Lyricists have this thing called poetic license. It means the freedom to depart from the conventional rules of language when writing in order to create an effect. They can get away with improper grammar, fake words, and nonsense all in order to make the song rhyme or flow better.
Whatever her reasons, Taylor Swift has used ain't in 15 of her songs, including her most recent one.
1. Cold As You
https://www.pexels.com/photo/adventure-blue-calm-waters-climb-300857/
This song is Track 5 on her debut album. Ain't is actually part of the chorus, so it's repeated a few times.
LYRICS: Just walk away. Ain't no use defending words that you will never say.
Here, ain't is used in place of there isn't.
It's worth noting that Swift uses a double negative, so the negatives cancel each other out to form a positive. Technically, she's saying "There is use defending." Since I'm sure that's not what she meant, we'll chalk this up to poetic license or inexperience.
Also, ain't no has the same amount of syllables as there's no, so it's unclear why Swift didn't use correct grammar if it still would've flowed well.
Listen to the song here.
2. The Outside
https://www.pexels.com/photo/gray-metal-chain-link-fence-close-up-photo-897651/
This is the song after Cold As You.
LYRICS: I can still see you. This ain't the best view.
In this case, ain't is used to mean isn't. Technically, this is grammatically correct. But ain't still isn't a word.
Ain't is fewer syllables than isn't, so Swift may have chosen it for flow.
Listen to the song here.
3. Fifteen
https://www.pexels.com/photo/colleagues-cooperation-fist-bump-fists-398532/
We've now moved on to the Fearless album, which is arguably one of the greatest of all time. Fifteen also happens to be the number of times Taylor Swift has used ain't so far in her songs. Just saying.
LYRICS: Say hi to your friends you ain't seen in a while.
Ain't is versatile, but this usage is one of its less popular meanings. It takes the place of haven't. I think the song would sound better with haven't. It has more syllables, so Swift may have opted for ain't to keep it short.
Watch the music video here.
4. White Horse
https://www.pexels.com/photo/animal-animal-photography-close-up-countryside-1996333/
This is one of my all-time favorite Taylor Swift songs, so I'm surprised I had forgotten that it uses ain't twice in the chorus. I guess it just fits in and flows well. The song is so great, my mind skips right over the use of a fake word.
LYRICS: I'm not a princess. This ain't a fairytale. I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet, lead her up the stairwell. This ain't Hollywood.
Ain't in both cases replaces isn't. As I said, I have no problem with the use of ain't in this song. I feel like it's more abrupt and gets the point across better. Plus, it makes it less formal and fits better with the theme of a fairytale gone wrong.
Watch the music video here.
5. Breathe
https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-looking-at-sea-while-sitting-on-beach-247314/
This is also from Fearless. Taylor Swift co-wrote and sang this song with Colbie Caillat.
LYRICS: It's 2 am, feeling like I just lost a friend. Hope you know it's not easy, easy for me. It's 2 am, feeling like I just lost a friend. Hope you know this ain't easy, easy for me.
This is the bridge, where the same phrase is sung twice. The first time, Swift says "it's not easy." The second time, she says "this ain't easy." Also, she goes from pronouncing it "ee-see" to "ee-say." The second phrase is meant to be more casual and raw, which explains why she uses ain't and pronounces easy differently.
Listen to the song here.
6. Change
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Yet another song from Fearless that uses ain't. Could it be because this is one of her more country albums?
LYRICS: It's hard to fight when the fight ain't fair.
In this song, ain't means isn't. Swift probably chose to use ain't because it's more concise. Plus, ain't fair flows well.
Watch the music video here.
7. SuperStar
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This is from the platinum version of Fearless. It's one of the bonus songs. It's about a celebrity crush, which seems odd coming from a famous person. But you have to remember that Taylor Swift wasn't as big then as she is now.
LYRICS: This is wrong, but I can't help but feel like there ain't nothing more right.
Yet another example of ain't as isn't. Also, ain't nothing is a double negative. It's like saying isn't nothing, which cancels out and becomes is something. Swift isn't saying there's something more right than her feelings. She's saying there's nothing more right. In which case, she should replace there ain't nothing with there's nothing. I'm really not sure why she chose to use ain't here.
Listen to the song here.
8. Back to December
https://www.pexels.com/photo/assorted-color-pens-709626/
This is the first and only use of ain't on her Speak Now album. I find that somewhat surprising that the only use is on this song. I would've expected to find it in a more country song like Mean. Nevertheless, here it is.
LYRICS: Turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you.
Once again, ain't means isn't. By this point, you can probably guess that I'm going to point out the double negative and how it reverses the meaning of the statement. However, I don't see it as much of a problem in this case. It might help to actually hear this line to understand why it works so well. First of all, it's a powerful statement. She thought breaking up with this guy would mean freedom, but freedom actually means missing him. Second of all, the structure of this line depends on the use of ain't. It just wouldn't work with any other word. So, we'll leave it be.
Watch the music video here.
9. Blank Space
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Ain't is actually never used on the Red album. This is the only time it's used on 1989.
LYRICS: Ain't it funny? Rumors fly.
Here, ain't means isn't. In full context, Ain't it funny? seems like it doesn't even need to be there. Its only purpose is sarcasm. Swift is saying it's not funny that rumors are flying, but she's so used to it that she's poking fun at it.
Watch the music video here.
10. End Game
https://www.pexels.com/photo/sunset-beach-couple-love-58572/
This is one of four songs on Reputation that uses ain't. For some reason, Taylor Swift didn't use it on Red and only used it once on 1989. Now, she's back in full force with it on Reputation. I guess that ruins the theory that she used it so much on Fearless because it was a country album. Reputation is far from country and far from the pop she experimented with on 1989. Whatever you want to call it, it seems to be a good fit for ain't.
LYRICS: I know what they all say, but I ain't trying to play.
In this case, ain't takes the place of am not. I'm not sure why she chose to use ain't when I'm not has the same amount of syllables and the same meaning. Admittedly, I'm not very familiar with this song because I don't listen to some of the songs from Reputation. Maybe ain't fits well with the song, and I just wouldn't know.
Watch the music video here.
11. Don't Blame Me
https://www.pexels.com/photo/colourful-capsules-984550/
This song compares love to drug use, which is why I don't like it. However, it does contain ain't, so it makes the list.
LYRICS: Love made me crazy. If it doesn't, you ain't doing it right.
Ain't is used in place of aren't. This is the first time Taylor has used it that way. Ain't and aren't have the same number of syllables, so she could've used either one and it would've flowed well. With the tone of this song, though, I think ain't fits better.
Listen to the song here.
12. Delicate
https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-leaf-326055/
In this song, ain't is part of the chorus, so it's sung a few times.
LYRICS: This ain't for the best.
Ain't is used in place of isn't. I can actually understand why she used ain't. This isn't doesn't flow well with the way this line is sung. This ends with is and isn't begins with is, so it has a weird effect.
Watch the music video here.
13. Getaway Car
https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-electric-lamp-against-black-background-248747/
This song is another case where ain't can be replaced with a contraction.
LYRICS: The circus ain't a love story.
Ain't replaces isn't. Taylor most likely chose ain't because it has fewer syllables and fits better in this line. If you go and listen to this line in the song, you'll probably agree that she'd have to restructure it to make isn't fit.
Listen to the song here.
14. This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
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In this song, ain't is part of the bridge, where she thanks the people who have stuck by her side no matter what.
LYRICS: Here's to my baby. He ain't reading what they call me lately.
This is another case of ain't being used in place of isn't. I think either word works here, even though ain't has fewer syllables. Ain't fits better with the flow of the bridge as a whole, though.
Listen to the song here. (This is from her concert movie on Netflix. It's out of sync and gets cut off, but it's the best I could find.)
15. ME!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwtG0fiDeA_/
Last but not least, Taylor Swift's latest song shows that she's not done using ain't. To be fair, she co-wrote this song with Brendon Urie from Panic! At The Disco. I'm pretty sure he actually wrote the line that contains ain't. He's the one who sings it.
LYRICS: There ain't no I in team.
This is another double negative, which ends up meaning there is an I in team. There's not. So, why not just say There is no I in team? Hard telling. Maybe Urie is aware of Taylor's penchant for ain't, or maybe she insisted that he use it. I just think it's ironic that the bridge starts with Spelling is fun, but proceeds to use improper grammar.
Watch the music video here.
Eight of the fifteen songs are singles, which means they're the ones played on the radio that have their own music video. They're more likely to reach people who aren't die-hard fans. Taylor Swift chooses to represent herself to potential fans as a woman who's not afraid to say ain't.
The Influential And Promising Messages From Taylor Swift's 'reputation' Album
How she has helped through the most difficult time in my life.
Taylor Swift has been known in the past year to have a lot of negative life events from her sexual assault court case, losing lots of friends and surrounded by playboys as described in her "reputation" album, and recently receiving backlash for announcing a political endorsement for Democratic candidates in her home state of Tennessee. Through these mishaps, Taylor reminded us again that she is not only a star but just an ordinary person.
Distracted by the whirlwind of college applications and broken friendships, it wasn't until the middle of my senior year of high school that I started listening to her new reputation album. As I started listening, there were some of the concepts I didn't understand until a couple months after my life had fallen into shambles beyond my control. I then realized the magnitude of similar things Taylor and I had gone through and how listening to the reputation album helped me get through the hardest times in my life. It taught me lots of life lessons I will never forget.
1. Play the Game
"The Game Of Life" on Flickr
Life is all about playing the game, hence "The Game Of Life." Have a plan for anything that comes your way.
2. People will be intimidated of you constantly
It seems easier than ever for people to be intimidated or perceived by others as threatening. Therefore, people will do and say anything to hurt you, exclude you, and seem superior. This intimidation can prevent you from making meaningful relationships by your self-identity such as, what you wear or how put-together you look. In return, this can make some people jealous and make condescending comments that try to lower your confidence. In high school, I felt people were always intimidated of me by the nice clothes that I wore to school or driving a nice car. This wasn't imagined, it was noticeable. I come from a middle-class family, who is now split and has to take out loans to pay for my college. I want people to know there is much more than what you see on the outside. Since going to college, I haven't been stereotyped as the rich girl or put on a pedestal for that title and it has been one of the most relieving experiences. I feel like an ordinary person and the result is really great.
3. It's OK to be yourself with a squished reputation
Currently, as a society that has chosen profit over morality, people feel like they shouldn't have feelings. For example, people gossiping about others to an extreme point where people are afraid to be themselves, toxic relationships, and a consistent worry about what people are saying about others. You are allowed to be yourself and have feelings no matter how bad life gets. For me, it was going to therapy to get over several bitchy choir girls that attempted to spread false rumors about me to my entire high school, which made my senior year unbearable. Too many changes and negative experiences in my life came too soon and I didn't know what to do. Find support where none is given and don't be ashamed to get help from a therapist.
4. Just because someone hurt you, doesn't mean you have to hit back twice as hard
You may have heard this once before, but it's the little things that make a difference. That doesn't necessarily matter but could make a difference in forming your opinion. Decide what is worth acting on and the tough comments you have to swallow or move on. Everything isn't a competition or a power struggle. Two wrongs don't make a right. It is important to always be the bigger person.
5. Be done with playboys
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It's a phrase ladies have heard time and time again, but this time I mean it indefinitely. In high school, I was always a playboys focus of coping homework, being cheated off of, or texting, Snapchatting or calling at the last hour. Playboys are toxic because they never take you seriously and always manipulate. Personally, I've encountered enough manipulative people in my life where I don't have time to wait until the last second to reply to something. After I lost all of my friends my senior year of high school, I began talking to a guy I added on Snapchat one day. One thing led to another and we began FaceTiming every night. I slowly realized I was being manipulated by him asking what I was wearing and everything about what I was doing. At the time, my confidence was at an all-time low and I finally gained enough to cut off all ties with the guy. I blocked his number and on all my social media accounts. Now that I'm in college, life moves fast, and developing deep, meaningful relationships are important to me. There is nothing deep and meaningful about playboys. Know your self-worth.
6. Toxic people are done
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The best songs on the reputation album that describe this point are, "So It Goes…" and "Getaway Car." Time's up for toxic people. People stay so long in toxic relationships because they think it will get better, and it never does. Life is too short to indefinitely with people that hurt you because you think that no one else will help you or be willing to make new friends. I shouldn't have stayed with a couple of my friends that kept excluding me from gatherings out of the blue. I shouldn't have kept talking to that one guy that insisted on knowing every detail about me life. I shouldn't have kept talking to that guy that insisted I sit on his lap in my high school physics class. I shouldn't have kept talking to that guy that put a condom on my desk and said that I should have sex with another guy in my high school physics class. In all of these cases, I should have left earlier, thinking that these people would be better than the other toxic people I ran into. Once you decide to all-time, you cut all ties. There's too much that we tolerate to make ourselves think that we are winning the game, when really its all about civility and respect. We all deserve more.
7. Continue to search for genuine, nice, and respectful people
This is easier said than done. Continue to search for genuine, nice, and respectful people. If we don't keep searching, we will feel that we have failed in making relationships. We must continue and make an effort towards people when all we may see are our own problems. I assure you there are nice people in this world, even though you may feel that everyone has failed you. We must be resilient.
8. We all need to care less about what others say about us
Taylor Swift's song, "Call it What You Want" relates to this point. In a nation full of ethical and unethical commentary, perceptions and opinions, it may seem hard not to care what others are saying about you constantly. However, when developing personal relationships, we expect people to talk about us a little at the least. But when this talk becomes gossipy and dangerously negative, we are forced to care a lot about what is being said. For example, I used to care a lot being said about me until I realized it was up to other people if they believed what was said.
I hope Taylor Swift's music has helped heal others and has created a more positive generation of role models. For these reasons, she will always be my spirit animal.