8 Kelly Clarkson Lyrics That Spoke Directly To You

Kelly Clarkson has blessed us with her presence since 2002. Sure, at first it was only through American Idol and her delivery of other people's songs, but eventually, she made her own chart topping album, Thankful. One that sits high atop a pedestal in my house, in an impenetrable glass case, like the enchanted rose from Beauty and the Beast. Why? Because I am "thankful" for Miss Kelly Clarkson, OK?! From her debut album on, she has unintentionally narrated all of our lives. So much so, that she basically enabled us to navigate the extensive emotional landscape of being human. And, as I'm sure you know, the terrain of humanity can be, well, bumpy.

It's a pretty great thing that most of us now-adults have had her around through our adolescent, and then adult, turmoil. How else would we have known that other people, or at least one very special person, felt the same way we did?! So, in honor of Clarkson and her intuitive, cathartic jams that can make us as giddy as they can make us miserable, eight Kelly Clarkson lyrics that spoke right to us, just when we needed them.

When your parents totally didn't ~get you~ and you were sick of Simple Plan's "Perfect"

"I'm forced to fake/A smile, a laugh everyday of my life/My heart can't possibly break/When it wasn't even whole to start with"

When you're in the middle of a particularly grueling work out and you need to draw inspiration from a relationship that ended three years ago

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger/Stand a little taller/Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone/What doesn't kill you makes a fighter/Footsteps even lighter/Doesn't mean I'm over cause you're gone"

When your direct deposit goes through

"Miss independent/Miss self-sufficient/Miss keep your distance"

When you had to sacrifice your childhood stuffed bear sleeping companion to your mom so she could store it in the attic for "safe keeping"

"He’s soft to the touch/But frayed at the end he breaks/He’s never enough/And still he's more than I can take"

When your "friend" took the last slice of pizza while you were in the bathroom

"Have you ever been low?/Have you ever had a friend that let you down so?/When the truth came out/Were you the last to know?/Were you left out in the cold?/What you did was low"

When you left an assignment to the last minute and attempted an all-nighter

"'Cause the more that you try/The harder I'll fight/To say... Goodnight"

When you call a radio station to get free concert tickets

"So I won't worry about my timing, I want to get it right/No comparing, second guessing, no not this time"

When you try and seek revenge on the car that's repeatedly cut you off in heavy traffic

"I want you to know/That it doesn't matter/Where we take this road/But someone's gotta go"