75 Best Songs About Betrayal And Broken Trust
William Harris When everyone around you tells you that your lying partner is no good, you struggle to believe them, and you end up suffering the most pain.
"My friends tell me, that I've been such a fool / But I had to stand by and take it baby, all for lovin' you
Someone can act a certain way and trick you into believing they are a good person, but eventually, you'll see the truth.
Falling in love for the first time can be painful enough, but when you're betrayed by that person, you'll never be the same.
"I would have given you all of my heart / But there's someone who's torn it apart
Being betrayed by your partner not only makes you angry, but in some way gives you happiness knowing they won't be able to let go of you.
"So take your eyes off the trigger / I'm not to blame if your world turns to black
You can become so entranced by someone's lies that you don't realize until it's too late that they were never being truthful.
If you find yourself fighting with your partner, it can lead to anger and resentment, and, ultimately, an unhappy relationship.
"Over the past five years / I have shed my tears / I have drank my beers and watched my fears fly away
And until this day she still swings this way / But it's sad to say, sometimes she says she loves me not
But I hesitate to tell her I hate this relationship / I want out today this is over"
When you're tired of the lies and cheating, the best revenge is success.
All said and done you lost my respect / All said and done you're the one I regret
37. “Unraveling” by Sevendust
Broken trust can lead to a broke relationship, especially if it's built on lies and deceit.
"I want the world to see / You sold a broken dream / You were not there for me
I was unraveling / All that we never knew / That could have been me and you"
38. “Everybody's Fool” by Evanescence
When you're made out to be a fool, it can take a while to see the truth. But when you do, it might become easy to leave it all behind.
"Never was and never will be / You don't know how you've betrayed me
And somehow you've got everybody fooled
Without the mask where will you hide / Can't find yourself lost in your lie"
39. “Judas” by Kelly Clarkson
Judas is the apostle who betrayed Jesus, and in this song, Clarkson equates a lover to him.
"The only one who took you in / The only one who held your hand
Defended you against the others / Had your back on everything
Never let you down / You turned around betrayed your only brother"
40. “You Give Love A Bad Name” by Bon Jovi
Most people have experienced toxic love at one point or another, and all the promises made are eventually broken.
"An angel's smile is what you sell / You promise me Heaven, then put me through hell
Chains of love got a hold on me / When passion's a prison, you can't break free"
41. "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette
Allegedly written about Dave Coulier, Morissette's devastation and anger shine right through in this song.
"And I'm here, to remind you / Of the mess you left when you went away
It's not fair, to deny me / Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know"
42. "How Do You Sleep" by LCD Soundsystem
When you are betrayed by a friend, it's a really lonely place to be.
"I remember when we were friends / I remember calling you friend
Standing on the shore, my ear aimed east
I can't hear you / I can't hear you anymore"
43. “Apologize” by Timbaland feat. OneRepublic
Toxic relationships can flat-out consume you, and when that happens, one person will inevitably leave.
"You tell me that you need me / Then you go and cut me down, but wait
You tell me that you're sorry / Didn't think I'd turn around and say
That it's too late to apologize, it's too late"
44. “Bad Blood” by Taylor Swift
When a friend betrays you, sometimes there's no going back to the way things were before. Trust simply cannot be rebuilt.
"Did you have to do this? / I was thinking that you could be trusted
Did you have to ruin what was shining now it's all rusted
Did you have to hit me where / I'm weak, baby, I couldn't breathe
I rubbed it in so deep / Salt in the wound like you're laughing right at me"
45. “Backstabber” by Kesha
Betrayal doesn't always come in the form of lying or cheating; betrayal can mean talking about your friend behind their back.
"Girl (girl), you're such a backstabber (stabber) / You're such a backstabber
Run your mouth more than anyone I've ever known / And everybody knows it (and everybody knows it)"
46. “Call Me When You're Sober” by Evanescence
Addiction can plague a relationship and lead to lying. And that lying might mean the end of the relationship as you know it.
"Don't cry to me, if you loved me / You would be here with me
You want me, come find me / Make up your mind"
47. “Dogs” by Pink Floyd
You reap what you sow when you're a liar, and pretty soon, it will all come back to bite you.
"You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to / So that when they turn their backs on you
You'll get the chance to put the knife in / You gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder
You know it's gonna get harder harder and harder as you get older"
48. “Gone” by Charli XCX & Christine and the Queens
In the music business, artists aren't immune to betrayal by their management. This song is also a reminder of the anxiety and loneliness that comes with this line of work.
"I am just now realizing, they don't care
I try real hard, but I'm caught up by my insecurities
Pour me one more, watch the ice melt in my fist"
49. “Positively 4th Street” by Bob Dylan
Betraying your friends is the ultimate disloyalty, and when you need your friend the most after treating them so poorly, don't expect them to help you.
"You've got a lotta nerve to say you are my friend / When I was down you just stood there grinnin'
You've got a lotta nerve to say you got a helping hand to lend / You just want to be on the side that's winnin'"
50. “All Out of Love” by Air Supply
A heartbreaking ballad, when you realize you've messed up and your relationship is over, most of the time it's too late to go back.
"I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you / I know you were right believing for so long
I'm all out of love, what am I without you? / I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong"
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51. "Enemy" by Sevendust
The road to success has its ups and downs, but if you screw others over just to get your way, you won't like how it ends.
"So when you fall to the ground / And finally get back to reality
No one at all is around
So tell me / How does it feel to be the enemy?"
52. "Cry" by Kelly Clarkson
It's okay to cry after getting your heart broken, but you're doing yourself a disservice by pretending everything is fine.
"If anyone asks, I'll tell them we just grew apart / What do I care if they believe me or not?
Whenever I feel your memory is breaking my heart
I'll pretend I'm okay with it all / Act like there's nothing wrong"
53. "Smile" by Lily Allen
In a song about an ex leaving and then dating another woman, only to be dumped by that woman, that grief can sometimes be turned into pure happiness.
"When you first left me / I didn't know what to say
I've never been on my own that way / Just sat by myself all day
I was so lost back then
But with a little help from my friends / I found the light in the tunnel at the end"
54. "Snuff" by Slipknot
When you're the one who is careless in your relationship, the best thing you can do for your partner is to let them go.
"So if you love me let me go / And run away before I know
My heart is just too dark to care / I can't destroy what isn't there"
55. "Unwanted" by Avril Lavigne
When you love someone, you don't ever think their family would reject you. But in this song, Avril sings about that exact scenario.
"You don't know me / Don't ignore me
You don't want me there / You just shut me out
You don't know me / Don't ignore me
If you had your way / You'd just shut me out / Make me go away"
56. "We Used to be Friends" by The Dandy Warhols
Leaving the past behind can sometimes cause nostalgia for the good old days. And that's especially true in the case of friendships that ended due to lying.
"A long time ago we used to be friends / But I haven't thought of you lately at all
If ever again a greeting I send to you / Short and sweet to the soul I intend"
Related Stories From YourTango:57. "F.O.D." by Green Day
When people hide their true deceitful selves from you, when you finally discover their two-faced attitude, the only thing to do is confront them.
"Something's on my mind / It's been for quite some time
This time I'm on to you / So where's the other face"
58. "No Vaseline" by Ice Cube
When betrayal happens within a music group, there's no doubt the lyrics will be biting. Such is the case in this song, written about Ice Cube's former group, N.W.A.
"Goddamn I'm glad y'all set it off / Used to be hard now you're just wet and soft
First you was down with the AK / And now I see you on a video with Michel'le?
Lookin' like straight Bozos / I saw it comin' that's why I went solo"
59. "Lyin' Eyes" by The Eagles
While women will occasionally use their charms on men, they can also break your trust by having ulterior motives that aren't too hard to spot.
"You can't hide your lyin' eyes / And your smile is a thin disguise
I thought by now you'd realize / There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes"
60. "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins
Thought to be about a man watching another man drown without saving him, Collins actually wrote this song about his divorce.
"Well, I was there and I saw what you did / I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off that grin, I know where you've been
It's all been a pack of lies"
61. "Heartless" by Kanye West
The end of a relationship is bad enough, but when you're betrayed by your ex's coldness, it's a whole other level of hurt.
"In the night I hear 'em talk / The coldest story ever told
Somewhere far along this road / He lost his soul to a woman so heartless
How could you be so heartless? / Oh, how could you be so heartless?"
62. "Caught Like a Fly" by Falling In Reverse
Being stabbed in the back by a friend not only makes you feel vulnerable, but like there's nobody else to turn to.
"So how did it feel? / When you held the knife
That you stuck right in my back / A thousand times"
63. "Betrayed" by Avenged Sevenfold
A tribute to Dimebag Darrell of Pantera, who was murdered by a deranged fan, this song is from the perspective of Dimebag, the murderer, and lead singer of Avenged Sevenfold, M. Shadows.
"A smoking gun in your hand, now don't you realize what you've done
Put a bullet in his back, your hero since you were so young
How could you kill the man who brought salvation through your pain
He must mean everything to end it all this shameful way"
64. "Norwegian Wood" by The Beatles
Lying can also come in the form of a change of plans. In this Beatles song, the narrator is invited over to a woman's house, only to be told as he waits that she wants to go to bed.
"I once had a girl / Or should I say she once had me
She showed me her room / Isn't it good Norwegian wood?"
65. "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" by Nancy Sinatra
Originally sung by Sonny Bono, this song is about a groom leaving his bride, and "shooting her down," or rejecting her and her love.
"Bang bang, he shot me down / Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound / Bang bang, my baby shot me down"
66. "You Won't See Me" by The Beatles
When that feeling of being heartbroken over a relationship ending is in full force, you may reason with yourself that it's not actually the end.
"Time after time / You refuse to even listen
I wouldn't mind / If I knew what I was missing (no, I wouldn't, no, I wouldn't)"
67. "Liar" by Three Dog Night
It's hard to walk away from a friendship or relationship, even though you've been lied to.
"Hanging on anyway / Believing the things you say
Being the fool
You've taken my life / So take my soul
That's what you said / And I believed it all"
68. "Sociopath" by Nightcore
Would you be able to tell that you were in love with a sociopath? Probably not, and the fallout can lead to some pretty awful feelings.
Yeah I feel ashamed / Embarrassed with rage
So I bloody the rain on your pity parade
So cry, cry, cry / I don't need you in my life
69. "Such a Night" by Dr. John
From the perspective of "the other man," sometimes, you're overcome by a feeling and have to act on it, even though it's wrong.
"You came here with my best friend Jim
And here I am / Trying to steal you away from him
Oh, but If I don't do it somebody else will / If I don't do it, you know somebody else will"
70. "Backstreets" by Bruce Springsteen
A song about longing for the days when he was close with his friend, broken trust in a friendship is just as hurtful.
"At night sometimes it seemed / You could hear the whole damn city crying
Blame it on the lies that killed us / Blame it on the truth that ran us down"
71. "Old Friends 4 Sale" by Prince
There's nothing more heartbreaking than having your partner cheat on you with one of your family members.
Tears fall gently in my garden / As I wait in vain for my sweet baby to call
I guess what my own brother told me was true / He had been with my sweet baby and she never really loved me at all"
72. "Cornflake Girl" by Tori Amos
In a 1994 interview, Amos explained that the song was written about a woman's disillusionment at going from one way of thinking to another, and can be applied to betrayal in relationships as well.
"She's gone to the other side / Giving us a yo-heave-ho
Things are getting kind of gross / And I go at sleepy time"