Called Me Out of the Grave So I Could Live Again
Red alert! The long-awaited re-release of Taylor Swift's 2012 album Red is finally here. After a very public battle to retain ownership of her masters, the beloved singer dropped Taylor's Version of the highly acclaimed album on Friday, November 12. One unexpected surprise on the project was a 10-minute extended version of "All Too Well." The single, rumored to be inspired by Taylor's 2010 breakup with actor Jake Gyllenhaall, is considered one of the best songs she's ever written.
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
The extended version follows Taylor as she delves deeper into the love story that left her feeling like a "crumpled up piece of paper." While Taylor never officially confirmed if "All Too Well" was about Jake, the song does allude to age being a factor in her split and the joy of supposedly turning 21. In case you missed it, Jake and Taylor, who have a 9-year age gap, dated from October to December 2010 and broke up right before her 21st birthday.
If you're interested to see the additions she made to the song, keep reading. Here's a lyric breakdown of Taylor Swift's "All Too Well."
Lyrics provided by Genius.
[Verse 1]
I walked through the door with you, the air was cold
But something 'bout it felt like home somehow
And I left my scarf there at your sister's house
And you've still got it in your drawer, even now
Oh, your sweet disposition and my wide-eyed gaze
We're singing in the car, getting lost upstate
Autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place
And I can picture it after all these days
The song opens with Taylor reflecting on how her love story began. [Chorus]
[Pre-Chorus]
And I know it's long gone and
That magic's not here no more
And I might be okay, but I'm not fine at all
Oh, oh, oh
'Causе there we arе again on that little town street
You almost ran the red 'cause you were lookin' over at me
Wind in my hair, I was there
I remember it all too well
The pre-chorus and chorus follow Taylor as she goes through various emotions. She starts off acknowledging the disconnect with her lover, then reflects on a precious moment they shared.
[Verse 2]
Photo album on the counter, your cheeks were turning red
You used to be a little kid with glasses in a twin-sized bed
And your mother's telling stories 'bout you on the tee-ball team
You taught me 'bout your past, thinking your future was me
And you were tossing me the car keys, "fuck the patriarchy"
Key chain on the ground, we were always skipping town
And I was thinking on the drive down, any time now
He's gonna say it's love, you never called it what it was
'Til we were dead and gone and buried
Check the pulse and come back swearing it's the same
After three months in the grave
And then you wondered where it went to as I reached for you
But all I felt was shame and you held my lifeless frame
Taylor uses this verse to share deets about her experiences with her ex's family and the fun things they used to do together. She accuses her former partner of being unwilling to admit they were in love and reveals that her ex came back after their split, but it was too late.
[Pre-Chorus] [Chorus]
And I know it's long gone and
There was nothing else I could do
And I forget about you long enough
To forget why I needed to
'Cause there we are again in the middle of the night
We're dancing 'round the kitchen in the refrigerator light
Down the stairs, I was there
I remember it all too well
And there we are again when nobody had to know
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, yeah
[Bridge]
Well, maybe we got lost in translation
Maybe I asked for too much
But maybe this thing was a masterpiece
'Til you tore it all up
Running scared, I was there
I remember it all too well
And you call me up again just to break me like a promise
So casually cruel in the name of being honest
I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here
'Cause I remember it all, all, all
Taylor calls out possible things that could've led to their split and how ending their relationship made her feel.
[Verse 3]
They say all's well that ends well, but I'm in a new Hell
Every time you double-cross my mind
You said if we had been closer in age maybe it would have been fine
And that made me want to die
The idea you had of me, who was she?
A never-needy, ever-lovely jewel whose shine reflects on you
Not weeping in a party bathroom
Some actress asking me what happened, you
That's what happened, you
You who charmed my dad with self-effacing jokes
Sipping coffee like you're on a late-night show
But then he watched me watch the front door all night, willing you to come
And he said, "It's supposed to be fun turning twenty-one"
In the third verse, Taylor reveals that her ex broke up with her because of an age gap when she should've been having fun for her 21st birthday.
[Chorus]
Time won't fly, it's like I'm paralyzed by it
I'd like to be my old self again, but I'm still trying to find it
After plaid shirt days and nights when you made me your own
Now you mail back my things and I walk home alone
But you keep my old scarf from that very first week
'Cause it reminds you of innocence and it smells like me
You can't get rid of it
'Cause you remember it all too well, yeah
'Cause there we are again when I loved you so
Back before you lost the one real thing you've ever known
Taylor looks back on her life after the split and shares how she craves a sense of normalcy.
[Verse 4]
And I was never good at telling jokes, but the punch line goes
I'll get older, but your lovers stay my age
From when your Brooklyn broke my skin and bones
I'm a soldier who's returning half her weight
And did the twin flame bruise paint you blue?
Just between us, did the love affair maim you, too?
'Cause in this city's barren cold
I still remember the first fall of snow
And how it glistened as it fell
I remember it all too well
Things get a little spicy in the fourth verse. Taylor uses an old saying to joke about her much older ex continuing to date women her age after their breakup.
[Outro]
Just between us, did the love affair maim you all too well?
Just between us, do you remember it all too well?
Just between us, I remember it (Just between us), all too well
Wind in my hair, I was there, I was there
Down the stairs, I was there, I was there
Sacred prayer, I was there, I was there
It was rare, you remember it all too well
Wind in my hair, I was there, I was there
Down the stairs, I was there, I was there
Sacred prayer, I was there, I was there
It was rare, you remember it
Wind in my hair, I was there, I was there
Down the stairs, I was there, I was there
Sacred prayer, I was there, I was there
It was rare, you remember it
Wind in my hair, I was there, I was there
Down the stairs, I was there, I was there
Sacred prayer, I was there, I was there
It was rare, you remember it
As she gets closer and closer to the end of the song, Taylor finds confidence and certainty in what she remembers and how she felt.
[Post-Chorus]
It was rare, I was there
I remember it all too well
Wind in my hair, you were there
You remember it all
Down the stairs, you were there
You remember it all
It was rare, I was there
I remember it all too well
Jasmine Washington is an assistant editor for Seventeen, covering beauty and pop culture. When her head isn't buried in the latest Love Belvin romance release, she's stanning all things Beyoncé and binging "Married at First Sight." You can find her fulfilling her beauty addiction at Sephora, or somewhere on a quest for the world's best tacos.
Source: https://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/music/a38235122/taylor-swift-10-minute-version-all-too-well-lyrics-meaning/