Exploring Taylor Swift's Reflections on Marriage in Her Songwriting: From 'Speak Now' to 'You're Losing Me'

Every Time Taylor Swift References Marriage in Her Lyrics: From 'Speak Now' to 'You're Losing Me'

Taylor Swift. Michael Campanella/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Taylor Swift is known for her talent in hiding meanings in her songs, but when it comes to referencing marriage, she is very straightforward.

Throughout her music career, from her first self-titled album in 2006 to her latest release in 2024, The Tortured Poets Department, Swift frequently includes mentions of weddings, rings, and more. In fact, the title track of her third album, Speak Now, tells the story of a wedding crasher trying to prevent her crush from marrying someone else.

Swift opened up about her desire to find lasting love in a 2012 Cosmopolitan cover story. She mentioned the importance of that unexplainable spark, something she had only felt a few times in her life. She believed that if she was going to be with someone forever, it would be because she saw them and felt that special connection.

This feeling seemed to have come true when she started dating Joe Alwyn in 2017. A source revealed exclusively to We that she is eager to get engaged to him.

The couple's strong bond led to many successful songs, hinting at Swift's desire to start a life with Alwyn on her 2019 album, Lover. Unfortunately, their relationship came to an end by 2023.

After parting ways with Alwyn, Swift began dating Travis Kelce in the same year. Despite rumors, a source revealed in early 2024 that the couple is not in a hurry to get married.

Travis and Taylor are not planning to get engaged this summer, according to a source. Even though their relationship is going really well, they have only been together for less than a year and still have a lot to discover about each other.

The insider mentioned that "many of their family and friends" would be excited to see them move forward in their relationship. Some may even think that an engagement could be on the horizon. However, Swift and Kelce are content with taking things at their own pace.

Scroll down for a breakdown of every Swift song that mentions marriage, engagement and more:

‘Mary’s Song’

‘Fifteen’

One of the most loved songs from Swift's first album, this track was inspired by the love story of her neighbors. The lyrics capture a moment of sitting together in town, a proposal on one knee, and the emotional scene of walking down the aisle with families in tears. The song beautifully reflects on the experience of saying 'I do' at a young age.

“Back then I swore I was gonna marry him someday, but I realized some bigger dreams of mine,” Swift confesses on this Fearless single.

‘Love Story’

Swift's story of unrequited love takes inspiration from Romeo & Juliet but with a twist - a happy ending. In the end, he kneels down, presents a ring, and asks Juliet to marry him. He assures her she'll never be alone, professing his love and promising a happy future together. Juliet's father is in on the plan, and she is encouraged to pick out a white dress for their wedding. It's a classic love story with a joyful conclusion - all she has to do is say 'Yes.'

Every Time Taylor Swift References Marriage in Her Lyrics: From 'Speak Now' to 'You're Losing Me'

Michael Campanella/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

‘We Were Happy’

In the song "Speak Now" from 2021's Fearless (Taylor's Version), the lyrics include: "No one could touch the way we laughed in the dark / Talkin' 'bout your daddy's farm and you were gonna marry me."

The title track from Taylor Swift's 2010 album, which was re-released in 2023, is filled with vivid wedding imagery. The song starts with a girl interrupting a wedding to prevent a groom from marrying the wrong person.

As the bride in the song, Taylor sings, "I hear the preacher say, ‘Speak now or forever hold your peace’ / There’s the silence, there’s my last chance." She describes standing up nervously, with all eyes on her. Despite the horrified looks from everyone in the room, her focus is solely on the groom.

‘Foolish One’

In this Speak Now vault track released in 2023, Swift sings about yearning for someone who is already taken: "You have her by your side while I wait in the shadows. You may look at me with longing, but she will be the one to wear your ring."

'Timeless'

The chorus of the song "Timeless" by Taylor Swift talks about a love story from the 1500s in a distant place where the singer was made to marry someone else. Despite the circumstances, the lyrics express the belief that the love between the singer and the person they truly love would have transcended time and remained eternal. It is a tale of a love that was separated by destiny.

'Starlight'

In the bridge of this popular song from the album Red, Taylor Swift sings about the idea of getting married, having ten kids, and teaching them how to dream. The inspiration for this song came from a photo of a young Robert F. Kennedy and his wife, Ethel.

‘How You Get the Girl’

On this 1989 favorite, Swift makes a reference to vows often uttered during wedding ceremonies when she sings, “I want you for worse or for better.”

‘Lover’

In the bridge of her 2019 hit song, Taylor Swift cleverly plays on the traditional wedding phrase “something borrowed” and “something blue.” She enthusiastically sings, “Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand? / With every guitar string scar on my hand / I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover.”

‘Paper Rings’

One of three Lover songs to reference marriage, Swift sings, “I like shiny things, but I’d marry you with paper rings.”

‘I Think He Knows’

In the second verse, Swift sings, “I think he knows he’d better lock it down / Or I won’t stick around ’cause good ones never wait.”

‘It’s Nice to Have a Friend’

Invoking symbols of a traditional wedding day, Swift sings, “Church bells ring, carry me home / Rice on the ground looks like snow.”

Taylor Swift's Song 'The Last Great American Dynasty'

Taylor Swift's song 'The Last Great American Dynasty' talks about Rebekah Harkness, who used to live in the Rhode Island mansion that Swift eventually purchased. In the song, Swift mentions the socialite's 1947 wedding to Bill Harkness, describing it as "charming, if a little gauche."

Every Time Taylor Swift References Marriage in Her Lyrics: From 'Speak Now' to 'You're Losing Me'

Michael Campanella/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

‘Champagne Problems’

The Evermore ballad details a proposal gone wrong, with a woman leaving her would-be fiancé “crestfallen on the landing” after rejecting his mother’s ring.

Reflections on "Right Where You Left Me"

In the bridge of the song, the singer expresses the idea that sometimes we may not know the answer to a situation until someone is in a vulnerable state and reaches out for help. There are also references to others judging a person who may have mental health struggles, but the singer reassures that there is hope to find genuine love and support. The lyrics highlight the idea of finding someone who can mend the broken pieces of your life.

“Friends break up, friends get married,” read the first lyrics of this Evermore deep cut.

‘Lavender Haze’

‘Midnight Rain’

Swift begins the opening track of 2022’s Midnights by singing about people constantly asking her if she will be your bride. She expresses how some people only see women as either a one night stand or a potential wife.

'High Infidelity'

In the chorus of the song, she sings, "He was sunshine, I was midnight rain." She goes on to express how he desired comfort while she craved pain. He sought a bride, while she focused on building her own identity. As she chased fame, he remained unchanged. She reflects on how all of her changed like midnight.

In the second verse, Swift sings, “Storm coming, good husband / Bad omen / Dragged my feet right down the aisle.”

‘The Great War’

Reflecting on Recommitting to a Relationship

On this track titled "Midnights (3am Edition)", Taylor Swift looks back on the decision to recommit to a relationship after overcoming conflicts. In the song, she sings, "I vowed I would always be yours 'cause we survived the Great War."

'You're Losing Me'

Inside Look at Swift's Breakup Song

Swift's 2023 breakup song offers a glimpse into her relationship with Alwyn before they parted ways. In the bridge, she sings, "And I wouldn’t marry me either / A pathological people pleaser / Who only wanted you to see her."

The Tortured Poets Department

‘So Long, London’

In the title track of her 2024 album, Swift opens up about her relationship with The 1975’s Matty Healy. She expresses her emotions by singing, “At dinner, you take my ring off my middle finger and put it on the one people put wedding rings on. And that’s the closest I’ve come to my heart exploding.”

“You swore that you loved me, but where were the clues? / I died on the altar waitin’ for the proof,” Swift writes in this Alwyn-inspired breakup song.

Every Time Taylor Swift References Marriage in Her Lyrics: From 'Speak Now' to 'You're Losing Me'

Michael Campanella/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

‘But Daddy I Love Him’

‘Fresh Out the Slammer’

Swift stands by her relationship with Healy, despite facing intense scrutiny before their breakup in June 2023. In one of her songs, she sings, "No, you can’t come to the wedding / I know he’s crazy, but he’s the one I want."

Like in “The Tortured Poets Department,” Swift hints at “wearing imaginary rings” after reconnecting with an old flame.

‘loml’

Taylor Swift sings about a whirlwind romance in her song 'imgonnagetyouback'. In the chorus, she describes the love story as legendary, going from a single kiss to marriage. However, the mood shifts in the bridge with lyrics about someone talking negatively about her.

Another song seemingly inspired by Healy, Swift sings, “Whether I’m gonna be your wife or / Gonna smash up your bike, I haven’t decided yet.”

‘So High School’

'How Did It End?'

After parting ways with Alwyn and Healy, Swift found love with Kelce. She even featured on the double album, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology. In one of the tracks, Swift playfully teases, "Are you gonna marry, kiss, or kill me (Kill me) / It’s just a game, but really (Really) / I’m bettin’ on all three for us two (All three)."

Swift adds a heartbreaking twist to a well-known nursery rhyme in this TTPD song. She sings about feeling bereft and reeling after her loved one has passed away, comparing their relationship to the classic rhyme. Sitting in a tree, the singer and her beloved ghost are both slowly dying.

Editor's P/S:

Taylor Swift's