There's nothing better than a surprise from Taylor Swift. On March 16, ahead of the start of her Eras tour, the singer announced that she would be releasing four new songs to mark the start of her long-awaited tour. New tracks include the previously unreleased "All Of The Girls You Loved Before," which was originally recorded during the sessions for her 2019 album Lover and which didn't make it into the final version but was released earlier this month leaked at some point (a rarity for Swift). The song quickly went viral on TikTok, likely leading Swift to release the final version, which has been added to the Lover album on the streaming service.
Both sonically and lyrically, "All Of The Girls" is a perfect fit for "Lover ," one of her most beguiling yet confident love songs to date. On the dreamy, synth-filled ballad, Swift fully embraces her relationship (with her boyfriend of nearly six years, Joe Alwyn, of course). Instead of obsessing over every girl he dated in the past, she thanked them all for helping him become the person he is today. "Teenage love teaches you goodbyes are beautiful," she sings on the bridge. "Every woman you know brought you here, and I want to teach you what it's like to be forever."
Investigative Swifties will also find potential homages to classic Swift moments. In the second verse, she remembers "crying in the bathroom over some guy whose name I can't remember right now," which reminded me of her crying in the bathroom at a party in "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" 's infamous lyrics. . Swift also sang about how "every dead end" eventually led him to her, a metaphor to describe the end of a relationship that she also used in the chorus of "Red."
Read the full "All Of The Girls You Loved Before" lyrics below.
When you think about all the late night, phone fights
Waking up with someone in the morning but feeling lonely
There's a heart drawn around your name. It's someone else's handwriting, not mine.
We sneaked into town, holding hands, just killing time
Your past and my past are parallel lines
The stars align, they are intertwined
And teach you how to call me "baby"
Please treat me like a lady, all I can say is
All the girls you've ever loved (oh)
Let you be the one I love
Every dead end leads you to me
Now you're all I need and I'm so grateful
all the girls you've ever loved
but i love you more
When I think about all the makeup and fake love in town (oh oh oh)
Crying in the bathroom over some guy, I can't remember his name now
Secret joke, alone, no one home, sixteen and wild (Oh)
We broke up, got back together, and left without saying goodbye (oh)
Just know that's what makes me who I am
Now I call you "baby"
that's why you're so amazing
All the girls you've ever loved (oh)
Let you be the one I love
Every dead end leads you to me
Now you're all I need and I'm so grateful
all the girls you've ever loved
but i love you more
Your mother raised you to be loyal and kind
Adolescent love teaches you that there are benefits to saying goodbye
Every woman you know brings you here
I want to teach you what it feels like forever
The girls you used to love (Oh)
Let you be the one I love
Every dead end leads you to me
Now you're all I need and I'm so grateful
all the girls you've ever loved
but i love you more
I love you more
