‘Good News’ by Shaboozey - Lyrics & Meaning

In November 2024, as Shaboozey's monster hit, ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’, notched a record-breaking 17th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the genre-blending crooner began teasing his first taste of new music since the arrival of his celebrated 2024 album, Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, towards the end of May.

That new track was ‘Good News’, an aching cry for some hope amidst a sea of darkness and pessimism. The introspective offering carries the same weight and angst that colours the start of ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’, but with a more personal, despondent tint.

‘Good News’, which dropped on November 15th, is the lead single from Shaboozey's keenly anticipated new studio album, which is expected to be released in 2025.

Shaboozey's 2024 record, Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, found the Virginia singer-songwriter flitting between classic country, trap, rock and hip-hop. On ‘Good News’, however, he leans into a sparser sound, with the song opening with Shaboozey's heartfelt croons drifting across an intimate acoustic guitar riff. For the hook, we get the layered, energising vocals we've grown accustomed to, with the breakdown during the latter portion of the track feeling reminiscent of Avicii's trailblazing 2013 EDM-country collaboration with Aloe Blacc, ‘Wake Me Up‘.

“Man, what a hell of a year it's been
Keep on bluffin', but I just can't win
Drown my sorrows, but they learned to swim
Man, what a hell of a year it's been
Head in a bottle, but my heart in a cage
It's gettin' harder to act my age
Play a sad song on a tiny violin
For the man at the bar confessin' his sins”

The opening verse finds the protagonist lamenting how he's been struggling with his mental health, admitting he's had his ‘head in a bottle’ as he tries to solve his issues with alcohol. This feels like a direct callback to the hedonistic, whiskey-soaked ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’, during which Shaboozey is letting off steam by partying.

The line, “Drown my sorrows, but they learned to swim” features a powerful piece of imagery, underlining how, no matter how much he tries to numb the pain, his demons still resurface.

Shaboozey acknowledges that, given all the success he's been enjoying of late, many fans will think he's merely playing “a sad song on a tiny violin”, belittling his troubles due to the fact that, from the outside looking in, they will assume he has everything he wanted.

“I need some good news
Sittin' here, sippin' on cold truth
Nobody knows what I'm goin' through
Bet the devil wouldn't walk in my shoes
Wish someone told me
"Livin' this life would be lonely"
Tryna get away from the old me
Still stuck singin' these blues
All I really need is a little good news”

The chorus pivots around Shaboozey's longing for someone to give him some news that'll lift his spirits, before harking back to the first verse by confessing he's still leaning on alcohol. He stresses how dire his situation feels by suggesting that even the Devil wouldn't want to be put in his shoes, such is the discontent he's experiencing.

“Love keeps knockin', but I just ain't home
Ain't pickin' no flowers from the seeds that I've sown
They say, "It gets darker when you're coverin' them doors"
Still lookin' for the right at the end of my wrongs
At the end of my wrongs”

We get another cleverly constructed lyric here, as Shaboozey paints a picture of love knocking at his door, before outlining how he isn't home to receive it, suggesting that he walks away from any flickers of romance or warmth that come his way.

He spins the age-old adage that you “reap what you sow” by implying he's sowing seeds of negativity and anger, which will not benefit him in the future and bring him any ‘flowers’.

In the lead-up to the release of ‘Good News’, Shaboozey highlighted the contrast between his gratitude for his successes and the way he's been feeling behind closed doors, sharing, “17 weeks at #1 and 6 GRAMMY noms. Man what a hell of a year it’s been…”

When the release date rolled around, Shaboozey shed some more light on the inspiration behind ‘Good News’ via a moving, quietly hopeful post, “The response to this song the past 12 hours has been unreal! It’s telling how many people feel the weight of today’s problems. In a world that feels heavy at times, we all need a little light. This song is my reminder that even in the darkest moments, there’s always hope. For anyone who needs some good news right now - this one’s for you”.

“Man, what a hell of a year it's been
Keep on bluffin', but I just can't win
Drown my sorrows, but they learned to swim
Man, what a hell of a year it's been
Head in a bottle, but my heart in a cage
It's gettin' harder to act my age
Play a sad song on a tiny violin
For the man at the bar confessin' his sins

-

I need some good news
Sittin' here, sippin' on cold truth
Nobody knows what I'm goin' through
Bet the devil wouldn't walk in my shoes
Wish someone told me
"Livin' this life would be lonely"
Tryna get away from the old me
Still stuck singin' these blues
All I really need is a little good news

-

Love keeps knockin', but I just ain't home
Ain't pickin' no flowers from the seeds that I've sown
They say, "It gets darker when you're coverin' them doors"
Still lookin' for the right at the end of my wrongs
At the end of my wrongs

-

I need some good news
Sittin' here, sippin' on cold truth
Nobody knows what I'm goin' through
Bet the devil wouldn't walk in my shoes
Wish someone told me
"Livin' this life would be lonely"
Tryna get away from the old me
Still stuck singin' these blues
All I really need is a little good news

-

Is a little good news
Ooh, oh
Oh

-

I need some good news
Sittin' here, sippin' on cold truth
Nobody knows what I'm goin' through
Bet the devil wouldn't walk in my shoes
Wish someone told me
"Livin' this life would be lonely"
Tryna get away from the old me
Still stuck singin' these blues
All I really need is a little good news

-

All I really need is a little
Somethin' bring me back to the middle
All I really need is a little good news”

For more on Shaboozey, see below: