Either Way
Chris Stapleton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴We pass in the hall on our way to separate rooms
The only time we ever talk is when the monthly bills are due
We go to work, we go to church
We fake the perfect life
I'm passed the point of giving a damn
And all my tears are cried

We can just go on like this

Say the word, we'll call it quits
Baby, you can go or you can stay
But I won't love you either way

It's been so long since I've felt
Anything inside these walls
You can't hate and you can't hurt
When you don't feel at all
I used to cry and stay up nights
And wonder what went wrong
And it's been hard
But hearts can only do that for so long

We can just go on like this
Say the word, we'll call it quits
Baby, you can go or you can stay
But I won't love you either way

We can just go on like this
Say the word, we'll call it quits

Baby, you can go or you can stay
But I won't love you either way

Overall Meaning

Chris Stapleton's "Either Way" is a heartfelt, emotional ballad about a couple who have fallen out of love and are living life together, but leading separate lives. The lyrics begin with the couple passing in a hall going to separate rooms, with the only conversation piece being the monthly bills that are due. They go to work, go to church, and put on a façade of leading the perfect life, but everything is a lie. The singer declares that they have reached a point where they no longer care and have cried all their tears.

The song's chorus, "We can just go on like this, say the word, we'll call it quits, baby, you can go or you can stay, but I won't love you either way," speaks volumes as it shows that the love they had for each other had faded away. They are going through the motions of a relationship, yet both are secretly miserable, knowing that their love had evaporated into nothing.

Towards the end of the song, the singer realizes that, although it has been hard, their hearts can only take so much. They are at a crossroads where it's time to make a decision to separate for good or try to find a way to rediscover the love they once shared. The song's melancholic tune and honest lyrics truly capture the pain and sorrow of this situation.

Line by Line Meaning

We pass in the hall on our way to separate rooms
We are no longer close and do not interact as we once did, living separate lives under the same roof.

The only time we ever talk is when the monthly bills are due
Our communication is limited to mundane tasks, and we don't have significant conversations anymore.

We go to work, we go to church
We adhere to social expectations of what a good life is supposed to look like, but it's not fulfilling.

We fake the perfect life
We pretend that everything is fine, that we're happy and content, but it's a facade.

I'm passed the point of giving a damn
I've stopped caring about trying to fix things or going through the motions of pretending everything is okay.

And all my tears are cried
I've reached a point where I can no longer cry or express my emotions because it's all been exhausted.

It's been so long since I've felt anything inside these walls
Our relationship is dead, and I no longer feel any emotions towards my partner, only numbness.

You can't hate and you can't hurt / When you don't feel at all
The lack of emotions has made it impossible to have negative ones, either towards my partner or myself.

I used to cry and stay up nights / And wonder what went wrong
I used to feel pain and sadness about the decline of our relationship, trying to figure out where things went wrong.

And it's been hard / But hearts can only do that for so long
It's been a difficult journey to get to where we are, but eventually, a heart can only take so much before it becomes numb.

We can just go on like this / Say the word, we'll call it quits / Baby, you can go or you can stay / But I won't love you either way
We can continue living life as we are, but there's no love between us anymore, and it would be better to end things.

Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kendell Wayne Marvel, Timothy A. James, Christopher Alvin Stapleton

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

ncG1vNJzZmirn6O2pLTIrapnm5%2BifLe1w56maHuYp7a0q7KtmKmklam8r3ukoquhnaKUpKLF