Beyoncé’s leaked track is about her mom and has us feeling a lot of feelings

Beyoncé fans, the unthinkable has happened. Two tracks from her new album have leaked. The platinum edition re-release of Beyoncé comes out next Monday, but both “Ring Off” and “7/11” are out there on the Interwebz now. Turns out no matter how queenly you are, sometimes secrets just can’t be kept.

Of the two songs, the one that really has us reaching for the tissue box is “Ring Off.” Despite speculation that the song is about Bey and Jay, “Ring Off” is actually an ode to Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles. The song tells the story of how Tina overcame her tumultuous breakup with Beyoncé’s father, Matthew. Even while telling such an important story the track manages to be dance-able, empowering, sad, and inspirational all at once.

The song starts out:

Mama, I understand your many sleepless nights
When you sit and you think about Father
Or how you tried to be the perfect wife

You used to dress and fix your hair
Then you smiled through your tears
In the mirror you would stare
And say a prayer
Like “I wish he said I’m beautiful
I wish it didn’t hurt at all
I don’t know how I got here
I was once the one who had his heart”

Until you had enough then you took that ring off
You took that ring off
So tired of the lies and trying, fighting, crying
Took that ring off
Oh, now the fun begins
Dust yourself off and you love again
You found a new man now you shine and you’re fine
Like it’s my time, you took that ring off

Beyoncé has been known to sing a girls’ power anthem (or two, or three), but “Ring Off” is one of her best to date. Bringing such an honest and personal and grown up story to her audience is as vulnerable as it is liberating. Not often do we get a pop star singing so bravely and strongly about the devolution of a marriage, her parent’s marriage at that.

The placement of the song tagged onto the end of the Beyoncé mania also echoes Beyoncé’s Dangerously in Love album which ended with a song dedicated to her dad called “Daddy.” “I want my unborn son to be like my daddy / I want my husband to be like my daddy.” The tone has certainly changed. 

“Ring Off” sticks to Beyoncé’s feminist storyline and embraces her conviction that indeed it is girls who run the world and, in this case, make the very tough and very right decisions. Beyoncé sings, ““Always know that you’ve got a daughter / That’s so, so proud you took the high road.” Pass the tissues please. 

Preview the song right below or listen to the full version here.

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