“Mascara Tears” is a heart-wrenching ballad that captures the quiet devastation of hurting someone you love—and feeling that pain just as deeply. Asha Banks lays bare the complexity of guilt and longing, asking, “Can I break your heart and still feel broken?” Through vivid imagery and aching vocals,...
[Verse 1]
There's no easy way to tell you this, but I know that you should know
Say it over and believe in it, and it might cushion the blow
On my face there’s just mascara tears, and my stomach feels quite sick
It's eating me up a bit
[Pre-Chorus]
I know l'm not a villain, but l'm not the hero
And now I'm feeling helpless, but I can't let it show
'Cause this bit is about you
I get l'm the bad guy to just let you go
[Chorus]
Can I break your heart and still feel broken
'Cause I cried so hard I started choking
And I miss you still, it's not a joke that
I know I hurt you, but can I hurt too
[Verse 2]
There's no easy day to tell you this, so today will have to do
'Cause I can't just keep delaying this, can't keep ignoring you
On my face is still mascara tears, but you wipe them all away
[Pre-Chorus]
I know I'm not a villain, but I'm not the hero
And now I'm feeling helpless, but I can't let it show
'Cause this bit is about you
I get I'm the bad guy to just let you go
[Chorus]
Can I break your heart and still feel broken
'Cause I cried so hard I started choking
And I miss you still, it's not a joke that
I know I hurt you, but can I hurt, can I hurt too
Can I hurt too
[Bridge]
Can the world stop spinning for a minute
Can I bear the thought of you not in it
How am I supposed to feel as though I'm winning
When losing you is hurting me
[Chorus]
Can I break your heart and still feel broken
'Cause I cried so hard I started choking
And I miss you still, it's not a joke that
I know I hurt you, but can I hurt too
[Outro]
Can I break your heart and still feel broken
‘Cause I cried so hard I started choking
And I miss you still, it's not a joke that
I know I hurt you, but can I hurt, can I hurt too
Can I hurt too
Cause I hurt too
I hurt too
Mascara Tears was written by Asha Banks & Olivia Broadfield.
Mascara Tears was produced by Josh Bruce Williams.
Asha Banks released Mascara Tears on Fri Oct 03 2025.
I love this song so much. It was written on one of those days where I had so much to say and it all just came falling out into “Mascara Tears.” Seeing how it’s connected with people at my live shows already makes it feel so special to me.
— via Hashtag