The Queen of Confessional Songwriting just has a way of crawling her way into your heart and destroying every fiber of your being. Here are her 25 best lyrics.
25. “Someday, when you leave me, I bet these memories follow you around.”
“Wildest Dreams” from 1989
24. “Losing him was blue like I’ve never known. Missing him was dark gray, all alone. Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met. But loving him was red.”
“Red” from Red
23. “You throw your head back laughing like a little kid. I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny, because he never did. I’ve been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end. But on a Wednesday in a cafe, I watched it begin again.”
“Begin Again” from Red
22. “We’re happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time. It’s miserable and magical.
“22” from Red
21. “Who you are is not what you’ve been.”
“Innocent” from Speak Now
20. “It turns out freedom ain’t nothing but missing you. Wishing I’d realized what I had when you were mine.”
“Back to December” from Speak Now
19. “Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room. Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home. Remember the footsteps. Remember the words said, and know your little brother’s favorite songs. I just realized everything I have is someday going to be gone.”
“Never Grow Up” from Speak Now
18. “I’m really gonna miss you picking fights. And me falling it, screaming that I’m right. And you would hide away and find your peace of mind with some indie record that much cooler than mine.”
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” from Red
17. “My mistake. I didn’t know to be in love, you had to fight to have the upper hand.”
“White Horse” from Fearless
16. “Ten months sober, I must admit just because you’re clean don’t mean you don’t miss it. Ten months older, I won’t give in. Now that I’m clean, I’m never going to risk it.”
“Clean” from 1989
15. “Back then, I swore I was gonna marry him someday, but I realized some bigger dreams of mine. Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind. We both cried.”
“Fifteen” from Fearless
14. “This love is difficult, but it’s real.”
“Love Story” from Fearless
13. “I’d tell you I miss, but I don’t know how. I’ve never heard silence quite this loud.”
“The Story of Us” from Speak Now
12. “You put up walls and paint them all a shade of gray, and I stood there loving you and wished them all away. And you come away with a great little story of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you.”
“Cold As You” from Taylor Swift
11. “Come on, baby, with me, we're gonna fly away from here. Out of this curtained room in this hospital grey, we'll just disappear. Come on, baby, with me, we're gonna fly away from here. You were my best four years.”
“Ronan”
10. “You are an expert at sorry, and keeping lines blurry. You’re never impressed by me acing your tests. All the girls that you’ve run dry have tired, lifeless eyes because you burned them out. But I took your matches before fire could catch me, so don’t look now. I’m shining like fireworks over your sad, empty town.”
“Dear John” from Speak Now
9. “Time is taking its sweet time erasing you. You’ve got your demons and, darling, they all look like me.”
“Sad Beautiful Tragic” from Red
8. “You always knew how to push my buttons. You give me everything and nothing.”
“I Wish You Would” from 1989
7. “I’ll go sit on the floor, wearing your clothes. All that I know is I don’t know how to be something you miss.”
“Last Kiss” from Speak Now
6. “Don’t you worry your pretty, little mind. People throw rocks at things that shine.”
“Ours” from Speak Now
5. “She wears short skirts. I wear T-Shirts. She’s cheer captain, and I’m on the bleachers, dreaming about the day when you wake up and find that what you’re looking for has been here the whole time.”
“You Belong With Me” from Fearless
4. “Darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream.”
“Blank Space” from 1989
3. “Nothing safe is worth the drive.”
“Treacherous” from Red
2. “You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter. You are the best thing that’s ever been mine.”
“Mine” from Speak Now
1. “You call me up again just to break me like a promise; so casually cruel in the name of being honest.”
“All Too Well” from Red
