Behind the Meaning of Lainey Wilson’s “Ring Finger”

Lainey Wilson has many songs that feature a well-told and relatable storyline, but few are as cathartic as “Ring Finger.” Though we might not all have the gumption to up and leave when someone does us wrong, this song offers us a little relief imagining we’re the character in Wilson’s tale of lost love. Check out the meaning behind this song, below.

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Behind the Meaning of Lainey Wilson’s “Ring Finger”

We was two years in, it was just about time
That the line got walked and the knot got tied
I was tired of giving up the milk for free
So I said, “Boy, you better get on one knee”

Though Wilson boasts being in a happy relationship in real life, her character in “Ring Finger” has to beg her man to pop the question. I was tired of giving up the milk for free / So I said, “Boy, you better get on one knee,” Wilson says in the opening verse.

Well he popped the question and I took that rock
And I made me an appointment at the beauty shop
Got a little white dress and a boutonniere
While he was laying with the dog drinking day old beer

Well the big day comes and Wilson and her man take a trip to the courthouse to make things official. Their big plans get promptly cut off when Wilson sees a hair that doesn’t belong to her in the passenger seat of his car. Without asking too many questions, Wilson hops out of the car with her pride, her heart, and her diamond ring.

I hollered, “Tell me who”
He said, “Babe it ain’t like that”
I said, “Read between the lines”
Kept the cash and left his a
**

The chorus is where things get really cathartic. Anyone who has been through a heartbreak (ring or not) will know how good it feels to find a way to move on. Wilson sweetens her breakup by keeping the shiny piece of jewelry and throwing her two-timing man the bird. It’s not the most painful of revenges, but it does the trick.

Revisit this Wilson track, below.

I got the ring
He got the finger
Yeah, I hit the road ‘fore we’s on Jerry Springer
Love is sweet but you know what’s sweeter
I got the ring
He got the finger

Photo by Daniel DeSlover/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock