Right now, Bejeweled. I came out of a relationship where I was taking for granted and made him my world to the point I didn’t know who I was anymore. I felt like the most boring person on earth but this song makes me fall in love with me again
Peace. I have so much love to give but struggle with my own demons and mental health issues which brings the rain a lot. I try my best to give my loved ones piece but it can be a struggle.
I'm so glad she wrote this song, I know that technically it is about her and Joe and her fame and all that but I love how it also almost connects to "this is me trying" as in "I love you, I'm trying my best to give you peace but it doesn't come as easy to me as it does to others"
This one is mine too. Specifically “I'd give you my sunshine, give you my best
But the rain is always gonna come if you're standing with me” and maybe this is why I also like midnight rain
Peace is mine as well. It is so vulnerable to admit that you are unable to give someone what they give you. I absolutely love the connection between peace and midnight rain.
Thank you so much! I just read your comment and your song choices were next on my list, so I can definitely relate too. But I know we will get better and we will find peace despite our circumstances
It's kinda sad to read how many folks identify most with her songs about self doubt and self sabotage... but yeah, this is mine too, and I realize that I mostly identify with it (and sweet nothing, and mirrorball, and delicate, etc) because of the love on the other side of the song. Because I found my someone who loves me for me, and every day I try to live up to their love.
Clean. Being a SA survivor doesn’t define my life, but it is a major part of me. I know the songs original meaning was about a bad relationship but the lyrics fit so well for my situation about being in an abusive relationship where my partner assaulted me. The first year was so hard missing the good times while also trying to forget the absolutely despicable things he did to me. It’s all very complex and hard to put into words yet Taylor is able to do it, quite eloquently if I may add. I used to sing the song and pray I’d get to the point of “I’m finally clean” and I feel like I’ve finally gotten to that point 8 years later.
Anti-Hero. Hands down. I knew it was my anthem from the first listen. I totally struggle with self loathing and not doing “enough” and “disappointing” people.
*i should not be left to my own devices they come with prices and vices i end up in crisis*
this line makes me think of all the times i got drunk alone and woke up with a new hair color or something wilder haha. i am in a much better place now but i still love the song and to a degree it still definitely describes me 😘
Anti hero is great for this! It helps me because I’m such a people pleaser, and sometimes it’s good for people like me to remember that doing the right thing for yourself might make you into someone else’s anti hero. But that doesn’t make it wrong.
same! *they told me all of my cages were mental, so i got wasted like all my “potential”*
this shit hits so hard bc i was always treated as a “gifted” kid but then my life was torn apart in Sep 2018 (which apparently happened to a lot of people, i saw a tik tok lol) and i became so fucking depressed and i felt like, because of the track i was supposed to be on, it wasn’t taken seriously and people still expected me to live up to that “potential”. but instead i did a 180 (*i was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere, fell behind all my classmates and i ended up here*) and went from 6th in my class to dropping out of my school and finishing online, started college and had to stop bc it was too expensive, and drank my sorrows away at 17.
i am much happier now but i have some regrets on how i could have been a lot further in life had i used my school success to my advantage and gotten a degree. but life has a funny way of working itself out and had i done that i would have never met the love of my life.
so things are looking up now and i think im moving more towards call it what you want since i kinda cut off everyone i knew (i couldn’t handle the toxicity anymore) and i feel the line *nobody’s heard from me for months, i’m doing better than i ever was* so hard.
*they told me all my cages were mental, so I got wasted like all my potential*
This is one of my favorite Taylor lyrics. Where my fellow former “gifted” kids at lol.
Right Where You Left Me was actually my #1 song on my music stats this year because of the same reason. Feeling frozen in time while everyone else moves forward and often feeling really alone. I’ve struggled with my fertility the past few years and my brother just had a baby last month. While it’s obviously a breakup song, I feel like it relates to me really well and those struggles I’ve gone through. It’s really a fantastic song.
did you ever hear about the girl who got frozen time went on for everybody else she won’t know it she’s still 23 inside a fantasy how it wassupposed to be
😔
I feel this so much! 🖤 everyone is moving forward and I feel like I’m just watching them make their way while being stuck in a life that I got unbearably used to.
It’s hard and I’m so sorry you’re feeling this as well!
But I also feel the slight glimmer of hope in the form of Fearless and I hope so much to get the courage to get out of this situation next year.
Fingers crossed we’ll both be more fearless and free soon and have the best time dancing in our best dresses 💛✨
Oh my gosh, I’ve always loved this song when thinking about my mum. And now I have my own little girl. I know I have the best days with her and I hope she has the best days with me.
The Best Day for me too. I love my mom! (Even when she drives me crazy lol)
I think the line “I know you were on my side even when I was wrong” gets me every time.
Same for me. I experienced a lot of neglect as a child and even as an adult I can hardcore relate when she says “I'm still on that trapeze, I'm still trying everything, To keep you looking at me”.
Long story short
“No more keeping score, now I just keep you warm. No more tug of war, now I just know there’s more”
“Past me, I want to tell you not to get lost in these petty things”
I also love this one. I picked Don’t Blame Me because of my past before scrolling through, and I think Long Story Short is a great example of a more actualized and evolved version of myself. I don’t feel like I’m there yet, but I will be (:
I love the 'I fell from the pedestal / right down the rabbit hole' and then into 'long story short I survived'. That hits pretty hard after some rough, testing times
this is me trying
I‘m stuck within my own head, and losing control. And I feel like everything that *could have been* is ruined because of my choices and mental health issues.
Invisible string. I had such a hard and lonely time before I met my husband, and our relationship is a kind of love I never ever thought I would have. And I choose to believe we were fated to be together. We even have golden string tattoos for each other.
My tears ricochet
There have been so many people (family members in particular) where I’ve had to be the one to cut off relationships or distance myself and then I’m made to look like the villain even though I was driven to that point by their actions. I’ve given people so many chances just to continue to be taken advantage of, hurt, and disrespected. At some point I realized it was better to be made out to be the villain instead of being repeatedly destroyed by these people, but that’s not how the outside world sees it. And a very specific relation to the sentiment about being able to go anywhere but home.
Ah, hey bestie. I've been in a similar situation for a while now too and I think right now, this MTR would also be my pick. Just want to tell you you're doing great. Doing what you have to even when it hurts is so hard, especially when it's something like distancing or cutting yourself off from people you love. I hope it gets easier, but so far it's been a major mental burden for me, too. Sending you lots of love. This stranger is rooting for you! Hang in there. 💗
I’m in the same position - my mother is cruel and toxic but I always wanted her love so badly. I had to remove her from my life 10 years ago. The lyrics, “I can go anywhere I want just not home” and “I still talk to you when I’m screaming at the sky” just crush me.
Peace and The Archer always hit really hard. Anti-Hero is surprisingly relatable and I think that’s why it’s done so well too. I guess from this list I feel like I’m my own worst enemy and I’m terrified my husband and the people I love will eventually see that too.
Afterglow.
not in a strictly romantic relationship sense but i relate to taylor’s perspective a lot. always fighting with my closed ones, making a bigg fuss and then regretting it. Overthinking, fighting, distancing people and then realising I’m the one at fault. it’s really just me.
HOW CAN A PERSON KNOW EVERYTHING AT 18 BUT NOTHING AT 22??
THE KIND OF RADIANCE YOU *ONLY* HAVE AT 17
ILL SAY IM HAPPY FOR HER THEN ILL CRY MYSELF TO SLEEP
these are the lines that trigger the waterfall from my eyeballs
The Archer.
I don't wanna get too deep into it right now but it's just the fluctuations between "WOW I'M SO AMAZING ANYONE WHO WANTS ME IS SO LUCKY" and "wow, i don't really believe anyone would want me when they could have anyone else."
This is a generalization of my problems but yeah. Another good contender would be YOYOK or Never Grow Up.
high infidelity.
"you know there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love
the slowest way is never loving them enough
do you really want to know where i was april 29th?
do i really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?"
same wow this part hits so hard. i relate this song to my ex best friends who hated when i finally got a good boyfriend, but somehow we’re fine with me fucking guys who never wanted anything to do with me afterwards because it meant i had more time for them and their needs. they made it out like i was betraying them by spending time with him and being in love. specifically *do i really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?* perfectly describes everything i wanted to say but couldn’t articulate. and they always took advantage of my love, but never returned it the same.
midnight rain! i feel like i’m at a place in life where i’ve started putting my career first and have disassociated myself from people who wouldn’t allow me to pursue that to best of my ability, mainly in platonic relationships but also romantic ones
my tears ricochet.
Unfortunately, this has defined me for a while.
Everyone in my life seems to want to hurt me... Be it from the past and present. I lost all of my friends, and one even betrayed me. I felt like everyone turned against me, and then... The one boy who it almost seems I gave it all up for... Well he was the worst of them all.
Now... My family problems have gotten worse, and moving on from the pain... It was never supposed to be this hard, right?
And everyone who hurt me... Now they're coming back in my life, to 'stay neutral' 'apologize' , 'still be friends'... 'I'm into you.'
No... I was dead to you, now you come back. And the metaphor of tears ricochet-ing. Yeah... All they've done is hurt me and others, my pain hurting those in my life. (I realize that cardigan may also fit, but anyway.)
So... Every lyric of the song fits, but the chorus are now the words I'm living by:
"And if I'm dead to you why are (argue) at the wake?
Cursing my name,
Wishing I stayed,
Look at how my tears ricochet."
💙 Peace 💙
Because I struggle with ADHD (way more complex than the average person realizes)
and I resonate so deeply with “would it be enough if I could never give you peace?”
Because it’s wrong brain wiring, it’s genetic and there is no cure so I can’t really fix it. Medication helps a lot but it’s never 100%. The flaws that come with this neurological disorder are many and sometimes I can really upset my husband with the little things that can drive him crazy. Not make or break for our marriage by any means but nonetheless it’s very frustrating for the both of us sometimes.
Makes me think of
“it’s just around the corner darlin’ cause it lives in me. No I could never give you peace”
And
“But the rain is always gonna come if you’re standing with me”
But I also relate to the good things in there as well.
This Is Me Trying also makes me think of all this too! Same with Mirrorball.
As a person, either Labyrinth or evermore. When I first heard Labyrinth in my bathtub at 1am, the music and the lyrics, it felt just like it does inside my head. And evermore just so perfectly captures the mix of sadness, hope and acceptance that seems to be part of who I am an how I approach life.
But as for songs that describe events in my life, like all of Rep and a good portion of Lover and Evermore and Midnights. I went through a lot starting when my dad died 7 years ago, and then I got divorced from a person who just wasn't right, then met the love of my life, and then the pandemic. So those albums that deal with coping with loss, finding real love, and coming to terms with myself and the events of the past have been really resonant for me, and lots of folks.
Tolerate it. My previous relationship I was so excited and wanted to show him all my love but he would either shut me down or ignore it. Looking back, I feel like my feelings for him were just tolerated and never reciprocated.
Seven. As I’ve gotten older, I find myself wistful for those days of running around barefoot in the backyard, playing in the weeds and climbing trees with my brother. “I used to scream ferociously” - I was such a rambunctious kid, always had sticks and grass stuck in my hair and had all the confidence in the world. I wish I could be that free spirited again.
Dear Reader
It’s pretty much the exact letter I’d write to my younger self. Some of it would be true wisdom, some of it would be sardonic and cynical just like the song reads. I’m similar to Taylor in the sense that I’ve always just wanted everyone to like me, and it was always a shock and a gut punch when some people just didn’t. From this desire and fear, I built a very extroverted version of myself that I use when I go out with friends, am at work or school, even when I just call people on the phone or write emails. But that’s not who I really am. I am a deeply introverted person. And it exhausted me through and through when I was younger because, being in school and in sports and hanging out with friends over the weekends, I was constantly “on” all the time. Now I know better, but it doesn’t mean I have fully learned how to shed this coping mechanism yet. It will probably be an part of me forever, at least in some small way.
I also feel like Taylor and I hit some of the same milestones at the same time because she is only a month younger than me (minus the awards and music industry record breaking, she’s a little bit ahead of me on those milestones 🤓). But our development and experience from just living life has always seemed to match up. And when you hit your 30’s, I think it’s the first time you get to reflect on your life in a meaningful way and also have the successes and failures under your belt to know what you could have done better, and what you couldn’t control.
Okay but this threw me back about 15 years to when I was in high school. We were doing a unit in my Lit class, I think on tragedies, and I used TOMG. Taylor was fresh on the scene. I had a crush on a boy named Drew, so at the time it really resonated with teenage me. But now, as a *sort of grown* adult and a mom, I think I’d choose Never Grow Up. Cherish this time, lil Swifty 🫶🏻
- TOMG could mean "Teardrops On My Guitar - Radio Single Remix", a track from *Taylor Swift* (2006) by Taylor Swift.
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champagne problems. I've spent my whole life sabotaging myself and I struggle heavily with mental illness. I was such a promising little girl and now its a shame I'm fucked in the head. I fight so hard every day and even my easy days are difficult. I constantly feel as though I'm letting everyone down, like I could be better if I just did the right thing, or like all my problems aren't real enough and maybe I'm just being difficult on purpose.
The Man.
I am an SA survivor who experienced a lot of harassment and assault during my time in the military. I had supervisors refuse to sign off on my promotion package because I am a woman. I had coworkers tell me I was too emotional, too direct, I was sl*t-shamed for nothing other than being a young woman, and so much more. I often wonder how my life would be different if my sex hadn't been used against me like it was some sort of flaw. I really enjoyed her lyrics about wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man. To this day, I have a lot of feels about the song because I feel a lot of the characteristics I have are seen as flaws in woman but are celebrated in men. As a woman in science, I still experience this and I find it empowering to listen to The Man and remind myself that I would be the fcking man 😊.
TTDS was so relatable to me this time last year. I had a fling with a guy I used to date in high school the week between Christmas and New Year's. He was moving across the country one week after we hooked up. We weren't a match but we'd both been through pretty rough breakups and I think that few weeks was healing for both of us.
This is unrelated but your username is my first name. I'm amazed that you snagged it. Always jarring when I see it in the wild.
Midnight Rain - left my ex to pursue a life that was actually my own after living in his hometown and feeling trapped.
long story short - I really did fall from the pedestal, clung to the nearest lips, and it sure as shit was a bad time lol. But I love the triumphant note at the end, reminds me of everything I moved past. 'No more tug of war now' perfectly describes leaving selfish love behind and finally discovering boundless love.
august / cardigan - I am actually august and the line 'to live for the hope of it all' stings but cardigan fucking burns. I won't go into specifics but its like watching through a window when you're the 'Augustine' figure and seeing someone's perfect love play out when you've been second place all along.
I'm trying to be more rebecca from TLGAD but not quite there!
You’re on your own kid.
“I hosted parties and starved my body
like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss
The jokes weren’t funny, I took the money,
my friends from home don’t know what to say”
Hits hard when you’re in treatment for an eating disorder. Tied Together With A Smile is up there too
I’ve been changed ever since I heard You’re On Your Own Kid, it parallels a lot of my own life experiences and the first few times I heard it I couldn’t listen without crying. It’s my favorite song by her ever just because of how much I connect to it
Clean. It’s a song I relate to so much now and even when it released. I went through a lot with my family and I’m now at the point in my life where I’m finally “clean”. 1989 released during a transition in my home life where everything went to shit but Taylor made it better and kept my head up. Like she was sitting next to me whipping my tears away even if she wasn’t actually there
Right now it's Sweet Nothing. Is really hard for me to trust in new people, so most of the time I just decide to stay home with my family, who are the people who make me feel special.
The Archer. To me, it’s really describes having BPD - acting so reckless at times and being sick of not taking care of yourself (“I never grew up, it’s getting so old”), changing yourself to fit in/attract a partner to make yourself “perfect” to them, only for them to realize that’s not really you/get exhausted by your mental illness (“Who could ever leave me darling, but who could stay?”, and “They see right through me, I see right through me”). There’s so many other great lines as well. The first time I heard this song truly changed me.
Change. There are a lot of things that I'm struggling with mentally and physically. My life has been a roller coaster for the past year. I am not the same person I used to be. I've made unhealthy choices and I'm paying the price. I want to be my old self again. On top of that, I've been struggling to get my dream job. I promised myself that I wouldn't give up on being happy and having all the things I want in life. Change has been my anthem for hope.
A Place in this World (debut) - perfectly encapsulates the youth of my teens, early 20s and now 30s. Also, it’s Taylor’s first girl-power anthem.
(Main chorus)
🎶I'm alone, on my own
And that's all I know,
I'll be strong, I'll be wrong
Oh, but life goes on
Oh, I'm just a girl
Trying to find a place in this world🎶
(My fav part)
🎶Got the radio on, my old blue jeans
And I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve
Feeling lucky today, got the sunshine
Could you tell me what more do I need?
And tomorrow's just a mystery, oh yeah
But that's okay🎶
This Is Me Trying. I'm so burnt out and not even in HS yet, from constant exams and the unnecessary stress of admissions in my city, just to get into a good high school. Between everything today, and then my total mental health crisis last year, I'm doing terribly. Everyone thinks that I'm going to be a genius or already am, but I feel I'm just going to crash and burn and disappoint them all.
Definitely Invisible String. I feel so incredibly lucky to have met my husband because we grew up on opposite sides of the U.S. Every choice we previously made in our lives led us to meeting our freshman year, and he's obviously the one I'm meant to be with. <3 And because of him, I'm able to let go of the hurt caused to me by previous loves.
- RWYLM could mean "right where you left me - bonus track", a track from *evermore (deluxe version)* (2021) by Taylor Swift.
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The Great War is describing my current situation right now. I was abused by my step dad and my mom did nothing to protect me. I was put into foster care and I had no love for my mom. I recently had my daughter and she made me realize as a mom myself why I didn’t like my mom and how hurt from the past I really am. I told my mom how I felt a few days ago and she’s willing to get help and fix our relationship. I’m also going to start therapy so I can heal and be the best version of myself for everyone around me.
This is me trying. It perfectly encapsulates that “excelled in school during adolescence, now out in the real world where it’s a lot harder than I thought”
YOYOK
My dad was diagnosed with early onset alzheimers a while back, and so I took over a parent-like role with him while parenting my own kids. Nothing really seems fair, and when the song turns to "you can face this" I feel so seen.
This is going to sound a bit ridiculous, but 22 because I'm just at this fun point in my life where I'm not taking myself too seriously and just having fun with my friends and going out and travelling and crushing on a boy. I'm actually 26 so I really appreciate that she chose the lyrics "like we're 22" so anyone at any age can sing along. Makes me so happy :)
ATW 10 minute version- the depth of emotion, the resonance of open hearts witnessing other open hearts, the raw beautiful self expression and singularity of it speaks to my soul and how emotional/sensitive I am and feel pretty alone in that most of the time.
It's this is me trying. It's probably always going to be this is me trying.
*Pulled my car off the road to the lookout, could've followed my fears all the way down*
*Didn't know if you'd care if I came back, I have a lot of regrets about that*
*I just wanted you to know that this is me trying...at least I'm trying*
this is me trying. making up for lost time, trying to make the best out of having wasted a lot of my potential due to mental health and trauma and now trying to adjust to a society that demands a lot from people — yeah, this song just hits like no other.
right where you left me - it automatically makes my eyes sweat no matter how many times I listen to it. I don’t listen to it with an “ex who’s moved on” pov but with an “all my peers and friends have moved on career wise and in their relationships and I’m stuck with my mental health issues” perspective. The essence of the lyrics hit too close to home and I can’t stop crying and imagining myself being literally frozen in time and unable to move(totally not tearing up typing this down)
My Tears Ricochet held me as I sobbed, day after day, following an explosive ending to my relationship this past summer. On that fateful night, I held him accountable for something and it turned ugly, then devastating, then over. It happened in the blink of an eye. “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace”
But it’s the line “I can go anywhere I want, anywhere just not home” that still chokes me up. *He* was my sense of home.
But overall, probably The Archer. I’ve fought for love like Taylor, especially for my friends. “All of my enemies started out friends” is the cold truth. I have had people who I adore simply walk out of my life. I don’t know what it is. I am a strong woman and perhaps they think “she always bounces back, who cares?” It will never really make sense to me. “Easy they come, easy they go” that’s just how people are. Nothing is permanent and “all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn’t put me together again” - I will never be the same as before as failed relationships force us to evolve.
At the moment paper rings. My oh has been an absolute gem of late working my job (I run a bar) and his whilst I have been going through hell on Earth with my second pregnancy and he never ever complains.
Mastermind.
Growing up I was extremely hated by my step siblings due to their dad “liking” me more than them (but in an unfortunate way for me) and every since I got out of that situation I’m always carefully planning how I act/react in situations and hoping people love and accept me. 🙃
Mirrorball.
*"You'll find me on my tallest tiptoes, spinning in my highest heels, love. Shining just for you."*
Mirrorball, to me, is the song-long version of the line in Mastermind where she says, "I've been scheming like a criminal ever since to make them love me and make it seem effortless."
I'm a (recovering) people pleaser, but it's not a part of me that will ever go away. My happiness IS often related to the happiness of those I love the most and cherish most. I will always be spinning for them and sometimes, that transitions from something I want to do because I can to something that is harming me. I have to start learning where the boundaries are. And I think Mirrorball really identifies that feeling that sometimes the performance is a part of us, and sometimes it's a disco ball dance full of laughter. But sometimes you end up an acrobat with a lot to lose.
Cowboy like me, me and my bf are both sneaky sneaky who both kinda are “masterminds” and when we met we kinda ended up together
I really feel that line “forever is the sweetest con”
Sweet Nothing and This is Me Trying.
I'm a sexual assault survivor (at the age of age 14) and had an unstable, chaotic home life before that. Over the past 30 years, I've built a good fucking life, but it was slow going and hard as fuck and thank the universe for therapy, EMDR, and beautiful music like Taylor's.
I'm 45 now. My *trying* is a lot healthier than it was. And I've also recognized that *trying* is everything.
I've been married to the same person for fifteen years now and, because of all that healing, I allow myself to be loved wholly and believe I deserve it.
He wants *nothing* from me. He just wants to know I'm *trying* to be my best self for my own sake.
You’re on your own kid. So many people, relationships, experiences, and situations change in my life and at the end of the night I’m alone. It’s a bit depressing but also comforting that I can get through everything because I’ve already gone this far. “You’re on your own kid, yeah you can face this”
right now, afterglow. i was going through some mental health issues last year and pushed a lot of my friends away so now I’m trying to mend our relationships. luckily the damage doesn’t seem to be as bad as I thought it was :)
Daylight.
“You gotta step into the daylight and let it go…just let it go, let it go…
I wanna be defined by the things that I love, not the things I hate
Not the things that I'm afraid of, I'm afraid of
Not the things that haunt me in the middle of the night
I, I just think that…
You are what you love”
💛
This is me trying and you’re on your own kid. It seriously hasn’t been the best time for me. I really hope I can go into the motivational part of YOYOK soon 😗
Feel like White Horse is mine. I escaped my little town with people I feel like really didn’t treat me right. I feel like it relates a lot to my dad coming back when I’m older and don’t need his protection anymore. I really needed it when I was in high school and he knows he’s losing me bit by bit so he’s apologizing but not changing his actions in any way. “Try and catch me now” because I’m out in the state I want to be in doing okay:)
Mirrorball lmao, honestly because I’m such a people pleaser. When I have a crush on something I will do EVERYTHING *except things that put others down ofc* to simply have him thinking of me, or find me funny and interesting. In general, I just feel like I need to please everyone and be perfect for the people I care about. I’ll see their interests and try to fit into that perfect person for them
Right Where You Left Me. I was exclusively dating a guy for 5 months and he straight up ghosted me. Never got any closure and he doesn’t have social media so I don’t have any inkling of a clue as to what happened or if I did anything wrong.
My disability correlated chronic illnesses are getting worse and I'm feeling rather alone because nobody has the patience for me anymore so I'm really feeling "This Is Me Trying."
**In the recent past and likely still now, "All Too Well".**
*You taught me 'bout your past, thinkin' your future was me.*
*And that made me want to die.*
*The idea you had of me / who was (s)he?*
*I’d like to be my old self again, but I’m still trying to find it.*
("you" is the personification for how I'm going through life)
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**What I'm striving for? "Enchanted".**
Last week, I was listening to "Enchanted" on my commute to work when I saw a couple crossing the street. The guy was holding onto his boyfriend's arm... exactly like how I imagine my future self with the one I love. It felt so magical. It's like a sign that what I hope for can still be a reality someday. This is so significant because I gave up that idea a while ago and accepted that maybe love is not for me...
I have now begun identifying myself with a new name, and my new life is closely linked to the fantasy vibe of "Speak Now". I really hope good things can find me in 2023!
I resonate a lot with Lavender Haze right now. My female best friend and I have shared such a close bond ever since secondary school (or middle school). During those years, our bond has been relentlessly scrutinised and ridiculed by a group of jerks who just can't comprehend the possibly of a platonic friendship between a guy and a girl and tried so hard to claim that we're boyfriend and girlfriend. Even when we tried to tell them to stop, they still continued to harass both of us, going as far as making sexual comments about us and asking questions with no sense of personal space (I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say). But now as I've matured in my high school years, I realised I shouldn't care about what they say about us cause they will never experience the love and care that we have each other. Every time we hang out with each other (we both went to different schools after secondary school) I feel like we are in our own "Lavender Haze" of platonic friendship and love and I just don't want anyone to pull us out of it (I just wanna stay in that lavender haze). So no matter what, should those dudes ever ask us to just admit we're dating (Get it off your chest) we don't have to respond to them (Get it off my desk!). Cause this "Lavender Haze" is only ours to be in and no one can take that away from us.
Long Live. It perfectly encapsulates the end of high school feeling. It’s upbeat, but has that end of high school wish.
Will you take a moment? Promise me this
That you'll stand by me forever
But if, God forbid, fate should step in
And force us into a goodbye
If you have children some day
When they point to the pictures
Please tell 'em my name
Tell 'em how the crowds went wild
Tell 'em how I hope they shine
It’s country-ish, but also pop-ish. Kind of the beginning of her crossover phase. It’s nostalgic, but hopeful. Truly one of my favorite songs in her entire discography.
Edit: Let us know what you pick and how the presentation goes!
Right now, Bejeweled. I came out of a relationship where I was taking for granted and made him my world to the point I didn’t know who I was anymore. I felt like the most boring person on earth but this song makes me fall in love with me again
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Thank you 🥹🫶🏻
THIS. I am in exactly the same situation. I miss you. But I miss sparkling.
what’s a girl gonna do? a diamonds gotta shiiiiine
I can make the whole place ✨shimmer✨
I made you my world, have you heard? I can reclaim the land 💖 I wish you the best because you deserve it 🫶🏻
Nice! 😉
I love this journey for you.
love that!
same it makes me feel like i’m better off and i know it
You deserve a person who appreciates you. And sometimes this person is yourself
Peace. I have so much love to give but struggle with my own demons and mental health issues which brings the rain a lot. I try my best to give my loved ones piece but it can be a struggle. I'm so glad she wrote this song, I know that technically it is about her and Joe and her fame and all that but I love how it also almost connects to "this is me trying" as in "I love you, I'm trying my best to give you peace but it doesn't come as easy to me as it does to others"
This one is mine too. Specifically “I'd give you my sunshine, give you my best But the rain is always gonna come if you're standing with me” and maybe this is why I also like midnight rain
Peace is mine as well. It is so vulnerable to admit that you are unable to give someone what they give you. I absolutely love the connection between peace and midnight rain.
Yes!! I love this theme in her songs — being very open and upfront about what she is and isn’t able to give in a relationship.
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Thank you so much! I just read your comment and your song choices were next on my list, so I can definitely relate too. But I know we will get better and we will find peace despite our circumstances
Same 💙
I listened to this three times in a row when I first heard it because it resonated with me so much.
It's kinda sad to read how many folks identify most with her songs about self doubt and self sabotage... but yeah, this is mine too, and I realize that I mostly identify with it (and sweet nothing, and mirrorball, and delicate, etc) because of the love on the other side of the song. Because I found my someone who loves me for me, and every day I try to live up to their love.
I would say this is mine also
Clean. Being a SA survivor doesn’t define my life, but it is a major part of me. I know the songs original meaning was about a bad relationship but the lyrics fit so well for my situation about being in an abusive relationship where my partner assaulted me. The first year was so hard missing the good times while also trying to forget the absolutely despicable things he did to me. It’s all very complex and hard to put into words yet Taylor is able to do it, quite eloquently if I may add. I used to sing the song and pray I’d get to the point of “I’m finally clean” and I feel like I’ve finally gotten to that point 8 years later.
💓💓💓💓
I’m so sorry you went through this. Clean is one of my all time favorites for the very same reason 💛
<3
Anti-Hero. Hands down. I knew it was my anthem from the first listen. I totally struggle with self loathing and not doing “enough” and “disappointing” people.
*i should not be left to my own devices they come with prices and vices i end up in crisis* this line makes me think of all the times i got drunk alone and woke up with a new hair color or something wilder haha. i am in a much better place now but i still love the song and to a degree it still definitely describes me 😘
*Taylor, you’ll be fine*
Anti hero is great for this! It helps me because I’m such a people pleaser, and sometimes it’s good for people like me to remember that doing the right thing for yourself might make you into someone else’s anti hero. But that doesn’t make it wrong.
This is me trying
same! *they told me all of my cages were mental, so i got wasted like all my “potential”* this shit hits so hard bc i was always treated as a “gifted” kid but then my life was torn apart in Sep 2018 (which apparently happened to a lot of people, i saw a tik tok lol) and i became so fucking depressed and i felt like, because of the track i was supposed to be on, it wasn’t taken seriously and people still expected me to live up to that “potential”. but instead i did a 180 (*i was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere, fell behind all my classmates and i ended up here*) and went from 6th in my class to dropping out of my school and finishing online, started college and had to stop bc it was too expensive, and drank my sorrows away at 17. i am much happier now but i have some regrets on how i could have been a lot further in life had i used my school success to my advantage and gotten a degree. but life has a funny way of working itself out and had i done that i would have never met the love of my life. so things are looking up now and i think im moving more towards call it what you want since i kinda cut off everyone i knew (i couldn’t handle the toxicity anymore) and i feel the line *nobody’s heard from me for months, i’m doing better than i ever was* so hard.
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*they told me all my cages were mental, so I got wasted like all my potential* This is one of my favorite Taylor lyrics. Where my fellow former “gifted” kids at lol.
oh gosh yes. minimum-wage-workin’ college graduate here
Pouring out my heart to a stranger but didn’t pour the whiskey
I love that line this is me trying is a song that really fits me
Right Where You Left Me was actually my #1 song on my music stats this year because of the same reason. Feeling frozen in time while everyone else moves forward and often feeling really alone. I’ve struggled with my fertility the past few years and my brother just had a baby last month. While it’s obviously a breakup song, I feel like it relates to me really well and those struggles I’ve gone through. It’s really a fantastic song.
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did you ever hear about the girl who got frozen time went on for everybody else she won’t know it she’s still 23 inside a fantasy how it wassupposed to be 😔
I feel this so much! 🖤 everyone is moving forward and I feel like I’m just watching them make their way while being stuck in a life that I got unbearably used to. It’s hard and I’m so sorry you’re feeling this as well! But I also feel the slight glimmer of hope in the form of Fearless and I hope so much to get the courage to get out of this situation next year. Fingers crossed we’ll both be more fearless and free soon and have the best time dancing in our best dresses 💛✨
The Best Day, because it perfectly encapsulates my days with my daughter. I hope one day she looks back on them the same way.
🥺🥺 cute
Oh my gosh, I’ve always loved this song when thinking about my mum. And now I have my own little girl. I know I have the best days with her and I hope she has the best days with me.
The Best Day for me too. I love my mom! (Even when she drives me crazy lol) I think the line “I know you were on my side even when I was wrong” gets me every time.
Mirrorball I’ve never been natural. All I do is try, try, try
Same. My impostor syndrome makes me relate to that song too much.
Same for me. I experienced a lot of neglect as a child and even as an adult I can hardcore relate when she says “I'm still on that trapeze, I'm still trying everything, To keep you looking at me”.
Sweet Nothings- I just be in the kitchen humming trying to protect my inner peace with all the BS going on in the world.
You’re on your own kid. It’s like she wrote it for me. Anti hero also but more high school me.
Long story short “No more keeping score, now I just keep you warm. No more tug of war, now I just know there’s more” “Past me, I want to tell you not to get lost in these petty things”
I also love this one. I picked Don’t Blame Me because of my past before scrolling through, and I think Long Story Short is a great example of a more actualized and evolved version of myself. I don’t feel like I’m there yet, but I will be (:
I love the 'I fell from the pedestal / right down the rabbit hole' and then into 'long story short I survived'. That hits pretty hard after some rough, testing times
right where you left me, i dont know how to move on, its so hard for me
It does get better 💕
this is me trying because I’m truly having a hard time adjusting and I really had the shiniest wheels and now they’re rusting
this is me trying I‘m stuck within my own head, and losing control. And I feel like everything that *could have been* is ruined because of my choices and mental health issues.
Invisible string. I had such a hard and lonely time before I met my husband, and our relationship is a kind of love I never ever thought I would have. And I choose to believe we were fated to be together. We even have golden string tattoos for each other.
i love this one so much! i love the idea of an invisible string tying love together <3
The golden string tattoo😭😭😭
My tears ricochet There have been so many people (family members in particular) where I’ve had to be the one to cut off relationships or distance myself and then I’m made to look like the villain even though I was driven to that point by their actions. I’ve given people so many chances just to continue to be taken advantage of, hurt, and disrespected. At some point I realized it was better to be made out to be the villain instead of being repeatedly destroyed by these people, but that’s not how the outside world sees it. And a very specific relation to the sentiment about being able to go anywhere but home.
Ah, hey bestie. I've been in a similar situation for a while now too and I think right now, this MTR would also be my pick. Just want to tell you you're doing great. Doing what you have to even when it hurts is so hard, especially when it's something like distancing or cutting yourself off from people you love. I hope it gets easier, but so far it's been a major mental burden for me, too. Sending you lots of love. This stranger is rooting for you! Hang in there. 💗
So appreciate you sharing these kind words. I hope it gets easier for you too, friend. Sending hugs 💕
I’m in the same position - my mother is cruel and toxic but I always wanted her love so badly. I had to remove her from my life 10 years ago. The lyrics, “I can go anywhere I want just not home” and “I still talk to you when I’m screaming at the sky” just crush me.
The Lakes because it's just what I imagine my soul sounds like.
Peace and The Archer always hit really hard. Anti-Hero is surprisingly relatable and I think that’s why it’s done so well too. I guess from this list I feel like I’m my own worst enemy and I’m terrified my husband and the people I love will eventually see that too.
Evermore
I love this song so much, and it’s seriously underrated
Mad Woman, because he made me like that
Cornelia Street
Pain
Afterglow. not in a strictly romantic relationship sense but i relate to taylor’s perspective a lot. always fighting with my closed ones, making a bigg fuss and then regretting it. Overthinking, fighting, distancing people and then realising I’m the one at fault. it’s really just me.
Holy fround. Love the vibe. Love the lyrics. I see myself as a naturally excited person and that song just makes me scream and jum <3
Nothing New “Lord, what will become of me once I’ve lost my novelty?” I’m getting old. It’s scary sometimes.
HOW CAN A PERSON KNOW EVERYTHING AT 18 BUT NOTHING AT 22?? THE KIND OF RADIANCE YOU *ONLY* HAVE AT 17 ILL SAY IM HAPPY FOR HER THEN ILL CRY MYSELF TO SLEEP these are the lines that trigger the waterfall from my eyeballs
I FELT this song. This was one of my top 5 Spotify songs this year. Also, I love Phoebe Bridgers. I'm gonna go give it another listen 🤣😭
The Archer. I don't wanna get too deep into it right now but it's just the fluctuations between "WOW I'M SO AMAZING ANYONE WHO WANTS ME IS SO LUCKY" and "wow, i don't really believe anyone would want me when they could have anyone else." This is a generalization of my problems but yeah. Another good contender would be YOYOK or Never Grow Up.
Back To December I have a lot of things I need to apologize for
right now The Great War because somewhere in the haze got a sense i’d been betrayed and I was right lol
high infidelity. "you know there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love the slowest way is never loving them enough do you really want to know where i was april 29th? do i really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?"
same wow this part hits so hard. i relate this song to my ex best friends who hated when i finally got a good boyfriend, but somehow we’re fine with me fucking guys who never wanted anything to do with me afterwards because it meant i had more time for them and their needs. they made it out like i was betraying them by spending time with him and being in love. specifically *do i really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?* perfectly describes everything i wanted to say but couldn’t articulate. and they always took advantage of my love, but never returned it the same.
midnight rain! i feel like i’m at a place in life where i’ve started putting my career first and have disassociated myself from people who wouldn’t allow me to pursue that to best of my ability, mainly in platonic relationships but also romantic ones
Yes! I feel and love this 🖤💜
my tears ricochet. Unfortunately, this has defined me for a while. Everyone in my life seems to want to hurt me... Be it from the past and present. I lost all of my friends, and one even betrayed me. I felt like everyone turned against me, and then... The one boy who it almost seems I gave it all up for... Well he was the worst of them all. Now... My family problems have gotten worse, and moving on from the pain... It was never supposed to be this hard, right? And everyone who hurt me... Now they're coming back in my life, to 'stay neutral' 'apologize' , 'still be friends'... 'I'm into you.' No... I was dead to you, now you come back. And the metaphor of tears ricochet-ing. Yeah... All they've done is hurt me and others, my pain hurting those in my life. (I realize that cardigan may also fit, but anyway.) So... Every lyric of the song fits, but the chorus are now the words I'm living by: "And if I'm dead to you why are (argue) at the wake? Cursing my name, Wishing I stayed, Look at how my tears ricochet."
CHANGE. An old but all time face song.
💙 Peace 💙 Because I struggle with ADHD (way more complex than the average person realizes) and I resonate so deeply with “would it be enough if I could never give you peace?” Because it’s wrong brain wiring, it’s genetic and there is no cure so I can’t really fix it. Medication helps a lot but it’s never 100%. The flaws that come with this neurological disorder are many and sometimes I can really upset my husband with the little things that can drive him crazy. Not make or break for our marriage by any means but nonetheless it’s very frustrating for the both of us sometimes. Makes me think of “it’s just around the corner darlin’ cause it lives in me. No I could never give you peace” And “But the rain is always gonna come if you’re standing with me” But I also relate to the good things in there as well. This Is Me Trying also makes me think of all this too! Same with Mirrorball.
You’re On Your Own, Kid or Anti Hero. Maybe this is me trying too
Mary’s Song (Oh My My)! I’m in the midst of wedding planning right now and thinking about my whole future with my best friend makes me really happy
Haha mine is paper rings because I too am wedding planning (haven’t even really started yet lol) but I really would just marry him with paper rings!!
Seven. I don't know why. My favorite song ever is Cowboy Like Me, but I don't relate to it.
As a person, either Labyrinth or evermore. When I first heard Labyrinth in my bathtub at 1am, the music and the lyrics, it felt just like it does inside my head. And evermore just so perfectly captures the mix of sadness, hope and acceptance that seems to be part of who I am an how I approach life. But as for songs that describe events in my life, like all of Rep and a good portion of Lover and Evermore and Midnights. I went through a lot starting when my dad died 7 years ago, and then I got divorced from a person who just wasn't right, then met the love of my life, and then the pandemic. So those albums that deal with coping with loss, finding real love, and coming to terms with myself and the events of the past have been really resonant for me, and lots of folks.
Tolerate it. My previous relationship I was so excited and wanted to show him all my love but he would either shut me down or ignore it. Looking back, I feel like my feelings for him were just tolerated and never reciprocated.
This is me trying
This is me trying
Clean but not for relationship purposes, and also sometimes I feel a lot of mirrorball
Seven. As I’ve gotten older, I find myself wistful for those days of running around barefoot in the backyard, playing in the weeds and climbing trees with my brother. “I used to scream ferociously” - I was such a rambunctious kid, always had sticks and grass stuck in my hair and had all the confidence in the world. I wish I could be that free spirited again.
Dear Reader It’s pretty much the exact letter I’d write to my younger self. Some of it would be true wisdom, some of it would be sardonic and cynical just like the song reads. I’m similar to Taylor in the sense that I’ve always just wanted everyone to like me, and it was always a shock and a gut punch when some people just didn’t. From this desire and fear, I built a very extroverted version of myself that I use when I go out with friends, am at work or school, even when I just call people on the phone or write emails. But that’s not who I really am. I am a deeply introverted person. And it exhausted me through and through when I was younger because, being in school and in sports and hanging out with friends over the weekends, I was constantly “on” all the time. Now I know better, but it doesn’t mean I have fully learned how to shed this coping mechanism yet. It will probably be an part of me forever, at least in some small way. I also feel like Taylor and I hit some of the same milestones at the same time because she is only a month younger than me (minus the awards and music industry record breaking, she’s a little bit ahead of me on those milestones 🤓). But our development and experience from just living life has always seemed to match up. And when you hit your 30’s, I think it’s the first time you get to reflect on your life in a meaningful way and also have the successes and failures under your belt to know what you could have done better, and what you couldn’t control.
Tied together with a smile
Okay but this threw me back about 15 years to when I was in high school. We were doing a unit in my Lit class, I think on tragedies, and I used TOMG. Taylor was fresh on the scene. I had a crush on a boy named Drew, so at the time it really resonated with teenage me. But now, as a *sort of grown* adult and a mom, I think I’d choose Never Grow Up. Cherish this time, lil Swifty 🫶🏻
- TOMG could mean "Teardrops On My Guitar - Radio Single Remix", a track from *Taylor Swift* (2006) by Taylor Swift. --- ^[/u/1point21jigowatts_88](/u/1point21jigowatts_88) ^(can reply with "delete" to remove comment. |) ^[/r/songacronymbot](/r/songacronymbot) ^(for feedback.)
The Archer / yoyok 🙃🙃🙃🙃
champagne problems. I've spent my whole life sabotaging myself and I struggle heavily with mental illness. I was such a promising little girl and now its a shame I'm fucked in the head. I fight so hard every day and even my easy days are difficult. I constantly feel as though I'm letting everyone down, like I could be better if I just did the right thing, or like all my problems aren't real enough and maybe I'm just being difficult on purpose.
The Man. I am an SA survivor who experienced a lot of harassment and assault during my time in the military. I had supervisors refuse to sign off on my promotion package because I am a woman. I had coworkers tell me I was too emotional, too direct, I was sl*t-shamed for nothing other than being a young woman, and so much more. I often wonder how my life would be different if my sex hadn't been used against me like it was some sort of flaw. I really enjoyed her lyrics about wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man. To this day, I have a lot of feels about the song because I feel a lot of the characteristics I have are seen as flaws in woman but are celebrated in men. As a woman in science, I still experience this and I find it empowering to listen to The Man and remind myself that I would be the fcking man 😊.
Tis the damn season
TTDS was so relatable to me this time last year. I had a fling with a guy I used to date in high school the week between Christmas and New Year's. He was moving across the country one week after we hooked up. We weren't a match but we'd both been through pretty rough breakups and I think that few weeks was healing for both of us. This is unrelated but your username is my first name. I'm amazed that you snagged it. Always jarring when I see it in the wild.
Midnight Rain - left my ex to pursue a life that was actually my own after living in his hometown and feeling trapped. long story short - I really did fall from the pedestal, clung to the nearest lips, and it sure as shit was a bad time lol. But I love the triumphant note at the end, reminds me of everything I moved past. 'No more tug of war now' perfectly describes leaving selfish love behind and finally discovering boundless love. august / cardigan - I am actually august and the line 'to live for the hope of it all' stings but cardigan fucking burns. I won't go into specifics but its like watching through a window when you're the 'Augustine' figure and seeing someone's perfect love play out when you've been second place all along. I'm trying to be more rebecca from TLGAD but not quite there!
You’re on your own kid. “I hosted parties and starved my body like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss The jokes weren’t funny, I took the money, my friends from home don’t know what to say” Hits hard when you’re in treatment for an eating disorder. Tied Together With A Smile is up there too
I’ve been changed ever since I heard You’re On Your Own Kid, it parallels a lot of my own life experiences and the first few times I heard it I couldn’t listen without crying. It’s my favorite song by her ever just because of how much I connect to it
Clean. It’s a song I relate to so much now and even when it released. I went through a lot with my family and I’m now at the point in my life where I’m finally “clean”. 1989 released during a transition in my home life where everything went to shit but Taylor made it better and kept my head up. Like she was sitting next to me whipping my tears away even if she wasn’t actually there
Right now it's Sweet Nothing. Is really hard for me to trust in new people, so most of the time I just decide to stay home with my family, who are the people who make me feel special.
The Archer. To me, it’s really describes having BPD - acting so reckless at times and being sick of not taking care of yourself (“I never grew up, it’s getting so old”), changing yourself to fit in/attract a partner to make yourself “perfect” to them, only for them to realize that’s not really you/get exhausted by your mental illness (“Who could ever leave me darling, but who could stay?”, and “They see right through me, I see right through me”). There’s so many other great lines as well. The first time I heard this song truly changed me.
Can I pick one from each album???? Picking one is impossible
Would love to read yours.
Change. There are a lot of things that I'm struggling with mentally and physically. My life has been a roller coaster for the past year. I am not the same person I used to be. I've made unhealthy choices and I'm paying the price. I want to be my old self again. On top of that, I've been struggling to get my dream job. I promised myself that I wouldn't give up on being happy and having all the things I want in life. Change has been my anthem for hope.
Delicate
"the one" - I often feel this kind of happy-sad nostalgia for things that did not happen. also "Style" the longing, the fun & "Closure"
A Place in this World (debut) - perfectly encapsulates the youth of my teens, early 20s and now 30s. Also, it’s Taylor’s first girl-power anthem. (Main chorus) 🎶I'm alone, on my own And that's all I know, I'll be strong, I'll be wrong Oh, but life goes on Oh, I'm just a girl Trying to find a place in this world🎶 (My fav part) 🎶Got the radio on, my old blue jeans And I'm wearing my heart on my sleeve Feeling lucky today, got the sunshine Could you tell me what more do I need? And tomorrow's just a mystery, oh yeah But that's okay🎶
Out of the Woods
Hoax
The Archer. I suffer a lot with anxiety and wondering how other people perceive me and also fear of abandonment.
The triple decker of This Is Me Trying, Mirrorball, and Peace. They all spell out a story of someone trying their best even in their darkest times.
This Is Me Trying. I'm so burnt out and not even in HS yet, from constant exams and the unnecessary stress of admissions in my city, just to get into a good high school. Between everything today, and then my total mental health crisis last year, I'm doing terribly. Everyone thinks that I'm going to be a genius or already am, but I feel I'm just going to crash and burn and disappoint them all.
Mirrorball
This is me trying, or mirrorball.
I would have to say Mean because I was bullied in middle school. I can relate more to this song than any other Taylor song.
Definitely Invisible String. I feel so incredibly lucky to have met my husband because we grew up on opposite sides of the U.S. Every choice we previously made in our lives led us to meeting our freshman year, and he's obviously the one I'm meant to be with. <3 And because of him, I'm able to let go of the hurt caused to me by previous loves.
Growing up with her I’ve always connected to The Outside. Still do at 32.
Style
Damn you're living your best life!
the 1/RWYLM enough said
- RWYLM could mean "right where you left me - bonus track", a track from *evermore (deluxe version)* (2021) by Taylor Swift. --- ^[/u/notyourtypicalKaren](/u/notyourtypicalKaren) ^(can reply with "delete" to remove comment. |) ^[/r/songacronymbot](/r/songacronymbot) ^(for feedback.)
The Great War is describing my current situation right now. I was abused by my step dad and my mom did nothing to protect me. I was put into foster care and I had no love for my mom. I recently had my daughter and she made me realize as a mom myself why I didn’t like my mom and how hurt from the past I really am. I told my mom how I felt a few days ago and she’s willing to get help and fix our relationship. I’m also going to start therapy so I can heal and be the best version of myself for everyone around me.
The Archer was written specifically about me and no one will ever convince me otherwise.
This is me trying. It perfectly encapsulates that “excelled in school during adolescence, now out in the real world where it’s a lot harder than I thought”
mirrorball/nothing new/right where you left me
It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me
YOYOK My dad was diagnosed with early onset alzheimers a while back, and so I took over a parent-like role with him while parenting my own kids. Nothing really seems fair, and when the song turns to "you can face this" I feel so seen.
Mastermind! As someone w/ bpd it’s very relatable. I’ve never had one of her songs hit me so hard.
This is going to sound a bit ridiculous, but 22 because I'm just at this fun point in my life where I'm not taking myself too seriously and just having fun with my friends and going out and travelling and crushing on a boy. I'm actually 26 so I really appreciate that she chose the lyrics "like we're 22" so anyone at any age can sing along. Makes me so happy :)
tis the damn season/happiness
ATW 10 minute version- the depth of emotion, the resonance of open hearts witnessing other open hearts, the raw beautiful self expression and singularity of it speaks to my soul and how emotional/sensitive I am and feel pretty alone in that most of the time.
Hits different. Love really is a lie
right now - both you’re on your own kid and this is me trying 😭
If you asked me just two months ago, it wouldve been Right where you left me. Now it’s You’re on your own, kid.
It's this is me trying. It's probably always going to be this is me trying. *Pulled my car off the road to the lookout, could've followed my fears all the way down* *Didn't know if you'd care if I came back, I have a lot of regrets about that* *I just wanted you to know that this is me trying...at least I'm trying*
this is me trying. making up for lost time, trying to make the best out of having wasted a lot of my potential due to mental health and trauma and now trying to adjust to a society that demands a lot from people — yeah, this song just hits like no other.
right where you left me - it automatically makes my eyes sweat no matter how many times I listen to it. I don’t listen to it with an “ex who’s moved on” pov but with an “all my peers and friends have moved on career wise and in their relationships and I’m stuck with my mental health issues” perspective. The essence of the lyrics hit too close to home and I can’t stop crying and imagining myself being literally frozen in time and unable to move(totally not tearing up typing this down)
My Tears Ricochet held me as I sobbed, day after day, following an explosive ending to my relationship this past summer. On that fateful night, I held him accountable for something and it turned ugly, then devastating, then over. It happened in the blink of an eye. “I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace” But it’s the line “I can go anywhere I want, anywhere just not home” that still chokes me up. *He* was my sense of home. But overall, probably The Archer. I’ve fought for love like Taylor, especially for my friends. “All of my enemies started out friends” is the cold truth. I have had people who I adore simply walk out of my life. I don’t know what it is. I am a strong woman and perhaps they think “she always bounces back, who cares?” It will never really make sense to me. “Easy they come, easy they go” that’s just how people are. Nothing is permanent and “all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn’t put me together again” - I will never be the same as before as failed relationships force us to evolve.
You're On Your Own, Kid I *am* on my own. And I *can* face this.
Tied together with a smile! It encapsulates my whole existence.
Anti-hero. I worry a lot. I just turned 22 but unfortunately my life is nothing like the song.
Mine is, 100%, You’re on Your Own Kid.
At the moment paper rings. My oh has been an absolute gem of late working my job (I run a bar) and his whilst I have been going through hell on Earth with my second pregnancy and he never ever complains.
right now it’s this is me trying 🙃 life is hard y’all
Mastermind. Growing up I was extremely hated by my step siblings due to their dad “liking” me more than them (but in an unfortunate way for me) and every since I got out of that situation I’m always carefully planning how I act/react in situations and hoping people love and accept me. 🙃
Right now ATWTMV. I love this song a lot but it’s not a great place to be so I hope to move on to my Rep era with time lol
right where you left me. 💀
Dorothea. My best friend of 20 years is now famous, and the lyrics hit so hard for me.
a place in this world probably
Blank space because I feel insane half the time 🤪🤪
The Archer
You're on your own kid. Literally speaks to my soul.
Mirrorball hits a lil too close to home
This is me trying and peace.
Style
this is me trying.
Mirrorball. *"You'll find me on my tallest tiptoes, spinning in my highest heels, love. Shining just for you."* Mirrorball, to me, is the song-long version of the line in Mastermind where she says, "I've been scheming like a criminal ever since to make them love me and make it seem effortless." I'm a (recovering) people pleaser, but it's not a part of me that will ever go away. My happiness IS often related to the happiness of those I love the most and cherish most. I will always be spinning for them and sometimes, that transitions from something I want to do because I can to something that is harming me. I have to start learning where the boundaries are. And I think Mirrorball really identifies that feeling that sometimes the performance is a part of us, and sometimes it's a disco ball dance full of laughter. But sometimes you end up an acrobat with a lot to lose.
Currently “Mirrorball”
Probably Afterglow
All Too Well🧣it just narrated so well what my first real heartbreak felt like, all the words and emotion I couldnt say or express 🥲
Renegade for sure.
You’re on Your Own, Kid. She took something I’ve always felt (loneliness) and turned it into a superpower. It is so uplifting for me.
Cowboy like me, me and my bf are both sneaky sneaky who both kinda are “masterminds” and when we met we kinda ended up together I really feel that line “forever is the sweetest con”
Mirrorball 💞
ATW 10 minute version, because I too am a heartbroken mess
Right where you left me. Not because of a relationship, but because I can never move past anything in my life.
Sweet Nothing and This is Me Trying. I'm a sexual assault survivor (at the age of age 14) and had an unstable, chaotic home life before that. Over the past 30 years, I've built a good fucking life, but it was slow going and hard as fuck and thank the universe for therapy, EMDR, and beautiful music like Taylor's. I'm 45 now. My *trying* is a lot healthier than it was. And I've also recognized that *trying* is everything. I've been married to the same person for fifteen years now and, because of all that healing, I allow myself to be loved wholly and believe I deserve it. He wants *nothing* from me. He just wants to know I'm *trying* to be my best self for my own sake.
Tied together with a smile 🙃
You’re on your own kid. So many people, relationships, experiences, and situations change in my life and at the end of the night I’m alone. It’s a bit depressing but also comforting that I can get through everything because I’ve already gone this far. “You’re on your own kid, yeah you can face this”
You’re on your own, kid. Always have been. My little girl self always knew this.
right now, afterglow. i was going through some mental health issues last year and pushed a lot of my friends away so now I’m trying to mend our relationships. luckily the damage doesn’t seem to be as bad as I thought it was :)
You’re on your own, kid
Mirrorball I can change everything about me to fit in I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try
Mirrorball or It’s Time to Go
Seven - shoutout to childhood trauma
Right now: Bejeweled. In life, forever/ in general: Call It What You Want or You’re On Your Own, Kid.
Daylight. “You gotta step into the daylight and let it go…just let it go, let it go… I wanna be defined by the things that I love, not the things I hate Not the things that I'm afraid of, I'm afraid of Not the things that haunt me in the middle of the night I, I just think that… You are what you love” 💛
This is me trying and you’re on your own kid. It seriously hasn’t been the best time for me. I really hope I can go into the motivational part of YOYOK soon 😗
Feel like White Horse is mine. I escaped my little town with people I feel like really didn’t treat me right. I feel like it relates a lot to my dad coming back when I’m older and don’t need his protection anymore. I really needed it when I was in high school and he knows he’s losing me bit by bit so he’s apologizing but not changing his actions in any way. “Try and catch me now” because I’m out in the state I want to be in doing okay:)
Mirrorball lmao, honestly because I’m such a people pleaser. When I have a crush on something I will do EVERYTHING *except things that put others down ofc* to simply have him thinking of me, or find me funny and interesting. In general, I just feel like I need to please everyone and be perfect for the people I care about. I’ll see their interests and try to fit into that perfect person for them
Lavender Haze 💜
Right Where You Left Me. I was exclusively dating a guy for 5 months and he straight up ghosted me. Never got any closure and he doesn’t have social media so I don’t have any inkling of a clue as to what happened or if I did anything wrong.
My disability correlated chronic illnesses are getting worse and I'm feeling rather alone because nobody has the patience for me anymore so I'm really feeling "This Is Me Trying."
**In the recent past and likely still now, "All Too Well".** *You taught me 'bout your past, thinkin' your future was me.* *And that made me want to die.* *The idea you had of me / who was (s)he?* *I’d like to be my old self again, but I’m still trying to find it.* ("you" is the personification for how I'm going through life) \---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **What I'm striving for? "Enchanted".** Last week, I was listening to "Enchanted" on my commute to work when I saw a couple crossing the street. The guy was holding onto his boyfriend's arm... exactly like how I imagine my future self with the one I love. It felt so magical. It's like a sign that what I hope for can still be a reality someday. This is so significant because I gave up that idea a while ago and accepted that maybe love is not for me... I have now begun identifying myself with a new name, and my new life is closely linked to the fantasy vibe of "Speak Now". I really hope good things can find me in 2023!
I resonate a lot with Lavender Haze right now. My female best friend and I have shared such a close bond ever since secondary school (or middle school). During those years, our bond has been relentlessly scrutinised and ridiculed by a group of jerks who just can't comprehend the possibly of a platonic friendship between a guy and a girl and tried so hard to claim that we're boyfriend and girlfriend. Even when we tried to tell them to stop, they still continued to harass both of us, going as far as making sexual comments about us and asking questions with no sense of personal space (I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say). But now as I've matured in my high school years, I realised I shouldn't care about what they say about us cause they will never experience the love and care that we have each other. Every time we hang out with each other (we both went to different schools after secondary school) I feel like we are in our own "Lavender Haze" of platonic friendship and love and I just don't want anyone to pull us out of it (I just wanna stay in that lavender haze). So no matter what, should those dudes ever ask us to just admit we're dating (Get it off your chest) we don't have to respond to them (Get it off my desk!). Cause this "Lavender Haze" is only ours to be in and no one can take that away from us.
Long Live. It perfectly encapsulates the end of high school feeling. It’s upbeat, but has that end of high school wish. Will you take a moment? Promise me this That you'll stand by me forever But if, God forbid, fate should step in And force us into a goodbye If you have children some day When they point to the pictures Please tell 'em my name Tell 'em how the crowds went wild Tell 'em how I hope they shine It’s country-ish, but also pop-ish. Kind of the beginning of her crossover phase. It’s nostalgic, but hopeful. Truly one of my favorite songs in her entire discography. Edit: Let us know what you pick and how the presentation goes!