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Taylor Swift’s songwriting journey began at a remarkably young age. She wrote her first song when she was 12, foreshadowing a prodigious talent that lay ahead. By 14, she signed with Big Machine Records, which prepared her for a debut album. In the nascent stages of her career, Swift quickly became a favourite among teenage audiences with relatable lyrics. From her self-titled debut album Taylor Swift (2006), “The Outside,” the sixth track on it, stood out with lines that capture the theme of isolation and longing:
How can I ever try to be better?
Nobody ever lets me in
And I can still see you, this ain’t the best view
On the outside looking in
These lines bear the universal sense of uncertainty and self-discovery that often trails the teenage years. Swift’s ability to translate these feelings into lyrics marked her emergence as a unique songwriter. And on her sophomore album, Fearless (2008), which solidified her superstar status, the album’s chart-topper, “Love Story,” resonated with teenage listeners for its timeless tale, of love overcoming obstacles:
Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone
I’ll be waiting, all there’s left to do is run
You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess
It’s a love story, baby, just say, Yes”
Yet, it is within the second verse that the song acutely captures adolescent yearning and defiance:
So I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet, ’cause we’re dead if they knew.
So close your eyes
Escape this town for a little while
In “Mine” from the Speak Now album released in 2010, Swift’s songwriting prowess shines with lines that capture the adventurous thrill and excitement of newfound love:
Do you remember, we were sitting there by the water?
You put your arm around me for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter
You are the best thing that’s ever been mine”
In 2012, Taylor Swift’s nascent shift to pop music marked a significant phase in her journey, showing flexibility and innovative songwriting. This decision was born out of Swift’s innate desire to explore fresh musical landscapes, connect with a broader audience, and evolve as an artist. During this phase, Swift also formed transformative collaborations with pop’s leading producers: Max Martin and Shellback. In “All Too Well” from Red (2012), the album that introduced Swift’s emerging sound and vision to the world, she sings:
Time won’t fly, it’s like I’m paralysed by it
I’d like to be my old self again
But I’m still trying to find it[…]
And you call me up again just to break me like a promise
So casually cruel in the name of being honest
A clear evolution from the erstwhile songwriting of Swift emerges here—her usage of metaphor and simile improves and, in this song, heightens an emotional resonance. Such growth in songwriting markedly showed an evolving lyrical style as she explored new musical territory. But she only gets stronger further on. “Clean” from her 2014 globally-acclaimed album, 1989, solidified Swift’s pop transition and revealed a more mature and introspective side to her. Once again, she stepped out of her comfort zone and reassembled a star-studded production team of Max Martin, Shellback and this time, Jack Antonoff – who has become one of her most cherished allies.
With lines about the process of healing and renewal, Swift’s lyrics reflected her growth as an artist who, at the time, was focused on themes of self-discovery and personal empowerment, all while maintaining her signature lyrical finesse:
The drought was the very worst
When the flowers that we’d grown together died of thirst[…]
Rain came pouring down
When I was drowning, that’s when I could finally breathe
And by morning
Gone was any trace of you, I think I am finally clean
On “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” from Reputation (2017), packed with enough side jabs to land a knockout, Swift’s vulnerability takes centre stage, her raw emotions evident in bittersweet lines:
I, I loved you in spite of
Deep fears that the world would divide us
So, baby, can we dance
Oh, through an avalanche?[…]
I’d kiss you as the lights went out
Swaying as the room burned down
I’d hold you as the water rushes in
If I could dance with you again”
In the lesser-known gems of 2019’s Lover album, such as “False God,” Swift revels in love, painting vivid scenarios of her lover and their shared future. In one such verse, she sings: “But we might just get away with it / Religion’s in your lips / Even if it’s a false god / We’d still worship this love.” The lines draw our attention to the tension between spiritual and earthly aspects of love; their poetry concise and resonant.
Great songwriting is the ability of the artist to have in their arsenal endless metaphorical exploration. We find an interesting metaphor depicting a battle as monumental as any in human history in Midnight’s “The Great War,” released last year. Swift exposes her insecurities, shouldering the blame for a relationship that almost fell apart:
You drew up some good faith treaties
I drew curtains closed, drank my poison all alone
You said I have to trust more freely
But diesel is desire, you were playing with fire[…]
And maybe it’s the past that’s talking
Screaming from the crypt
Telling me to punish you for things you never did
So I justified it
Swift’s recent foray into alternative sounds during the COVID-19 pandemic further demonstrates her songwriting versatility and maturity. She attributes this shift to a desire to change her approach to writing and recording, drawing inspiration from the beauty of the natural world during self-isolation and her personal memories. This venture has yielded remarkable results, producing two critically-acclaimed and game-changing albums, gaining her new fans.
On her eighth studio album, Folklore—it won Album of The Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, marking her historic third win—Swift crafts a fond metaphor for nostalgia in the album’s lead single “Cardigan”: “And when I felt like I was an old cardigan / Under someone’s bed / You put me on and said I was your favorite.” She conjures a feeling of being forgotten yet cherished, inviting listeners to not only witness, but also to empathise with the sentiments of love, loss, and the yearning for connection.
On Evermore, the sister album to Folklore, Swift delves, once again, into the realm of emotions. The title track, “Evermore,” sees the singer passionately exploring the theme of heartbreak, in an experience that resonates with listeners, leaving us equally devastated:
And I was catching my breath
Staring out an open window
Catching my death
And I couldn’t be sure
I had a feeling so peculiar
That this pain would be for / Evermore
These lines artfully capture the visceral emotions of pain and uncertainty that come with the end of a relationship. The ear familiar with Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “The Raven,” cannot miss an allusion of Swift’s “evermore” at the end of her verses in her song, as found in the former’s poem, with the word “nevermore.” It is speculated Swift took inspiration from Poe’s poem, both works sharing common themes of sorrow, loss, and the haunting presence of someone or something that lingers in the narrator’s life. However, as the protagonist in Poe’s poem is tormented by the loss of his beloved, Lenore, and the incessant “nevermore” from the raven serving as a haunting reminder of his inability to move beyond this sorrow, the recurrence of “evermore” in Swift’s song ultimately brings comfort to her song’s protagonist, helping them heal and find closure through their connection with the song’s subject.
Taylor Swift’s career has been defined by different eras, each with its own artistic vision and soundscape. However, amidst these well-defined eras, there exist collections of songs that remained tucked away. These unreleased tracks, often referred to as “songs from the vault,” hold great significance to Swift’s musical journey. Now, through re-recordings, they emerge to offer a deeper glimpse into the creative process and emotional landscape that shaped her albums. They reveal the stories, emotions, and experiences that may not have made it to the original releases, but are equally essential to understanding her artistic evolution. Another remarkably notable aspect of them is that the themes and narratives in the songs from the vault intertwine seamlessly with those that graced the original albums.
In “Bye Bye Baby” from Fearless (Taylor’s Version), the melancholic realisation of bidding farewell is encapsulated through poignant imagery, evoking bittersweet nostalgia.
It wasn’t just like a movie
The rain didn’t soak through my clothes, down to my skin
I’m driving away and I, I guess you could say
This is the last time I’ll drive this way again
Similarly, “You All Over Me” captures the fleeting nature of memories, employing the metaphor of tires on old county roads to conjure a feeling of wistful reminiscence:
Once the last drop of rain has dried off the pavement
Shouldn’t I find a stain, but I never do
The way the tyres turn stones, on old county roads
They leave ‘em muddy underneath
Reminds me of you
In Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the song “Timeless” delves into the intangibility of time’s passage, igniting a contemplation on love’s enduring nature:
Time breaks down your mind and body
Don’t you let it touch your soul
It was like an age-old classic
The first time that you saw me
The story started when you said, Hello
On “All Too Well (10-Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version),” a fan favourite is reborn through its re-recording with an additional 4 minutes runtime. In this new rendition, Swift raises a vividly-painted canvas of heartache, seamlessly weaving the past and the present to evoke strong emotions. Swift’s lyrical finesse infuses each line with a spectrum of feelings, touching hearts and bridging time through the artistry of her storytelling:
And I was never good at telling jokes, but the punch line goes
I’ll get older, but your lovers stay my age
From when your Brooklyn broke my skin and bones
I’m a soldier who’s returning half her weight[…]
And did the twin flame bruise paint you blue?
Just between us, did the love affair maim you too?
Taylor Swift’s evolution as a songwriter from her early country roots to her current alternative sound is a testament to her growth. From the tender narratives of her youth to the grand pop anthems of her twenties, and to the introspective musings of her thirties, Swift’s songwriting retains its relatability. Her impact in the music industry is immeasurable, and her ability to experiment with themes, genres, and styles, has paved way for a fresh wave of artists, including Phoebe Bridgers, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo, and many others, who explore their own creativity. Swift’s influence will continue to shape the global music industry for years to come. Through her career, she has captured human experience through great songwriting and given a voice to countless emotions, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of fans worldwide.♦
Faridah Giwa-Bello is an Africanfuturist and fantasy writer living in Lagos, Nigeria. Her work has been published in The Shallow Tales Review, and Konya Shamsrumi. She is the author of the poetry gazelle Swan of the Ocean’s Fluid Skin.