So, I bet those of you who don’t class yourself as a Swiftie are relieved that my Tay-Tay Top Five series is over for now. If that’s you, I have bad news. IT’S ANOTHER TAYLOR SWIFT THEMED POST!
To those of you who are Swifties, welcome. Let’s be friends. Anyway, on to today’s post. We all know that Taylor Swift is an incredible songwriter, and this post is going to pay homage to some of her best lyrics. Given that Taylor has recently started to re-record her first six albums, I thought now would be a good time to look back over my favourites. These aren’t necessarily my favourite Taylor Swift songs (although some of them are, and you may remember me discussing them in earlier posts), but they’re lyrics that I either relate to in some way or just really appreciate how powerful they are. I toyed with the idea of writing about my reasoning behind why I’ve chosen each lyric, but as you’ll see, there’s quite a selection here, and many of them I’ve actually spoken about in earlier posts, so I’ve linked to them if you want to check them out. Finally, when it comes to discussing Fearless, I’ve referenced the songs on the 2021 edition, which is why it’s featured at the end of the post.
Yes, this is essentially a massive list post. Sorry – I’ve started a new job and I’m really struggling to manage my time at the moment, hence why this post is late again! Normal service will resume when I finally get my shit together.
Taylor Swift (2006)
Mary’s Song (Oh My My My)
“Take me back to the time when we walked down the aisle
Our whole town came and our mamas cried
You said “I do” and I did too
Take me home where we met so many years before
We’ll rock our babies on that very front porch
After all this time, you and I”
Our Song
“Our song is the slamming screen door
Sneaking out late, tapping on your window
When we’re on the phone and you talk real slow
Cause it’s late and your mama don’t know
Our song is the way you laugh
The first date “man I didn’t kiss her and I should have”
And when I got home, ‘fore I said “amen”
Asking God if he could play it again”
Speak Now (2010)
Mine
“You are the best thing that’s ever been mine”
Sparks Fly
“Drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain”
Dear John
“I’m shining like fireworks over your sad, empty town”
Mean
“Someday, I’ll be living in a big old city
And all you’re ever gonna be is mean
Someday, I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me
And all you’re ever gonna be is mean”
Never Grow Up
“So here I am in my new apartment
In a big city, they just dropped me off
It’s so much colder than I thought it would be
So I tuck myself in and turn my night light on
Wish I’d never grown up”
Enchanted
“Please don’t be in love with someone else
Please don’t have somebody waiting on you”
Long Live
“Long live all the mountains we moved
I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you”
Red (2012)
All Too Well
“I might be okay but I’m not fine at all”
“I’d like to be my old self again, but I’m still trying to find it”
22
“We’re happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time”
Holy Ground
“Tonight I’m gonna dance for all that we’ve been through
But I don’t wanna dance if I’m not dancing with you”
1989 (2014)
Out of the Woods
“The monsters turned out to be just trees”
Shake It Off
“Haters gonna hate”
“It’s like I’ve got this music in my mind
Saying it’s gonna be alright”
Clean
“When I was drowning, that’s when I could finally breathe”
Reputation (2017)
I Did Something Bad
“If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing”
Look What You Made Me Do
“Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time”
Gorgeous
“You’ve ruined my life by not being mine”
“Guess I’ll just stumble on home to my cats”
Getaway Car
“X marks the spot where we fell apart”
“Nothing good starts in a getaway car”
This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
“Here’s a toast to my real friends
They don’t care about the he said, she said
And here’s to my baby
He ain’t reading what they call me lately
And here’s to my mama
Had to listen to all this drama
And here’s to you
‘Cause forgiveness is a nice thing to do…(laughs)
I can’t even say that with a straight face”
New Year’s Day
“Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you”
Lover (2019)
Cruel Summer
“I’m drunk in the back of the car
And I cried like a baby coming home from the bar
Said I was fine but it wasn’t true
I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you”
Lover
“You’ll save all your dirtiest jokes for me
And at every table, I’ll save you a seat”
The Man
“I’d be a fearless leader
I’d be an alpha type
When everyone believes you
What’s that like?”
Paper Rings
“I like shiny things but I’d marry you with paper rings”
Death by a Thousand Cuts
“My heart, my hips, my body, my love
Trying to find a part of me that you didn’t touch
Gave up on me like I was a bad drug
Now I’m searching for signs in a haunted club
Our songs, our films, united we stand
Our country, guess it was a lawless land
Quiet my fears at the touch of your hand
Papercut stings with my paper thin plans
My time, my wine, my spirit, my trust
Trying to find a part of me you didn’t take up
Gave you so much but it wasn’t enough
But I’ll be alright, it’s just a thousand cuts”
Soon You’ll Get Better
“And I hate to make this all about me
But who am I supposed to talk to?
What am I supposed to do?
If there’s no you?”
You Need to Calm Down
“Shade never made anybody less gay”
ME!
“You can’t spell awesome without me!”
Daylight
“You gotta step into the daylight and let it go”
Folklore (2020)
The Last Great American Dynasty
“They say she was seen on occasion
Pacing the rocks, staring out at the midnight sea
And in a feud with her neighbour
She stole his dog and dyed it key lime green
Fifty years is a long time
Holiday House sat quietly on that beach
Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits
And then it was bought by me”
Exile (feat. Bon Iver)
“So step right out
There is no amount
Of crying I can do for you”
Mirrorball
“And they called off the circus, burned the disco down
When they sent home the horses and the rodeo clowns
I’m still on that tightrope, I’m still trying everything
To get you laughing at me
I’m still a believer but I don’t know why
I’ve never been a natural
All I do is try, try, try
I’m still on that trapeze, I’m still trying everything
To keep you looking at me”
August
“Back when we were still changing for the better
Wanting was enough, for me it was enough
To live for the hope of all
Cancel plans just in case you’d call and say “Meet me behind the mall”
So much for summer love, for saying ‘us’
‘Cause you weren’t mine to lose”
This is Me Trying
“Pulled the car off the road to the lookout
Could have followed my fears all the way down
And maybe I don’t quite know what to say
But I’m here in your doorway
I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying”
“And it’s hard to be at a party
When I feel like an open wound
It’s hard to be anywhere when all I want is you”
Epiphany
“Something med school did not cover
Someone’s daughter, someone’s mother
Holds your hand through plastic now
‘Doc, I think she’s crashing out’
And some things you just can’t speak about”
Betty
“Yeah I showed up at your party
Will you have me? Will you love me?
Will you kiss me on the porch in front of all your stupid friends?
If you kiss me, will it be just like I dreamed it?
Will it patch your broken wings?
I’m only seventeen, I don’t know anything
But I know I miss you”
Peace
“There’s robbers to the east, clowns to the west
I’d give you my sunshine, give you my best
But the rain is always gonna come, if you’re standing with me”
Evermore (2020)
Willow
“I come back stronger than a 90s trend”
Champagne Problems
“She would have made such a lovely bride,
What a shame she’s fucked in the head”
Gold Rush
“What must it be like to be that beautiful?”
Happiness
“There’ll be happiness after me, but there was happiness because of me”
Long Story Short
“Past me, I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things
Your nemeses will defeat themselves before you get the chance to swing
And he’s passing by
Rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky
And he feels like home
If the shoe fits, walk in it
Everywhere you go”
“Long story short, I survived”
Marjorie
“Never be so kind, you forget to be clever
Never be so clever, you forget to be kind”
“Never be so polite, you forget your power
Never wield such power, you forget to be polite”
Evermore (feat. Bon Iver)
“I couldn’t be sure, I had a feeling so peculiar
This pain wouldn’t be for evermore”
It’s Time To Go
“Sometimes giving up is the strong thing
Sometimes to run is the brave thing
Sometimes walking out is the one thing
That will find you the right thing”
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
Fifteen (Taylor’s Version)
“In your life, you’ll do things greater than
Dating the boy on the football team
But I didn’t know it at fifteen”
“I’ve found time can heal most anything
And you just might find who you’re supposed to be
I didn’t know who I was supposed to be
At fifteen”
The Best Day (Taylor’s Version)
“I’m thirteen now and don’t know how my friends can be so mean
I come home crying
And you hold me tight
And grab the keys
And we drive and drive
Until we found a town far enough away
And we talk and window shop
Till I forgotten all their names
I don’t know who I’m gonna talk to now at school
But I know I’m laughing
On the car ride home with you
Don’t know how long it’s gonna take to feel okay
But I know I had the best day with you today”
Mr Perfectly Fine (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)
“Goodbye Mr Perfectly Fine
How’s your heart after breaking mine?
Mr Always at the Right Place at the Right Time, baby
Goodbye Mr Casually Cruel
Mr Everything Revolves Around You
I’ve been Miss Misery for the last time
And you’re Mr Perfectly Fine”
Bye Bye Baby (Taylor’s Swift) (From the Vault)
“Bye bye to everything I thought was on my side”
So there you go, a whistle stop tour of my favourite lyrics in Taylor Swift songs. There’s some epic AF bridges as well as some simple lines that are pure perfection. It was hard to narrow these down too, believe it or not. I don’t know about you, but I’m buzzing for the release of Red (Taylor’s Version) in November, because there’s going to be a whopping 30 tracks on there, so you can almost guarantee that there will be plenty more to add to this list! Let me know your favourite Taylor Swift lyrics in the comments and share the love!
Sassy Cat Lady 