I think it’s very fitting for my text color to be red, in honor of the release of Red (Taylor’s Version) a few days ago. All this listening to Taylor got me thinking… I think it’s time to compile all of my favorite verses from the album.
To start, I had to choose a verse from All Too Well:
‘Cause there we are again in the middle of the night
We’re dancing ’round the kitchen in the refrigerator light
Down the stairs, I was there
I remember it all too well”
Like… are you kidding me? I can picture it so clearly. Swift has such a power to her words, as she is not only a musician, singer, songwriter, performer, but a storyteller! If this isn’t something straight out of a modern fairytale, I don’t know what is.
Next, we got the classic Red:
“Touching him was like
Realizing all you ever wanted was right there in front of you
Memorizing him was as
Easy as knowing all the words to your old favorite song”
Again… Are we SERIOUS? The way she describes love, loving someone, and how every little aspect of them, despite how minuscule, is so important to the love you have for someone. When you think about your old favorite song, everyone can relate to that differently. To me, that means something so memorable, eternally young, and natural. That’s what I think Taylor is trying to get across- that love should be easy, memorable, and eternally young.
One of my personal favorites, I almost Do:
“And I just wanna tell you
It takes everything in me not to call you
And I wish I could run to you
And I hope you know that every time I don’t
I almost do”
This song is truly for the dreamers. Not only can you hear the pain and love in her voice, but I really do think Taylor is reminiscing on what could’ve been if she made a different decision, and now she wishes she could change her path (or have seen what it would’ve been like). For this verse, I envision her running through a busy airport trying to catch the love of her life but then she reaches out, so close to touching them, and it all fades, as it was just a dream.
On a happier note, Everything Has Changed (feat. Ed Sheeran):
“all I’ve seen
Since eighteen hours ago
Is green eyes and freckles and your smile
In the back of my mind making me feel likeI just wanna know you better, know you better”
This verse, right here, made me smile SO hard the first time I listened to it. There’s something so simple about these lyrics, I just can’t explain. I’ve always thought beauty was defined by features, so when I heard her say the two features I distinctly have, it made me feel butterflies inside. Growing up, I would try to find the parts within songs that I could relate to, and this part, really just stuck with me. I knew one day, I’d find a love like a Taylor Swift song.
I couldn’t not include Begin Again:
“I’ve been spending the last eight months
Thinking all love ever doesIs break and burn and end
But on a Wednesday in a cafe
I watched it begin again“
UGH, this one!! How crazy is it that for the longest time, someone can have an idea about love, and then one day, it all changes. Personally, I was always quick to shut down any possibilities of love or romance, but one random Wednesday night, I was invited to dinner with a friend, and it was the night I met the love of my life. How crazy is that? Funny how love works like that. It can begin at any moment, which is so magical and crazy and truly unpredictable. Swift truly has a way with words, and they resonate with me now more than ever as I have had time to reflect, grow, change, learn, and love myself and others :)
If anyone ever needs clarity, advice, or help finding peace, I could not recommend any and all of Swift’s songs and albums. Her stories, passion, and perspective all help me learn more about love every time I listen to her.
I hope everyone enjoys her newest release, and streams the heck out of it– it’s too good not to be!
HCXO,
Seal