Here's what he has to sing about Selena Gomez and his recent troubles.
Justin Bieber’s new album, Purpose, seems to serve two purposes.
First, to wax poetic about his on-again, off-again (and then on-again, and then off-again) relationship with Selena Gomez. During a recent visit to Ellen, Biebs admitted that three songs are explicitly about his ex -- “Mark My Words,” “Sorry,” and “What Do You Mean?” -- though we suspect she may have inspired one or two more.
Second, to give his side of the story regarding certain headlines he’s made in recent years, from his DUI to his arrest, allegations of assault to those naked pictures, and everything in between. Though Bieber professes he is “working on a better me” (see: No. 13), just last week his temper got the best of him when he flipped a chair at a restaurant, so.
WATCH: Justin Bieber Shows Concern for Kylie Jenner: 'It's F**ked, Bro’
Here are 14 of the most revealing lyrics, organized by their purpose:
About Selena Gomez (or Some Other Girlfriend, but Probably Selena):
1. “So you heard it all before / Falling in and out of trust / Trying to rekindle us / Only to lose yourself / But I won't let me lose you / And I won't let us just fade away / After all that we've been through, I'ma show you more than I ever could say.” (“Mark My Words”)
2. “First you wanna go to the left then you wanna turn right / Wanna argue all day, make love all night / First you're up, then you’re down and then between / Oh, I really want to know… What do you mean?” (“What Do You Mean?”)
[Note: It’s important to remember these are SPECIFICALLY about Selena.]
3. “You’re overprotective when I’m leaving / Trying to compromise but I can’t win / You want to make a point, but you keep preaching / You had me from the start, won't let this end.” (“What Do You Mean?”)
4. “I know you know that I made those mistakes maybe once or twice / By once or twice I mean maybe a couple a hundred times / So let me, let me redeem, redeem myself tonight / 'Cause I just need one more shot at second chances.” (“Sorry”)
5. “I'll take every single piece of the blame if you want me to / But you know that there is no innocent one in this game for two / I'll go, I'll go and then you go, you go out and spill the truth / Can we both say the words and forget this?” (“Sorry”)
6. “My mama don't like you and she likes everyone / And I never like to admit that I was wrong / And I've been so caught up in my job, didn't see what's going on / And now I know, I'm better sleeping on my own.” (“Love Yourself”)
7. “You ain't gotta answer none of my calls / I'm believing you'll pick up one day / I don't wanna add to your pain at all / I'm praying that time makes a change in your life / I'm realizing how much you made a change in my life.” (“No Pressure”)
8. “Talking to my conscience I made a few mistakes / I did it to myself I'm the only one to blame / I know you need a little while to believe again / To love again.” (“No Pressure”)
WATCH: Justin Bieber Reveals If He'll Get Back Together With Selena Gomez
About His Antics and How Hard It Is to Be Famous:
9. “My life is a movie and everyone's watching / So let's get to the good part and past all the nonsense.” (“I’ll Show You”)
10. “Sometimes it's hard to do the right thing / When the pressure's coming down like lightning / It's like they want me to be perfect / When they don't even know that I'm hurting.” (“I’ll Show You”)
11. “'Cause life's not easy, I'm not made out of steel / Don't forget that I'm human, don't forget that I'm real / Act like you know me, but you never will / There's one thing that I know for sure, I'll show you.” (“I’ll Show You”)
12. “Life is worth living, so live another day / The meaning of forgiveness / People make mistakes, doesn't mean you have to give in / Life is worth living again." (“Life Is Worth Living”)
13. “What I'd give for my affection / Is a different perception / From what the world may see / They try to crucify me / I ain't perfect, won't deny / My reputation's on the line / So I'm working on a better me.” (“Life Is Worth Living”)
14. “We weren't put in the best position to make the best decisions. You can't be hard on yourself for these were the cards that you were given so you have to understand that these, like, that's not who you are. You know you're trying to be the best you can be but that's all you can do. If you don't give it all you got, you're only cheating yourself. Give it all you got, but if it ends up happening, it ends up happening.” (“Purpose”)
Full disclosure, that last one is a spoken word segment included at the end of a song, but we’re counting it anyway.
Now, watch Bieber call out the crowd at a concert for not clapping on beat:
