Here are 22 times when Taylor Swift used parallels or contradictions in songs. This list is by no means exhaustive. I'll probably find more examples as I continue to listen to her music, and then I'll kick myself for not including it here.
Locket
-I stood right by the tracks, your face in a locket. (Sad, Beautiful, Tragic)
-Picture of your face in an invisible locket. (Dancing with Our Hands Tied)
Necklace
-Your necklace hanging from my neck. (Out of the Woods)
-The light reflects the chain on your neck. (You Are In Love)
-I want to wear his initial on a chain round my neck. (Call It What You Want)
-I make all your gray days clear and wear you like a necklace. (So it Goes)
Bulletproof
bulletproof contradiction
Callie Spencer
In Tell Me Why, Taylor Swift is not bulletproof. But later, in I Know Places, she and her lover are.
Fight
-Take me back to the time we had our very first fight. The slamming of doors instead of kissing goodnight. You stayed outside till the morning light. (Mary's Song)
-I remember that fight, 2:30 AM, as everything was slipping right out of our hands. I ran out crying and you followed me out into the street. Braced myself for the goodbye 'cause that's all I've ever known. But you took me by surprise. You said I'll never leave you alone. (Mine)
-I'm pretty sure we almost broke up last night. I threw my phone across the room at you. I was expecting some dramatic turn-away, but you stayed. (Stay, Stay, Stay)
-And then we had that fight out in the rain. You ran after me and called my name. I never wanna see you walk away. (ME!)
What's the same with all these fights? The guy stays.
Trains
- I stood right by the tracks. (Sad, Beautiful, Tragic)
-We wait for trains that just aren't coming. (New Romantics)
Story
https://pixabay.com/photos/typewriter-retro-vintage-old-498204/
Callie Spencer
-If you and I are a story that never gets told. (Stay Beautiful)
-I used to think one day we'd tell the story of us. (Story of Us-see entire song)
-This is me praying that this was the very first page, not where the storyline ends. (Enchanted)
-I guess we fell apart in the usual way. And the story's got dust on every page. (Holy Ground)
-Don't read the last page. (New Year's Day)
Scarlet letter
-You were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter. (Love Story)
-We show off our different scarlet letters. Trust me, mine is better. (New Romantics)
Scarlet letters are a symbol of shame that come from the 1850 book The Scarlet Letter, in which people who commit certain sins are required to wear a letter on scarlet cloth that identifies their sin.Dream
-In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream, it's like a million little stars spelling out your name. (Untouchable)
-In dreams, I meet you in long conversations. (Sad, Beautiful, Tragic)
-In the middle of the night, in my dreams, you should see the things we do, baby. (Ready For It)
Dance
photos from Taylor Swift's Instagram
Callie Spencer
-I don't wanna dance if I'm not dancing with you. (Holy Ground)
-I'm dancing on my own. I make the moves up as I go. (Shake It Off)
She goes from not wanting to dance without her crush to being happy to dance by herself.Fireworks
-I'm captivated by you, baby, like a fireworks show. (Sparks Fly)
-I'm shining like fireworks over your sad, empty town. (Dear John)
Memories
-Hold on to spinning around. Confetti falls to the ground. May these memories break our fall. (Long Live)
-Hold on to the memories. They will hold onto you. (New Year's Day)
Blinding lights
Photos from Taylor Swift's Instagram
Callie Spencer
-The lights are so bright but they never blind me. (Welcome to New York)
-We're all here. The lights and noise are blinding. (New Romantics)
First the lights don't blind her, then they do. Maybe she should just get some sunglasses and move on.Stars
-Friday night beneath the stars in a field behind your yard, you and I are painting pictures in the sky. (I'm Only Me When I'm With You)
-In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream, it's like a million little stars spelling out your name. (Untouchable)
Couch
-We're lying on the couch. (Mine)
-We were lying on your couch. (Out of the Woods)
Cheek kiss
-Pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks. (How You Get the Girl)
-Your kiss, my cheek. (This Love)
Mental picture
-I'm taking pictures in my mind so I can save them for a rainy day. (Stay Beautiful)
-Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room. (Never Grow Up)
Stairs
You carry me from your car up the stairs. (The Other Side of the Door)
I was crying on the staircase, begging you please don't go. (Love Story)
I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet, lead her up the stairwell. (White Horse)
Lead me up the staircase. Won't you whisper soft and slow? (Sparks Fly)
Last night I heard my own heart beating. Sounded like footsteps on my stairs. (If This Was a Movie)
Down the stairs, I was there. (All Too Well)
Echos of your footsteps on the stairs. (Delicate)
I think it's safe to say she's climbed plenty of stairs.
So it goes
https://www.pinterest.com/cjarre/miles-to-go/, https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Resin-100mm-romantic-snowflake-wedding-souvenirs_60745162806.html?spm=a2700.7724857.normalList.32.535870eaPjf1bW
Callie Spencer
-So it goes, he can't keep his wild eyes on the road. (Style)
-So it goes, you two are dancing in a snowglobe round and round. (You Are in Love)
-And all the pieces fall right into place. Getting caught up in a moment. Lipstick on your face. So it goes. I'm yours to keep. And I'm yours to lose. You know I'm not a bad girl, but I do bad things with you. So it goes//Come here, dressed in black now. So, so, so it goes. Scratches down your back now. So, so, so it goes (So It Goes)
After the first two 'so it goes,' I was excited to see that Taylor Swift was writing an entire song with that name. Unfortunately, I didn't like the song, which was disappointing.
Passenger seat
-I don't think that passenger seat has ever looked this good to me. (I'd Lie)
-I watched you laughing from the passenger side. (Back to December)
Pebbles
-I said, "leave," but all I really want is you to stand outside my window throwing pebbles. (The Other Side of the Door)
-You were Romeo. You were throwing pebbles. (Love Story)
Love is a game
-Love is a ruthless game unless you play it good and right. (State of Grace)
-Love's a game. Wanna play? (Blank Space)
Red lips
-Cherry lips, crystal skies. (Blank Space)
-I got that red lip classic thing that you like. (Style)
-Red lips and rosy cheeks. (Wildest Dreams)
-Here's the truth from my red lips. (End Game)
-Crimson red paint on my lips. (I Did Something Bad)
Taylor Swift's red lips are iconic. But it hasn't always been that way. She adopted the red lip look around the time she released her Red album. It's not just a staple of her look. It's also a stable of her music. In fact, her red lips are such an identifying feature that Harry Styles uses them to reference her in his song Two Ghosts. The lyrics are an allusion to her song Style. 'Same lips red. Same eyes blue. Same white shirt. Couple more tattoos.'