What happens when a country artist is stabbed in the back by someone they love? They write a song about it of course! These are the best country songs about betrayal, including great songs from artists like Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Some of these are country songs about feeling betrayed by a divorce or relationship. Others are about betraying a friend, like Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Cry For the Bad Man.” Either way, these are all great country songs about being stabbed in the back by someone you trust, so listen to them to blow off some steam if you’re feeling betrayed by someone you love.
Do you have a favorite country song about someone betraying your trust? We like hearing what our fans listen to, so drop us a comment with the song name and we’ll give it a listen.
1. Dolly Parton- Jolene
One of the most iconic country songs of all time, Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” is about a woman who fears that her man will be taken by a woman named Jolene. The narrator pleads with Jolene, and begs her not to take her man away “just because you can.” The song was supposedly based on a bank clerk that flirted with Dolly’s husband Carl Dean when they were newly married. It’s still a song about betrayal, but before the act actually takes place.
2. Carrie Underwood- Before He Cheats
We all know this one. Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” is one of the most popular country songs about betrayal, as it depicts an angry woman who is getting revenge on her cheating boyfriend by smashing his truck- “I dug my key into the side / Of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive / Carved my name into his leather seats / I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights.”
3. Taylor Swift- You’re Not Sorry
From her second studio album Fearless, “You’re Not Sorry” is a great Taylor Swift song about being betrayed by your boyfriend- “And you got your share of secrets / And I’m tired of being last to know / And now you’re asking me to listen / ‘Cause it’s worked each time before.”
4. Garth Brooks- The Thunder Rolls
One of the most famous country songs about your husband betraying you, “The Thunder Rolls” is one of the darker country songs you’ll hear in your lifetime. In the song, a man is coming home to his wife after being with another woman, and by the end of the song the wife has had it- “She reaches for the pistol / Kept in the dresser drawer / Tells the lady in the mirror / He won’t do this again / Cause tonight will be the last time / She’ll wonder where he’s been.”
5. Lynyrd Skynyrd- Cry For the Bad Man
What happens when you have to be the bad guy and fire your friend? If you’re Ronnie Van Zant, you write a song about it. “Cry For the Band Man” was supposedly about Alan Walden, a former manager of the band and good friend of Ronnies. Although Alan was friends with Ronnie, the band had objections to the way Alan was handling the bands money, and ultimately decided as a group to fire him. “Cry For the Bad Man” is essentially a goodbye song to Alan, expressing the guilt over his firing.
6. Miranda Lambert- White Liar
If you tell enough white lies to your woman, she just might start calling you a white liar. From her third studio album Revolution in 2009, “White Liar” is about a female narrator who is confronting her cheating man- “Hey white liar / The truth comes out a little at a time / And it spreads just like a fire / Slips off of your tongue like turpentine.”
7. Aaron Tippin- Kiss This
When a man is treating you wrong, sometimes there’s only one thing left to say to him- “kiss my butt.” That’s exactly what the narrator describes in “Kiss This,” as he watches a woman dump a man who has been sleeping around- “Why don’t you kiss, kiss this / And I don’t mean on my rosy red lips / Hey me and you, we’re through / And there’s only one thing left for you to do.”
8. Lee Ann Womack- Does My Ring Burn Your Finger
Lee Ann Womack performs a powerful song with “Does My Ring Burn Your Finger,” a great country song about feeling betrayed by a divorce- “Does my ring burn your finger / Did my love weigh you down / Was a promise to much / To keep around.”
9. Hank Williams- Your Cheatin’ Heart
When you talk about one of the most important country songs ever written, “Your Cheatin’ Heart” is somewhere near the top of that list. Written by Hank Sr. in 1952, the phrase “cheating heart” was how Hank referred to his ex-wife Audrey Sheppard while talking about her on a drive from Tennessee to Louisiana. It’s not only a good country song about being stabbed in the back, but one of the best of all time period.
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