Romantic Lyrics from Taylor Swift

For Valentine’s Day this year, I wanted to find and illustrate some of my favorite Taylor Swift lyrics about romance and love. For me, music and romance go hand-in-hand, so I thought this would be an easy little assignment. Turns out, it was harder than I anticipated! 

In digging through her archives, I realized that lyrics written earlier in her career contained a lot of romantic references, but they were often very simple and, when taken out of the context of the song, weren’t particularly inspiring. 

In her later work, many love-themed lyrics seemed romantic at first glance, but when taken in the context of the song (and even as stand-alone sentences), I noticed layers of emotion that, at times, undermined the romance. This is, of course, brilliant songwriting. Love is often very complex. Feelings of love are often interlaced with anxiety, desperation, and sadness when it comes to real-life romance. These thoughtfully written lyrics, however, we’re working for the romantic musings that I was looking for. 

While I did end up finding quite a few romantic lyrics, the process of looking for them really opened my eyes not only to Taylor’s talent as a songwriter, but also to how rarely love is simple and straightforward. One of the reasons people relate so much to Taylor’s work is because she’s able to convey the complexity of emotion through metaphors and storytelling. 

Not only did the complexity complicate this love-lyric search, but I also couldn’t help but layer my own emotions onto the work, making assumptions about who they were written about (and how I feel about those various romances) as well as reflecting on how I personally relate to the songs. A lyric might sound (and be!) romantic, but if I associate it with someone I no longer want to think about, it loses its magic. 

Still, I tried my best to keep my own personal biases to myself as I read through years and years of songwriting to find my favorites. Below you’ll find some of Taylor’s most romantic lyrics. These tend to focus on the romance itself, rather than deeper underlying feelings toward another individual. I hope they inspire some romantic feelings when you read them! 

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• I once believed love would be burning red, but it’s golden, like daylight. (“Daylight”)
• With your boots underneath my bed, forever is the sweetest con. (“cowboy like me”)

• My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue. All’s well that ends well to end up with you. (“Lover”)

• We lie back. A beautiful, beautiful time lapse. Ferris wheels, kisses, and lilacs. And things I said were dumb. ‘Cause I thought that I’d never find that beautiful, beautiful life that shimmers that innocent light back. Like when we were young. (“Eldest Daughter”)

• I feel so high school every time I look at you. (“So High School”)

• I’ve felt a glow like this never before and never since. (“loml”)
• Isn’t it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?  (“invisible string”)

• You showed me colors you know I can’t see with anyone else. (“illicit affairs”)

• You can hear it in the silence, you can feel it on the way home, you can see it with the lights out. You are in love. True love. (“You Are In Love”)
• You took the time to memorize me. (“Stay Stay Stay”)
• I don’t wanna look at anything else now that I saw you. I don’t wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you. Been sleeping so long in a 20 year dark night and now I see daylight. I only see daylight. (“Daylight”)
• You would break your back to make me break a smile. (“Labyrinth”)
• I woke up just in time. Now I wake up by your side. My one and only, my lifeline. (“Dress”)
• Buy the paint in the color of your eyes. And graffiti my whole damn life. (“Honey”)
• The sign on your heart said it’s still reserved for me. Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy? (“The Alchemy”)

• Your past and mine are parallel lines, stars all aligned and they intertwined. (“All of the Girls You’ve Loved Before”)

• Your name, forever the name on my lips. (“Last Kiss”)

• And I know I make the same mistakes every time. Bridges burn, I never learn. At least I did one thing right. I did one thing right. (“Call It What You Want”)

• I’d meet you where the spirit meets the bones. (“ivy”)

• No more keepin’ score now. I just keep you warm. And my waves meet your shore, ever and evermore. (“long story short”)

• You are the best thing that’s ever been mine. (“Mine”)
• Hundreds of years ago they fell in love like we did, and I’d die for you in the same way. (“Timeless”)
• All my white diamonds and lovers are forever. Don’t you ever end up anything but mine. (“Elizabeth Taylor”)
• I like shiny things but I’d marry you with paper rings. (“Paper Rings”)

• Inescapable, I’m not even gonna try.  And if I get burned, at least we were electrified. (“Dress”)

• I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends. I’d never walk Cornelia Street again… (“Cornelia Street”)
• Once upon a time, the planets and the fates and all the stars aligned. You and I ended up in the same room at the same time. (“Mastermind”)
• Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close? (“Lover”)
• The rest of the world was black and white, but we were in screaming color. (“Out of the Woods”)
• And you know for me it’s always you… and I know for you, it’s always me. (“I Know Places”)

• The stakes are high, the water’s rough, but this love is ours. (“Ours”)

• It’s been occurring to me I’d like to hang out with you for my whole life. (“Stay Stay Stay”)

• Your eyes look like coming home. (“Everything Has Changed”)

• But I’m a fire, and I’ll keep your brittle heart warm, if your cascade ocean wave blues come. All these people think love’s for show. But I would die for you in secret. (“peace”)

• And I don’t why. But with you I’d dance in a storm. In my best dress. Fearless. (“Fearless”)

• In the middle of the night when I’m in this dream, it’s like a million little stars spelling out your name. (“Untouchable”)

• At every table, I’ll save you a seat. (“Lover”)
• I was trying to fly, but I couldn’t find wings. But you came along and you changed everything. (“Crazier”)
• This night is sparkling. Don’t you let it go. I’m wonderstruck, blushing all the way home. (“Enchanted”)
• I’m never gonna let you down. I’m never gonna leave you out. So many traitors, smooth operators. But I’m never gonna break that vow. I’m never gonna leave you now. (“Eldest Daughter”)
• This love left a permanent mark. This love is glowing in the dark. These hands had to let it go free. And this love came back to me. (“This Love”)
• My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again. (“Enchanted”)

• I’ll be 87, you’ll be 89. I’ll still look at you like the stars that shine. (“Mary’s Song”)

• You kiss me in a way that’s gonna screw me up forever. (“Suburban Legends”)
• Please don’t ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere. (“New Year’s Day”)

• When I felt like I was an old cardigan under someone’s bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite. (“cardigan”)

• And I can’t let you go. Your handprint’s on my soul. (“End Game”)

• Don’t read the last page, but I stay when it’s hard, or it’s wrong, or we’re making mistakes. (“New Year’s Day”)
• I like the way you sound in the morning. We’re on the phone and without a warning I realize your laugh is the best sound I have ever heard. (“Jump Then Fall”)
• You could be my forever-night stand. (“Honey”)

• Is this the end of all the endings? (“King of My Heart”)

   

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I hope these lyrics inspired some romantic feelings! They’re definitely better in the context of the songs, so go check them out wherever you like to listen to music. And, remember, as wonderful and magical as romance can be, there are all different kinds of love in the world and romantic love isn’t the only kind of love we can celebrate. As Taylor herself said…

There doesn’t have to be loneliness in being alone. You can find romance in your life even if you aren’t involved in a romance. Life can be beautiful and spontaneous and surprising and romantic and magical without you having some love affair happening. You can replace all of those feelings you used to have when you were enamored with someone with being enamored with your friends and enamored with learning new things and challenging yourself and living your life on your own terms.

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Check out The Story of You: A Swiftie Journal & Coloring Book for Self-Discovery for more Taylor-inspired inspiration and introspection. Available wherever you like to buy books or pre-order here.