20 Times Beyoncé Helped You Get Through a Breakup

UNITED STATES – APRIL 02: Photo of Beyonce KNOWLES; Beyonce Knowles performs on the ‘CBS Early Show’ concert series in New York City on April 2, 2007. Photos by GNA (Photo by GNA/Redferns)

15. “I’m Leaving”

"You told me it was all about me, me It’s not about me if you’re still with her Now I’ve realized that I’ve gotta move on It might be hard, but I I gotta move on"

Through all of these songs, Beyoncé tells her audience to move on, that they’re better than this situation that they want to get out of. This particular situation isn’t one that I’ve had myself, although I’ve played second fiddle in my own relationships before. Still, I was never the self-aware “other woman,” as is the case with the narrator in “I’m Leaving.”

Whether or not you’ve had such an experience, moments of this song resonate. On a general scale, we’ve all been lied to, and those lies have dictated our decisions for a time. They tell you they love you, so you don’t leave. You feel like you’re worthless without them, because they don’t make you feel worthwhile. But the reality is, people who love you don’t hurt you. Love isn’t really supposed to be painful at all—it’s the unrequited love, the lack of communication, the dishonesty, any of the pitfalls that might occur within the scope of love. Those are the parts that hurt, and for the most part they’re man-made and avoidable. Love itself is a different story; in a nutshell, it’s not supposed to make you unhappy.

That’s what I take from “I’m Leaving.” When it turns out that what you thought made you happy doesn’t, when you realize that you deserve something beyond their broken promises, you have to walk. As always, it’s hard, but the hurt of leaving won’t last as long as the way you’d feel if you stayed.

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