SZA has a way of slicing through emotional noise with the precision of a poet. Since her debut, she’s created space for vulnerability, effortlessly narrating the mess, ache and yearning that sometimes come with love. From Ctrl to SOS, her music lives in the aftermath: the waiting room of heartbreak, the quiet confusion after ghosting and the late-night spirals no one else sees.
The “Good Days” hitmaker doesn’t shy away from the ugly or uncertain. Instead, she leans in with raw honesty, letting us sit with her in those spaces where ego, longing and insecurity collide. Though her lyrics don’t promise closure, they do offer reflection. Whether she’s singing about the pain of being the other woman, replaying what-ifs or struggling with self-worth in a situationship that won’t end, SZA turns heartbreak into art that feels intimate and universal at once.
Here are 10 of our favorite R&B fairy’s most devastating lyrics about love and loss.
1. Kill Bill: “I might kill my ex, not the best idea / His new girlfriend’s next, how’d I get here?”
In “Kill Bill,” SZA gives voice to the kind of spiraling jealousy people usually keep buried. These lyrics don't tiptoe around the issue — they dive straight into obsession, ego and the sting of being replaced. There’s rage and vulnerability packed into every line, like she’s watching herself unravel in real time. Leaving logic behind, the singer-songwriter displays the emotional wreckage left behind when someone moves on too quickly.
2. Supermodel: “I’m writing this letter to let you know I’m really leaving / And no I’m not keeping your s**t / Heard you got some new homies, got some new hobbies / Even a new h** too!”
"Supermodel” feels like a breakup text that was never supposed to be read out loud. Though she's trying to sound firm and detached, the bitterness gives her away. There’s pain behind every jab, which feels like proof that she’s still watching her ex from a distance. This heartfelt goodbye feels like a confession that she’s hurt and tired of pretending otherwise.
3. Drew Barrymore: “I get so lonely I forget what I’m worth / We get so lonely we pretend that this works”
The St. Louis native pulls the curtain back on what it means to settle in the name of comfort. In this line from “Drew Barrymore,” loneliness becomes a drug, dulling her sense of value and clarity. It captures the ache of staying in something broken just to avoid being alone. More than a plea for sympathy, it’s an honest look at what people give up when they’re afraid to be by themselves.
4. Garden (Say It Like Dat): “Open your heart up / Hoping I’ll never find out that you’re anyone else / ‘Cause I love you just how you are”
This is love wrapped in denial — a quiet fear that the person she’s holding onto might not be who they seem. SZA clings to the version of the partner she wants to believe in because the truth might be too much to handle. Rather than beg for perfection, she wants the illusion to hold. Her words feel soft on the surface, but it’s holding a storm underneath.
5. Love Language: “Needing you to talk to me in your love language / Show me, yeah, how to connect to you / Help me understand / How you speak your love language”
In “Love Language,” the Grammy Award-winning artist is reaching out to someone who keeps their emotions locked up. Cancel all of the grand gestures because all she wants is to be seen and understood without having to guess. The whole song captures the emotional exhaustion of always decoding someone else’s needs. She’s asking for clarity while also admitting how much confusion has already worn her down.
6. Snooze: “I testify for you / I told that lie, I’d kill that b**ch / I do what all of them around you scared to do, I’m not”
This is the kind of love that strips you of reason. SZA paints a picture of devotion that borders on dangerous, in which she’d lie, ride and go to war over someone who probably wouldn't do the same in return. It’s a prime example of loyalty turning into desperation that’s dressed up as ride-or-die. She’s not just invested emotionally, she’s ready to burn everything down to stay close. It’s bold, chaotic and painfully one-sided.
7. Snooze: “I can’t lose when I’m with you / How can I snooze and miss the moment / You just too important”
She makes it clear that this person holds all the power, which is never a good thing. Being with him feels like the only time she wins, so she stays on high alert, afraid the moment will pass. There’s no rest or ease here — just pressure to stay present, stay needed and stay enough. These lines from “Snooze” capture what it feels like to love from a place of fear instead of trust. It’s obsession wrapped in romance, and she knows it.
8. Nobody Gets Me: “How am I supposed to tell you / I don’t want to see you with anyone but me / Nobody gets me like you / How am I supposed to let you go? / Only like myself when I’m with you / Nobody gets me, you do”
These words expose how deeply she’s intertwined with someone who makes her feel seen in ways no one else can. The struggle isn’t just about letting go of him, but the fear of losing the sense of self that only his presence seems to give her. It’s an emotional dependency that creates confusion. Without him, who is she really? The relationship becomes more than just love; it’s a reflection of her own identity.
9. I Hate U: “And if you wonder if I hate you, I do /S**tty of you to make me feel just like this / What I would do to make you feel just like this”
The anger is so palpable in “I Hate U,” like every line is carrying the weight of betrayal. The frustration of being wronged spills over, leaving no room for softness. The sentiment here is direct and clear: wanting the other person to truly feel the hurt they've caused. These words carry the raw aftermath of a wound that won’t heal easily.
10. No Love: “If I did it all again, I’d give like 10 percent / You deserve like half of that / I’ma need my money back”
SZA’s contribution to Summer Walker’s “No Love” hits hard with the feeling of having overinvested in something that didn’t give back. There’s no room for nostalgia or longing in these lyrics, just a sharp acknowledgment that the emotional cost was too high. The frustration of putting in so much with little return comes through, making it clear that some debts need to be paid back. It's a tough love realization about the imbalance in the relationship.