Few things have affected Swift more than her breakup from Joe Alwyn, or even her surprise album release, and it's all because of one thing: her music. The 12-time Grammy winner began writing about her relationship with the British actor before fans even knew who he was. As they continued to date over the next six years, Swift used her intricate, loving lyrics to connect the dots with Alvin and form a relationship timeline in their minds that would only Make them more engaged in Thai. Of course, when the couple broke up, Swift's love songs became popular in ways that fans never hoped to experience.
Swift's 2017 album Reputation , which came after her longest gap between album releases to date and a second controversy involving Kanye West, chronicled the secretive beginnings of her relationship while also Coping with a newly shattered reputation. The 2019 Lover sees her loving her wholeheartedly and not being afraid to show it, even hinting at a possible marriage in the future. Her Grammy-winning folk album of the year and its sister album Evermore were more inspired by fictional narratives, but Swift still incorporated details from her own life with Alvin, on some songs more than ever before personalize. Her most recent album , Midnight, was also conceptual, telling the story of "13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life," but if fan theories are correct, some of those late nights happened to involve Alvin.
To add to the sad ending for the Thai shipper, Swift and Alvin's partnership got creative in 2020 , as he co-wrote several songs under the pseudonym William Bowery that spanned Ballads , Eternity, and Midnight . The couple tends not to write about their relationship, with one notable exception, but their chemistry is still there.
If you need a good cry to mourn Tayvin's (reported) death, a compilation of every song Swift reportedly wrote about their relationship is appropriate. Granted, she rarely comments on the people who inspired her songwriting, so some of these songs may require explanation. But considering the small but important details in the lyrics that hint at the story of how they met and experienced it, it's not hard to see what each song is really about. Below, listen to the songs that make up Swift and Alwyn's love story.
"...Are you ready?"
Standout Lyrics: "Some boys try too hard but he doesn't try at all / Younger than my ex but he acts like a man so"
When Swift says, "Baby, let's game on," she really means it.
"End Game"
Standout Lyrics: "I can't let you go, your handprints are on my soul/Like your eyes are wine, like your body is gold"
In Reputation 's "End Game," the moment remains as Swift proudly brags about her fame and takes pleasure in her "big name," but worries it will affect her new romance with Alwyn exist.
"do not blame me"
Outstanding Lyrics: "Lord, save me, my medicine is my treasure, I will use it all my life"
Swift poked fun at her "crazy" image on "Reputation ," but fully embraced it on "Don't Blame Me," comparing her new lover to drugs and using her newfound addiction to justify everything.
"Beautifully"
Great lyrics: "My reputation has never been so bad, so you gotta like me for it"
"Delicate" is often considered the song on which Thai first got her start, with Swift detailing their first date at a dive bar, and the song was later referenced in several songs while expressing her dismay at her fame. The worry that brought him down. Apparently, this is not the case.
"That's it..."
Excellent lyrics: "I'm yours, you gotta keep it, I'm yours too, I gotta lose it"
There's no direct mention of Alvin in this hot little deep cut, but who else could she get hot with?
“Gorgeous”
Outstanding lyrics: "If you have a girlfriend I'd be jealous of her, but it's really worse if you're single"
"Gorgeous" technically refers heavily to Thai, as Swift herself said she already had a boyfriend (who was older than either of them) but that she was too attracted to Alwyn's "ocean blue eyes" to look away sight.
"The King of My Heart"
Standout lyrics: "We met a few weeks ago/Now you try to call me 'baby,' like trying on clothes"
The song became Taywin's first declaration of love for Swift, who even performed it at a fan's engagement party.
"Dancing with hands tied"
Standout Lyric: "I, I love you, despite my deep fear that the world will divide us"
Swift managed to keep her blossoming relationship with Alwyn a secret until months later, announcing "Reputation," a song that captures the experience of having to hide in plain sight.
"skirt"
Standout Lyrics: "Flashbacks of when you met me, your inches and my bleached hair/Even when I was at my worst, you could see the best in me"
Swift and Alwyn reportedly first met at the 2016 Met Gala, where she was known for her Bleachella hairdo, and yes, his hair was voluminous. Case closed.
"Whatever you want to call it"
Standout lyrics: "I want to wear a chain with his initials around my neck/Not because he owns me, but because he really knows me"
In the chorus, Swift sings "My baby is as fit as a daydream," where "fit" is British slang for "sexy" and "very good looking." Clearly, Swift is brushing up on her cultural vocabulary.
"New Year"
Standout lyrics: "You squeezed my hand three times in the back of the taxi/I knew it was going to be a long road"
Perhaps Swift's most concise and sentimental love song to date, "New Year" finds her telling her lover she wants "your midnight," a recurring theme throughout her career, and promising to be with him the next day. Clean the bottles together. If this isn't love, I don't know what is.
"lover"
Outstanding lyrics: "Every guitar string scar on my hand, I treat the magnetism of a man as my lover"
"Lover" is the first time Swift has hinted at marriage in one of her songs, using her version of literal wedding vows to make it clear how serious she is about Alwyn. Naturally, it was used as the wedding song for many couples, putting Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" out of business.
"I think he knows"
Great lyrics: " I'm an architect, I'm making plans/He's so obsessed with me, boy, I get it"
In addition to being one of her most underrated pop hits, "I Think He Knows" is also one of the few love songs in which Swift gives herself a little credit for being herself. Well deserved.
"Paper Ring"
Standout Lyrics: "I hate accidents, unless we go from friends to this"
On the second song of "Lover," Swift admits that she might one day marry Alwyn, and she admits that there's nothing creepy about the way she watches her lover sleep.
"Cornelia Street"
Outstanding lyrics: "I hope I never lose you, I hope it never ends and I never walk down Cornelia Street again"
"Cornelia Street" is actually about Swift's fear of one day losing Alvin, and is set in her former West Village home where they created memories. Of course, when that day came, Swifties flocked to the Cornelia Street apartment to mourn, which shows the true impact of the song.
"London Boy"
Standout Lyrics: "They say home is where the heart is, but God I love the British"
Thanks to Alwyn, Swift became so familiar with London that she decided to create a nice travel itinerary for Swift. Her generosity knew no bounds.
"False God"
Standout Lyrics: "I know heaven is a thing, that's where I go when you touch me, honey/Hell is when I fight with you"
Swift refers to Alvin as "West Village" in "False Gods," again paying homage to her Cornelia Street residence and promising to resolve any issues she had with him.
"afterglow"
Standout Lyrics: "Tell me you're still mine/Tell me we'll be fine/Even if I lose my mind"
"Afterglow" plays like Swift's apology for the intense emotions and issues they dealt with on "False God," asking for forgiveness and reconciliation regardless.
"daytime"
Outstanding lyrics: "I used to believe love would be red, but it's gold"
"Daylight" is as much about Swift's relationship as she is about her own growth, detailing how Alwyn changed her view of love, using a metaphor that hearkens back to her 2012 "Red."
"Invisible rope"
Standout Lyric: "A rope pulled me out of all the wrong arms and straight into that dive bar"
Swift dives deeper than ever into her connection with Alvin in "Invisible Rope," paying homage to Alvin's former job at a frozen yogurt shop and their trips to England's Lake District, before finally returning to That “sophisticated” dive bar. She even gave a shout-out to her ex-boyfriend, Joe Jonas, by singing about how she gave him the gift of her first child. Now that’s growth.
"Peace"
Standout Lyrics: "Give you my wildness, give you a child/Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other/The family I chose, now I consider your brother my brother"
"Peace" may be the most vulnerable song on Swift's album, which is saying something considering "Folk" is largely fictional. Swift expressed her fear that she would never be able to give her love a peaceful family life due to her fame, even if she was willing to have a child for him, and even gave a nod to Alvin's family, mentioning his Bro, brought to tears any man with a pulse.
"lake"
Outstanding lyrics: "I set off, but not without my muse"
Swift and Alwyn reportedly traveled to the Lake District, whose history inspired her folklore bonus track, and she wouldn't have escaped there without him.
"willow"
Outstanding lyrics: "I beg you to hold my hand and ruin my plans, that's my man"
There's no direct reference to Alvin in "Willow," but it's so whimsical and romantic that it's hard not to imagine him as said "man."
"Gold Rush"
Standout lyrics: "At dinner, I yelled at you for your rebellious behavior/And the coastal town we wandered through had never seen such pure love."
Swift has previously used the word "golden" to describe her love for Alvin, but she turned this into a flaw in "Gold Rush," pondering what it would be like if someone else had been pursuing her lover while even adding to their love story Romanticizing how jealous she would feel was more than she had ever had before.
“Long story short”
Standout Lyrics: "When I lowered my sword, I threw it into the bushes and knocked on your door/We live in peace, but if someone comes to attack us, this time, I'm ready"
In a more self-referential song about folklore and timelessness , Swift recalls her journey from pre -Reputation to landing safely in Alvin's arms, pledging to protect their peace if necessary.
“Lavender Mist”
Outstanding Lyrics: "All they keep asking me is if I'll be your bride"
Swift herself has confirmed that "Lavender Haze" was partly inspired by her relationship with Alvin, using the Mad Men quote as a metaphor for shielding her romance from public attention. "We've been in our relationship for six years and we've had to hide from the weird rumors, the tabloid stories, but we just ignore them," she said. “So this song is about the act of ignoring those things in order to protect what’s real.”
“Snow on the Beach” (feat. Lana Del Rey)
Standout lyrics: "But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet/Now I'm rooting for you like Janet"
According to Swift, "Snow on the Beach" is about "falling in love with someone while they're falling in love with you — kind of like what it feels like to have this cataclysmic, doomed moment where you realize someone Exactly the same as you." "If Swift and Alwyn don't have this, she's definitely fooling us.
"maze"
Outstanding Lyrics: "You'll break your back and put a smile on my face"
On "Labyrinth," Swift hesitantly but shamelessly falls back in love after years of heartbreak and relationship breakdown, something she blamed on Alwyn in previous songs.
"sweet Nothing"
Standout Lyric: "Everything you want from me is sweet"
The only song on this list co-written by Swift and Alvin (or not, Bowery), "Sweet Nothing" seems to give us an inside look at their daily lives, apart from humming in the kitchen, She wrote nothing but poetry. He also complimented her. Ah, the good old days.
"Mastermind"
Standout Lyrics: "I laid the foundation and then saw a big smile on your face/You always knew it"
Swift has made it clear in previous songs that she was attracted to Alvin long before they started dating, so it's no surprise to find out she may have been orchestrating their romance from the beginning, and a plot twist proves she Knows exactly what she is doing.
"Paris"
Standout Lyrics: "There's a privacy sign on the door, on my page and all over the world/If you just keep it, romance won't die"
Swift once called Paris "the city of lovers ," so it was natural for her to use the city as a metaphor for falling in blind, all-out love, which she was presumed to be with Alvin at the time.
"glitch"
Outstanding Lyrics: "But our love has been blacked out for two thousand one hundred and ninety days."
Swift somehow included the exact number of days she and Alwyn dated into "Glitch," from 2016 to "Midnight's" release date of October 21, 2022. That's what the planners had in mind.
