This Old Britney Spears’ Song Might Actually Be About Her Secret Abortion, Here’s Why

Britney Spears revealed in her memoir that during her infamous relationship with Justin Timberlake, she had had a secret abortion. Since then, people have spotted a possible hidden message relating to the dramatic event in one of Spears’ songs and its music video.

The song was released 1 year after Britney and Justin Timberlake split.

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake met on the set of The All New Mickey Mouse Club, in 1992, but it was only in 1999 that they developed a romantic relationship, which went on to capture mainstream attention for a good part of the early 2000s. To the heartbreak of their massive followings, they broke up in 2002 after experiencing a profound love and a terminated pregnancy, which Spears made public in her memoir, The Woman in Me.

Shortly after the split, in November 2002, Timberlake released Cry Me a River, a single whose lyrics and music video led to strong speculation that Spears might have been unfaithful, leading to the end of the relationship.

Spears’ own track Everytime, originally released in the 2003 album In the Zone and later as a single in 2004, featured lyrics which also led many to believe it was a direct response to Timberlake. But the latter changed when the abortion made headlines.

Fans assigned a new meaning to the lyrics and music video after the revelation.

Those familiar with Everytime turned to the song’s lyrics and video after news of the abortion came out, with some verses and scenes from the clip standing out.

In a section of the music video, Spears walks through a hospital and a woman can be seen giving birth behind her. The baby is then shown in a close-up shot, right before the viewer finds out Spears was only dreaming and she wakes up. All the while, Spears sings the following verses:

• “Please forgive me / My weakness caused you pain / And this song’s my sorry / At night I pray / That soon your face will fade away”
• “And every time I try to fly I fall / Without my wings / I feel so small / I guess I need you baby /And every time I see / You in my dreams / I see your face / It’s haunting me / I guess I need you baby”

On X, the social media formerly known as Twitter, fans expressed how their view of the song changed. “Everytime by Britney Spears has a whole different meaning now,” one wrote. Someone else found a live performance of the song by the singer and pointed out how she “kept touching her stomach” throughout, adding, “It all makes sense now.”

Spears herself hasn’t clarified the real meaning behind the 2003 track.

Since people started theorizing about the true meaning of the song, Spears hasn’t spoken about the topic. However, she did suggest in a 2004 interview that it was indeed about her former relationship with Timberlake. “It’s about heartbreak, it’s about your first love, your first true love. That’s something all people can relate to, because you all have that first love that you think you’re going to be with the rest of your life,” she said.

She went on to become a mother of two.

In her memoir, Spears referred to the abortion as a traumatic event and made it clear that if it had been only up to her, she would have become a mother then.

Despite it all, she ended up having two sons with her second husband, Kevin Federline. The first, Sean Preston, was born when the singer was 24-years-old and the second, Jayden James, when she was 25. “There is nothing more rewarding than being a mom and watching my sons grow into young men,” she once said. “I am so lucky that I get to experience all of life’s adventures with them.”

When listening to music, some pay attention to the melody while others focus on the lyrics. Either way, not many people are able to guess the song by its first line. So, if you’re up for the challenge, go ahead!