The Lyrics and Meaning Behind Kelsea Ballerini’s ‘Blindsided’
On Feb. 14, country singer Kelsea Ballerini released a new EP titled Rolling Up the Welcome Mat. With the EP, Ballerini processes her emotions following her divorce from Australian country singer Morgan Evans. “Blindsided” is one of the songs from Rolling Up the Welcome Mat. Here’s a look at the meaning behind the song’s lyrics.
What Kelsea Ballerini’s song ‘Blindsided’ is about
Throughout Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, Ballerini details different instances that led to the fallout of her marriage to Evans.
Ballerini first realizes her marriage will not last in the EP’s first track, “Mountain With a View.” “Blindsided” is the second-to-last song on the EP. In “Blindsided,” Ballerini details all of the problems that were wrong in her relationship, wondering how her partner did not see them.
In the song’s hook, Ballerini wonders if her partner was truly “blindsided” by the split or “just blind.”
“I’d go write a song, and you’d go for a walk/ We had to get drunk to ever really talk/ I told you what I needed, didn’t have to rеad my mind/ So, were you blindsided or wеre you just blind?” Ballerini sings in the second verse of “Blindsided.”
In the song’s chorus, Ballerini sings, “And now you’re saying that you’re lost, and that’s lost on me/ You didn’t ever wanna leave the house, I didn’t want a family/ I know the truth is hard to hear, but it wasn’t hard to find/ Baby, were you blindsided or were you just blind?”
Kelsea Ballerini co-wrote the song ‘Blindsided’
Rolling Up the Welcome Mat has six tracks. The complete tracklist for the country album can be viewed below.
Rolling Up the Welcome Mat tracklist:
- “Mountain With a View”
- “Just Married”
- “Penthouse”
- “Interlude”
- “Blindsided”
- “Leave Me Again”
Ballerini wrote the songs “Mountain With a View,” “Just Married,” and “Leave Me Again,” and she is credited as a co-writer on “Penthouse,” “Interlude,” and “Blindsided.” Alysa Vanderheym also has a co-writing credit on the song “Blindsided.”
In addition to releasing Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, Ballerini also released a short film of the same name that features the songs from the EP. “Blindsided” is the short film’s fifth chapter, and shows Ballerini awake in bed while her partner is asleep.
‘Rolling Up the Welcome Mat’ was a surprise release
Because Ballerini released her most recent studio album SUBJECT TO CHANGE in September 2022, the fact she released Rolling Up the Welcome Mat was a surprise for fans.
In a statement to People Magazine, Ballerini shared why Rolling Up the Welcome Mat is such a special album for her.
“When I listen to SUBJECT TO CHANGE, I hear a lot of self-reflection and turmoil. This is the deep dive into that turmoil. I was writing by myself for most of the project, and it was nice to trust myself again,” Ballerini said.
She continued, “These are six songs I wish I had last year. It’s about the complexities of the feelings you go through during a massive shift at a young age. Rolling Up the Welcome Mat was how I processed everything. It’s the way I got my feelings out of my body and heart and put them to music — which is the purest way I could’ve handled it.”
