Taylor Swift's vast musical catalog has something for just about everyone, from fans of bops (Alexa, play 1989) to those who enjoy heart-wrenching ballads (See: Folklore, Evermore and The Tortured Poets Department). Every time Swift releases an album, fans know we're in for a rollercoaster ride of powerful emotion, strong storytelling and revealing personal narrative.
On the heels of her latest album release, The Tortured Poets Department, we Swifties have been busy decoding and absorbing lyrics from a whopping 31 songs poignantly chronicling heartbreak, grief, love and trauma. In addition to new album drops, fans now also look forward to rereleases of the singer-songwriter's first six albums, which include never-before-released "From the Vault" songs.
See also: The Complete Guide to Taylor Swift's New 'Tortured Poets' Double Album, by Fans for Fans
Here are some of my all-time favorite lyrics Swift has written. This doesn't include every great line she's ever penned (otherwise this list would be much, much longer). Rather, they're lyrics I've often reflected on and discussed with fellow fans, and have found deep personal meaning in.
"You
can
plan
for
a
change
in
the
weather
and
time,
but
I
never
planned
on
you
changing
your
mind."
(Last
Kiss)
--
A
poetic
way
of
describing
unforeseen
heartbreak.
"You
call
me
up
again
just
to
break
me
like
a
promise,
so
casually
cruel
in
the
name
of
being
honest."
(All
Too
Well)
--
I
could
quote
this
entire
song
because
it's
a
lyrical
masterpiece.
But
I'm
trying
to
be
selective.
"And
you
say
I
abandoned
the
ship,
but
I
was
going
down
with
it,
my
white
knuckle
dying
grip,
holding
tight
to
your
quiet
resentment."
(So
Long,
London)
--
At
a
certain
point,
you've
just
got
to
let
go.
"You
know
there's
many
different
ways
that
you
can
kill
the
one
you
love,
the
slowest
way
is
never
loving
them
enough."
(High
Infidelity)
--
Emotional
pain
can
be
the
most
lethal.
"You
kept
me
like
a
secret,
but
I
kept
you
like
an
oath."
(All
Too
Well,
10
Minute
Version)
--
This
line
succinctly
illustrates
the
very
different
way
two
people
can
view
the
same
relationship:
One
as
something
sacred
and
cherished,
the
other
as
something
to
keep
hidden
and
downplay.
That
distinction
can
make
all
the
difference.
"If
I'm
dead
to
you
why
are
you
at
the
wake,
cursing
my
name,
wishing
I
stayed?"
(My
Tears
Ricochet)
--
Chilling,
haunting
lyrics.
It's
what
Swift
does
best.
"And
now
that
I'm
grown,
I'm
scared
of
ghosts,
memories
feel
like
weapons."
(Would've,
Could've,
Should've)
--
There
are
some
moments
that
will
always
haunt
you,
no
matter
how
much
time
passes.
"I
was
so
ahead
of
the
curve,
the
curve
became
a
sphere.
Fell
behind
all
my
classmates
and
I
ended
up
here."
(This
is
Me
Trying)
--
This
is
a
relatable
sentiment
for
anyone
who
has
high
ambitions
but
feels
like
they
just
can't
make
them
a
reality,
or
who
finds
themselves
drawing
comparisons
to
others.
"What
we
thought
was
for
all
time
was
momentary,
still
alive,
killing
time
at
the
cemetery,
never
quite
buried."
(Loml)
--
Some
things,
you
expect
to
live
forever.
"You
come
away
with
a
great
little
story
of
a
mess
of
a
dreamer
with
the
nerve
to
adore
you."
(Cold
As
You)
--
From
the
earliest
days
of
her
career,
Miss
Swift
knew
how
to
nail
a
tearjerker.
"Criticize
the
way
you
fly
when
you're
soaring
through
the
sky,
shoot
you
down
and
then
they
sigh
and
say,
"She
looks
like
she's
been
through
it."
(Nothing
New)
--
This
From
the
Vault
track
from
Red
is
a
chilling
look
into
the
anxiety
Swift
felt
at
this
point
in
her
career,
and
feels
like
an
ominous
foreshadowing
of
the
media
target
she'd
truly
become
in
the
coming
years.
"I
rewind
thе
tape
but
all
it
does
is
pause
on
thе
very
moment
all
was
lost."
(Evermore)
--
It
can
be
difficult
to
overcome
the
moment
everything
fell
apart
and
we
find
ourselves
replaying
that
pain
over
and
over,
rather
than
seeing
the
bigger
picture
and
the
light
at
the
end
of
the
tunnel.
"There'll
be
happiness
after
you,
but
there
was
happiness
because
of
you.
Both
of
these
things
can
be
true."
(Happiness)
--
A
truly
accurate
characterization
of
both
the
optimism
and
struggle
of
getting
over
someone.
"You
taught
me
about
your
past
thinking
your
future
was
me."
(All
Too
Well)
--
OK
sorry,
I
couldn't
help
it
--
one
more
from
All
Too
Well.
This
is
one
of
my
all-time
favorite
lyrics.
In
just
a
few
words,
it
sums
up
the
fallen
dreams
of
doomed
love.
"Wasn't
it
beautiful
running
wild
'til
you
fell
asleep,
before
the
monsters
caught
up
to
you?"
(Innocent)
--
A
tragic
ode
to
innocence
and
youth.
"Who
could
ever
leave
me,
darling,
but
who
could
stay?"
(Archer)
--
Swift
poignantly
depicts
the
dichotomy
between
feeling
worthy
of
love
and
questioning
that
very
right.
"You
kicked
out
the
stage
lights,
but
you're
still
performing."
(The
Smallest
Man
Who
Ever
Lived)
--
Even
after
the
"show"
is
over,
some
people
may
not
demonstrate
who
they
really
are.
"You
had
a
speech,
you're
speechless.
Love
slipped
beyond
your
reaches."
(Champagne
Problems)
--
Oh,
how
quickly
things
can
change
and
render
our
dreams
useless.
"You're
not
my
homeland
anymore,
so
what
am
I
defending
now?"
(Exile)
--
Cold,
sharp
lyrics
to
convey
the
struggle
of
coping
with
detrimental
loss.
Miss Swift sure knows how to tap into heartbreak.
Getty Images
"I
don't
like
that
falling
feels
like
flying
'til
the
bone
crush."
(Gold
Rush)
--
How
does
one
come
up
with
a
line
this
poetic?
"You
swore
that
you
loved
me
but
where
were
the
clues?
I
died
on
the
altar
waiting
for
the
proof."
(So
Long,
London)
--
All
talk
and
no
action.
"Just
because
you're
clean
don't
mean
you
don't
miss
it."
(Clean)
--
Truer
words
on
lost
love
have
never
been
spoken.
"Time
is
taking
its
sweet
time
erasing
you,
and
you've
got
your
demons
and
darling,
they
all
look
like
me."
(Sad
Beautiful
Tragic)
--
Moving
on
and
forgetting
isn't
always
easy.
"I
guess
it's
true
that
love
was
all
you
wanted,
'cause
you're
giving
it
away
like
it's
extra
change.
Hoping
it
will
end
up
in
his
pocket,
but
he
leaves
you
out
like
a
penny
in
the
rain,
oh,
'cause
it's
not
his
price
to
pay."
(Tied
Together
With
a
Smile)
--
Symbolism
is
something
Swift
has
always
done
quite
well.
"Take
the
words
for
what
they
are:
a
dwindling,
mercurial
high;
a
drug
that
only
worked
the
first
few
hundred
times."
(Illicit
Affairs)
--
Ah,
the
fleeting,
deceptive
nature
of
ephemeral
love.
"It
turns
out
freedom
ain't
nothin'
but
missing
you."
(Back
to
December)
--
This
is
a
deep,
personal
admission
of
making
a
grave
mistake,
which
is
never
easy
to
own
up
to.
"If
I
can't
relate
to
you
anymore,
then
who
am
I
related
to?"
(Coney
Island)
--
It
can
be
all
too
easy
to
become
so
consumed
in
a
relationship
that
you
feel
lost
when
it
ends.
"A
greater
woman
has
faith,
but
even
statues
crumble
if
they're
made
to
wait."
(The
Prophecy)
--
Patience
can
take
its
toll
on
anyone.
"Please
don't
ever
become
a
stranger
whose
laugh
I
could
recognize
anywhere."
(New
Year's
Day)
--
This
level
of
specificity
is
a
vivid
illustration
of
just
how
much
she
fears
losing
the
love
of
her
life.
"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?"
(Soon
You'll
Get
Better)
--
There's
a
reason
this
song
gets
Swift
choked
up.
"Old
habits
die
screaming."
(The
Black
Dog)
It's
not
so
easy
to
move
on.
"Only
20
minutes
to
sleep,
but
you
dream
of
some
epiphany."
(Epiphany)
--
This
song,
a
moving
tribute
to
health
care
workers
during
the
pandemic,
never
fails
to
give
me
goosebumps.
"The
old
widow
goes
to
the
stone
every
day.
But
I
don't,
I
just
sit
here
and
wait,
grieving
for
the
living."
(Ivy)
--
Loss
comes
in
all
forms.
"'Cause
you
know
I
love
the
players
and
you
love
the
game."
(Blank
Space)
--
It
takes
two
to
tango.
"You
paint
me
a
blue
sky
and
go
back
and
turn
it
to
rain.
And
I
lived
in
your
chess
game,
but
you
changed
the
rules
every
day."
(Dear
John)
--
Swift
always
does
an
incredible
job
of
conveying
the
game-like
nature
of
love.
These
lyrics
are
particularly
heart-rending.
"You
did
a
number
on
me,
but
honestly,
baby,
who's
counting?"
(So
it
Goes...)
--
I
love
when
she
gets
all
poetic
like
this.
"We
never
painted
by
the
numbers,
baby,
but
we
were
making
it
count."
(The
1)
--
Another
fun
instance
of
word
play.
"It's
poker,
you
can't
see
it
in
my
face,
but
I'm
about
to
play
my
ace."
(New
Romantics)
--
Brilliantly
clever.
"We
are
alone
with
our
changing
minds,
we
fall
in
love
'til
it
hurts
or
bleeds
or
fades
in
time."
(State
of
Grace)
--
That's
pretty
much
how
it
goes.
"I
love
you,
it's
ruining
my
life."
(Fortnight)
--
Sometimes
(unrequited)
love
can
be
quite
an
inconvenience.
"I
love
you,
ain't
that
the
worst
thing
you
ever
heard?"
(Cruel
Summer)
--
This
epic
track
is
filled
with
punchy
lyrics,
but
this
one
takes
the
cake.
"Spinning
like
a
girl
in
a
brand
new
dress,
we
had
this
big
wide
city
all
to
ourselves.
We
blocked
the
noise
with
the
sound
of,
'I
need
you,'
And
for
the
first
time
I
had
something
to
lose."
(Holy
Ground)
--
The
underlying
fear
of
impending
loss
here
is
so
tragically
brilliant.
"Love
is
a
ruthless
game
unless
you
play
it
good
and
right."
(State
of
Grace)
--
Another
solid
example
of
relating
love
to
a
game.
"There's
no
morning
glory,
it
was
war,
it
wasn't
fair."
(The
Great
War)
--
There's
nothing
quite
like
the
relief
of
calling
a
truce
in
a
battle
no
one
was
going
to
win.
"Remind
myself
the
more
I
gave,
you'd
want
me
less."
(Now
That
We
Don't
Talk)
--
Oh,
that
strange,
inverse
dynamic.
"I
walked
out,
I
said,
I'm
setting
you
free.
But
the
monsters
turned
out
to
be
just
trees."
(Out
of
the
Woods)
--
The
illusion
of
fear
is
a
tricky
one
to
overcome.
"All
we
are
is
skin
and
bone
trained
to
get
along,
forever
going
with
the
flow,
but
you're
friction."
(Treacherous)
--
Swift
poetically
describes
falling
for
someone
she
knows
she
shouldn't.
"Fighting
with
a
true
love
is
boxing
with
no
gloves,
chemistry
'til
it
blows
up,
'til
there's
no
us."
(Afterglow)
--
Here,
Swift
paints
a
clear
picture
of
the
fact
that
hurting
someone
you
love
will
harm
both
parties.
"I
broke
my
own
heart
'cause
you
were
too
polite
to
do
it."
(Suburban
Legends)
--
Ah,
that
painful
waiting
game.
"You
drew
stars
around
my
scars,
but
now
I'm
bleeding."
(Cardigan)
--
Healing
isn't
always
permanent.
"So
you
were
never
a
saint
and
I've
loved
in
shades
of
wrong.
We
learn
to
live
with
the
pain,
mosaic
broken
hearts."
(State
of
Grace)
--
Love
isn't
always
picturesque,
but
it
can
still
be
beautiful.
(Yes,
I
realize
I've
now
quoted
State
of
Grace
three
times
but
I
can't
help
it.)
"Remember
when
I
pulled
up
and
said,
'Get
in
the
car,'
and
then
canceled
my
plans
just
in
case
you'd
call,
back
when
I
was
living
for
the
hope
of
it
all."
(August)
--
Many
of
us
felt
personally
attacked
by
these
lyrics
about
holding
onto
love
that
was
never
really
ours.
"But
I've
seen
this
episode
and
still
loved
the
show."
(The
Tortured
Poets
Department)
--
That
potentially
slippery
slope
of
allowing
a
(recurring)
character
flaw
slide
because
you
like
the
bigger
picture.
"I
broke
his
heart
'cause
he
was
nice."
(Midnight
Rain)
--
Welp,
some
actions
just
can't
be
justified.
"Life
was
a
willow
and
it
bent
right
to
your
wind,
but
I
come
back
stronger
than
a
'90s
trend."
(Willow)
--
Taylor
Swift,
queen
of
the
punchy
metaphor.
"I'm
a
mess,
but
I'm
the
mess
that
you
wanted."
(Dancing
With
Our
Hands
Tied)
--
This
is
what
you
signed
up
for.
Taylor Swift often leaves fans wonderstruck at her lyrics.
Getty Images
"If
a
man
talks
shit
then
I
owe
him
nothing."
(I
Did
Something
Bad)
--
Preach.
"I
could
build
a
castle
out
of
all
the
bricks
they
threw
at
me."
(New
Romantics)
--
And
they've
thrown
a
lot
of
bricks.
"My
castle
crumbled
overnight,
I
brought
a
knife
to
a
gun
fight,
they
took
the
crown
but
it's
alright."
(Call
it
What
You
Want)
--
That
castle
she
mentioned
in
New
Romantics
apparently
wasn't
built
to
last.
But
she
has
what
she
needs
in
the
love
of
her
life,
no
matter
what
everyone
else
is
saying
about
her
or
doing,
and
that's
true
strength.
"I
bury
hatchets
but
I
keep
maps
of
where
I
put
'em."
(End
Game)
--
Forgive,
but
don't
forget.
"Band-aids
don't
fix
bullet
holes."
(Bad
Blood)
--
Keep
your
fake
apologies.
"Boys
will
be
boys,
then
where
are
the
wise
men?"
(Miss
Americana
&
the
Heartbreak
Prince)
--
I
wish
I
knew.
"I
had
a
marvelous
time
ruining
everything."
(The
Last
Great
American
Dynasty)
--
There's
a
high
likelihood
you've
either
made
this
your
Instagram
caption
or
thought
about
it.
"I'm
so
sick
of
running
as
fast
as
I
can,
wondering
if
I'd
get
there
quicker
if
I
was
a
man."
(The
Man)
--
Same
girl,
same.
"I
bet
you
couldn't
believe
when
you
realized
I'm
harder
to
forget
than
I
was
to
leave."
(I
Bet
You
Think
About
Me)
--
Through
the
pain,
Swift
penned
this
song
with
all
the
right
levels
of
sass.
"A
red
rose
grew
up
out
of
ice
frozen
ground,
with
no
one
around
to
tweet
it."
(The
Lakes)
--
This
is
such
vibrant
imagery
of
regrowth
following
hostility,
away
from
prying
eyes
and
skeptics.
"Never
be
so
politе
you
forget
your
power.
Nevеr
wield
such
power
you
forget
to
be
polite."
(Marjorie)
--
These
are
words
to
live
by.
"Your
nemeses
will
defeat
themselves
before
you
get
the
chance
to
swing."
(Long
Story
Short)
--
Don't
get
too
caught
up
in
the
little
things.
"Everything
you
lose
is
a
step
you
take."
(You're
On
Your
Own,
Kid)
--
An
important
reminder
for
when
you've
lost
something
you
thought
you
couldn't
live
without.
That
push
could
be
the
thing
that
lands
you
exactly
where
you
need
to
be.
"Love's
never
lost
when
perspective
is
earned."
(Peter)
--
Sometimes,
you've
gained
something
greater
than
what
you've
lost.
"Nothing
safe
is
worth
the
drive."
(Treacherous)
--
Indeed.
"When
you're
young,
you
just
run,
but
you
come
back
to
what
you
need."
(This
Love)
--
Finding
truth
and
purpose
is
everything,
and
it'll
all
come
in
time.
"Time,
mystical
time,
cutting
me
open,
then
healing
me
fine."
(Invisible
String)
--
Time
really
does
heal
all
wounds,
even
the
deepest
ones.
A
grown-up
Swift
now
knows
that.
"Now
I
know
why
all
the
trees
change
in
the
fall,
I
know
you
were
on
my
side
even
when
I
was
wrong."
(The
Best
Day)
--
This
line
(and
entire
song,
which
is
a
heartwarming
tribute
to
her
mom)
always
makes
me
cry.
It's
a
touching
description
of
unconditional
love.
"Don't
you
worry
your
pretty
little
mind,
people
throw
rocks
at
things
that
shine."
(Ours)
--
Always
deflecting
the
haters
in
the
most
poetic
way.
"I
don't
wanna
look
at
anything
else
now
that
I
saw
you.
I
don't
wanna
think
of
anything
else
now
that
I
thought
of
you."
(Daylight)
--
That
feeling
of
finding
what
you've
been
looking
for
is
everything.
"All
these
people
think
love's
for
show,
but
I
would
die
for
you
in
secret."
(Peace)
--
A
nod
to
the
critics
who
say
her
relationships
are
simply
for
publicity,
and
an
intimate
declaration
of
genuine
love.
"We
bless
the
rains
on
Cornelia
Street,
memorize
the
creaks
in
the
floor."
(Cornelia
Street)
--
Beautiful
detail
is
Swift's
forte.
This
track
is
filled
with
them.
"I've
never
seen
someone
lit
from
within,
blurring
out
my
periphery."
(Snow
On
The
Beach)
--
I
love
this
imagery
of
someone
being
a
pure
source
of
light
that
illuminates
your
world.
"All
my
walls
stood
tall,
painted
blue,
but
I'll
take
'em
down,
take
'em
down,
and
open
up
the
door
for
you."
(Everything
Has
Changed)
--
This
vibrantly
depicts
the
beauty
and
struggle
of
letting
your
guard
down.
"I'm
only
up
when
you're
not
down,
don't
wanna
fly
if
you're
still
on
the
ground."
(I'm
Only
Me
When
I'm
With
You)
--
The
truest
allegiance.
"My
heart's
been
borrowed
and
yours
has
been
blue,
all's
well
that
ends
well
to
end
up
with
you."
(Lover)
--
Pure
poetry.
"Is
this
the
end
of
all
the
endings?"
(King
of
My
Heart)
--
Finally,
an
optimistic
outlook
on
a
relationship
that
appears
to
be
going
well.
"He's
got
my
past
frozen
behind
glass,
but
I've
got
me."
(It's
Time
to
Go)
--
The
future
is
in
no
one's
hands
but
her
own.
When you subscribe to the blog, we will send you an e-mail when there are new updates on the site so you wouldn't miss them.
Comments