Love isn’t always straight out of a romance novel. Some love stories are full of uncertainty and infidelity. This list is defined by its themes of love, both problematic and pure.
- Holy Ground– Red and Red (Taylor’s Version)
Standing out from the others on this list, “Holy Ground” is a love song to an ex. Swift reflects on when they were together and the memories they made. She knows it’s over and that there’s “dust on every page,” but it doesn’t erase the love they once shared. Forever sacred and meaningful, the relationship changed her.
“Tonight, I’m gonna dance. Like you were in this room. But I don’t wanna dance. If I’m not dancing with you.”
- ivy (evermore)
A painfully romantic song about a passionate affair between a married woman and another person. The affair brings the married woman back to life even as it spirals out of control. The star-crossed lovers “live and die” for stolen moments together, making it a bittersweet love song.
“Oh, goddamn. My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand. Taking mine, but it’s been promised to another. Oh, I can’t. Stop you putting roots in my dreamland. My house of stone, your ivy grows. And now I’m covered in you. And I’m covered in you.”
- False God– Lover
Filled with anxiety and uncertainty, “False God” shares the same lyrical undertones as the majority of the songs on “Lover”. The song uses religious imagery to describe the sanctity of their love. Aware of the toxicity, the lovers use their physical relationship to push away their feelings of doubt. Doomed from the start, the tumultuous couple knows how it will end. The sexy saxophone throughout the song perfectly complements the lyrics, making it a standout track.
“We might just get away with it. The altar is my hips. Even if it’s a false god. We’d still worship this love.”
- Mine– Speak Now and Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
“Mine” is the epitome of romantic storytelling. Its vivid imagery feels like a daydream continuously playing in your head. It recounts a beautiful love story between two people that transcends preconceived notions of love. The narrator is guarded from the start due to her parent’s toxic relationship and fear of her relationships facing the same fate. She slowly lets go of those self-made barriers, allowing herself to love with reckless abandon.
“Do you remember we were sitting there by the water? You put your arm around me for the first time. You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter. You are the best thing that’s ever been mine.”
- Cornelia Street– Lover
Using the name of a street as a powerful reminder of the start of a flourishing relationship, Swift recalls all the memories made in her Cornelia Street apartment. Filled with fear, Swift remarks that she’ll never return to that street if the relationship ends. Already fearing for the relationship’s untimely end, the relationship is fueled by dread.
“And I hope I never lose you. Hope it never ends. I’d never walk Cornelia Street again. That’s the kind of heartbreak time could never mend. I’d never walk Cornelia Street again.”
