away
And when you try to take me back, my heavy heart just breaks
But I can't lift the weight, and I can't lift the weight
You tell me you were happier with him, but you want me to stay
You told me that you needed time but you, you pushed me away
And when you try to take me back, you say someday you will change,
But I don't wanna wait
@sociallyanxiousemo2962
OMG KAYLIA YOU HAVE BEEN ANNOYING SO MANY FANS ON SO MANY OF SHAWNS SONGS
HERE ARE A FEW THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW:
-Just because some of our fandom have names that include mendes, it does not mean we are Shawn mendes!
-Shawn is NOT your boyfriend, he doesn't even know you exsist
-Random people replying to you do not love you
-We would all really like you to either comment less annoying things to us, or just don't reply to us at all
I usually don't like saying things like this but I have seen you have been annoying loads of people on these videos, calling some "fake fans" when they are clearly not, saying you love us, acting like we are Shawn mendes, and saying Shawn is your boyfriend
PLEASE JUST FUCK OFF
@vaggeliskiki9837
It's not old! It lives forever in our hearts!
Also I am from Greece
Λατρεύω τον Σον Μέντες, είναι ο καλύτερος τραγουδιστής που υπήρξε και είμαι πολύ ευγνώμων που ζω την ίδια χρονική περίοδο με αυτόν!❤
@stephabbott2537
my mom in 2014: you will be over him in a year
me in 2020: mom remember when you said ill be over him haha i still love him
UPDATE : it’s 2021 and I still love him teehee 🤓
It’s 2022 and I most definitely still love him
It’s 2023 and I’m still in love ❤
It’s 2024 and I’m still madly in love with him
It’s 2025 and I’m still in love
@AwesomenessTV
loving this song right now
@carolmanyen8356
Same!
@marryingaustin2294
that bad because I don't like u and you are ugly
@leahkahan3553
Carol Manyen JOEY GRACEFFA 💜💜💜
@carolmanyen8356
Leah Kahan i know I know I'm awesome up in where up in here!
@jenniferbaker8661
Carol Manyen shhhhhhh
@layna6736
Who the hell would cheat on Shawn? He’s such a sweet, genuine dude.
@duckygoquacc7597
Shit happens
@gerard7417
Not Camilla
@hypedragon2197
Who tf cheats in general