Kelsea Ballerini 'Rolling Up the Welcome Mat' Lyrics Explained

She’s not holding anything back! Kelsea Ballerini is telling her side of the story with a six-song EP and short film — which she wrote and directed — titled Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, which was released on Tuesday, February 14. Throughout the songs, the Tennessee native revealed the moment she told ex-husband Morgan Evans that it was “over” for her.

“I’m wearin’ the ring still, but I think I’m lyin’ / Sometimes you forget yours, I think we’re done tryin’ / I realize you loved me much more at 23,” the country star, 29, sings on the first track, “Mountain With a View.” Throughout the rest of the songs, Kelsea reveals what went wrong between them, seemingly giving answers to fan questions about the singers’ divorce.

Keep for all the details and a complete lyrics breakdown.

Is Kelsea Ballerini’s ‘Rolling Up the Welcome Mat’ About Morgan Evans?

While the songstress didn’t explicitly confirm that the songs and subsequent short film were about her split, tons of clues within the lyrics alluded to her recent divorce.

“Here’s my healing journey. Here’s my heart. Here’s my truth. I’ve never been this open, I’ve never been this bold, and I’ve never been this proud of my art,” the songstress shared via Instagram amid the release. “So with love and respect, I’m rolling up the welcome mat. Six song story and short film out now. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Kelsea and Morgan got married in 2017. Years later, in August 2022, the “Legends” songstress filed for divorce, according to court docs obtained by Life & Style. At the time, the former flames took to Instagram and wrote separate statements about their split. The divorce was finalized in November 2022, Life & Style confirmed.

“It hurts putting shit in a box / And now we don’t talk,” Kelsea sings on her new song “Penthouse,” seemingly referring to the split. “And it stings rolling up the welcome mat / Knowing you got half.”

What Is the Story Behind Kelsea Ballerini’s ‘Rolling Up the Welcome Mat’?

The 20-minute-long short film told a six-chapter story in which Kelsea recounted a tumultuous relationship and the moments leading up to its eventual end.

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“I wasn’t made for fixing a plate or keeping our problems buried,” she sings on the track “Just Married,” seemingly alluding to the fact that she hid a lot of issues in this past relationship. This is a theme that’s shared throughout the entirely of the EP, especially with track five, “Blindsided.” While asking her former partner “were you blindsided or were you just blind” within in the lyrics, Kelsea referenced a specific fight they had in 2019.

“Before that big show, we had a big fight / I slept on the couch and then the next night you put on your suit,” she recounted. “I put on a smile and sang about how it’s OK to cry, dying inside.”

Scroll through the gallery for a breakdown of Kelsea’s Rolling Up the Welcome Mat EP.

‘Mountain With a View’

The first track appears to show the moments before Kelsea realized that she wanted a divorce. “I can’t believe I’m a few months out from 29 / I can’t handle another year of you and I just bein’ fine,” she sings at one point in the song, seemingly referring to the fact that her and Morgan’s relationship wasn’t perfect.

‘Penthouse’

The songstress references the home she used to share with her ex. At the end of the track, Kelsea reveals that she since bought a house that they had seen together. “You said it was wrong / I wanted it all along,” she sings. Kelsea announced to fans in November 2022 that she had bought a new home.

During a May 2023 performance of the song, Kelsea swapped out the lyrics and debuted “the healed version.”
The original verse, “I kissed someone new last night / But now I don’t know where you’re sleeping, baby,” was changed to, ““I kissed someone new last night / And now I don’t care where you’re sleeping, baby.”
She later took to TikTok to reshare a clip of her performance, saying, “I think I’m gonna keep the lyric swap, yeah?”