Adele’s vocals are, needless to say, on point, as she tells the listener of how desperately she tried to make things work before her split. She and her ex-husband Simon Konecki separated in 2019 and finalized their divorce in 2021.
However, the intended audience isn’t actually her fans. She told Vogue the song is an attempt to explain to her son, Angelo, why she had to leave the marriage.
She told Vogue: “I just felt like I wanted to explain to him, through this record, when he’s in his twenties or thirties, who I am and why I voluntarily chose to dismantle his entire life in the pursuit of my own happiness.
“It made him really unhappy sometimes. And that’s a real wound for me that I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to heal.”
The lyrics are gut-wrenching and specific to her pain at that time. Newsweek explores some of the words, which might make even the stoniest listener bawl.
Powerful Lyrics From Adele’s ‘Easy On Me’
“I know there is hope in these waters/But I can’t bring myself to swim when I am drowning in this silence”
While it is impossible to know exactly what Adele is speaking about, the context of her divorce will open many lyrics up to interpretation. Here, it seems the singer is describing how she felt unable to open up about her concerns, keeping quiet.
“Go easy on me baby”
The name of the song is a heartfelt cry for forgiveness from her son over the divorce. As Adele said in her interview, she “chose to dismantle his entire life” and is begging for him to see her point of view.
“I was still a child/Didn’t get the chance to feel the world around me”
This could be pointing to her youth when she and Konecki began their relationship, and had Angelo. Angelo was born in 2012, which would have made Adele just 24 when he was born.
“There ain’t no room for things to change when we are both so deeply stuck in our ways”
Again, while lyrics are always up for interpretation, this seems to shift away from Angelo and onto her relationship with Konecki. The singer left the marriage in 2019, just a year after it began, after having been together since 2011.
“You can’t deny how hard I have tried”
This line is hard to hear for many who have been through family breakdown. It tells of a woman who was desperate to keep things afloat in her domestic life, but ultimately had to make a difficult choice.
“I changed who I was to put you both first but now I give up”
Similarly, this line speaks volumes about Adele’s efforts in her marriage, but ultimately, as she told Vogue, she had to make a decision “in the pursuit of my own happiness.”
“I had good intentions and the highest hopes… it probably doesn’t even show”
For many, this line will be the sucker punch which will have you weeping on the floor. Adele’s hopelessness in trying to show Angelo how hard she worked is shattered by her expectation that, despite her agony, it may be he will grow up with no understanding of her dilemma.
“I had no time to choose what I chose to do/So go easy on me”
In Vogue, Adele spoke of how “embarrassed” she was about leaving her marriage so soon after it started. This could be alluding to the fact that she had to make a quick decision after only being together for a short time, but ultimately her request of Angelo is the same: “Go easy on me.”
Fans across the world, listening to her debut single from 30, have been reacting in much the same way: crying incessantly. Adele’s fourth album will be released next month.
In a social media post, she said: “I’ve learned a lot of blistering truths about myself along the way.
“I’ve shed many layers but also wrapped myself if new ones. Discovered genuinely useful and wholesome mentalities to lead with, and I feel like I’ve finally found my feeling again.
“I’d go so far as to say that I’ve never felt more peaceful in my life. And so, I’m ready to finally put this album out.”
Adele’s 30 will be released on November 19. Listen to “Easy On Me” on Spotify now.
