Taylor Swift has the poetry of a country singer, the soul of a pop artist and the fire of a rapper. She never fails to hold the attention of her listeners by integrating specific images into her songs that make them both personal and relatable—sometimes so relatable it feels like she is reading your mind. In the 10-minute version of Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well,” Taylor floods listeners with a multitude of specific images that are speculated to be from her own life that turn the song from a catchy hit to a staple in getting over someone you loved.
“the car keys”
I think we can all agree that a vivid image of Taylor Swift trying and missing to catch car keys unexpectedly thrown at her is one we can’t get out of our minds after hearing the first new verse in the 10-minute “All Too Well.” The way she interjects the “f*** the patriarchy” line in between the images of the keys being tossed — by a male — and the image of keys being missed — by Taylor — highlights how the man in the song looked down upon her and expected her to do things she was not ready for. As a listener, this image of the “key chain on the ground” reminds me of the missing signals someone had been sending. Similarly, Taylor expresses how she missed the signal that the man in the song didn’t love her the way he loved him. Her heart fell to the ground the same way the key chain did, and our hearts also fall when we hear the line.
“the drive down
That feeling of a heartwarming road trip with people you love is evoked for listeners when Taylor sings, “And I was thinking on the drive down.” Winding roads that symbolize a journey with the person you love come to mind. The word “thinking” provokes you to imagine, and suddenly, the song takes you on an unexpected journey to places in your mind you were unprepared to go.
“double-cross my mind”
This image is a double-entendre, meaning it has two meanings. Not only is the ex-lover we think about when listening to the song someone who double-crossed, or betrayed, us in the past, but they are someone we continuously think about. With this image, Taylor Swift perfectly captures the feeling of betrayal we feel post-breakup as there is nothing we can do but continuously play the ending over and over in our heads.
“ever-lovely jewel”
Us Swifties can agree that it’s hard not to view Taylor Swift as a perfectly beautiful jewel; however, this line emphasizes that her lover held her on an exhausting pedestal that was impossible for her to live up to. Though seemingly a positive image, listening to her sing the line, you hear the anger surrounding it that makes you want to scream at everyone who expects perfection from you.
“Turning 21”
This is almost the saddest image in the entire 10-minute version of “All Too Well” because turning 21 is supposed to be a happy moment. However, the tone and context indicate that it was not. As someone who personally expected to have the best 21st birthday and then had that taken away from me, I felt all the sting of this image in the song. Anyone who has ever felt sad on a birthday can feel this image in their bones.
“A solider”
Heartbreak is a battle and Taylor reminds us of this with the “soldier” image in the song. No matter where you are in your breakup—whether it’s fresh, or it’s been years—the pain still stays with you. Going through brutal break-ups can even cause PTSD the way that soldiers get PTSD from war.
“first fall of snow”
Not only does this lyric relate back to the line “you and I fell like an early spring snow” in her song “I Bet You Think About Me,” but its reminiscent of the beginnings of love. She shows how gently she fell in love and reminds us about that first love we had before we built a wall. Then, for some, love was so easy it snuck up on us. We can’t help but think of our first love and heartbreak when listening to this song.