Here at UMass Amherst, we love Taylor Swift. From album listening sessions in the dorms to bonding with strangers when trying to buy Eras Tour tickets in the library, Tay-Tay has brought so many of us Minutemen together. Arguably one of the greatest lyricists of our time, Taylor has a way of saying exactly how we feel when we can’t put it into words ourselves. I decided to deep-dive through some of my favorite Taylor Swift songs and lyrics, and rate just how relatable they are to my experiences as a UMass student.
- “I thought I saw you at the bus stop, I didn’t though” — “the 1”
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(9/10 relatability) We’ve all been there: you’re waiting for the PVTA, and suddenly your old Tinder situation-ship walks by. You think it’s him, but thank God, it’s just his doppelganger. You take a second look. Nope, definitely not him. In fact, this man doesn’t even look anything like him, he’s just another 5’10” white boy in an oversized hoodie, a typical UMass occurrence. Taylor Swift has probably never waited for the PVTA, but homegirl gets it. Minus one point for the one time it actually is him, and suddenly you are in fight or flight mode, and very interested in checking the iPhone weather app.
- “I’m fine with my spite, and my tears, and my beers, and my candles” — “closure”
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(8/10 relatability) My spite? A little bit of spite is what gives me the motivation to 1. succeed in my classes and 2. look hot at all times, whether that be in the ILC, at Spoke, or on the gram. My tears? They flow regularly. I cry when I think about graduating. I cry when there are too many people at Blue Wall. I cry when I miss my cat, who lives with my parents two hours away. Crying is just a part of being in college (especially at UMass Amherst when I remember it won’t be 70°F for another few months). My beers? I have a case of Bud Lights upstairs ready for any occasion. My candles? Girl, you are lying to yourself if you have never fallen victim to the Hadley T.J. Maxx candle aisle. I am no better than anyone else, I have like seven of them.
- “I’m five years old, it’s getting cold, I’ve got my big coat on” — “The Best Day”
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(6.5/10 relatability) I may not be five years old, but it is getting damn cold, and I am in fact wearing my giant gray Patagonia coat that goes down past my knees. Also, why is this campus so windy all the time?
- “You were in college working part-time waiting tables” — “Mine”
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(10/10 relatability) I, too, am working part-time waiting tables at my local Applebee’s while attending college. I’m almost convinced Taylor wrote this lyric about me.
- “But she wears short skirts/ I wear t-shirts/ She’s cheer captain / And I’m on the bleachers” — ‘You Belong With Me”
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(3/10 relatability) She does not wear short skirts, it’s winter in New England. She is probably wearing black flared yoga pants and a UMass sweatshirt, with an Amazon claw clip in her hair. I am also wearing the exact same thing. She’s probably not the cheer captain, it’s a really big school. I’m not on the bleachers, I’m in the Tamales line.
- “How can a person know everything at eighteen / But nothin’ at twenty-two?” — “Nothing New”
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(10000/10 relatability) “Nothing New” is the song for the girlies about to graduate. Looking back, I really did think I knew “everything at eighteen.” It was before the pandemic, I had zero plans of attending UMass. I had completely different career goals and was even in a different major. I really thought I had my life planned out, then ended up going a completely different route. Since then, I’ve met so many people, tried so many new things, and my perspective on the world around me has changed drastically. As I near the age of 22, I find that I am much more aware of how much I don’t know. I have no clue what my plans are for after graduation. I have no clue which city I’ll end up in, or how to do my taxes. But at the end of the day, it’s all okay, because Ms. Swift has felt the same way.
From first dates to heartbreak, Taylor Swift truly gets it. Her music has gotten me through so many of life’s biggest moments, and I know her lyrics will find their way into my stories for a very long time.
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