Olivia Rodrigo Warns Another Woman to Back Off Her Man in Her ‘My Way’ Lyrics

4 min read

Olivia Rodrigo said it herself: Her new album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, is a “time capsule of a relationship in all of its highs and lows.” And sometimes, the latter involves other people. On the sixth track, “My Way,” the singer addresses another woman who seems to be pursuing her boyfriend (who was, at the time, British actor Louis Partridge).

Deviating from the romantic songs of the first half of the album, the rock-inspired “My Way” takes a more aggressive tone—sonically and lyrically—as Rodrigo sings lines like, “You’re in my way now / Don’t go, go where you don’t belong.” She calls out the woman for repeatedly calling her man, sending him poems, and posting photos of herself wearing his clothes (hinting that she could be a former romantic partner). “Well, here’s a map of the lines I drew / And some girl steps over and the girl is you,” Rodrigo sings in another line.

While the song is quite territorial throughout, Rodrigo saves her harshest words for the bridge, demanding that the woman stop her advances and reiterating that she “won.” She also admits she’s being petty: “So, where’d you get that confidence from? / Last time that I checked, I won / Let me be direct: just stop / You’re being fucking weird / Maybe I’m a petty bitch, but you made me resort to this.”

The singer, of course, has not said who the song is about, but fans are sure to investigate Partridge’s former paramours. He was previously linked to actress Sydney Chandler, with whom he was seen publicly before dating rumors between him and Rodrigo started in 2023. But it’s also unclear whether the woman Rodrigo is singing about was a full-fledged girlfriend or just a fling.

What we do know is that “My Way,” which she wrote with producer Dan Nigro and songwriter Steph Jones, marks a fierce shift for Rodrigo. Earlier in her career, she wrote songs about being left by a partner for another woman in songs like “Traitor” or “Favorite Crime”; now she’s standing her ground, even if it looks a little unflattering.

In a recent interview with The New York Times’ Popcast, she discussed the angrier message behind “My Way.” “I think I was just really in the heat of the moment writing it and that’s how it is,” she explained, “and sometimes you’re like, ‘I really need to get this out and I’m fucking pissed,’ and maybe it isn’t the most evolved thing ever to say. But I really loved this song and I loved the way it turned out and I love the sonics. I was going through some Gwen Stefani vibes in there. But, yeah, I really loved that song. The album isn’t very angry at all, and I think that’s the angry touchstone, but I’m really proud of it, I stand by it.”

When asked whether she was okay with being perceived as a “villain” in this song, she shrugged, “Whatever! I don’t know.” But later, she added that listeners might interpret the track in different, personal ways. “Pop music, in a really beautiful way, everyone is projecting their own experiences onto you. That’s the type of songwriting that I do and I love that type of songwriting…I don’t take it so personally.”

Listen to “My Way” and read the lyrics, via Genius, below:

Verse 1
It’s a little hard to stomach all your amateur moves
You know he’s with me, like obviously
But you linger in the air just like a bad perfume
It’s getting to me, embarrassingly

Pre-Chorus
And here’s the part where the girl gets pissed
And the girl is me, did you get that hint?

Chorus
You’re in my way now
Don’t go, go where you don’t belong
Think I can’t make out
Ah-ah, how hard you hang on
Kind of insane how
You keep calling, but you never get the message
It goes my way now
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah

Verse 2
Man, I wonder what you think is gonna go down
You send him another poem and think that hе’ll let me go
Or maybe you’rе just tryna get me riled up now
You’re posting another pic in clothes that I know are his

Pre-Chorus
Well, here’s a map of the lines I drew
And some girl steps over and the girl is you

Chorus
You’re in my way now
Don’t go, go where you don’t belong
Think I can’t make out
Ah-ah, how hard you hang on
Kind of insane how
You keep calling, but you never get the message
It goes my way now
Ah-ah, ah-ah

Bridge
So, where’d you get that confidence from?
Last time that I checked, I won
Let me be direct: just stop
You’re being fucking weird
Maybe I’m a petty bitch, but you made me resort to this
That’s it, I win
That’s it, I win

Chorus
You’re in my way now
Don’t go, go where you don’t belong
Think I can’t make out
Ah-ah, how hard you hang on
Kind of insane how
You keep calling, but you never get the message
It goes my way now
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah

Outro
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah