What Do Taylor Swift's "Snow on the Beach" Lyrics Mean? Here's Our Breakdown
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Taylor Swift's new album, Midnights, is officially here, and her long-awaited collaboration with alternative-pop darling Lana Del Rey has come along with it. Lana lent her vocals to Midnights' fourth track, "Snow on the Beach," which Taylor described as a dream sequence. And, after Taylor announced she would be featured on the track, mentions of Lana Del Rey grew nine times compared to the previous day on Twitter.
Taylor's longtime collaborator and friend, Jack Antonoff, likely connected her with LDR since he helped produce her albums Norman F***ing Rockwell, Chemtrails Over the Country Club, and Blue Banisters. And, if that weren't enough star power on "Snow on the Beach," Twitter fan account The Swift Society reports that Tay's "All Too Well" short film star Dylan O'Brien is credited as the drummer on the song. He was also pictured in the studio with Taylor, Jack Antonoff, and Zoë Kravitz.
— jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) October 21, 2022
"I am such a massive fan," Taylor said of Lana in an Instagram Reel before sharing what inspired the collaboration.
"The song is about falling in love with someone at the same time as they’re falling in love with you, sort of in this sort of cataclysmic, fated moment where you realize someone feels exactly the same way that you feel," Taylor said of the track, which she explained was like wondering if it's a dream. "'Wait, is this real? Is this a dream?'" she asked, "Kind of like it would be if you were to see snow falling on a beach."
If you're wondering what Taylor Swift's "Snow on the Beach" song lyrics mean, we took a deep dive and broke everything down below.
Lyrics provided by Genius
[Verse 1: Taylor Swift]
One night, a few moons ago
I saw flecks of what could've been lights
But it might just have been you
Passing by unbeknownst to me
Life is emotionally abusive
And time can't stop me quite like you did
And my flight was awful, thanks for asking
I'm unglued, thanks to you
Based on Taylor's previous statements on the song, we can only assume it's about her boyfriend of six years, Joe Alwyn. Since she publicly revealed her partner following 2017's Reputation, Taylor has written countless songs about their romance, including "Call It What You Want," "Lover," "Invisible String," and "Mastermind," among others.
In the first verse of "Snow on the Beach," she details the fateful meeting she had with her beau in a similar fashion to evermore's "Long Story Short," where she sings "And he’s passing by / Rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky."
[Chorus: Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey]
And it's like snow at the beach
Weird, but f***ing beautiful
Flying in a dream
Stars by the pocketful
You wanting me
Tonight feels impossible
But it's coming down
No sound, it's all around
Lana's vocals shine in the chorus, where she and Taylor sing about the strange moment when everything lines up in a relationship and you question whether it's a dream or real life.
[Post-Chorus: Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey]
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow on the beach
Like snow, ah
[Verse 2: Taylor Swift Lana Del Rey]
This scene feels like what I once saw on a screen
I searched "aurora borealis green"
I've never seen someone lit from within
Blurring out my periphery
My smile is like I won a contest
And to hide that would be so dishonest
And it's fine to fake it 'til you make it
'Til you do, 'til it's true
Not only does the first line of the second verse refer back to Taylor's folklore track, "Exile," but it paints the same image with the opposite connotation. In "Exile," she sings "I think I’ve seen this film before / And I didn’t like the ending," whereas in "Snow on the Beach," it's a beautiful scene she compares to polar lights that she wants to cherish for as long as she can.
[Chorus]
[Post-Chorus]
[Bridge: Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey]
I can't speak, afraid to jinx it
I don't even dare to wish it
But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet
Now I'm all for you like Janet
Can this be a real thing? Can it?
In the bridge, she feels that the newfound love is too good to be true and she doesn't want to jinx losing it by making it public information. Taylor and Joe have famously kept their romance under wraps and away from the media since 2016, and it's only seen the light of day when they control the narrative.
Taylor also makes a direct reference to pop culture icon Janet Jackson's 2001 hit, "All for You," before getting into the final chorus of "Snow on the Beach."
[Chorus]
[Post-Chorus]
[Outro: Taylor Swift]
Like snow on the beach
(It's coming down, it's coming down)
(It's coming down, it's coming down)
Like snow on the beach
(It's coming down, it's coming down)
(It's coming down, it's coming down)
(It's coming down, it's coming down)
(It's coming down, it's coming down)
(It's coming down, it's coming down)
(It's coming down, it's coming down)
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