Soon You'll Get Better

Music critics acclaimed the vulnerable songwriting of "Soon You'll Get Better" and deemed Swift's vocals emotional; they compared the tone of the song to prayers and lullabies.

The album was influenced by the connections she felt with her fans on the Reputation Stadium Tour (2018), which helped her recalibrate her personal life and artistic direction after the media controversies surrounding her celebrity at the time.

[14][16] Time's Dana Schwartz described the track as a "tilt back to [Swift's] country roots"[17] and USA Today's Meave McDermott said it had a "Nashville feel".

[20] The lyrics detail Swift's emotions after learning about her mother's cancer diagnosis, starting with a scene where she and her mother are in a doctor's office ("The buttons of my coat were tangled in my hair in doctor's office lighting")[19] before proceeding with Swift's prayers to God ("Holy orange bottles, each night, I pray to you/ Desperate people find faith, so now I pray to Jesus too")[21] but also expressing her doubts in religion.

[25] Vulture's Jewly Height described the vocals as "hushed" and said that Swift's storytelling perspective was "like [that of] a cinematographer—first the focus on a tiny detail [...], then a zoomed-out shot of the settings where the trouble's playing out".

[14] Height praised Swift's delivery for exhibiting "breathiness, crisp enunciation, and telegraphed sincerity", which he deemed a welcoming sign of a return to the country roots of her earlier music after the "various shades of rhythmic, electronic-based pop" on her past albums.

[14] Consequence of Sound's Natalia Barr picked "Soon You'll Get Better" as one of the album's "essential" tracks, highlighting its acoustic production and "the most heavenly harmonies of [Swift's] career".

[26] Claire Shaffer of Rolling Stone and Jon Pareles from The New York Times praised the Dixie Chicks' harmony vocals for complementing the emotional impact; the former thought that the understated production highlighted Swift's lyrics,[13] which the latter found to contain "jolting specificity".

[12] Anna Gaca of Pitchfork said that the position of "Soon You'll Get Better" in Lover's track list after the "relentlessly upbeat" "London Boy" brings forth a "mood swing [that] will knock you sideways".

[29] Entertainment Weekly named "Soon You'll Get Better" as one of the ten "most emotionally devastating" songs of the 2010s decade and stated that the "heartbreaking" lyrics showcase Swift's pain and worry effectively.

[40][41] Jem Aswad of Variety thought that the track was suitable for "countless people praying for the recovery of loved ones affected by the coronavirus pandemic that the show is working to rally relief for".

[41] In MTV News, Trey Alston praised Swift's piano rendition for "bringing [the song] to life" and highlighted the simplicity of her performance: "There aren't any smiles, winks, or any other theatrics.

[43][44][45] Billboard commended that Swift "effectively ripped our hearts out and reminded us of the power of music to both reflect and ease our pain", describing the moment as "tough, lovely and cathartic".