Prior to the release of Midnights, we ranked Swift’s most poetic lyrics to date. Since her latest record gave us a whole new group of stellar lines, we thought it apt to count our favorites from the Midnights pack.
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Check out six of the best Taylor Swift lyrics from Midnights below.
1. I should not be left to my own devices / They come with prices and vices / I end up in crisis…One day I’ll watch as you’re leaving / ‘Cause you got tired of my scheming (“Anti-Hero”)
In a world where pop music is run by braggadocious anthems and breakup songs that push blame away, Swift isn’t afraid to be insecure about her own faults in “Anti-Hero.” The lines above are a refreshing take on today’s music scene.
2. The jokes weren’t funny, I took the money…I looked around in a blood-soaked gown and I saw something they can’t take away / Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned / Everything you lose is a step you take (“You’re On Your Own, Kid”)
Swift has never shied away from being referential of her personal life in her music. She takes things for a self-reflective turn in “You’re On Your Own, Kid.” The lyrics act as a roadmap of Swift’s time in the spotlight thus far – every caveat and downward turn accounted for. In the lines above, Swift references perhaps her biggest blockade: being denied the right to buy back her masters from her record label.
Despite being a major disappointment to Swift, the decision allowed her to embark on her re-recording journey which has taken her to heights of stardom that no one has reached before.
3. Baby boy, I think I’ve been too good of a girl / Did all the extra credit, then got graded on a curve (“Bewjeweled”)
Swift has been feted for her unparalleled ability to turn a phrase on countless occasions but, for good measure, we’re highlighting the lines above. In the second verse of “Bejeweled,” Swift delivers what could have been a heavy-handed metaphor about putting too much of yourself into your relationship with the lightest of touches.
4. Karma takes all my friends to the summit / Karma is the guy on the screen / Coming straight home to me (“Karma”)
On “Karma,” Swift struts through life with the assurance of someone who knows they’re in the right. Instead of getting even herself, she lets the cosmic forces at play plot her revenge. While karma is busy playing on the downfall of her enemies, it is also bolstering her for her good deeds. One such gift the universe bestowed upon her was her now ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn. She references the actor in the lines above, reinforcing her reputation as one of the most candid songwriters around.
5. On the way home / I wrote a poem / You say, “What a mind” / This happens all the time (“Sweet Nothing”)
Swift can craft grandiose metaphors and meandering stories all day long, but in “Sweet Nothing” she proves she is adept at small, intimate moments as well. The lines above are simple and straight to the point but, they carry with them the entire lore of Swift. Swift has been churning out hit songs at an almost unbelievable rate since she was sixteen years old. While the world is watching in awe, to Swift the skill is second nature. She relays that passé approach to her talent in the lines above.
6. If clarity’s in death, then why won’t this die? / Years of tearing down our banners, you and I / Living for the thrill of hitting you where it hurts / Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first (“Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”)
“Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve” is a painful recollection of a relationship Swift was too young to be entering. As a result, she lost a lot of herself and has held on to a deep-seated grudge that has changed her for the worst. The lines above are yet another testament to Swift’s ability to be vulnerable.
(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/WireImage)
