Country Songs About Realizing You’re Better Off Without Them

Feeling better about heartbreak is a major accomplishment. One of the things that can help you overcome that feeling is listening to country music. Only in this genre can you cry into your glass of whiskey during the first verse and belt out the chorus about how much better off you are without them. That’s the beauty of country songs about realizing you’re better off without them: these songs don’t just help you come to terms with the pain; they also make you discover (and to be honest, a little smug) about dodging a bullet.   

After all, sometimes, the best thing a partner who’s a walking red flag can do for you is walk out the door. Here’s a list of country songs that sing of sweet relief to newfound freedom, to that satisfying feeling of seeing clearly after you’ve been blinded by love. These tracks prove that a breakup can be the start of something better.  

From Carly Pearce’s fourth studio album, Hummingbird, the song “My Place” is Pearce’s favorite from the album. She told Billboard, “I think it has that kind of universal appeal — we’ve all been there. As a songwriter, there’s nothing I could possibly hope for more than to give people a song and watch them react so positively. This is such a special song, and I am just so excited to have it out and see where it goes.”  

The track discusses a woman who is wondering if someone else has already taken her “place” in the home she once shared with her ex-boyfriend. The title and the chorus, (“It ain't my place/To question if there's someone fillin' my space) can also mean that it’s not her place anymore to think about him or even think about what he’s up to.  

Kelsea Ballerini’s post-divorce EP, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, includes the song “Penthouse.” The track talks about Ballerini’s divorce from ex-husband, country music singer Morgan Evans, with whom she shared a penthouse in downtown Nashville. Ballerini released another version of the song, “Penthouse Healed Version.” For the sake of this list, we’ll include the healed version, as it’s more in theme with our article.   

Evans also released a song, “Over for You,” about the divorce.  

Towards the end of the song, Ballerini changed the last chorus from “We played the part five nights, but we were never there on the weekends, baby/ We got along real nice, but when I left town, did you hate me?” to “I kissed someone new last night/And now I don't care where you're sleeping, baby.”  

Ballerini has been dating actor Chase Stokes since 2023, and he’s not shy about showing her off on Instagram. Proof that sometimes, a divorce is just the plot twist you didn’t know you needed.  

If you’re feeling down and in need of a pick-me-upper after a breakup, listen to Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” The track talks about female empowerment and remains one of Twain’s biggest hits worldwide. It’s proof that a lot of women still needed a reminder to have “no inhibitions/Make no conditions/Get a little outta line/I ain't gonna act/Politically correct/I only wanna have a good time.”  

Jay DeMarcus said of “I’m Movin’ On”, “That’s a song that just drains everything out of you.” It perfectly sums up the song, in which the singer refers to a physical or emotional home has become a place he doesn’t belong to anymore: “I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong/I'm movin' on.”  

However, the bridge talks about a more promising time: “I'm movin' on/At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me/And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone.”  

When your tears dry, country music is right there to help you pick up the pieces of your shattered heart. These songs remind you that sometimes breakups aren’t always the end of the world. So, here’s your game plan if you’re currently struggling and wanting to call your ex and beg them to come back: listen to these anthems, sing your heart out, and let these artists remind you that you’re stronger than you think and freedom looks good on you.