Better Days

Why 'Better Days' Feels Like a Lifeline

The meaning of Better Days Dermot Kennedy, EARTHGANG comes through fast: this is a song about telling someone to hold on when life feels cruel, slow, and heavy. It speaks to pain without getting trapped in it. Instead, it keeps turning toward hope.

Dermot Kennedy released "Better Days" in 2021, and the remix featuring EARTHGANG expanded its reach and emotional frame. The song was written by Dermot Kennedy with Carey Willetts, Daniel Nigro, Samuel Roman, and Scott Harris, with credits listed by sources such as Genius and TIDAL. Those facts matter because the track sounds built to be communal: part pop anthem, part personal pep talk.

A Promise Made in the Middle of Pain

At its core, the song tells a hurting person that their current season is not permanent. The opening idea, better days are comin', is simple on purpose. It sounds like the kind of line someone repeats when nothing else feels strong enough.

The verses make that promise feel earned. The person in the song has been crying, waiting, and carrying weight for years. The track does not say pain is small. It says pain has lasted long enough that hope now has to sound stubborn.

Interpretation: That is why the song lands for so many listeners. It offers comfort, but not cheap comfort. It admits that the waiting has been brutal before it reaches for light.

Watch the official Better Days music video

Who They Seem to Be Singing To

The song works like a direct address to someone in distress. Kennedy sings as if they are on the other end of a call, trying to steady a person who is close to breaking. The phrase you've been hurtin' matters because it recognizes suffering before offering advice.

That choice is important. Many inspirational songs rush to the solution. "Better Days" pauses long enough to say: they see the damage, they hear the tears, and they understand the fatigue.

A Private Message That Becomes Public

Even though the voice sounds personal, the song is broad enough to fit many lives. It can be heard as a message to a partner, a friend, a family member, or even to the self. By the end, the repeated reassurance feels less like one conversation and more like a shared survival anthem.

The Images That Carry the Song

The writing uses familiar but effective symbols. One of the strongest is waitin' on a train. In plain terms, that image captures delay. It suggests hoping for change, watching for signs, and feeling stranded when nothing arrives.

Then the song adds weather. When it says the rain, it ain't permanent, it turns sadness into a storm that will pass. That image matters because rain can feel endless while it is happening, even when it is not.

The answer to that darkness is sunlight and motion. The line about dancin' in the sun imagines joy not as a quiet relief, but as a full-body return to life. They are not just surviving in the future. They are moving again.

Your story's gonna change
just wait for better days

That brief moment sums up the song’s emotional logic: the future is not guaranteed to be easy, but it is still open.

What EARTHGANG Adds to the Meaning

EARTHGANG’s verse changes the tone in a useful way. Kennedy’s sections are tender and soothing. EARTHGANG arrives with force, grit, and self-belief. Their imagery of fighting through doubt, growing through pressure, and turning opposition into fuel gives the song a second kind of hope.

This matters because it widens the message. Hope is not only something a person receives from others. Sometimes it is something they build through resistance. The verse about rising despite being counted out makes the track feel tougher and more grounded.

Interpretation: Without EARTHGANG, the song would still be comforting. With them, it also becomes defiant.

How the Sound Supports the Message

Production is a big part of why the song feels uplifting rather than sentimental. Kennedy often builds songs around emotional vocal delivery, layered harmonies, and steady rhythmic lift, as heard across his catalog documented by Island Records and AllMusic. "Better Days" follows that pattern.

The arrangement starts with warmth and space, giving the voice room to sound intimate. As the chorus returns, the production grows brighter and fuller. That rise mirrors the lyric’s central claim: darkness may feel endless, but it will not stay in control.

EARTHGANG’s entrance also sharpens the contrast. Their cadence brings motion and muscle, so the song stops feeling like a whispered assurance and starts feeling like a march forward.

Why the Chorus Sticks So Hard

The chorus repeats because reassurance often needs repetition. When someone is overwhelmed, one encouraging sentence usually is not enough. The song understands that.

By circling back to the same core idea, it acts almost like a mantra. That is also why the final sections feel communal. The repeated promise and the image of singing together suggest healing as something shared, not isolated.

Final Take on the Song's Heart

The meaning of Better Days Dermot Kennedy, EARTHGANG is about hope that has looked pain in the face and kept speaking anyway. It tells listeners that grief, delay, and loneliness are real, but they are not the end of the story.

Its power comes from balance: softness and strength, private comfort and public resilience, weather imagery and forward motion. That mix is why the song feels less like fantasy and more like a hand on the shoulder.

Disclaimer: This interpretation is based on the lyrics, performance, and available song context. As with any song, listeners may hear meanings that are personal to their own lives.