Bebe Rexha & David Guetta – Sad Girls (Official Lyric Video)
Inspiration Behind Sad Girls:
Sad Girls explores the complex emotions of being “the other woman,” the one who ends up being more like a friend rather than the romantic partner. The lyrics use a narrator who is knowingly involved with a man who has another partner. This unhealthy relationship never ends well, especially when a man doesn’t know who he wants. Sadness is the byproduct of being in a relationship which lacks trust and transparency.
Biblical Application:
Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me,” Genesis 16:5.
Exegesis of Sad Girls:
[Chorus]
It’s the last call, baby, and the champagne’s dry
I’m gonna dance, dance, dance with tears in my eyes
And I can’t stand watching you takin’ her home
But sad girls don’t leave ’til the last song
It’s the last call, baby, and I’m dying inside
I’m gonna dance, dance, dance ’til they turn on the lights
And it kills me watching you takin’ her home
But sad girls don’t leave ’til the last song
This special moment is coming to an end. Knowing her man is going back to his wife. Sad girls wait until the very end, holding out hope that she’ll be the one taken home. She refuses to deny reality. Clinging to a miracle.
[Drop]
Oh-woah, oh-woah (Last song, last song, last song, last song)
Sad girls don’t leave ’til the last song
Oh-woah, oh-woah (Last song, last song, last song, last song)
Sad girls don’t leave ’til the last song
Her emotions won’t allow her to give up hope.
[Verse]
Tell me what could happen here
I wish I could disappear
Heartbreak in the neon lights
On the floor, I feel alright, oh
She is putting her hope in the wrong guy. When the evening ends, sadness will return.
[Pre-Chorus]
Tears dipped in glitter and I dance like I don’t know nobody
Lipstick to champagne and venom
Hips sway, watch me while I get ’em
From the window to the wall
Saying I’m alright ’bout a hundred times but
That’s a lie, that’s a lie
Looking for a rebound. Hoping someone else notices her on the dance floor. Yet as much as she tried to tell herself that she is okay, this is a lie.
[Chorus]
‘Cause it’s the last call, baby, and the champagne’s dry
This special night is over and she is going home alone.
[Drop]
Oh-woah, oh-woah
Sad girls don’t leave ’til the last song
Oh-woah, oh-woah
Sad girls don’t leave ’til the last song
Clinging to false hope.
[Bridge]
Coulda sworn I saw you here
But when I looked away, you disappeared
Maybe it’s the flashing lights
But I just miss you too much tonight
And I’m not ready for the lights back on
So, please, don’t turn all the lights back on
Let me hold on to one last song, you know (Oh)
In her mind, she is wishing that this last slow dance together doesn’t end. She doesn’t want this dream to end.
[Chorus]
It’s the last call, baby, and I’m dying inside
I’m gonna dance, dance, dance ’til they turn on the lights
And it kills me watching you takin’ her home
But sad girls don’t leave ’til the last song
Dancing to numb the pain inside her heart. Broken by the sight of her man leaving with someone else.
[Outro]
Sad girls don’t leave ’til the last song (Last song, last song)
This is why sad girls are the last to leave.
Final Thoughts:
I remained in touch with close friends from high school while in college. One of my cross-country friends from another school revealed that our mutual friend was having an affair with a married man. This young college girl didn’t realize that she was the flavor of the month, believing that his married man would leave his wife. She was like the woman in Sad Girls, unwilling to see the reality of this situation. Sadness is a choice, expecting a different result when you know you are the other woman only ends up in tears.
by Jay Mankus
