Taylor Swift has recently announced that her Mum’s cancer has returned. Watching someone you love go through cancer can be emotionally overwhelming and Swift has written a song expressing her feelings. On her latest album ‘Lover’, Swift opens up about watching her parents and especially her Mom, face cancer in the song ‘Soon You’ll Get Better’ featuring the Dixie Chicks. The song explores the emotions of watching a loved one go through cancer, from denial to fear to hope.
Swift explained that is was the hardest song for her to write and she can’t actually sing it "There’s a song called 'Soon You’ll Get Better' that was really, really hard to write. and it was a family decision to even put on the album.”
“I think songs like that that are really hard for you to write emotionally… maybe they’re hard to write and hard to sing because they’re really true.”
“So, we as a family decided to put this on the album. It’s something I’m so proud of. I still can’t sing it, it’s hard to emotionally deal with that song.”
In the song’s emotional lyrics, she describes the lights at the doctor’s office and praying to ‘holy orange bottles’ likely referencing her Mom’s treatment. She also discusses how difficult it is to have a loved one going through cancer treatment and the emotions she feels about what might happen next.
If your loved one is currently dealing with cancer, you'll likely be able to relate to these lyrics:
The buttons of my coat were tangled in my hair In doctor's-office-lighting, I didn't tell you I was scared That was the first time we were there Holy orange bottles, each night I pray to you Desperate people find faith, so now I pray to Jesus too And I say to you
Ooh-ah, soon you'll get better Ooh-ah, soon you'll get better Ooh-ah, you'll get better soon 'Cause you have to
I know delusion when I see it in the mirror You like the nicer nurses, you make the best of a bad deal I just pretend it isn't real I'll paint the kitchen neon, I'll brighten up the sky I know I'll never get it, there's not a day that I won't try And I'll say to you
Ooh-ah, soon you'll get better Ooh-ah, soon you'll get better Ooh-ah, you'll get better soon 'Cause you have to
And I hate to make this all about me But who am I supposed to talk to? What am I supposed to do If there's no you?
This won't go back to normal, if it ever was It's been years of hoping, and I keep saying it because 'Cause I have to
Ooh-ah, you'll get better Ooh-ah, soon you'll get better Ooh-ah, you'll get better soon
Ooh-ah, soon you'll get better Ooh-ah, soon you'll get better Ooh-ah, you'll get better soon 'Cause you have to
You can also listen to the official audio of the song on YouTube:
We wish Taylor Swift's Mom (and everyone else going through cancer) all the best with their treatment.
If you want to find out more about how you can support a loved one with cancer, you can sign up to receive our Cancer Support Toolkit here.