traitor Lyrics
Ooh-ooh-ooh
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
[Verse 1]
Brown guilty eyes and little white lies, yeah
I played dumb, but I always knew
That you talked to her, maybe did even worse
I kept quiet so I could keep you
[Pre-Chorus]
And ain't it funny how you ran to her
The second that we called it quits?
And ain't it funny how you said you were friends?
Now it sure as hell don't look like it
[Chorus]
You betrayed me
And I know that you'll never feel sorry
For the way I hurt, yeah
You talked to her when we were together
Loved you at your worst, but that didn't matter
It took you two weeks to go off and date her
Guess you didn't cheat, but you're still a traitor
[Verse 2]
Now you bring her around just to shut me down
Show her off like she's a new trophy
And I know if you were true, there's no damn way that you
Could fall in love with somebody that quickly
And ain't it funny? All the twisted games
All the questions you used to avoid
Ain't it funny? Remember I brought her up
And you told me I was paranoid?
[Chorus]
You betrayed me
And I know that you'll never feel sorry
For the way I hurt, yeah
You talked to her when we were together
Loved you at your worst, but that didn't matter
It took you two weeks to go off and date her
Guess you didn't cheat, but you're still a traitor
[Bridge]
(Ah-ah-ah)
God, I wish that you had thought this through
Before I went and fell in love with you
(Ah-ah-ah)
When she's sleepin' in the bed we made
Don't you dare forget about the way
[Chorus]
You betrayed me
'Cause I know that you'll never feel sorry
For the way I hurt, yeah
You talked to her when we were together
You gave me your word, but that didn't matter
It took you two weeks to go off and date her
Guess you didn't cheat, but you're still, you're still a traitor
(Ah-ah-ah)
Yeah, you're still a traitor
Ooh-ooh-ooh
God, I wish that you had thought this through
Before I went and fell in love with you
About
On the aptly titled “traitor,” Olivia Rodrigo reflects on what went wrong in a past relationship, the feeling of being betrayed, and still missing what she had. She follows the same ideas in some of her other songs, such as her January 2021 breakout hit, “drivers license,” and “enough for you.”
The piano-driven ballad went trending upon release, with many fans and the media speculating who the song was about and most of the suspects going to Joshua Bassett.
The music video shows a heartbroken Olivia surrounded by other teenagers on a fun night out. Despite everyone around her being happy, this painful heartbreak makes her unable to share their joy. The music video is very reminiscent of the singer’s “drivers license,” as both show a broken Olivia aimlessly moving around in circles, depicted by her swimming in a closed water tank. The ending however, reveals Olivia opening a door to what possibly means a newer, happier era.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
I wrote most of “traitor” on my bedroom floor in Salt Lake City. I sort of forgot about it until I sent a bunch of voice memos to Dan [Nigro] and he said he liked this. We finished it up together and I really like the way it turned out. It sort of feels like an old country song to me, which I’m obsessed with.
—via the SOUR diary
At NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, Olivia said the following:
[“traitor”] is, I think, my favorite song on the album. It changes all the time, but currently this is my favorite.
In an interview with Teen Vogue, Olivia stated she had the idea for the hook while hiking in Salt Lake City with her mom, after which she wrote the song in 20 minutes in her bedroom to be in time for an outing with a friend. Olivia also said,
I think maybe in hindsight [that] made me write a better song, because I wasn’t in my head thinking too much about ‘is this word perfect? Is this thing perfect?’
- 1.brutal
- 2.traitor
- 5.deja vu
- 6.good 4 u
- 8.happier
- 10.favorite crime
- 11.hope ur ok