A Definitive List Of All The Times Taylor Swift Has Mentioned The Word "Golden" Throughout Her Music Catalogue

Taylor Swift mentions the word "gold" and "golden" a lot in her songs, and in true Taylor fashion, it must mean something!

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While I'm all about enjoying the songs because they're, well, amazing, it can also be fun to point out similar themes. The words "gold" and "golden" are a big theme for Swift, and they pop up a lot in her later works.

So what does it mean exactly?

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Well, that's up to you to decide, but to me, it's usually in reference to her lover making her feel safe and happy. Let's take a look through her entire music catalogue for all of the ~golden~ references.

The first mention of "gold" or "golden" appeared on Swift's debut album. According to Swift, the song was dedicated to a friend who was struggling with body image issues.

"Tied Together With a Smile"

Gold background with lyrics from "Tied Together With a Smile" by Taylor Swift written in white text
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Then on her second studio album, Fearless, there's mention of "golden" in a song dedicated to her mother.

"The Best Day"

Photo of a wheat field with lyrics from "The Best Day" by Taylor Swift written in text
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That's really it until her sixth studio album, Reputation. It's a big theme on this album, with songs like "So It Goes..." and "Dress" mentioning gold cages and golden feelings.

"Dancing With Our Hands Tied"

Photo of blue and gold background with lyrics from Dancing With Our Hands Tied by Taylor Swift in text
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"Dress"

Photo of gold background with lyrics from Dress by Taylor Swift printed on top
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"End Game"

Photo of yellow flowers with lyrics from "End Game" by Taylor Swift in text
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"So It Goes..."

Photo of a brass key with lyrics from "So It Goes..." by Taylor Swift in text
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"King of My Heart"

Photo of Taylor Swift in a black and gold dress performing on the reputation tour.

While this song doesn't mention "gold" or "golden," the Reputation tour stage setup was bathed in gold!

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This idea is later explored more on Lover, as Swift writes in Lover's prologue notes, "This album is a love letter to love itself — all the captivating, spellbinding, maddening, devastating, red, blue, gray, golden aspects of it."

"Daylight"

Photo of a wheat field with lyrics from "Daylight" by Taylor Swift on top
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Then, the gold theme continues on Folklore and Evermore, with songs like "Invisible String" using a gold thread to connect her to her lover.

"Invisible String"

  Cherdchanok Treevanchai / Getty Images
Cherdchanok Treevanchai / Getty Images

"Invisible String" (again)

Photo of gold lights with lyrics from Invisible String by Taylor Swift printed on top
Kseniya Ovchinnikova / Getty Images

"Gold Rush"

Photo of a gold background with lyrics from Gold Rush by Taylor Swift printed on top
Anna Efetova / Getty Images

Plus, the entire "Cardigan" music video is bathed in a golden light, like when she opens up the top of the piano for the first time.

The gold theme is obviously personal to Swift and definitely seems to mean something important to her.

As for what it means exactly? That is up for interpretation...but I hope you enjoyed this brief deep dive into Taylor's golden lyrics.