#even ayhtdws

[evermoredeluxe]

taylor singing “my cards are on the table, yours are in your hand” in foolish one, and then later in her career going on to have lyrics like “i’ve been played before if you hadn’t guessed, so i kept my cards close to my foolproof vest” and “you’ve been calling my bluff on all my usual tricks” and so many other lyrics that just suggested that she kept things to herself and ran away and didn’t easily invest fully because she was afraid it would make the other person leave or they’ll use it against her, and just thinking how this thing led to so much other stuff

[ilostyou]

i’m also still caught on how say don’t go is like the culmination of all you had to do was stay and i wish you would

[ileftherbackhome]

there is so much screaming on 1989, its really plays into the whole "i screamed so loud but no one heard a thing" theme of the album

[womanexile]

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

Oh, here we go again

The voices in his head

Hunger (Harry unreleased)-“I guess I’m prone to overthinking”

Called the rain to end our days of wild

Clean-“the rain came pouring down when I was drowning, that’s when I could finally breathe”

The sickest army doll

Purchased at the mall

Rivulets descend my plastic smile

Pleasing announced their new line of perfumes on November 1st, 2023 (Rivulets, Bright, Hot & Closeness) Now this could be just another Haylor cosmic coincidence.

But you should've seen him when he first got me

A close friend, authorized by Taylor told Vanity Fair in 2013 about Taylor and Harry’s April 2012 fling- “a weekend where they got really close and he was all, like, ‘You’re amazing - I want to be with you. I want to do this."

My boy only breaks his favorite toys, toys, oh

I'm queen of sand castles he destroys, oh, oh

'Cause it fit too right, puzzle pieces in the dead of night

AYHTDWS-“I’ve been picking up the pieces of the mess you made”

So It Goes…-“cut me into pieces, gold cage, hostage to my feelings”

So It Goes…-“and all the pieces fall right into place”

Imgonnagetyouback-“we broke all the pieces, but still want to play the game”

I should've known it was a matter of time, oh, oh

My boy only breaks his favorite toys, oh, oh

Cruel Summer-“bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price, You know that I bought it”

Cardigan-“you put me on and said I was your favorite”

There was a litany of reasons why

We could've played for keeps this time

This indicates this is an off and on relationship or a person Taylor has previously dated.

I know I'm just repeating myself

Put me back on my shelf

But first, pull the string

And I'll tell you that he runs

Because he loves me (He loves me)

Harry being such an Aquarius.

'Cause you should've seen him when he first saw me

Perfect-“when I first saw you, from across the room, I could tell that you were curious”

One Direction’s Liam Payne joked about Harry meeting Taylor: “I thought Harry might have went to the bathroom just a little bit when we met her.”

My boy (My boy), only breaks his favorite toys, toys, oh

I'm queen (I'm queen), of sand castles he destroys, oh, oh

'Cause I knew too much, there was danger in the heat of my touch

OOTW-“remember when we couldn’t take the heat, I walked out said I’m setting you free”

He saw forever, so he smashed it up, oh, oh

My boy (My boy), only breaks his favorite toys, oh, oh

Once I fix me

He's gonna miss me

Once I fix me

He's gonna miss me

Just say when, I'd play again

Hear Taylor is saying she would give this person another chance. She would give this relationship another go. In The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived Taylor clearly indicates that she does not want to get back with that person (MH) “I don’t even want you back, I just want to know”

He was my best friend down at the sandlot

You Are in Love-“You’re my best friend”

Maroon-“like you were my closets friend”

I felt more when we played pretend

Than with all the Kens

Hits Different-“I used to switch out these Kens, I’d just ghost”

'Cause he took me out of my box

Stole my tortured heart

Left all these broken parts

Told me I'm better off

But I'm not

I'm not, I'm not

[foxes-that-run]

I don't wanna live forever

In the video Zayn arrives in a classic convertible, similar to Blank Space. She 'called out' Harry's cars in KoMH "'Cause all the boys and their expensive cars / With their Range Rovers and their Jaguars"

Then the hotel looks a lot like the Bowery Hotel where Harry stays in NY. Also, not to sound flippant... but it's Zayn and Taylor.

Harry and Taylor refer to Hallways in 10 songs and in the Perfect MV.

There are white roses throughout which Taylor pulls apart. Since Red, TS Roses have been about Harry, he has a rose tattoo. On their May anniversary in 2013, she posted roses saying she thought something would grow. She threw white roses in the Blank Space MV.

The people in the background are dressed like Harry and Taylor at the Victoria Secret show, which is also the subject of So it Goes.

They trash the hotel room, which mocks Perfect's MV. 1D's made a mess, Taylor and Zayn smash a mirror and a lamp.

i don't wanna live forever came together very quickly. wrote it with taylor and sam dew and produced it at home mostly on paper sounds. recorded taylor at my house. zayn sent parts from LA – we did it in a week basically. i've never had something come out that quick — jackantonoff (@jackantonoff) December 9, 2016

Zayn said that Jack approached him, then Zayn spoke to Taylor who already knew the track. I think given the importance of Jack and Taylor's relationship it's more likely Taylor choose Zayn and Jack was an intermediary than Jack raising it.

The collaboration itself is enough to confirm who it is about and caused a directioner-swiftie Twitter fandom storm. Many viewed it as a way for them both to mess with Harry, I think in part it is a response to Perfect. To suggest it's not about Harry for either is... a choice.

When was it written

Jack and Taylor were in the studio recording the bulk of Reputation in September 2016, Zayn was was in LA then, so maybe. But Fifty shades wrapped in April 2016 and it was likely wanted then.

Live performances

Taylor performed it 7 times in promotional events and then only twice in concert, interestingly both times was it the first week of June:

June 9, 2018, Manchester's Reputation Surprise Song. They were in a good (and maybe more) place then. Also Harry's hometown (he was in Florida)

June 3, 2023, Chicago Eras surprise song. It is sadder that above, the MH split announcement was 2 days later so maybe related. Haylor relations seemed warm before and after that.

Taylors split from CH and Harry left to shoot Dunkirk in June 2016. From I did something bad / High Infidelity / Ole we know CH was over earlier and they had spent some time together in February and April 2016. Playing this in June, when Harry left for Dunkirk and his IG going colour after the 2016 Met Gala has me side eyeing the end.

Lyrics

[Verse 1: ZAYN] Been sittin' eyes wide open Behind these four walls, hopin' you'd call It's just a cruel existence Like there's no point hopin' at all

Eyes wide open is a reference to Eyes wide Shut, the Stanley Kubrick erotic psychological drama. Like Fifty shades is features a masquerade party.

Harry and Taylor refer to waiting for calls in: AYHTDWS "Here you are now, calling me up, but I don't know what to say" August "Cancel plans just in case you'd call". Maroon "the rust that grew between telephones" FTDT "Even my phone misses your call, by the way"

Cruel existence is a theme of referring to their relationship as something they are trapped in. Cruel Summer "It's a cruel summer with you", MMIH "Cause once you go without it / Nothing else will do" and others. Taylor also had no hope in Treacherous "This hope is treacherous"

[Pre-Chorus: ZAYN] Baby, baby, I feel crazy Up all night, all night and every day Give me somethin', oh, but you say nothin' What is happening to me?

Taylors pre-chorus is the same but "I gave you somethin', but you gave me nothin'"

IWYW has a similar line "You always knew how to push my buttons / You give me everything and nothing" and Say "don't go" "I said, "I love you" (I said, "I love you") / You say nothin' back"

[Chorus: ZAYN] I don't wanna live forever 'Cause I know I'll be living in vain And I don't wanna fit wherever I just wanna keep calling your name Until you come back home x2

Taylor has referred to not wanting a life without Harry in Is it over now? "Oh, Lord, I think about / Jumping off of very tall somethings" Hoax " Stood on the cliffside / Screaming, "Give me a reason"" This is me trying "Pulled the car off the road to the lookout / Could've followed my fears all the way down"

In Where do broken hearts go "Now I'm searching every lonely place / Every corner calling out your name / Tryna find you but I just don't know / Where do broken hearts go?"

I don't want to fit wherever seems a response to Perfect "Or the arms that hold you any time you want them / But that don't mean that we can't live here in the moment / 'Cause I can be the one you love from time to time". HS had not been available because of the band, but wasn't in 2016 when Taylor wanted someone there for her but I expect was focused on his solo career and Dunkirk so not in the band or available. To me this line could be why it still didn't work out.

[Verse 2: Taylor Swift] I'm sittin' eyes wide open And I got one thing stuck in my mind Wonderin' if I dodged a bullet Or just lost the love of my life, oh

In second Verse Taylor has let it go, dodged a bullet/lost the love of her life is pretty straight forward - but it's an interesting link to Love of my Life on Harry's House which was still 6 years away. (yes I know his only 13th track on the album he released on their 10th anniversary is about England.... ....)

[Bridge: Taylor Swift, ZAYN, Both] I've been looking sad in all the nicest places Baby, baby, I feel crazy I see you around in all these empty faces Up all night, all night and every day I've been looking sad in all the nicest places Give me somethin', oh, but you say nothin' Now I'm in a cab, I tell 'em where your place is What is happening to me?

Looking sad in all the nicest places reminds me of:

This is me trying: "And it's hard to be at a party / When I feel like an open wound/ It's hard to be anywhere these days / When all I want is you"

Hit's different "Freedom felt like summer then on the coast / Now the sun burns my heart and the sand hurts my feelings"

Take the cab to his place is also similar to other times they go to each others house:

DBATC: "I Take the long way home"

Wish You Would. "It's 2 A.M. in your car / Windows down, you pass my street / The memories start" and "It's 2 A.M. in your car / Windows down, I pass my street / The memories start"

[Outro: Taylor Swift, ZAYN] I just wanna keep callin' your name Until you come back home Until you come back home

Finally, home is an important concept to them. Generally, they refer to each other as home. However in this song and Sweet Creature, "Wherever I go, you bring me home Sweet creature, sweet creature When I run out of road, you bring me home"

Sweet Creature and IDWLF were both written in 2016 they refer to HS coming home to her.

The lyric 'And I don't wanna fit wherever / I just wanna keep calling your name / Until you come back home". Is a hope that eventually they will be together, but accepting not yet. This idea is in several songs:

HYGTG "Broke your heart, I'll put it back together / I would wait for ever and ever (I want you for ever and ever)"

Suburban Legends " When you told me we'd get back together / And you kissed me in a way that's gonna screw me up forever"

Someday "Someday maybe when we're old and gray / We could be in love once more / Till then I won't give my love away / Darling, I'm forever only yours"

Something Great: "One day, I'll come into your world and get it right / I'll say we're better off together here tonight"

Happily "We were meant to be but a twist of fate / Made it so you had to walk away."

Satellite "Spinning out, waiting for ya to pull me in / I can see you're lonely down there"

[taylortruther]

Really interesting how Taylor has all these songs in her catalogue revolving around the theme of getting people to STAY in her life : AYHTDWS, Stay Stay Stay, The Archer (who could ever leave me darling but who could stay?), Cornelia Street (I hope I never lose you), Don't Blame Me (beg you on my knees to stay), Last Kiss (something reminds you wish you had stayed) etc

And then there's those songs near the end of relarionships, where she has a lot of allusions about the DOWNSIDES of being the one who stays in a hopeless place, even if it's time to go : There was nowhere for me to stay but I stayed anyways // Good girls hopeful they'll be, and long they will wait // I wait by the door like I'm just a kid // I wait for you to drive by...I would stay forever if you say "don't go" but you won't // we wait for trains that just aren't coming // Foolish one waiting for confessions of love that are never gonna come.

The new lyric reminds me of the latter kind of songs, where you are willing to wait, you KNOW what it's like being the one who gets left, so you will wait and stay and stay and stay even if you get nothing in return...because this is patience, this is how it works. It takes time to realise that you're not getting much in return of staying. Your presence isn't valued. It's all very "it's time to go" coded. Let's see anyways.

i love this theme of hers because it's the opposite of another recurring theme, the idea that she cuts and runs. to me, it's always struck me that taylor runs when she knows she has to, but she might feel like she often stayed a little longer than she should have, to her shame. relatable!

[midnightsslut]

I also feel that way about the 1989 vault. She’s pretty kind to Harry on the OG album, but the vault tracks have a lot more bite and add a lot of layers to the relationship. I get why they were edited off the original album but I’m sure it felt freeing to release them with TV.

i remember reading a review of the og 1989 that said the closest taylor came to actually expressing anger on the album was the out of the woods bridge, but she stops short of actually doing it. even when she IS upset (ayhtdws for example), she disguises it with an upbeat melody and simpler lyrics than we saw on red. that was very much by design: if you watch any of her promo from 2014, you will see that she really wanted to come off as mature in response to the hate she got for the emotional intensity of the red album. she had a lot to prove to the world and most of all to herself. besides, she was still kind of involved with harry at the time, and she didn’t want to throw him under the bus entirely. the vault is where she expresses all of those ugly pent-up emotions that wouldn’t have worked on a perfect pop album.

[brezchez]

To celebrate the release of 1989 - Taylor's Version,

I'm going to be writing fanfics based on each song with some of my favourite ships. Not every song on the album however is going to be paired with a ship, like Shake It Off (cuz it just won't fit 😭).

The list so far is:

Welcome to New York

Blank Space

Style: Rarijack

OOTW: Tenrose

AYHTDWS: Ghostflower (Miles X Gwen)

Shake It Off

I Wish You Would: Ineffable Husbands

Bad Blood

Wildest Dreams: Zutara

HYGTG: Prinxiety

This Love: Zelink (BOTW/TOTK)

I Know Places: Donnie X Jensen

Clean

You Are In Love: Scorbus

Wonderland: Adrienette Love Square

New Romantics

As for the vault tracks, I haven't decided yet as I don't know what the songs are (like their stories/messages). These I might keep as surprises.

All fics can be found under the tag: #1989 song fics

If there are any ships that you think might suit any of the songs I've crossed out, or even replace the ships I already have (and that I know of 😅), let me know!

I'm so excited for this release!! 💙🩵🤍

[didnt-hear-idsb-live-again]

Idk if you talked about this at the time but do you have thoughts on the deja vi/cruel summer credits situation? This is the one thing I’m baffled at because I can’t imagine why Taylor would request credits (she didn’t for stay vs AYHTDWS which was more of a ripoff) and I don’t get why Olivia’s team would cave either

I have talked about this but I'm happy to again! I think there's a lot of misconceptions about what happened even, so it's good to keep clearing the air.

So Jack has said - and I believe him - that they didn't ask for credit, he and Taylor just woke up one morning and saw they'd gotten it.

I think after Paramore's team did the Misery Business thing (which, genuinely, was absolute bullshit - you shouldn't have to give writing credits to everything that's sonically inspired you. Paramore has influences and they sure don't get writing credits on all their songs - but also, that said, iirc the person who pulled the trigger on it wasn't even a current member OF Paramore; it's someone long out of the band who the band themselves had repeated legal issues with, too), Olivia's team felt they had to give credit everywhere to cover their bases and make sure they didn't get sued, thinking if that happened, more would follow, and a lawsuit would be bad press. I think (?) Olivia was probably expecting Taylor to refuse it, and was hurt by the fact that that's not what happened. I also think offering the credit was a MAJOR mistake, because all that did was draw attention to it, and tbh I think the handling of that entire situation is a part of why she switched management shortly after this whole thing.

[the-tortured-poets-dpt]

my 1989 vault song predictions (aka i’m excited to see how wrong i was)

“slut!” – like many suggested i also think it’s going to be blank space’s even more unhinged sister. my guess is she’s ironically addressing all the slut shaming and rumors at the time and i’m 100% sure it’s gonna be an absolute BOP

say don’t go – the fact that it’s the longest vault track (04:39) and the title are giving pop ballad/sadder version of iwyw, it might have been cut from the og for being too slow aka not sonically cohesive enough (too red coded)? just a guess lol (obv), i also think it’s the only really sad song in this vault

now that we don’t talk – before knowing it’s the shortest vault track (02:26) i would’ve guessed it’d be most similar to clean (maybe also a precursor to taylor getting “clean” thematically). with the length in mind i’d def say it’s upbeat and giving positive breakup song (like “now that we don’t talk i’m happy again”)

suburban legends – OKAY i have a theory, put on your clown nose: it’s the follow-up to i know places. like first she tells him she knows places they can hide, away from the city lights and the hunters and in this song she shows and explores those places with him?? and ofc they can’t hide forever but as soon as people notice they’re gone again and no one can prove they were there so people can just wonder and theorize about them like they were some kind of legend?? am i onto something? am i delulu (prob yes)? we’ll see

is it over now – i love that it’s exactly 3 minutes long and the title is giving annoyed taylor whose ex just keeps crawling back to her and she’s over it, she just wants to move on; like a more cynical version of ayhtdws. i’d also guess it’s upbeat but she might sing it in a “bored” way to emphasize her rolling her eyes at this guy. very wild guess: the song ends with the words of the title slightly changed into something like “yes it’s over now” or “thank god it’s over now” which makes it being the last track even funnier

all in all i think this vault is absolutely gonna slap and might even become my personal fav of all the vaults we heard so far

[lipslikethegardensofbabylon]

thinking about how i listened to ayhtdws to absolute death in 2014 and how i love love loved bad blood then and now only to learn the slander that swifties hold against both of these bangers and i’m not even a 1989 stan you all are just tasteless

[titsthedamnseason]

i'm hoping that they're gonna film a few of the l.a. shows just so we can document all of her outfits (or as many as possible) bc there's too many amazing ones to just have one for each era/set!!!

and maybe, they either already recorded or she'll play again the songs that have been switched out of the setlist just for filming?

i think they will be filming more (and already have been as well, but last night will just be the overwhelming bulk of the footage + on stage angles) but in my mind i think they’d be aiming for outfit consistency rather than a wide variety. otherwise that makes it confusing and less cohesive from an actual movie / documentation standpoint. also looking at her past tour movies she’s never put in effort to document the different outfit variations, it was just whatever she wore the night of being filmed (with a few exceptions like the clips with special guests in 1989 world tour live)

the cut songs are interesting to think about. on the one hand i AM positive that she has hq footage of every performance and for the 1989 movie she included ayhtdws despite having taken it off the setlist. that being said, eras is interesting because it is SOOOO long already. to include every added song/variation (long live, ttds, nbnc, nothing new, etc?) would add a lot of time to the movie that i’m guessing they’d want to avoid since it’ll easily be around 3.5 hours already.

the other thing is ttds/nbnc being the opening song for evermore. i think it’s easy to slot in a song in the middle of a set but it would be weird if they showed her emerging from the ground for the evermore set twice (although i’m sure editing could solve this problem fairly easily)

honestly what i think all these things will come down to is whether she does a true tour movie along the lines of reputation stadium tour or if it’s more documentary style in which case i could see her taking more time to show the different outfits and songs included (although again for the sake of time that would mean she could only show smaller portions of the show)

my hope is that we get BOTH styles although i’m sure that unrealistic. i’ve seen a lot of speculation about more of an “episodes” sort of thing split into parts based on each era (primarily because of the sections hulu had dedicated to the eras tour before it even started)

i think the way we’ve gotten way less behind the scenes footage and info from taylor herself (and anyone else too) compared to rep could mean that they are saving it to show in a more official capacity (even if that ends up just being like a youtube video) but it’s hard to say because it also could just be a product of taylor’s distancing herself from having such an active online presence

[this-daydream-is-dangerous-13]

https://genius.com/Griff-vertigo-lyrics

Do you think there's another reason TS shared this song on instagram stories?

I was really surprised that Taylor shared this (even after sharing Selena’s single the other week)

Oooo! I…ah…originally thought she might be low key shading OR, since Griff was the other young artist Taylor was supporting back at the 2021 Brits.

But maybe it was a volley in an ongoing lyric-based dialogue?

It sure feels a lot like AYHTDWS. And our fave green-eyed Englishman? Hates being accused of not staying.

Let’s see if there’s a reply…

Thanks for the ask, anon!

[likeadevils]

The tour speeches were the only way to even have that idea and the AYHTDWS and Clean speeches were........interesting

even those speeches feel more like taylor processing what happened to her a few years prior rather than updates on what she was going through at that exact moment

[taylortruther]

I feel like the connection between "AYHTDWS" and "Say Don't Go" is her saying "all I'm asking is that you stay" and "all you have to do was ask me to stay".

In other words: commitment. All she wanted from him was commitment, even when she chose to walk away that's what she still wanted.

yeah, she wanted to be chosen! it's really heartbreaking to see how often this theme comes up in her music. actually, i always felt i must look better in the rear view, missing me, at the golden gates they once held the keys to...

[folkinsomnia]

thoughts on 1989 TV?

I've not yet actually listened to the whole thing because of life hectic-ness, namely foot surgery that has made fun things like Consuming Music I Love suck a lot. So I'm listening all the way through today while I do some scanning for work! This is gonna be a sort of "live react" stream of consciousness thing that I'll ideally edit before bombarding you with my Thoughts :-)

In general, everything sounds so much crisper and I am LIVING

I've always been kinda meh towards style aside from the last chorus, but there's something sooo much better about style tv!! Haven't listened to the OG 1989 in ages, so I'd need to compare to really explain it (and it might be obvious, but I'm not the greatest at remembering the little details from pre-reputation albums bc rep was my first as a a Fan™️)

Her matured and vastly improved vocals are to die for and have been throughout the ~taylor's version~ journey. MWAH!

OOTW is already a gorgeous song, but tv is, again, just so...!!!!!

AYHTDWS is already one of my favorites, so the rerecording has me EMOTIONAL it's so beautiful. Hold me I listened twice (which I consider a sin on full listen-throughs of albums, though I AM a horrid sinner, so)

I still hate shake it off, but this one's much better. Milder hate, more like distaste now, sort of like a mushy thing on the bottom of my shoe instead of the bottom of my sock

IWYW makes me sprint thru the streets at 5 AM even with my recently removed stitches owie

WHAT IS THE SECRET SAUCE HERE?? Do the drums sound better? Idk!

I know bad blood is considered cringey but listen. It's also so fun and the cringe makes us free. Maybe the harmonies on the chorus have more parts?? Gdi i need to do one to one comparisons with all of these. Already salivating over the Kendrick Lamar version at the end of the album I'm excited for him

It's official that 1989 tv has made me really like songs I've been ambivalent or mildly positive towards (like style and wildest dreams now), so that's like actually huge imo

Everything is so pretty! (I'm half asleep now help I'm at WORK)

I Know Places is one of those TS songs I rarely listen to and then I listen and am like "why the fuck aren't I listening to this one daily" and IKP tv has me feeling that More Intensely

Clean is yet another fave and clean tv makes my very soul tremor. Don't look at me for a week

Wonderland continues to be a fucking transcendental experience that electrocutes my spinal column <3 the bridge is even MORE earth-shattering than it was in the original. please see my original thoughts from 4.5 years ago

these feelings re: Wonderland still stand and always will

The first chord of YAIL kind of sounds like the first chord of Give Great Thanks by Dorian Electra lmao

Still not crazy about YAIL but the lyrics and the ****** lore...phew!

New Romantics tv is suuuch a good example of how gorgeous tayla's lower register has gotten. It's so much richer and I guess more well supported?

I've heard that Slut! is actually emotional af...not ready

"I might as well be a joke in love" HOO BOY I SEE NOW WHAT FOLKS HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT

"Got lovesick all over my bed" is SO !!!!!!

Okay yeah Slut! is so fucking good

Say Don't Go has me reeling. I can see why it didn't make the final cut (she is just a little too unlike her brethren to the point that, imo, she wouldn't fit well into the original album as well as the songs that made it do), but it's soooo ggoooooOOOD!!! It gives me almost like...cousin of 1989 and Lover and Midnights vibes?

Now That We Don't Talk...!!!! These vault songs fucking rule, dude.

The end of NTWDT 🤝 Mastermind??

The I broke my own heart 'cause you were too polite to do it ⏩️ I broke his heart 'cause he was nice pipeline and how it rejects the continuation of a cycle of passivity while simultaneously continuing the emotional burden carried by women in their relationships!! And also a cycle of cruelty! These are half-baked thoughts but they ARE thoughts I'm having!! An english degree was wasted on me because my textual analysis skills are still so juvenile,,

Is It Over Now Boo From Fleabag Moment

I WAS RIGHT THE KENDRICK LAMAR BAD BLOOD VERSION IS SO FUCKING AJGKDHAGXGBX AHHHHHH (dats me yellin)