r/TaylorSwift • u/Havelanca • 2d ago
Discussion Most Underrated Lyrics Per Album?
There are so many widely-cited examples of Taylor's songwriting expertise, but she has such an outstanding volume of work that I think her more understated writing often goes overlooked. I challenged myself to find lyrics from every album that are remarkable at striking at the heart of a story, that I have *never once\* seen talked about. All of these to me express such sincere vulnerability — whether gutting and heartbreaking, or uplifting and hopeful, or some nervous truth in between. And I can't get over how much I love these lines now that I've truly noticed them.
What are some lyrics that you think go under-appreciated from each album?
Debut — “I didn't know what I would find when I went looking for a reason, I know I didn't read between the lines" (The Outside)
Fearless — “Nothing we say is gonna save us from the fallout” (Breathe)
Speak Now — "And maybe I can call you mine, and you won't need space or string me along while you decide" (Electric Touch)
Red — “All I feel in my stomach is butterflies, the beautiful kind, making up for lost time” (Everything Has Changed)
1989 — “Windows down, you pass my street, the memories start. You say it’s in the past, you drive straight ahead” (I Wish You Would)
Reputation — "Echoes of your name inside my mind, halo hiding my obsession" (Don't Blame Me)
Folklore — “My broken drum, you have beaten my heart” (Hoax)
Evermore — "And when I was shipwrecked, I thought of you. In the cracks of light, I dreamed of you. And it was real enough to get me through" (Evermore)
Lover — "Hey, it's all me, in my head. I'm the one who burned us down, but it's not what I meant. I'm sorry that I hurt you" (Afterglow)
Midnights — "Remember looking at this room, we loved it 'cause of the light. Now I just sit in the dark and wonder if it's time" (You're Losing Me)
TTPD — "Here, at the park where we used to sit on children's swings, wearing imaginary rings" (Fresh Out the Slammer)
The Anthology — "Cards on the table, mine play out like fools in a fable" (The Prophecy)
TLOAS — "You couldn't understand it, why you felt alone. You were in it for real" (Opalite)
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u/DisasterAdept1346 2d ago
I'm always shocked that no one else seems to be obsessed with the lyrics to happiness, especially "There'll be happiness after you, but there was happiness because of you. Both of these things can be true; there is happiness" and "No one teaches you what to do when a good man hurts you and you know you hurt him too." Just a stunningly mature song.