The Best Taylor Swift Lyrics of All Time, Ranked, From Every Era
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Taylor Swift is one of the most influential lyricists of our era. (It’s no surprise that she’s distantly related to 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson.) Swift once said that “a good song transports you to your truest feelings and translates those feelings for you.” Keep reading for the best Taylor Swift lyrics of all time, ranked.
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At the 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards, the singer-songwriter accepted the Songwriter-Artist of the Decade award and opened up about her songwriting process for the first time. “Twenty years ago I wrote my first song. I used to dream about one day getting to bounce around the different musical worlds of my various sonic influences, and change up the production of my albums,” Swift said in her speech. “I hoped that one day, the blending of genres wouldn’t be such a big deal. There’s so much discussion about genre and it always usually leads back to a conversation about melody and production. But that leaves out possibly my favorite part of songwriting: lyricism.”
The musician added that she hasn’t talked about this publicly before because “it’s dorky” and revealed that she had “secretly” established three genres for the lyrics she pens: Quill Lyrics, Fountain Pen Lyrics, and Glitter Gel Pen Lyrics. “I came up with these categories based on what writing tool I imagined having in my hand when I scribbled it down—figuratively. I don’t actually have a quill anymore. I broke it once when I was mad,” she admitted.
Swift continued, “I categorize certain songs of mine in the ‘Quill’ style if the words and phrasings are antiquated, if I was inspired to write it after reading Charlotte Brontë or after watching a movie where everyone is wearing poet shirts and corsets. If my lyrics sound like a letter written by Emily Dickinson’s great grandmother while sewing a lace curtain, that’s me writing in the Quill genre. I will give you an example from one of my songs I’d categorize as Quill.”
As for the Fountain Pen style, Swift said that most of her lyrics fall into this category. “Fountain pen style means a modern storyline or references, with a poetic twist. Taking a common phrase and flipping its meaning. Trying to paint a vivid picture of a situation, down to the chipped paint on the door frame and the incense dust on the vinyl shelf,” she explained. “Placing yourself and whoever is listening right there in the room where it all happened. The love, the loss, everything. The songs I categorize in this style sound like confessions scribbled and sealed in an envelope, but too brutally honest to ever send.”
She categorized the third category, “Glitter Gel Pen,” as “frivolous, carefree, bouncy, syncopated perfectly to the beat.” She continued, “Glitter Gel Pen lyrics don’t care if you don’t take them seriously because they don’t take themselves seriously. Glitter Gel Pen lyrics are the drunk girl at the party who tells you that you look like an Angel in the bathroom. It’s what we need every once in a while in these fraught times in which we live.”
26. The Best Taylor Swift Lyrics of All Time Ranked
Whether you’re getting over a heartbreak or just want to get in the feels, read on for the best Taylor Swift lyrics from each of the singer’s eras, from her debut album to Midnights.
25. “You put up walls and paint them all a shade of gray / And I stood there loving you and wished them all away.”
Song: “Cold As You”
Album: Debut
As the fifth song on debut, this heartbreaking lyric from “Cold As You” captures the feeling of unconditionally loving someone who is emotionally unavailable. “I wrote this song with Liz, and I think the lyrics to this song are some of the best we’ve ever written,” Swift previously said.
24. “You paint me a blue sky and go back and turn it to rain / And I lived in your chess game / But you changed the rules every day.”
Song: “Dear John (Taylor’s Version)”
Album: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
Swift called “Dear John” her most “scathing” single from Speak Now, but the John Mayor-inspired track articulates the pain and disillusionment felt by an 18-year-old Swift. She has repeatedly used the game theme in other singles, including 1989’s “Blank Space.”
23. “With your hands in your pockets / And your don’t you wish you had me grin / But I did, so I smiled, and I melted like a child / Now every breath of air I breathe reminds me of then.”
Song: “You All Over Me” (feat. Maren Morris) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)
Album: Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
The vault track “You All Over Me” is one of our favorites from Fearless (Taylor’s Version). This lyric captures the complicated relationship with her ex, Joe Jonas, and the nostalgic feeling of still loving someone and being reminded of them with a simple “breath of air.”
22. “Cause she’s the kind of book that you can’t put down / Like if Cleopatra grew up in a small town.”
Song: “When Emma Falls in Love (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]”
Album: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
“Emma Falls in Love” is rumored to be about Taylor Swift’s bestie, Emma Stone. Drawing a comparison between the actress, a captivating book, and the Greek goddess Cleopatra showcases Swift’s ability to weave metaphors and vivid imagery into her gorgeous songwriting style.
21. “And I love you for giving me your eyes / Staying back and watching me shine.”
Song: “The Best Day (Taylor’s Version)”
Album: Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
“The Best Day” is a love letter penned by Swift for her mother, Andrea Swift. The lyrics beautifully convey Swift’s admiration for her mother and the encouragement she received from her to chase her dreams. “It was the sweetest thing ever because I just think she couldn’t have comprehended that I would write a song about the two of us,” Swift said to the crowd before playing the track at The Eras Tour last year.
20. “Time is taking its sweet time erasing you / And you’ve got your demons / And darlin’ they all look like me.”
Song: “Sad Beautiful Tragic (Taylor’s Version)”
Album: Red (Taylor’s Version)
“Sad Beautiful Tragic” is one of Swift’s most underrated songs on Red. In this melancholy ballad, Taylor writes about reminiscing about a magical but brief relationship and the aching process of getting over them.
19. “Barefoot in the kitchen / Sacred new beginnings / That became my religion, listen.”
Song: “Cornelia Street”
Album: Lover
Most of the tracks on Lover are dedicated to Swift’s ex-beau Joe Alwyn. She paints a picture of their “sacred” love story with descriptive lyrics to represent her comfort with him, so much so that it became her “religion.”
18. “I picked the petals / He loves me not / Something different bloomed / Writing in my room.”
Song: “You’re on Your Own, Kid”
Album: Midnights
A homage to her early career, Taylor offers fans a glimpse of the moment she discovered her craft amid teenage heartbreak. She often uses floral references in her lyrics to symbolize different emotions.
17. “Darling I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream.”
Song: “Blank Space”
Album: Reputation
Who could forget when Swift poked fun at the media’s perception of her in the iconic music video for “Blank Space.” This line from the song sticks out as one of our favorites thanks to the clever use of the idiom “nightmare dressed like a daydream.”
16. “It was months and months of back and forth / You’re still all over me like a wine-stained dress I can’t wear anymore.”
Song: “Clean (Taylor’s Version)”
Album: 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
The vivid metaphor of a wine-stained dress in Taylor Swift’s 1989 track “Clean” illustrates the struggle of moving on from an ex-lover and how their lingering presence can feel burdensome in the months after a heartbreak.
15. “No one wanted to play with me as a little kid / So I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since / To make them love me and make it seem effortless.”
Song: “Question…?”
Album: Midnights
Swift often sings about her childhood and the loneliness she experienced as a kid. In this instance, she draws upon past feelings of rejection to explain the insecurities that drive her desire for love and acceptance.
14. “August slipped away into a moment in time / Cause it was never mine.”
Song: “August”
Album: Folklore
In “August,” Swift describes a fleeting moment that was never meant to last forever. The song emulates nostalgia and the feeling of summer slipping away at your fingertips with nothing to do to stop it.
13. “How can a person know everythin’ at 18 / But nothin’ at 22?”
Song: “Nothing New (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]”
Album: Red (Taylor’s Version)
Here, Taylor compares the confidence she felt when she was 18 to the uncertainties of being 22. This lyric perfectly conveys how it feels to get older and long for the uncomplicated days of the past.
12. “Time mystical time / Cutting me open then healing me fine.”
Song: “Invisible String”
Album: Folklore
In “Invisible String,” Taylor writes about how fate can tie two people together. This lyric reminds us that the magic of time can heal all wounds, even the ones that have caused the most pain.
11. ‘Why’d you whisper in the dark / Just to leave me in the night / Now your silence has me screaming.”
Song: “Say Don’t Go (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]”
Album: 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
This lyric from Swift’s vault track “Say Don’t Go” is simple yet powerful. She seamlessly integrates the juxtaposition between a whisper and silence with the screams of the night.
10. “She would’ve made such a lovely bride / What a shame she’s f*cked in the head.”
Song: “Champagne Problems”
Album: Evermore
As the final lyric in the “Champagne Problems” bridge, this line culminates all the emotional hurt. She responds to the societal pressures and scrutiny from the media and those who keep asking about her marital status.
9. “‘Cause we were like the mall before the internet / It was the one place to be / The mischief, the gift-wrapped suburban dreams / Sorry for not winning you an arcade ring.”
Song: “Coney Island”
Album: Evermore
“Coney Island” is filled with unforgettable moments, including this nostalgic lyric that describes a love akin to a “suburban dream.” She parallels their romance to the age before the internet when you could simply go to the mall and have a fun time (as well as get into some shenanigans).
8. “Please don’t ever become a stranger / Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere.”
Song: “New Year’s Day”
Album: Reputation
This Taylor Swift lyric from “New Year’s Day” pulls our heartstrings. It describes the thought of losing someone you love and the fear of being reminded of them without getting to be with them.
7. “The burgundy on my T-shirt when you splashed your wine into me / And how the blood rushed into my cheeks, so scarlet, it was.”
Song: “Maroon”
Album: Midnights
Taylor loves using colors in her lyricism, and she penned the vivid imagery of spilled wine and flushed cheeks to evoke the color of Maroon.
6. “I’ve never heard silence quite this loud.”
Song: “The Story of Us (Taylor’s Version”
Album: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
In one of the most iconic and poignant lyrics from “The Story of Us,” Swift simply tells us that silence can be louder than words and is often the most heartbreaking.
5. “And if you never saved me from boredom / I could have gone on as I was / But, lord, you made me feel important / And then you tried to erase us.”
Song: “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”
Album: Midnights
In “Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve,” Swift speaks to how someone could enter your life unexpectedly and become your whole world, only for them to break your heart and erase everything you built together. Ouch.
4. “And you wanna scream / Don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby / Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me.”
Song: “Illicit Affairs”
Album: Folklore
You can feel Swift’s emotional pain as she delivers the first lines of the bridge of “Illicit Affairs.” If you attended the Eras Tour, then you know how surreal this moment is when she absolutely goes off.
3. “And there we are again when nobody had to know / You kept me like a secret but I kept you like an oath.”
Song: “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)”
Album: Red (Taylor’s Version)
The crown jewel of Red (Taylor’s Version), there are so many heartbreaking lyrics from “All Too Well (10-Minute Version)” that it’s hard to choose. The genius juxtaposition between a secret and an oath depicts how her level of commitment was much stronger than his.
2. “So you were never a saint / And I’ve loved in shades of wrong / We learn to live with the pain / Mosaic broken hearts.”
Song: “State of Grace (Taylor’s Version)”
Album: Red (Taylor’s Version)
Taylor is candid about her poor choices in relationships (“I’ve loved in shades of wrong”) and employs the vivid metaphor of a mosaic to represent how the shattered pieces of their broken hearts once formed something beautiful.
1. “Should’ve kept every grocery store receipt / ‘Cause every scrap of you would be taken from me.”
Song: “marjorie”
Album: Evermore
Taylor writes about grieving her grandmother in Evermore’s “marjorie,” and this particular lyric hits really hard for those who have experienced loss. Wishing you kept everyday items like grocery receipts represents the desperate desire to hold onto your loved ones.
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