“Thank God” and “The Good Ones” are a couple songs by Gabby Barrett that I really like. However, I’m not a fan of “I Hope.” The song’s lyrics—and Gabby’s tone while she sings them—reek of bitterness and contempt. Ironically, “I Hope” isn’t very hopeful at all.
And Then I Hope
I hope you both feel the sparks by the end of the drive
I hope you know she’s the one by the end of the night
I hope you never ever felt more free
Tell your friends that you’re so happy
I hope she comes along and wrecks every one of your plans
I hope you spend your last dime to put a rock on her hand
I hope she’s wilder than your wildest dreams
She’s everything you’re ever gonna need
And then I hope she cheats
Like you did on me
And then I hope she cheats
Like you did on me
It’s evident in the first chorus that Gabby’s “hopes” for her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend (whom I assume this song is about) aren’t sincere, thoughtful well-wishes. She only wants him to fall in love with his new girlfriend because she wants her to cheat on him. “Cheating” can have different meanings, depending on the context. Usually, it means a husband or wife is having sex outside of their marriage, but it can also mean a boyfriend or girlfriend is having sex—or simply seeing someone—outside of their dating relationship. Though it’s not fully clear what Gabby means by “cheats” in this song, it’s clear she wants her ex-boyfriend to suffer.
The Vicious Cycle
Yeah babe, I hope she shows up in a 2AM pic from a friend
Hanging on to a guy and you just ain’t him
I hope you stay up all night all alone waiting by the phone
And then she calls
And baby I, I hope you work it out
Forgive and just about forget
And take her on a first date again
And when you lean in for a kiss
Gabby obviously wants her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend to break his heart. But Gabby doesn’t just want her to break his heart once; she wants her to break it over and over again. Gabby hopes the relationship between her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend is a vicious cycle where he falls in love with her, she cheats on him, they reconcile, he falls in love with her, she cheats on him, they reconcile, etc.
Letting the Lord Repay Evil
I hope what goes, comes all the way around
I hope she makes you feel the same way about her
That I feel about you right now
The message Gabby sends to her ex-boyfriend through this song is simple: “I hope she hurts you like you hurt me.” Honestly, I understand where Gabby is coming from. It’s hard for a girl not to harbor bitterness toward a guy who’s treated her poorly and betrayed her trust.
It takes faith to follow the words of Solomon: “Do not say, ‘I will repay evil’; wait for the Lord, and He will save you” (Proverbs 22:20 NASB1995). I realize that trusting God to punish the guy who’s hurt you might sound impossible, but it’s not. It’s what God has called you to do, so He’ll empower you to do it. And when you patiently wait for Him to act rather than aggressively taking matters into your own hands, you’re going to become a stronger Christian. I hope you don’t waste your time listening to this song while you wait on the Lord.
Lyrics are from AZ Lyrics.
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