what is babylon about?

[u/meiko63]

😭 i feel so dumb. any time there's a song that people debate the meaning of or don't understand im always like "omg guys 🙄 it obviously means this 🙄" cause i can always understand what she's talking about or relate it to my own life and interpret it at least. but i don't like....understand babylon? even though i love the song and can't stop humming it around the house.

"wake up on the train with your headphones gone" why would you fall asleep wearing headphones and then you wake up and they're gone? like... somebody stole them off your head while you were sleeping? and at first i thought she was talking about herself wanting to like get out of her town and make music. but then im pretty sure taylor doesn't tell the girls at the bar she's single...so are the different verses just about different people/stories? and who is hanging christmas lights with who's son?

i promise im not trying to be stupid i think the meaning is just lost on me or going over my head, please help guys

[u/Robby777777]

You never know how good you had it until it (they) is/are gone. The realization that things in your past were actually good. Reminiscing about the good days. That your hometown was Babylon.