15 Lyrics That Show The "Old Taylor" Is Not Dead
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15 Lyrics That Show The "Old Taylor" Is Not Dead

Don't worry, under all that hype she is still the same songwriter we all know and love.

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15 Lyrics That Show The "Old Taylor" Is Not Dead
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Taylor Nation has been eagerly waiting for the release date of the highly anticipated Reputation album, not only because it has been a long THREE YEARS since we've had a new album but to also see just how different this "New Taylor" would be.

Don't worry, under all that hype she is still the same songwriter we all know and love.

Reputation is Taylor's biggest statement in the music industry with her experimenting with sound significantly more so than with 2014's 1989. Her sixth album is her attempt to rebrand herself after a hectic year under the limelight. While she succeeds in nailing her new persona, she still manages to honor her fans with the powerful lyrics that come from the heart in each of her fifteen new tracks.

1. ...Ready For It?


"And he can be my jailer, Burton to this Taylor
Every lover known in comparison is a failure
I forget their names now, I'm so very tame now
Never be the same now"

This passage has a lot of people buzzing, particularly with the "Burton to this Taylor' line. '...Ready For It?' has already been generally accepted that it is another satire themed look at her love life, much like last album's Blank Space, but that line has hints of old Hollywood nostalgia which is classic Taylor Swift. The Burton and Taylor reference refers to Elizabeth Taylor and her legendary love affair with Richard Burton.

2. End Game

"Reputation precedes me, they told you I'm crazy
I swear I don't love the drama, it loves me
And I can't let you go, your hand prints on my soul
It's like your eyes are liquor, it's like your body is gold"

End Game was an unusual edition to the album because of the interesting grouping of Future, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor. It's not something you expect to see on a Swift album but in between Future and Ed's verses her signature style bleeds through. She's making fun of herself, again like in 'Blank Space', while still dealing out richly detailed lyrics.

3. I Did Something Bad

"I can feel the flames on my skin
Crimson red pain on my lips
If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing
I don't regret it one bit, 'cause he had it coming"

This is the first Taylor has dropped a curse word in her lyrics to date, but as monumental as that verse is, it still shows shades of old-school Taylor with every word. You can feel the emotion dripping from the lyrics, and the imagery of her signature red lipstick also sticks out to Swift fans.

4. Don't Blame Me

"Don't blame me, your love made me crazy
If it doesn't, you ain't doin' it right
Lord, save me, my drug is my baby
I'll be usin' for the rest of my life"

A darker toned number, this song is extremely dramatic and nothing we have ever seen from Taylor before, but she still sprinkles it with little hints of her style. Classic Taylor tropes such as being drunk on love and flower imagery.

5. Delicate

"Third floor on the west side, me and you
Handsome, your mansion with a view
Do the girls back home touch you like I do?
Long night, with your hands up in my hair
Echoes of your footsteps on the stairs
Stay here, honey, I don't wanna share"

The lyrics are suggestive, but the entire song is littered with figurative language that set up each scene. You're in the dive bar with Taylor and you're away in the lover's room with her. If Speak Now's 'Enchanted' had a scandalous older sister this song would be it.

6. Look What You Made Me Do

"I don't like your kingdom keys
They once belonged to me
You ask me for a place to sleep
Locked me out and threw a feast "

Since early in her career, Swift has used royalty imagery to convey a message with her lyrics. (Love Story anyone?) She does it again here except with much darker tones, in LWYMMD someone has wronged her 'kingdom' and she's out for blood.

7. So It Goes...

"All eyes on me, your illusionist
All eyes on us
I make all your grey days clear and
Wear you like a necklace"

Smack in the middle of the album is the under-appreciated "So It Goes...", it seems drastically different than her usual songs (Taylor is literally singing about giving a guy scratches down his back), but it still uses classic Swift elements such as eye references (being her's, his, or the media's), and necklace symbols.

8. Gorgeous

"You should take it as a compliment.
That I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk
You should think about the consequence
Of your magnetic field being a little too strong
And I got a boyfriend, he's older than us
He's in the club doing, I don't know what
You're so cool, it makes me hate you so much"

With her first reference of drinking ever in a song, and the highly critiqued "stumble on home to my cats" line, saying 'Gorgeous' is reflective of her old style of music is a little bit of a stretch. But with an opening verse like that, you already have a vivid backstory and the scene is already set. Still genius.

9. Getaway Car


"I'm in a getaway car
I left you in a motel bar
Put the money in a bag and I stole the keys
That was the last time you ever saw me"

A song that could have easily fit in with the rest of the 1989 era, not only is the music similar but the lyrics are classic Taylor. With her extended metaphors and entrancing storytelling, this is the song on the album that screams old Taylor the most.

10. King of My Heart

"My broken bones are mending
With all these nights we're spending
Up on the roof with a school girl crush
Drinking beer out of plastic cups
Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff"

Another song that is 1989-esque, Taylor sings about finally learning to live alone and survive without a man until one actually comes along. A classic theme that's used over and over in all of Taylor's previous albums.

11. Dancing With Our Hands Tied

"And darling, you had turned my bed into a sacred oasis
People started talking, putting us through our paces
I knew there was no one in the world who could take it
I had a bad feeling"

An "I Know Places" feel kind of song, Taylor brings along the listener for a whirlwind of emotions. She sings about a relationship that seemed doomed from the start because people could not leave them alone. She uses her favorite lyrical weapons, such as teh imagery of dancing, forbidden love, and being torn apart.

12. Dress


Nights back when you met me
Your buzzcut and my hair bleached
Even in my worst times, you could see the best of me
Flash back to my mistakes
My rebounds, my earthquakes

By far, Taylor's sexiest song on an already suggestive album. Most fans were alarmed by 'Dress' basically giving us a look at her sex life, but under all that you're still seeing the old Taylor in the bridge (the passage above). The real meaning behind the song a reflecting on a failed relationship and the lyrics above cut into you just as "All Too Well", "Dear John", and "Wildest Dreams" do.

13. This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Thing


"It was so nice being friends again
There I was giving you a second chance
But then you stabbed my back while shaking my hand
And therein lies the issue
Friends don't try to trick you"

This song brings back major "Better Than Revenge" and "Mean" vibes with all the bitter and angry lyrics, but that is Taylor at her finest. She's known for her vulnerable and real lyrics, it's what got her such a loyal fanbase, to begin with. The clear emotion and the fact the listener knows EXACTLY who this song is about make it classic Taylor.

14. Call It What You Want

"All my flowers grew back as thorns
Windows boarded up after the storm
He built a fire just to keep me warm

Slowly I said, "You don't need to save me
But would you run away with me?" "

Classic Taylor Swift lyrics with nature imagery and painting her lover as the one that saved her in the end. The entire song could be seen as a love letter to her fans that have stuck with her through thick in thin with lyrics that have hints of vintage TSwift love ballads like "Enchanted", "You Are In Love", "Begin Again", and "Love Story".

15. New Year's Day

Literally all of New Year's Day

This song stands out on the album because it is the only one with no fancy bells and whistles; it's just Taylor with her whimsical lyrics, a piano, and a guitar. In her previous albums, Taylor likes to put an acoustic spin a track or two but New Year's Day stands by itself and it works. By placing it at the end of the album Taylor herself is confirming that after all she's been through and after all her rebranding, she's still her core still very in touch with her roots.


She may have rebranded herself, but despite all she's been through she still is loyal to her fans and in the end, is the same Old Taylor after all. Just a little bit more daring.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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