Introduction
Miranda Lambert’s latest album, “Postcards from Texas,” is quickly becoming a talking point among fans and critics, but one song in particular, “Run,” has sparked considerable discussion. Many believe the track, number seven on the record, offers a deeply personal reflection on her 2015 divorce from fellow country star Blake Shelton.
While “Postcards from Texas” has garnered positive reviews for its musicality and storytelling, the spotlight remains firmly on “Run.” In recent interviews about the album, when pressed about the song’s potential connection to her past with Shelton, Lambert has chosen a subtle approach, neither confirming nor outright denying the widespread rumors.
The 2015 announcement of Lambert and Shelton’s split came as a surprise to many, with their joint statement emphasizing their “heavy hearts” and a plea for privacy. However, whispers of marital difficulties had circulated prior to their official separation. Notably, in a 2013 People magazine interview, Shelton alluded to their unique approach to trust, stating, “I tell Miranda I have nothing to hide from you… Here’s my phone, go through it.” This transparency, he suggested, was key to their relationship.
Following the divorce, Lambert herself opened up about the emotional toll in an interview with CBS News, admitting, “I wasn’t prepared for that… it’s not nice sometimes.” Yet, she found solace in her craft, adding, “I’m a singer-songwriter so luckily I can tell my whole truth.”
And it’s this “whole truth” that fans suspect is at the core of “Run.” Adding fuel to the fire, Lambert recently revealed that the song was actually written approximately a decade ago, a timeframe that aligns closely with her separation from Shelton. The poignant lyrics, such as “well it wasn’t that you didn’t have the answers there was just no question in my mind I was going to run” and “you took too long to see I was unhappy and I took too long to tell you that I was going to run,” certainly resonate with the narrative of a relationship’s unraveling.
In a conversation with Today’s Country Radio, Lambert explained her delay in releasing “Run,” citing the emotional difficulty of performing such a raw track live. “I wasn’t ever ready to perform it until now,” she shared, highlighting how time can heal and allow for the expression of previously painful experiences through song.
More recently, in an interview with Variety, Lambert further delved into the decade-long journey of “Run,” crediting her husband, Brendan McLoughlin, and co-producer John Randall for encouraging her to finally record it. When directly asked if the song was about Blake Shelton, Lambert again navigated the question carefully, emphasizing her desire to include self-penned, vulnerable songs on her albums. She acknowledged the discomfort that comes with such candid storytelling, noting, “when you cut a song that’s vulnerable like that you can’t blame it on your co-writers and say well that wasn’t my story.”
She expressed gratitude for the “nudge” from her inner circle, recognizing that these deeply personal songs, though challenging to create, are central to her artistic identity. “I promised to tell the truth when I started this journey and that that’s what I’m doing,” Lambert affirmed.
The speculation around “Run” continues, but one thing is clear: Miranda Lambert has once again delivered a powerful and resonant song that invites listeners to connect with her journey on a deeply emotional level. What do you think? Does “Run” tell the story of her divorce from Blake Shelton?