Ever since her debut album was released in 2006, Taylor Swift has enamored her fans with her spectacular lyricism. Her ability to tell complex stories through her music has made Swift the voice of a generation. From love to heartbreak to finding yourself, Taylor Swift has a heartbreakingly honest lyric for you. Here are my top 15 Taylor Swift lyrics.
Honorable Mentions
Okay, you can’t expect me to only pick 15. Here are some honorable mentions that I feel need more love.
- “I rewind thе tape but all it does is pause on thе very moment all was lost” – evermore
- Just because you’re clean don’t mean you don’t miss it” – Clean
- “You drew stars around my scars, but now I’m bleeding” – cardigan
- “Who could ever leave me darling, but who could stay?” – The Archer
- “Squeeze my hand three times in the taxi” – New Years Day
- “I don’t like that falling feels like flying ’til the bone crush” – gold rush
- “Will you kiss me on the porch in front of all your stupid friends?”- betty
15. “But in your life you’ll do things Greater than dating the boy on the football team, But I didn’t know it at fifteen”
This lyric off Fifteen is a tearjerker. Swift’s look back on who she was and how she felt at fifteen is heartbreakingly relatable. Most of us look back at who we were at fifteen and how warped our sense of self-worth was and wish we could tell our younger self how much more we’ll one day accomplish. This bittersweet sentiment will always have a special place in my heart and on this list.
14. “Yeah, we’re happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time”
This lyric from Swift’s song 22 perfectly encapsulates the life stage of your late teens to early twenties. As you grow up and navigate life on your own for the first time, the passage of time causes a whirlwind of emotions. The ups and downs of growing up is not a novel idea to explore, but Swift does it effervescently.
13. “In my defense, I have none for never leaving well enough alone”
Taylor Swift has an innate ability to express feelings that everyone feels but can’t put into words. In her first track off folklore, the 1, Swift wonders about a lost love. The sentiment of never being able to let feelings go hits close to home. Despite wanting to be okay with how a relationship has ended, she can’t seem to help herself. Who can’t relate to wanting to reach out just one more time?
12. “You must like me for me”
The simplicity of this lyric is what makes it so special. After most of the public seemingly turned on Swift in 2016, her reputation was at an all-time low. Despite this, Swift found love when she was least expecting it. While this lyric from Delicate is hyper-specific to Swift’s life, it somehow has broad appeal. The feeling that someone must like you for the real you despite your past is such raw emotion.
11. “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 puts all of Swift’s best talents on display. Her excellent storytelling and her ability to convey the emotions of yearning and heartbreak culminate into a beautiful song. The specificity in the lyrics immerses you in the story of young summer love. folklore and the love triangle showcase Swift’s ability to write about situations outside of her life and still have the emotions feel authentic.
10. “I want to wear his initial On a chain round my neck, chain round my neck, Not because he owns me But ’cause he really knows me”
What a romantic sentiment! Swift sings about how you can be in a loving and committed relationship based on respect while still being an independent person. This is a shift from Swift’s previous thoughts where her ideas of love are much more juvenile and black and white. As she ages, Swift’s views on what love is have changed into something beautiful. Call It What You Want is a beautiful exploration of what a mature love can be.
9. “I watched from a distance as you Made life your own. Every sky was your own kind of blue”
This lyric is so phenomenal it’s shocking to think that this song was written for Hannah Montana: The Movie. The person Swift is singing about is so confident in their own skin that they make life their own. This authentic confidence draws Swift in. It is such a unique and smart way of describing the feeling of falling in love with someone and the way they navigate life. Crazier is Swift’s most underrated romantic song.
8. “If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing. I don’t regret it one bit, ’cause he had it coming”
Taylor Swift’s Reputation era is iconic for a million reasons. Swift has her first-ever explicit lyric bite back at detractors. This I Did Something Bad lyric is iconic, badass and incredibly fun to sing when you’re pretending to be a pop star at 4 a.m. in your room.
7. “I knew you Tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy, I, I knew you. Leavin’ like a father, Running like water”
This lyric encapsulates Swift’s lyrical genius. The wordplay, allusions and metaphors culminate in possibly the most well-written lyric of all time. Her creative genius is on full display on her lead single off her surprise album folklore. Not only is this lyric and the entirely of cardigan spectacular, the way Swift connects cardigan with august and betty to tell the story of a high school love triangle is nothing short of brilliant.
6. “And maybe we got lost in translation. Maybe I asked for too much. But maybe this thing was a masterpiece ’til you tore it all up”
It wouldn’t be a Taylor Swift lyric list without including a line from arguably the best-written song in her catalog. I can’t say anything that hasn’t already been said about All Too Well. The song is a work of lyrical genius. I could have chosen any of the other ingenious lines Swift included in this song, but this specific line is the perfect combination of sadness and anger. You can scream-sing it in a car or hysterically sob it in the shower.
5. “but I took your matches before fire could catch me so don’t look now”
This Dear John lyric is legitimately life-changing. Swift takes back the power that was once taken away from her and proves that she is a force to be reckoned with. Despite the pain she was put through in the relationship, Swift managed to escape with her spark still intact.
4. “So I’ll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep, And I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe”
The sheer sadness of this lyric from Last Kiss earns it a place on this list. Swift sings of the heartbreak of watching someone you were so close to moving on without you. She captures that longing and sadness perfectly.
3. “Morning, his place, Burnt toast, Sunday. You keep his shirt. He keeps his word, And for once, you let go Of your fears and your ghosts”
This lyric highlights the simple joys of falling in love. While Taylor Swift normally writes love songs about major moments, she takes a different approach in You Are in Love. She sings about the small moments in a relationship that make you realize how in love you are. This song reminds her fans that while grand gestures and declarations of love are fun, nothing quite compares to the small moments of domestic bliss with your partner.
2.“I’ve never been a natural, All I do is try, try, try”
This lyric from mirrorball is so impossibly relatable. The feeling that you are trying so hard and still feeling like a failure rings true for so many. This feeling is so isolating and often not talked about so for Swift to put it so eloquently into words is nothing short of magic.
1. “And I don’t know how it gets better than this, You take my hand and drag me headfirst Fearless. And I don’t know why, But with you I’d dance in a storm In my best dress Fearless”
There is something magical about this lyric from Fearless. Taylor Swift was able to perfectly encapsulate the excitement of meeting someone new and falling in love. This is quintessential Swift and why I fell in love with her music 13 years ago. Fearless will forever have a special place in my heart and the top spot on my list.
From Tim McGraw to her re-recordings, Taylor Swift has been able to put into words the feelings most of could never dream of explaining. As she grew up and into herself, her audience grew with her. Perennially, our older sister, Taylor Swift always knows exactly what to say. In her own words, “I don’t know how it gets better than this.”