These Are The Most Devastating Lyrics From Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’
The anticipation surrounding Midnights hasn’t been a secret to anyone. Ever since Taylor’s initial description as “…a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. The floors we pace and the demons we face,’ fans have been attempting to emotionally prepare themselves for the almost guaranteed lyrical devastation.
Of course the album feels exceptionally vulnerable—with 13 tracks (and seven bonus tracks) depicting intense, and at times darker, emotions across the last several years of Swift’s life, it would have to be.
Naturally, she doesn’t disappoint lyrically—and while plenty of tracks boast pop melodies and catchy hooks that we can’t help but love, she doesn’t hold back with the gut punches, either.
While everyone certainly has their opinions on which specific lines resonate (and emotionally destroy) them, there are a few lines that certainly stand out.
In no particular order, here are a few of the most devastating lyrics from Midnights.
(And Ms. Swift, whenever you’re ready to Venmo me to pay for my next few therapy sessions, I would be most grateful).
1. “It’s me/ Hi /I’m the problem it’s me/…It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero” — “Anti-Hero”
Anti-Hero as a whole is a peek into Swift’s insecurities, as she referenced in videos promoting the album. Despite the upbeat feel, the self-reflection and anxious thoughts are extremely clear to anyone who struggles with any amount of anxiety or intrusive thoughts—and sitting with the lyrics too long is more than a but sobering.
2. “I search the party of better bodies/ just to learn that you never cared- you’re on your own kid, you always have been” / just to learn that my dreams aren’t rare” —“You’re On Your Own, Kid”
Again, a song that, as a whole, doesn’t hold back. It’s hard to pin down specific lyrics as this whole track unleashes one devastating blow after the next (honorable mention to “and starved my body like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss”), but the reality of understanding that you are on your own regarding the dreams and hopes you’ve held? I’m not crying, you are.
3. “You painted all my nights a color I have searched for since” — “Question…?”
It’s giving “Illicit Affairs” bridge vibes and I don’t believe I need to explain any further than that.
4. “And the voices that implore, ‘You should be doing more’/ To you, I can admit that I’m just too soft for all of it.” — “Sweet Nothing”
“Sweet Nothing” is truly the track that devastates you if you’re not in love but desperately want to be— or, you know, have massive imposter syndrome. It’s looking at his happy your best friend is in their happy relationship and trying not to burst into tears.
5. “No one wanted to play with me as a little kid/ So I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since/ To make them love me and make it seem effortless”— “Mastermind”
Mastermind feels like the opposite view of “Invisible String” from Folklore—and knowing how often Swift has discussed how she’s viewed as “calculated” throughout her career, it feels like a vulnerable confession buried in a retelling of how she met a great love. The bridge delivers the reasoning behind the cryptic and the calculations. It opens the door, a reminder than the wounds from childhood do tend to follow us—and yet again contribute to the anxious attachment our therapist keeps trying to point out to us.
6. “God rest my soul I miss who I used to be/ The tomb won’t close/ Stained glass windows in my mind/I regret you all the time/ I can’t let this go/ I fight with you in my sleep”—”Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”
The entire song cuts a little too deep for anyone who fell in love young and felt absolutely broken by it—but it’s more than that. It’s about a grown person who shattered a young girl’s heart and should have known better.
On an unrelated note…yes, I do still believe John Mayer should pay for his crimes.
7. “You know there’s many different ways that you can kill the one you love/ The slowest way is never loving them enough/ Do you really wanna know where I was April 29th?” — “High Infidelity”
Listen, cheating is bad. We know this. Do most of us also know what it’s like to watch someone fall out of love with you a little each day? Also yes.
8. “I have a lot to pine about, a lot to live without/ I’m never gonna meet what could’ve been/ would’ve been/ should’ve been you” —“Bigger Than The Whole Sky”
I will always argue that living with the “what-ifs” of anything in life is one of the most devastating pains any of us will ever know…and Taylor Swift decided to write an entire song about it. The nerve of her.