As we all know by now, Taylor Swift essentially owns the fall and has since taken the world by storm with her 10-minute rendition of the heartbreak ballad “All Too Well.” However, her flannel-laden hits didn’t start, nor stop, there. Here are 8 of Taylor’s best sweater weather songs (in no particular order) to help you begin your Sad Girl Autumn in style!
My Tears Ricochet – Folklore
Starting off strong, here’s a true wallow-worthy tune riddled with melancholia. I present to you “My Tears Ricochet.” Taylor is a genius at communicating her pain through grippingly poetic lyricism. If you’ve ever left someone who betrayed you and later watched them regret it from afar… this may be perfect for you. Let those tears ricochet, babe!
Best lyrics for wallowing:
“And I can go anywhere I want
Anywhere I want, just not home
And you can aim for my heart, go for blood
But you would still miss me in your bones
And I still talk to you (when I’m screaming at the sky)
And when you can’t sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies)”
The 1 – Folklore
For anyone who’s ever been through a cold breakup where it felt like a literal twin flame departure, let this song heal that wound! “The 1” explores the pondering of a beautiful past with a lover and the feelings of emptiness and loss after it ends. Taylor focuses harshly on what could’ve been in the main chorus, which is something we all love to do after losing a romantic partner, no matter what happened. If you have experience with losing your soul tie, then this song is “the 1” for you.
Best lyrics for wallowing:
“I, I, I persist and resist the temptation to ask you, if one thing had been different
Would everything be different today?
We were something, don’t you think so?
Rosé flowing with your chosen family, and it would’ve been sweet
If it could’ve been me”
Cardigan – Folklore
Closing out our Folklore songs with a top hit, I introduce you to the song that lived five different lives on TikTok. The reason why is not lost on me— it’s an emotional tune, chronicling a girl who was cheated on with a “summer fling who meant nothing” (classic!). This Folklore jewel details the stark betrayal of believing that someone was different from those who hurt you right up until they single-handedly caused you a world of pain themselves. If you’re ever feeling like a cardigan under someone’s bed this fall… belt it, bestie!
Best lyrics for wallowing:
“To kiss in cars and downtown bars was all we needed
You drew stars around my scars, but now I’m bleedin’
‘Cause I knew you, steppin’ on the last train, marked me like a bloodstain, I
I knew you, tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy, I
I knew you, leavin’ like a father, running like water, I
And when you are young, they assume you know nothing”
(Taylor Swift created an entire story behind this song; Google it if you want to know more!)
‘Tis The Damn Season – Evermore
When you come home for the fall/winter holidays, do you recall a hometown flame that you wish you could reignite? Better yet, did you show up at their door and actually do it? If any of that pertains to you, queue this one up immediately! You’ll see why.
Best lyrics for wallowing:
“So I’ll go back to L.A., and the so-called friends who’ll write books about me, if I ever make it
And wonder about the only soul who can tell which smiles I’m fakin’
And the heart I know I’m breakin’ is my own, to leave the warmest bed I’ve ever known
We could call it even, even though I’m leavin’
And I’ll be yours for the weekend, ’tis the damn season”
Right Where You Left Me – Evermore
Evermore is jam-packed with songs perfect for fall feels, but just to highlight one more of its wallow-worthy tunes… “Right Where You Left Me”. If you’ve ever felt left behind in your healing because your ex-friend, lover, etc., moved on long before you, you’re not alone! There is no shame in taking your time and recovering from a painful experience at your own pace. Let this beautiful lyricism resonate with you in times like these.
Best lyrics for wallowing:
“And you’re sitting in front of me
At the restaurant, when I was still the one you want
Cross-legged in the dim light, everything was just right
I, I could feel the mascara run
You told me that you met someone
Glass shattered on the white cloth, everybody moved on”
All Too Well (10 Minute Version) – Red (Taylor’s Version)
Oh come on, you KNEW I had to include it. It would be a severe injustice not to! This one speaks for itself, so I’ll just leave it here. No comment.
Best lyrics for wallowing (if not the whole entire 10-minute masterpiece):
“Time won’t fly, it’s like I’m paralyzed by it
I’d like to be my old self again, but I’m still tryin’ 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
But you keep my old scarf from that very first week
‘Cause it reminds you of innocence and it smells like me
You can’t get rid of it
‘Cause you remember it all too well”
Nothing New (ft. Phoebe Bridgers) – Red (Taylor’s Version)
If you’re not quite in the mood for 10 minutes of sobbing about an ex who took advantage, good news! This one isn’t about a love interest at all. In “Nothing New”, Taylor Swift narrates her deep-seated fear of going ~out of style~, losing the youthful spark that made everyone love her. She begs the distraught, heart-wrenching question: “Will you still want me when I’m nothing new?”
Best lyrics for wallowing:
“How long will it be cute, all this crying in my room?
Whеn you can’t blame it on my youth, and roll your eyes with affеction?
And my cheeks are growing tired, from turning red and faking smiles
Are we only biding time ’til I lose your attention?
And someone else lights up the room? People love an ingénue”
(Honorable mention below, because this part sends me into a breakdown)
“I know someday I’m gonna meet her, it’s a fever dream
The kind of radiance you only have at 17
She’ll know the way, and then she’ll say she got the map from me
I’ll say I’m happy for her, then I’ll cry myself to sleep”
Maroon – Midnights
To top off this list, I wanted to add a song that I believe beautifully encapsulates that feeling of yearning for a love that was doomed to fail from the first day. It gives a very “I should’ve known, but it was nice while it lasted” vibe, almost as if representing a forbidden relationship. This song is for those who’ve just said goodbye to a summer fling or those who are nursing a fixation on an intense past lover. Listen to this song alongside “August” from Folklore for optimal resonance!
Best lyrics for wallowing:
The whole song!! But mostly…
“Looked up at the sky and it was
The burgundy on my T-shirt when you splashed your wine into me
And how the blood rushed into my cheeks, so scarlet, it was
The mark you saw on my collarbone, the rust that grew between telephones
The lips I used to call home, so scarlet, it was maroon”
I’m currently writing from a heart and mind that collectively admires the Midnights album. Therefore, as a bonus, here are my honorable mentions for the same fall hallmark feelings of longing, loving, loneliness, and retrospection:
-“You’re On Your Own, Kid”
-“Question…?”
-“Mastermind”
-“High Infidelity”
-“Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”
I hope this list helped you find one, two, eight, or thirteen Taylor Swift songs worth wallowing to for the next few months. With that… happy Sad Girl Autumn to those who celebrate! :)
