What Song Did Kelsea Ballerini Sing at the CMA Awards 2023? ‘Leave Me Again’ Lyrics and Meaning

Kelsea Ballerini performed her hit song “Leave Me Again” at the CMA Awards in November 2023 and left fans in awe of her talent. But what is the song about, and what are the lyrics?

What Is Kelsea Ballerini’s Song ‘Leave Me Again’ About?

“Leave Me Again,” which was released in February 2023 as part of her Rolling Up the Welcome Mat EP, was inspired by her decision to finally stop people-pleasing and focus on herself following her divorce from Morgan Evans.

"It's the song where you finally go, 'I'm not mad anymore. I don't even know if I'm sad anymore. I think I just want well for everyone,” she said on CMT Storytellers. “And at the end of the day, like the lesson I'm taking away is I have to honor myself.’ And honoring yourself, I think, is just the most beautiful thing you can do."

Kelsea continued, "I'm really challenging myself to show up as someone who isn't scared to go there, because I think it helps open community and conversation. It's the rawest thing I've ever done. It's the closest to the chest I've ever been, and I'm proud of that."

Kelsea Ballerini’s ‘Leave Me Again’ Lyrics Breakdown

In “Leave Me Again,” Kelsea sings about wishing someone the best, but hoping that she’s never in a position where she feels like she “leaves” herself behind again.

“I hope you're spending Christmas with your family / I hope you're writing songs that you love / I hope you're feeling happier than you've ever been / And I hope I never leave me again,” the opening lines read. “I hope you're hiking that old trail in West Meade / And I hope you and Jane are talking more / I hope the top is off the Jeep, and you're driving in the wind / And I hope I never leave me again.”

In the chorus, Kelsea sings about “outgrowing” the person she used to be.

“For a while the shoe fit / But then I outgrew it / And staying only made me get real good at pretend / So, I hope I never leave me again,” the lyrics continue. “I hope I remember all the pieces / Of who I was that I lost on the way / I hope I learn to love myself like I loved you then / And I hope I never leave me again.”

When Did Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans Get Divorced?

Kelsea and Morgan were married from 2017 to 2022. In October 2023, the “Miss Me More” singer reflected on her divorce, calling it “gnarly.”

“After that, I got back to why I started writing songs and that was because I had really big, complex human feelings that I needed to sort through and figure out,” she said in her speech at the Time100 Next Gala.

Kelsea, who is now dating Chase Stokes, added that she wrote Rolling Up the Welcome Mat “in case there was another 29-year-old girl that was dealing with the same thing.”

“This EP changed my life in a way I can’t really explain,” she concluded.