Swift dedicates this heartbreaking tune to her mother, Andrea, who was diagnosed with cancer in April 2015, then re-diagnosed some time in 2018. Swift previously spoke about her mother’s illness in a March 2019 piece for Elle Magazine, calling it a “real problem” she needs to prioritize.

During her Lover’s Lounge livestream the night before Lover’s release, Swift admitted this was the hardest song on the album for her to write, as well as explaining that her family discussed whether she should put it on the record. She later told Billboard she wasn’t sure whether she would ever play it live, though she ultimately did to help Global Citizen raise money for COVID-19 relief in April 2020.

This is the second song Swift has written for her mother — her 2008 song “The Best Day” describes their relationship through Swift’s childhood and teenage years. Both “The Best Day” and “Soon You’ll Get Better” are the twelfth tracks on their respective albums.

On a September 2019 interview, with BBC Radio 1, Swift revealed that she decided to include The Chicks on the track because they were her mother’s favorite band and were one of her inspirations to start a career in country music.