Granger Smith tries to outrun a painful breakup — and ultimately finds himself running in circles — in "Hate You Like I Love You," a moody ode to how difficult it can be to move on from love.

In the song, Smith tries to forget his lost love by switching back to his bachelor-era drink of choice (whiskey, of course), meeting somebody new and even deleting his ex's number from his contact list. Ultimately, all of it is to no avail. In each repetition of the chorus, he realizes that he'd feel much better if he could turn the passion he feels for his ex from love, into hate.

Smith is no stranger to painting complex, evocative pictures in his lyrics. "Hate You Like I Love You" provides a satisfyingly tortured counterpart to the singer's more romantic hits, such as "If the Boot Fits" and "Happens Like That."

"Hate You Like I Love You" comes off of the first installment of Smith's 2020 double album, Country Things Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. The eight-track first chapter of the project, which arrived last August, also includes songs like "That's Why I Love Dirt Roads" and "Country Things," the latter of which Smith named alongside "Hate You Like I Love You" as two of his favorite tracks on the album.

He also explained that he felt like Country Things, as a whole, has been his best and most authentic body of work to date. Smith was in the process of making the album when he and his wife Amber's 3-year-old son, River, drowned in a tragic accident in the family's pool in June of 2019. At that time, the singer put his music plans on hold.

When he returned to his project the following year, he explained that he had undergone a shift in perspective that changed his outlook on both life and making music. "My life is just different now. Or maybe a better way to put it is, I see life differently now," he reflected.

Did You Know?: "Country and Ya Know It," one of the songs on Smith's Country Things Vol. 1, is a play on a familiar children's nursery rhyme. It also features a guest spot from the singer's alter ego, Earl Dibbles Jr.

Granger Smith's "Hate You Like I Love You" Lyrics:

I took your number out of my phone / I told myself that I'm better off / I take a different way home like I don't know where your house is / I got plenty of friends, like I'll be just fine without this /I'm right, you're wrong / I'm here, you're gone / No I don't wanna care anymore..

Chorus:

I'm just tryin' to hate you like I love you / Not want you like I need you / Forget you like I miss you / All of the time I'm just tryin' to / Let go like I hold tight / Sell myself a bad lie / Whatever I gotta do / Girl, I'm just tryin' to hate you like I love you...

I'm back to whiskey, it's good for me / Not like that red wine you made me drink / I found a new bar I like / I met a new girl last night / And she helps me not to think about you...

Repeat Chorus

I took your number out of my phone / I told myself that I'm better off / 'Cause I'm just trying to hate you like I love you / Hate you like I love you...

Repeat Chorus

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