With Taylor Swift’s net worth estimated at $1.1 billion, it would be fair to assume that she is less relatable now than when she released her self titled debut album back in 2006. But if money doesn’t buy you happiness, it also doesn’t guarantee you will lose touch with your audience. Many of her songs deal with fundamental issues within society and her references to girlhood resonate with women of all ages.
So, here I present to you my list of the ten most relatable Taylor Swift lyrics. Some are relatable because they deal with deep-seated issues that affect women, and others are more light hearted, reflecting the strange joys of being a girl in the 21st century. But all are iconic.
10 – “I cry a lot, but I am so productive, It’s an art” (‘I Can Do It With A Broken Heart’ – The Tortured Poets Department)
This song has many relatable lines, so choosing one is hard. While this line may be more aspirational than relatable I still think it is a worthy inclusion. This line has always reminded me of the saying ‘just pull up your big girl pants and get on with it’. Having to just get on with life (especially uni work) when feeling on the verge of tears is an all-too-common experience and is truly an art. It’s nice to know that even mega-famous singers just really don’t want to do it sometimes.
9 – “In a big city, they just dropped me off/ It’s so much colder than I thought it would be” (‘Never Grow Up’ – Speak Now)
The nerves of growing up and moving out are perfectly encapsulated in this sweet, sweet song. The sudden change from child to adult seems to happen overnight when you move away and have to make it on your own in the ‘big city’. And perhaps inadvertently Taylor Swift has summed up the woes of most uni students in the UK – it is cold in our draughty uni houses!
8 – “I’m a crumpled-up piece of paper lying here” (‘All Too Well’ – Red, Taylor’s Version)
Sometimes life wears you down. Sometimes you do just feel like a crumpled-up piece of paper. In a song of deep motifs, this one feels fairly simple – life is hard.
7 – “She’s cheer captain, and I’m on the bleachers” (‘You Belong With Me’ – Fearless)
Now this song is a bop. Perhaps a slightly ‘pick-me girl’ coded bop, but a bop nonetheless! Wearing short skirts and high heels is fine. Wearing T-shirts and sneakers is also fine. There is room for all in girlhood! But I’m not too big to admit that I’ve felt the pangs of jealously towards other girls in my life. Perhaps what makes this song relatable today is just that: we all get jealous. We’re only human, after all.
6 – “I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian ’cause I care” (‘Mastermind’ – Midnights)
We’ve all heard men say that women are impossible to read. Well, yeah, there’s a reason! Having big emotions is confusing especially when you’re not sure how the other person feels, be that in a romantic relationship or a platonic one. At least for me, I find myself being cryptic and vague to protect myself from these feelings. Is this healthy? Probably not! But, this isn’t a health piece, and I would hazard a guess that I’m not alone in this.
5 – “Went home and tried to stalk you on the internet” (‘Paper Rings’ – Lover)
We all have that one friend who is a master internet stalker. Getting all the details and best pictures of whoever it is that has caught our attention. Maybe you’re that friend. If so, thank you for your service, your skill is both breathtaking and concerning.
4 – “Criticize the way you fly when you’re soaring through the sky” (‘Nothing New – Red, Taylor’s Version)
This song reflects on Swift’s anxiety about her career and the constant nit picking she has faced throughout. It often feels like there is nothing the world hates more than a woman’s success. From those at the very top of their field to those just starting out, women face extra, more invasive criticism. A woman’s success can never be her own, but rather something handed to her that will inevitably fade. We should all aim to soar through the skies of our endeavours and learn to tune out those unhelpful criticisms.
3 – “Oh, I’m just a girl/ Trying to find a place in this world” (‘A Place In This World’ – Taylor Swift)
Before there was TikTok trends, there was Taylor. What on the surface could seem like a demeaning put down of girls, the phrase has been reclaimed as of late. In a world that commonly infantilises women, we’ve said ‘okay, if that how you see me that’s what you will get’. It allows women to poke fun at themselves and embrace the fact that life is hard, and we are just trying to find a place in this world.
2 – “And I wouldn’t marry me either/ A pathological people pleaser” (‘You’re Losing Me’ – Midnights, The Late-Night Edition)
Now this line felt like a personal attack when I first heard it. Setting our needs back in favour of those we love isn’t healthy and Swift rightly calls us out on it in this hard-hitting song. In a world that often asks women to accommodate and excuse bad behaviour, too many of us have become people pleasers. The need to make others happy can affect our relationships with others but also ourselves making us question what worth we have.
1 – “Give me back my girlhood/ It was mine first” (‘Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve’ – Midnights, 3am edition
This line has stood out to many fans because of its heartbreaking content and delivery at the crescendo of ‘Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve’. It refers to the pressures on young women to grow up and become sexual beings for society to judge, earlier than they want to. The longing for the simplicity of ‘girlhood’ is a familiar feeling to many and hammered home by Swift’s pleading delivery. Many have also linked this song and line to themes of grooming, referencing a 19 year old Swift’s concerning relationship with the much older John Mayer.
So, there you have it 10 of the most relatable Taylor Swift lyrics. The reason so many people identify as ‘Swifties’ is often attributed to Swifts range, not just in genre but in subject matter. Through her lyrics Swift has given a space for many women and girls to reflect on the complex state of their gender and then cheer themselves up with upbeat, relatable bops.