It's been over ten years that I've been listening to Taylor Swift's music and while her music style may have altered throughout the years, her passion and emotion that she puts into her songs has not. Each of her tracks tells a different story and if you haven't taken a chance to listen to the ten below especially, then I highly encourage you give them a listen.
1. "Never Grow Up"
"I just realized everything I have is someday gonna be gone."
This is a song that anyone can relate to. As Taylor is moving into her first apartment and living on her own, she reflects on how different things are for her now and she realizes she doesn't really know how she feels about growing up. In this song she attempts to speak to her younger audience by telling them not to take parts of their youth for granted.
2. "Fifteen"
"When all you wanted was to be wanted, wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now."
Fifteen describes a common feeling a lot of us have or had at a young age. When you're around fifteen years old things such as your first kiss or a first date seem like the most important thing in the world. You think you have your future figured out already when the reality is you don't, and it's hard to realize this when you're so young and hopeful. Taylor describes this perfectly when she sings, "back then I swore I was gonna marry him someday but I realized some bigger dreams of mine."
3. "Treacherous"
"I can't decide if it's a choice getting swept away."
Treacherous describes the feelings you have when you want to be with someone but you know it isn't the best thing for you. It's that idea of wanting to get involved with someone who you know is bad for you but your heart conflicts with you head. As she sings, her hope and desire to be with that person is treacherous.
4. "Last Kiss"
"All that I know is I don't know how to be something you miss."
Last kiss describes the hopeless feelings felt after a breakup. It's as if Taylor is writing her all of her feelings out in a letter to her ex. She expresses her feelings of confusion as to why things happened the way they did as well as reminisces on their times together. The lyrics to this song are so beautifully written and as the song progresses she hints she still cares about him and hopes things with him are well saying, "I'll keep up with our old friends just to ask them how you are, I hope it's nice where you are."
5. "All Too Well"
"Time won't fly its like I'm paralyzed by it, I'd like to be my old self again but I'm still trying to find it. After plaid shirt days and nights when you made me your own, now you mail back my things and I walk home alone."
All to well is arguably another one of Taylor's best break up songs; however, this song captures the true pain felt when a relationship completely falls apart. Taylor's filtering through her many scrambled feelings trying to collect herself through her heartbreak. All to well is a lot less subtle than her other breakup songs; she includes lyrics such as "Maybe we got lost in translation, maybe I asked for too much, but maybe this thing was masterpiece until you tore it all up" and "you call me up again just to break me like a promise."
6. "You Are In Love"
"One night he wakes, strange look on his face; Pauses then says you're my best friend, and you knew what it was, he is in love."
You are in love captures the indescribable feeling of being in love with someone. She sings later into the track about how that feeling of being in love is something she as well as many people have sought for and then connects that to why she's spent her whole life writing songs about love. She describes love as something heard, felt, and seen; she gives the idea that when you love someone, you'll know you do.
7. "Call It What You Want"
"All the drama queens taking swings, all the jokers dressing up as kings, they fade to nothing when I look at him."
In this song Taylor addresses the time she took to herself after a period of drama and media attention. Rather than dwelling on the past, she sings about how she made the best of that time and "is doing better than she ever was." She attributes a lot of this happiness to her boyfriend. She admits that while she's made mistakes in the past, now she's done something right. She sings "I want to wear his initial on a chain round my neck, not because he owns me but 'cause he really knows me; which is more than they can say." and how he loves her "like she's brand new." She gives the idea that she doesn't care what people think anymore, because all that matters is that she is happy.
8. "Innocent"
"I hope you remember, today is never too late to be brand new."
In this song, Taylor sings to 32 year old singer (at the time), Kanye West. She addresses his actions as a slip up or "loosing your balance on a tightrope." She essentially is granting forgiveness through this song with the idea of everyone slips up once, you're actions or mistakes don't have to define you. She sings "who you are is not what you did, you're still an innocent. It's okay, life is a tough crowd." She closes with the idea that each day is a new day and a new opportunity to be a better version of yourself.
9. "Out Of The Woods"
"The rest of the world was black and white, but we were in screaming color."
Out of the woods is a unique take on a breakup song. She sings about a relationship where there was constantly doubt as to how long it would last, or what would happen next. She states in a performance of this song that the relationship was fragile, and that "solid and healthy" relationships aren't always the case. Regarding this, she states, "that doesn't mean it's not special and extraordinary just to have a relationship thats fragile and somehow meaningful." Throughout the song she expresses her feelings of doubt constantly asking "are we out of the woods?" but also includes memories and parts of their relationship that meant something to her.
10. "Clean"
"Rain came pouring down, when I was drowning, that's when I could finally breathe. And by morning, gone was any trace of you I think I am finally clean."
Clean is a song about the process of moving on from or getting over some kind of life struggle. Taylor sings about the pain she felt after one of her breakups and the process it took her to get through it. The way she describes it is after she finally was able to move past what she was struggling with and no longer feel affected by it, she felt clean. Things get better with time as they did for her; and one day she was finally clean.
