"Broken Glass" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde, serving as the ninth track on her fourth studio album, Virgin. It was released on June 27, 2025, through Universal Music New Zealand and Republic Records.
Background[]
On May 28, 2025, Lorde released the tracklist for Virgin. "Broken Glass" was shown as the ninth track on the album.
Following Virgin’s autobiographical theme, “Broken Glass” finds listeners wading in the undercurrent of Lorde’s self-hatred, in a deeply confessional account of her battle with an eating disorder, which began during the pandemic and continued for several years, as she said in the Rolling Stone interview at the Virgin album rollout.[1]
Lorde stated that she completed the song after a year of work, as it was a very difficult writing process.
"I walked out of the studio, i ate something, i felt like i had to get out of the studio"
Lorde dove deeper into the meaning of “Broken Glass” in her interview in, “Lorde: Virgin and Being True to Herself” for Apple Music.
"I could not finish that song. I was so scared to be like, “Blah! But my eating disorder. Blah!” It was just so-, every part of me was like, “Don’t. Keep yourself safe.”
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Mystique is dead
Last year was bad
I let myself get
Sucked in by arithmetic
Felt great to strip
New waist to hip
I hate to admit
Just how much I paid for it
[Pre-Chorus]
Did I cry myself to sleep about that?
Cheat about that?
Rot teeth about that?
Did I sweat hours a week about that?
Compete about that?
Lose my freak about that?
Huh, all of the above
[Chorus]
I wanna punch the mirror
To make her see that this won't last
It might be months of bad luck
But what if it's just broken glass?
I spent my summer getting lost in math
Making weight took all I had
Won't outrun her if you don't hit back
It's just broken glass
[Verse 2]
I'm scared to quit
Loosen my grip
It's tough to admit
Just how much I get from it
[Pre-Chorus]
When I cry myself to sleep about that
Cheat about that
Get in too deep about that
When I sweat hours a week about that
Competе about that
Lettin' her treat mе like that
I think that it's love
[Chorus]
I wanna punch the mirror
To make her see that this won't last
It might be months of bad luck
But what if it's just broken glass?
I spent my summer getting lost in math
Making weight took all I had
Won't outrun it if you don't hit back
It's just broken glass
[Bridge]
Keep the faith (Broken glass)
Same mistakes (Broken glass)
Just a phase (Broken glass)
Just a phase
[Chorus]
I wanna punch the mirror
To make her see that this won't last
It might be months of bad luck
But what if it's just broken glass?
I spent my summer getting lost in math
Making weight takes all I had
Won't outrun it if you don't hit back
It's just broken glass
References[]
[]
 | |
|---|---|
| Discography | |
| Performing Artist(s) | Lorde |
| Official Release(s) | Virgin |
| Album Track Listing | "Hammer" • "What Was That" • "Shapeshifter" • "Man Of The Year" • "Favourite Daughter" • "Current Affairs" • "Clearblue" • "GRWM" • "Broken Glass" • "If She Could See Me Now" • "David" |
| Scrapped Tracks | "Invisible Ink" • "Magnetic" • "River" • "Silver Moon" • "Trying" • Unknown song written with Fabiana Palladino |
| Live Tour | Ultrasound World Tour |
| Other Eras | |
| Pure Heroine • Melodrama • Solar Power • Virgin | |