Zayn Malik just dropped a new song, “Good Years” off his upcoming album and while fans are oh so happy they’re being treated to new tunes, this one is rather bittersweet. Based on the lyrics of the rather melancholy song, it looks like he’s throwing some shade at his One Direction days, really dragging the point home that he clearly wasn’t all that happy during his time being a member of the hugely successful boy band. UGH. And it looks like Louis Tomlinson has some thoughts about the song too, as he quickly took to Twitter to send out a message that fans are thinking he’s totally calling out his former bandmate.

“Proper confused. What a hypocrite!” the 26-year-old wrote.

And literally, all of our reactions were a mix of, SCREAMING. OMG. WHAT IS HAPPENING?

So in the song, Zayn opens the track getting us all right in the heart as he is seemingly looking back on a time in his life that he felt immense pain and based on the lyrics, it seems like he’s talking about being with 1D. Take a look at the chorus and first verse:

“I’d rather be anywhere
Anywhere but here
(Anywhere but here)
I’d rather be anywhere
Anywhere but here
(Anywhere but here)
I close my eyes and see a crowd of a thousand tears
(A thousand tears)
I pray to God I didn’t waste all my good years
(All my good years)
All my good years
(All my good years)
All my good years
(All my good years)

The voices screaming loud as hell
(Loud as hell, loud as hell)
We don’t care ’bout no one else
(About no one else, no one else)
Nothing in the world could bring us down
(Bring us down, bring us down)
Now we’re so high among the stars without a worry
(Without a worry)
And neither one, one of us wants to say we’re sorry
(Say we’re sorry)”

OK, so there’s a lot to break down here. Z is saying how he often felt like he wanted to be anywhere but here, which could easily be about his time in the band. It’s no secret the guys of One Direction had an intense recording and touring schedule and the always passionate fans could be “crowd of a thousand tears” and “the voices screaming loud as hell” the 25-year-old is referring to. But then Zayn sings how “nothing in the world could bring us down” and “neither one, one of us wants to say we’re sorry” which could be calling out his strained relationships with his former bandmates. Zayn has made it very clear that he wasn’t as close with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis as we all thought and since he’s left the group, he doesn’t consider them friends anymore. WE KNOW, IT’S TOO MUCH. But the truth bombs didn’t stop there. Zayn then goes into more detail, bringing up “fights” that the whole world will know about.

“What the hell were we fighting for?
(Fighting for)
‘Cause now the whole d**n world will know
(World will know)
That we’re too numb and just too dumb to change the story
(Change the story)
Neither one, one of us wants to say we’re sorry
(Say we’re sorry)”

This just keeps getting sadder! He then sings about how he simply needed “a chance just to breathe, feel alive,” which we’re assuming is referring to his decision to leave the group and pursue a solo career.

“Need a chance just to breathe, feel alive
And when the day meets the night, show me the light
(Show me the light)
Feel the wind and the fire hold the pain deep inside
It’s in my eyes
(My eyes)
In my eyes
(My eyes)”

Seriously, can’t handle how emotional this tune is. These lyrics have fans really thinking about all of the possible drama that was most likely going on behind-the-scenes (which Directioners didn’t know anything about) but ultimately, Zayn thinks of those days as “good years” of his life.

It’s clear Zayn really put his emotions out there for the world to hear with this song and now, we can’t wait to hear what else he has in store from us when Icarus Falls drops on Dec. 14. Might have to start stocking up on tissues now…

 

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