WITHOUT YOU (with Miley Cyrus)

"WITHOUT YOU" delves into the tumultuous and painful aftermath of a toxic relationship. The song's core message revolves around the conflicting emotions of heartbreak, regret, anger, and a profound fear of being alone. The lyrics articulate a narrative where a breakup has left the protagonist feeling physically and emotionally eviscerated, as expressed in the line, "You cut out a piece of me, and now I bleed internally." This metaphor establishes the central theme of feeling incomplete and deeply wounded by the separation.

The song explores the cyclical nature of a dysfunctional relationship, touching upon moments of intense anger ("I lost my shit, you know I didn't mean it") and subsequent regret. There is an acknowledgment of personal fault, yet also a deflection of blame, particularly in the controversial pre-chorus, "Can't make a wife out of a ho." This line reflects a moment of harsh, perhaps immature, judgment born from hurt, suggesting the protagonist is grappling with his pain by devaluing his former partner. However, this anger is immediately undercut by the vulnerable confession, "I'm scared to be alone," revealing that the bravado is a shield for his deep-seated fear and sorrow.

The remix featuring Miley Cyrus adds a conversational layer to this meaning. It transforms the song from a soliloquy of heartbreak into a dialogue between two people who share the pain of their failed connection. Cyrus's verse, "Feels like sleeping with a ghost / I really wish that we could've got this right," introduces a mutual sense of loss and a shared desire for a different outcome, reinforcing the idea that despite the toxicity, the love was significant to both parties. Ultimately, the song is a raw portrayal of the inability to let go, even when a relationship is damaging, and the chaotic emotional landscape of love, loss, and loneliness.

The narrative of the song unfolds as a raw and painful monologue, and later a dialogue, following the messy end of a romantic relationship. The protagonist, initially alone in his anguish, expresses a deep sense of being wounded and incomplete now that his partner has left. He uses a visceral metaphor, stating she "cut out a piece of me, and now I bleed internally," to illustrate the profound emotional damage he feels. The very thought of a future without her is excruciating, a recurring sentiment that highlights his dependency and the depth of his attachment. He's in disbelief, unable to comprehend how she could just walk away, dismissing all her reasons with a frustrated curse. This anger is quickly followed by regret; he admits to losing his temper and saying things he didn't mean, acknowledging a destructive pattern in their interactions that he can't take back. This acknowledgment forces him to consign their relationship to the past, a resolution that sounds more like a surrender than a choice.

A layer of cynical resignation is introduced with the harsh, self-directed realization, "Can't make a wife out of a ho." This controversial line suggests a moment of bitter judgment, where he blames her perceived nature for their failure, perhaps as a defense mechanism to cope with his own role in the breakup. Despite this crude remark, a desperate vulnerability immediately surfaces. He confesses that he can't find the words to apologize but is terrified of the loneliness that now stretches before him. This juxtaposition of anger and fear paints a picture of a young, emotionally turbulent individual grappling with complex feelings he can't fully articulate or control.

When the second voice, that of his former partner, enters the narrative in the remix, the story gains a new dimension. It becomes a conversation steeped in shared history and mutual pain. She echoes his feelings of being haunted by their connection, describing the experience of being with him as sleeping with a ghost. Her verse reveals a longing for a different outcome, a wish that they could have resolved their issues and made the relationship work. This addition transforms the song from a one-sided lament into a shared tragedy of two people who, despite their deep connection, were ultimately destructive for one another. Her perspective adds a layer of maturity and melancholy, confirming the toxicity of their dynamic while also validating the genuine feelings that were present. The duet format emphasizes the back-and-forth nature of their turmoil, a cycle of hurt and longing that defined their time together and continues to haunt them even in separation.

The original version of "WITHOUT YOU" was written by The Kid LAROI (Charlton Howard), Blake Slatkin, Omer Fedi, and Billy Walsh. It was produced by Slatkin and Fedi. The song's creation began when LAROI, who was going through relationship troubles and listening to a lot of Sia, asked guitarist Omer Fedi to play something on the guitar that Sia might sing over. Fedi then played the chord progression that would become the foundation of the track. The song was reportedly completed in a single night, initially consisting of just LAROI's vocals and the guitar part. Additional production was added only a week before it was released on the deluxe "Savage" edition of his debut mixtape, F*ck Love, on November 6, 2020.

The remix featuring Miley Cyrus was released on April 30, 2021. The collaboration came about after the two artists were connected by Omer Fedi, who was also working with Cyrus. The Kid LAROI first mentioned a potential collaboration with Cyrus in a Billboard interview in early April 2021. Cyrus later previewed the remix in a TikTok video on April 21, and the release was officially confirmed by both artists on April 23. This remix marked Cyrus's first release after signing with Columbia Records. The music video for the remix was directed by Miley Cyrus herself. According to Cyrus, the video was made spontaneously on a weeknight after she contacted LAROI at midnight, and he arrived an hour later to film.

The rhythmic and rhyming structure of "WITHOUT YOU" is straightforward and effective, designed to emphasize its emotional directness. The song maintains a moderate tempo, driven by a simple, repeating acoustic guitar strumming pattern. This steady, almost ballad-like rhythm creates a melancholic foundation that allows the raw vocal melodies to stand out.

The rhyme scheme is generally simple, often following an AABB or ABCB pattern in the verses, which gives the lyrics a natural, conversational flow. For instance, in the first verse, "leave me" rhymes with "reasons" (a slant rhyme) and "mean it" rhymes with "repeat it." This approachable structure makes the song highly memorable and contributes to its singalong quality.

The pre-chorus ("So there you go, oh / Can't make a wife out of a ho, oh / I'll never find the words to say I'm sorry / But I'm scared to be alone") uses a clear rhyme between "go" and "ho," followed by two lines that don't rhyme, creating a pause in the pattern that emphasizes the final, vulnerable confession. The rhythm of the vocal delivery often feels loose and emotive, with phrases pushed and pulled against the steady instrumental beat, a common technique in emo rap that enhances the sense of emotional turmoil and authenticity.

"WITHOUT YOU" is characterized by a blend of musical and literary techniques that create its raw, emotional impact. Musically, the song is built on a simple, acoustic guitar-driven chord progression, which grounds it in a folk-pop and acoustic rock sensibility. This stripped-back instrumentation contrasts with The Kid LAROI's vocal delivery, which is a hallmark of the emo rap genre. His vocals are notably hoarse, strained, and pushed to the upper limits of his range, conveying a sense of desperation and raw anguish. This vocal style makes the emotional pain feel authentic and immediate.

The remix with Miley Cyrus introduces a call-and-response dynamic, turning the song into a conversational duet. Her voice, with its characteristic raspy and bluesy tone, complements LAROI's, adding a new layer of texture and a more melodic, pop-oriented feel. This back-and-forth structure musically represents the shared turmoil of the two characters in the relationship narrative.

Lyrically, the song employs a direct and conversational narrative voice, using blunt and unfiltered language (e.g., "Fuck all of your reasons," "Can't make a wife out of a ho") to express frustration and hurt. This directness makes the lyrics feel like a candid, almost diary-like confession. The primary literary device is the central metaphor of being physically wounded by the breakup ("You cut out a piece of me, and now I bleed internally"), which powerfully translates emotional pain into a physical sensation for the listener.

"WITHOUT YOU" achieved significant cultural impact, primarily fueled by its viral success on the social media platform TikTok in December 2020. The pre-chorus, particularly the line "Can't make a wife out of a ho," became a popular sound clip used in countless videos, often to humorously depict less-than-ideal romantic situations. This viral trend propelled the song into mainstream consciousness and onto global charts.

The release of the remix with Miley Cyrus in April 2021 further amplified its success. The collaboration pushed the song to a new peak of number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100, marking The Kid LAROI's first top-ten hit as a lead artist and Cyrus's tenth overall. It also reached number one on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and topped the singles chart in Australia, becoming LAROI's first number-one single in his home country. The song received multiple platinum certifications from the RIAA.

The collaboration was seen as a significant moment, bridging a rising Gen Z emo-rap star with an established pop icon. The duo performed the song on Saturday Night Live on May 8, 2021, cementing its place in the pop culture landscape of the year. The song is considered a cornerstone of The Kid LAROI's breakthrough into global stardom, solidifying his ability to blend heartfelt, raw lyrics with commercially successful melodies.

The most powerful metaphor in "WITHOUT YOU" is presented in the opening line of the chorus: "You cut out a piece of me, and now I bleed internally." This vivid and visceral image serves as the song's central symbolic theme. It frames the emotional pain of a breakup not as mere sadness, but as a physical assault. The act of "cutting out a piece" symbolizes the deep connection and integration of the partner into the narrator's identity; their departure is not just a loss, but a violent removal of a part of himself. The subsequent "internal bleeding" is a metaphor for the unseen, ongoing emotional suffering that festers beneath the surface, a wound that doesn't heal easily and is invisible to the outside world.

Another significant, though more implicit, element is the idea of the relationship as a recurring, inescapable cycle. The line, "Now I see it, you run and repeat it," suggests a pattern of behavior, possibly of leaving and returning, that has become a motif in their story. This transforms the specific breakup into a symbol of a larger, destructive loop from which the narrator feels powerless to escape. In the remix, Miley Cyrus introduces the metaphor of "sleeping with a ghost," which symbolizes the lingering presence of a past relationship. It suggests that even in physical absence, the emotional and psychological weight of the person remains, haunting the present and making it impossible to move on.

The most significant recurring phrase in the song is the title itself, "Without you," which anchors the chorus and is repeated throughout the post-chorus with a haunting, vocable-filled melody ("Oh-oh, woah-oh"). Its repetition drills home the central theme of emptiness and loss, making the narrator's state of being—defined by the absence of his partner—inescapable for the listener. This phrase becomes the song's emotional center of gravity.

The chorus, "You cut out a piece of me, and now I bleed internally / Left here without you," is the primary lyrical motif. It encapsulates the core metaphor of the song and is repeated multiple times, reinforcing the idea of deep, physical-like pain caused by the breakup.

Another crucial, and controversial, recurring line is, "Can't make a wife out of a ho." This phrase appears in the pre-chorus before each chorus. Its repetition signifies a cynical and recurring thought pattern for the narrator. It's a harsh judgment he returns to, likely as a coping mechanism to rationalize the pain and his own actions. Its recurrence highlights his internal conflict, toggling between this bitter sentiment and the vulnerable confession of being "scared to be alone" that immediately follows it. This repeated juxtaposition reveals the complexity and immaturity of his emotional response to the heartbreak.