“Is this the divorce album?†Oprah asks Adele of 30, out today, during their therapy session Adele One Night Only. “I think I’m divorcing myself on it,†Adele replies. In the six years since the release of her Grammy-winning album 25, the singer has broken off from her old self. After experiencing postnatal depression (“There are definitely a few elements of myself that I don’t think I’ll ever get back,†she told The Face), Adele made changes to find happiness — but it has come at a cost. She divorced her husband and partner of eight years, Simon Konecki, and she’s still trying to help her young son, Angelo, understand their separation. The singer has done a lot of growing, and she’s laying it all out on the new album, which doubles as some good ol’ Adele soup for the 30-year-old soul. Find the most heart-wrenching and devastatingly relatable lyrics from 30 below.
“Easy on Meâ€
“Go easy on me, baby / I was still a child / Didn’t get the chance to / Feel the world around me.â€
Every once in a while it’s okay to think, Wow. How was I stupid enough to do that? If you can name all the questionable things you’ve done, it means you’ve changed for the better, so go easy on yourself.
“My Little Loveâ€
“I’m holdin’ on (Barely) / Mama’s got a lot to learn (It’s heavy) / I’m holdin’ on (Catch me) / Mama’s got a lot to learn (Teach me)â€
This one’s to all the mothers out there … and to all the people without children because life is hard enough without a human Tamagotchi.
“Cry Your Heart Outâ€
“Cry your heart out; it’ll clean your face / When you’re in doubt, go at your own pace / Cry your heart out; it’ll clean your face / When you’re in doubt, go at your own paceâ€
Crying is like constipation relief for your eyes. Your bowels heart will thank you.
“Oh My Godâ€
“I know that it’s wrong / But I want to have funâ€
There are a lot of things in the world that are wrong, so pick the ones that aren’t illegal … or just don’t get caught. Wrong and fun are the yin and yang to an exciting life. Stability is another story.
“I Drink Wineâ€
“When I was a child, every single thing could blow my mind / Soaking it all up for fun, but now I only soak up wineâ€
When you’re a kid, Kool-Aid alone could provide enough excitement for the day. You’re going to need something a little stronger than that now, but hey, it still can be red.
“All Night Parkingâ€
“That’s why I dream about you all night long / All night long / All nightâ€
To the despondent ex-lovers and relationship newbies, Adele wants to remind you that new love still exists. It happened to her. At the end of the song, she drifts off to sleep thinking about this “you†— not in as dangerously obsessive a way as Joe Goldberg does, but maybe a little. New love is intoxicating.
“Woman Like Meâ€
“Complacency is the worst trait to have; are you crazy? / You ain’t ever had, ain’t never had a woman like me / It is so sad a man likе you could be so lazyâ€
Adele has drafted the message for you already. All you have to do is send it to that subpar ex. Why let constructive criticism idle in the drafts when it can torment them in the DMs?
“To Be Lovedâ€
“It’s a sacrifice, but I can’t live a lie / Let it be known, let it be known that I triedâ€
Sometimes you keep trying and trying to make something work, but it just won’t. Adele is trying to teach you an economics lesson in the sunk-cost fallacy. You tried and it sucked, so now it’s time to let it go.
“Love Is a Gameâ€
“I can love, I can love again / I love me now, like I loved him / I’m a fool for that / You know I / You know I’m gonna do it / Oh-oh-oh-oh / I’d do it all again like I did thenâ€
Just remember, at the end of the day, we’re all dum-dums who will make the same mistake over and over again, so in a full-circle moment, Adele is telling you to go easy on yourself. “Love is a game for fools to play,†and everyone’s still playing it.