so casually cruel in the name of being honest

"And you call me up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of being honest" and from the new lyrics: "you kept me like a secret but I kept you like an oath, sacred prayer and we'd swear to remember it all too well"

Mine are "The idea you had of me, who was she?" and "In this city's barren cold, I still remember the first fall of snow and how it glistened as it fell."

yesss 🤩@@MAY_sharma.

loved those too!!@@oriyanbarnes

Yes! And the repetition of “just between us” also shows that he’s tried to hide or pretend that this stuff isn’t real and she’s saying just between us, please reassure me that this wasn’t all in my head 😢

@@nickybull2361 Ughhh it makes the song so much sadder once you start dissecting the layers of emotions hidden behind simple lyrics

I never GOT All Too Well until you pointed this out, and now everything is clicking. The little details of the song I always overlooked? They're falling into place like autumn leaves. Like "there we are again in the refrigerator light"... why are they there AGAIN? OH MY GOD. She's ruminating. They're there in the fridge light again because she's playing it again in her head. She's in the back-and-forth process of grief, and she's moving from forgetting about him long enough, to remembering that good moment of dancing in the fridge light, right before the "why I needed to [forget]" part hits again. I knew the "lost in translation" lines were masterpieces but I never connected that her keeping it like an oath and him keeping it like a secret is related to this line. The extended metaphor of being dead? omg "And WE'D swear to remember it" How did I never catch that they both swore to remember it?? And now the betrayal is all the more heartbreaking because she continues to keep the promise (and he broke her like one - because he broke that promise in the first place, she's making a metaphor how he broke her OMG) by remembering, but it's the very thing she remembers all too well that is tearing her apart while he seems so casually cruel and indifferent to it. She's keeping the OATH, but all alone. "Returning half her weight" could also mean she thought he was The One ("You would've been the one if you were a better man") and was the other half of her that completed her, and now she's returning without him - which paints that picture of a young passionate love. This revelation also makes the ending mean so much more to me now. This entire time she's driving the metaphor that he forgot the promise, but last minute she turns the motif into "YOU remember it all too well." It's an accusation and a twist reveal. The fact that he continues to remember it ("you remember it" repeated in the outro like an accusation - and "I remember it, I was there" also repeated like she's trying to convince herself, like you said) but had this indifference the whole time paints the picture of regret - and that ties in with I Bet You Think About Me. WHY DID I NEVER CONNECT ALL THIS

@@shar3859 Bestie it happens to all of us. The lyrics will click all of a sudden and then everything you realise is connected and all the little details you offhandledly ignored start making sense. I think that is the beauty of her lyricism and storytelling and why she has this long lasting appeal. The same song that you have been listening to would suddenly take on a whole different meaning. You said everything so beautifully

@@aasthasharma8392 I stopped doubting Taylor's talent when things like this clicked. It's such an incredible thing to be able to imply multiple meanings as well as open things up to interpretation with the twist of a few well-chosen words. It makes Taylor's lyrics live and breathe

The supreme IRONY of that show vs the gaslighting & borderline groomy pursuit of her is so gross

Oh wow, YES!!! This was the one line that jarred for me so your interpretation perfectly fits with what we know about the relationship and the man in question 👍

It can also be a metaphor for their relationship like he's doing the act of letting her take charge but not actually coming from a sincere place. He's just nonchalantly gaslighting her into thinking that she can be in control. Taylor uses the car metaphor a lot to symbolise her standing in the relationships, she is in the passenger seat a lot in her early songs, in Getaway car she switches from passneger to driver.

@@aasthasharma8392Oooo; great point about “Getaway Car.”

Yes and because the “fuck the patriarchy” was in quotes it’s assumed that it was written on his keychain which is such a flimsy show of performative feminism. Him tossing her the keys like he’s handing her some control, but missing and having them land at her feet feels so icky.

😂 you’re one of us now mwahahahaha

🤣🤣

OH YEAH! Also, she should watch the 10 minute video of all too well because I think she gets a better idea of what they were talking about and how he broke her down. Unfortunately, for him, Taylor never stays down!!!!

I literally LOL’d when she said this. It’s Taylor Swift and this is her heartbreak song…devastatingly beautiful and haunting.

Love this - thanks for adding it!!

And, at the time, Taylor was living in Nashville so Brooklyn was "his." In her song, "I Bet You Think About Me" she alludes to him saying his city was "better" than hers!

Yesss I was thinking this very same thing!! A great look at the editing process and how to choose scenes. Would be super interesting!

@@OnWriting. please do, I think I’m in the minority of preferring the shorter version but have a feeling you’ll appreciate how well they accomplished editing it down to 5 mins.

@@OnWriting.If you do decide to react to the original 5 minute version, I would recommend watching her 2014 Grammy Performance of it. You can really see every emotion she pours into the performance when it was still so fresh. Where as, in the 10 minute version she is (thankfully) more healed from the relationship. It’s just an interesting difference.

@@themusiqfreakI feel like I love them both equally! They definitely have different feelings and vibes and they work for different moods haha

I also love that she didn’t say she was a piece of ripped up paper lying there because he may have forever changed her by crumpling her but he did not in fact destroy her. It’s always been one of my favorite parts of the song.

I love this analogy. I have also always seen it as when you crumple up a piece of paper you are tossing it away and it has no value to you so he basically tossed her away like she meant nothing to him

@@lubalethudube186 oh yeah that too for sure! There's so many ways you can look at it, it's truly genius

😅😅😅

And this is exactly why RED is my fave :) you get the whole picture of the situation with tiny refferences of others songs in the album, plus the insight of her through the 5 phases of grief. Pure art and magic (even before Taylor's Version)

22 after ATW in the song track seems like a whiplash but it just conveys how she made up for that terrible 21st birthday. Red may not be sonically cohesive but it is cohesive in telling the story of the ebbs and flows of emotions while healing from a breakup

Everything is connected in the TS Cinematic Universe (TSCU) lol

@@abbycampos. Exactly. The parallels are insane!! Being a swiftie and dissecting each and every lyric and finding connections is like going on a treasure hunt.

beautifully explained

Thank you!! 🥲 And I liked those too yesss

also this is quite obvious but fall is generally seen as quite cozy,(sweaters, coffee, blankets, warm colors and so on), while winter is much colder(snow, ice, trees without leaves) so i feel like that also plays in to the loss of warmth and love she felt in the relationship while it was going on, and feeling cold and empty now that the relationship is over. this is also reflected quite well in the film with the use of cold/warm colors!

Interesting…I see that snow line as her remembering a nice memory with him - “glistened as it fell” sounds positive? I also think that particular phrase of the song sounds SO BEAUTIFUL 😍

i saw somewhere that she actually tweeted about the snow falling on her birthday... so if that was true, it is a direct reference

I also wonder if she’s referring back to the masterpiece that he tore all up

Haha oh gosh 😅😅🤭

For real!

"Twin fire signs" is actually from State of Grace

I always thought that in the 5 min version but now we have the 10 min and we know he came crawling back after 3 months so I think some of the “there we are agains” relate to them getting back together but some of them are also her reflecting on it all after some time has passed

I agree. Especially after knowing more of the backstory now!

Haha see my Happiness vid XD I felt very betrayed XD

i second the Lorde suggestion for sure, you can start with songs from her debut album Pure Heroine (400 lux, ribs or royals) or go straight into her most beloved album Melodrama (sober, liability, hard feelings)

Thank you so much!! And thanks for the recs :)

I’m so glad you think so!

Oh my gosh! You are too kind. Thank you, Walt! Glad you enjoyed it

​​​@@OnWriting. 14:25 This song is about Jake Gyllenhall. He was 29 and she was 19 when they were dating. So yeah, him saying that to her was really gross. Considering he was much older and back then she was not as famous so there was definitely a power dynamic 😬 21:23 this line is a jab at his current gf at the time of the song released, he was dating someone who was 25 when he was in his 40s 21:58 his hometown was Brooklyn so they spent a lot of time their when they were dating

Thanks for watching! ❤️

Yikes, he sounds like a real piece of work haha

Totally agree. Now that I know more context about the inspiration behind the song, it makes a lot of sense!

It was definitely on-again, off-again since “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” is about the same relationship.

Hi! Thanks a ton ^.^

:')

Thank you tons!!

Haha well thanks ☺️

Three months.... oh man. Well, that definitely makes sense then! She's remembering each moment again and again

🤭🤭🤭

Well thanks! Yes, I never get it all 😆 but that’s ok. I like it when others add their thoughts to the conversation!

Haha oh thank you!! I've been trying to get more creative :P

Yes for sure! I can definitely see it that way too

Hahaha awww I’m sorry! I’ve got some pre-recorded/seasonal videos in the works so NBNC will likely be in the new year 😢 but it’s high on my list!

Also, as she mentions in I Bet You Think About Me, his "sophisticated" friends in Brooklyn made her feel small and inadequate.

And he didn’t show up for her birthday party. He was a douche.

​@@hermitwatcher8997And him not showing up at her birthday party was the moment she knew.

Yaaaay!

Nice to meet a fellow Megan ^.^ Yes, I think a couple others mentioned the twin signs - super fun detail!

Haha great question! Alliteration isn't limited to two words, so "tales trying to track" still counts as well! :)

@@OnWriting. good to know haha

Totally fair! Most of the time, I like to see what the writing communicates to me first vs. read it through an established lens, but I've been working on finding a balance in my newer vids! Understanding the source material can add a lot of meaningful layers

Yesss it makes you wonder, for sure

Oh just you wait ;););) haha

Thanks so much! I really like to look at the writing and what it communicates just based on how it's written. That's why I don't always like reading about what I *think* it should mean based on what the original author's intent was, though that's really valuable as well. I like to see if the writing can speak for itself :). But yes, I definitely see your point, and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts ^.^

This makes a lot of sense!

Aw thank you!! Added these to my list, btw :)

Abstract is often the opposite of concrete in academia

@@carolla_michelle Yes!! Thank you!

ABSTRACT! Thank you 😆

Hahaha Adam Sandler XD too good

Oh yikes haha

she was not a virgin tho

I would not say this as a fact. It has not been confirmed and there is a lot to argue against it.

I can see why it was edited down (shout out Liz Rose!) in the original version but my GOD am I happy we have the full version now as it’s wonderful ❤

I'd love to compare the two, especially from an editing perspective!

I've again always seen the "maybe I asked for too much" as sarcasm. Oh, maybe I "asked for too much" but "you ran like a little boy."

"Your Brooklyn" can be tied to several things, she's wanted to live in New York for a long time, but she came from small towns and a country background, so it might have started or intensified when she dated him and walked around there with him. Brooklyn is known as an artsy/indie/cool location, and he "goes to indie concerts every week" he's also extremely rich but chooses(or chose) to be in Brooklyn (as did his sister who had a house there) when he could be in the heart of Manhattan if he wanted to. It speaks a lot about his character and this persona he chooses to put on, of distancing himself from his background, and his money, and being cool and hip, but in the end status still matters to him (I Bet You Think About Me). Imo it's like saying she fell for this "Brooklyn" persona who was artsy and indie and folk, and then he expected her to be a high society wife (an ever lovely jewel) who never complained about anything or wanted anything from him despite his "fuck the patriarchy" keychain, it's all an image he projects or wants to be, but not who he really is. And his persona just like him pretending he wanted a "mature partner" "made her want to die" so that's why his "Brooklyn broke her."

Plus Taylor just loves alliteration.

She tells people she's okay when they ask her how she is doing, but inside she is not fine at all.

Ooooh that makes a lot of sense! I’d think it would be really hard not to revise the old lines

Yesss, this is great! Thanks for adding it ^.^