Taylor Swift released her ninth studio album, evermore, about two months ago, and I am still processing it. As a sister album to folklore, it has many stylistic and thematic similarities to the prior album. I am still unsure about where exactly this album fits into my ranking of Taylor’s discography, but I know that it already has a special place in my heart. It certainly has the amazing, personal, relatable, and poetic lyrics that we have come to expect from Taylor. Here are some of my favorites.
- “I Haven’t Met the New Me Yet”
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This line is from the song “Happiness,” a beautiful ballad about recognizing the joy of a past relationship while simultaneously moving on and finding that joy can also exist elsewhere. It has many great lines, but this is my favorite. Here, she comes to terms with the fact that the relationship and breakup have changed her, and she is not the person she was before. Rather than be afraid about the unknown, she is excited to see just who she will become.
- “In the cracks of light, I dreamed of you/ It was real enough to get me through”
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These lines come from the title track, “Evermore.” In the first half of the song, the speaker feels depressed and defeated. This lyric is at the turning point where she finds hope in a person and ultimately realizes that her sadness won’t last forever.
- “I don’t like that falling feels like flying till the bone crush”
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“Gold Rush” is three minutes long, but it describes that split-second feeling of seeing a person for the first time, imagining the details of your perfect life together, and then moving on with your day because you know it could never be. This line describes the dangers of falling in love: how everything can feel great until you get hurt and it’s too late. While I’m not sure I completely agree with that sentiment. However, I think that this song is beautifully crafted and such a great addition to the album. Its lyrics are so specific, yet the experience is definitely relatable.
- “I’d live and die for moments that we stole on begged and borrowed time”
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I didn’t expect to love a song about an affair so much, but “Ivy” was immediately my favorite track on evermore. It is from the point of view of a married woman who’s cheating on her husband, and it is just so beautiful. The lyrics are incredibly poetic. The narrator knows that what she is doing is wrong, but she cannot seem to put an end to either relationship. This line in particular describes just how much this person means to her.
- “Long story short, I survived”
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On an album with songs from different perspectives and stories, “Long Story Short” is one of the few songs on evermore that is explicitly from Taylor’s point of view. This song summarizes the singer-songwriter’s very public fall from grace and subsequent rise. She details her struggles with fame, bad relationships, and finally, finding the right guy for her. This lyric is the last line of the song, and I love its message of hope and resilience.
Evermore is a fantastic album and I recommend you give the whole thing a listen if you have not already!
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