Taylor Swift shines in many aspects of her songwriting, but her lyricism is particularly excellent. Her albums ‘Red,’ ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore’ are famously known to hold some of her best lyrical works, ranging from the harrowing heartbreak song that is ‘All Too Well’ (especially the 10-minute version) on Red, to the poetic perfection of ‘the lakes’ on folklore.
There are simply too many songs in Swift’s discography that we could discuss in terms of well-written lyrics, but in this particular analysis, we will be looking at the song ‘tolerate it’ off the singer’s 9th studio album: evermore.
The first verse is quite straightforward in terms of lyrics. The singer narrates from what we can assume, her self’s perspective, to her loved one.
The lyrics in this verse clearly paint an opening picture to the details of their relationship. Swift’s character watches her person doing mundane, simple activities with their ‘head low,’ not looking toward her as they are engulfed in the reading material.
The line ‘I notice everything you do or don’t do’ is quite telling. The line describes Swift’s character noticing everything her person does do and does not do. This could mean that her person fails to deliver in certain aspects of their relationship and Swift notices this.
‘You’re so much older and wiser’ – this line can be interpreted in two ways. One way being that this is simply the singer stating that her person is older and ‘wiser’ than her. The second way of interpreting this line is to read it in a sarcastic tone. To me, personally, it could be seen as the feeling of being in a relationship where your significant other likes to use their intelligence as a weapon, making you seem inferior. It could also mean that the singer feels insignificant to her person as they are seemingly busy with more ‘important’ things while she just sits and ‘notices’. With the overall theme of this song, this is most likely the case.
The chorus lyrics are like a punch to the gut, heartbreaking, and soul-crushing.
‘I wait by the door like I’m just a kid’ – this line is simple to read, but way less simple in terms of depth and meaning. The singer describes her character waiting for her person ‘like a kid.’ This imagery is brilliant and equally heartbreaking. When a child is waiting for someone, usually their parents, to come home, they are excited, hopeful and yearnful. This is the imagery Swift was going for in this lyric. Her character waits patiently for her person, this could mean waiting for them to come home from work or waiting for them to pay attention and make an effort into their relationship.
This line follows into the next line of ‘Use my best colors for your portrait’. This line highlights Swift’s character in terms of the relationship as it proves that she makes the utmost effort and uses her ‘best colors’. Not taking it literally, this is simply a metaphor for the character giving her all into the relationship. Metaphorically speaking, this line could also play into the way in which her character portrays him, using her ‘best colours’ to paint her person in the best light possible.
‘Lay the table with the fancy shit – And watch you tolerate it’ – this line isn’t as much of a metaphor as the previous lines but delivers just as much meaning. This line is referring to Swift’s character going out of their way to decorate the dining table with fancy cutlery and/or accessories, while her person simply ‘tolerates’ it. This means they neither like nor hate it, they just simply do not care and are indifferent.
‘If it’s all in my head, tell me now -Tell me I’ve got it wrong somehow’ – In this next line, the singer is doubting, if not gaslighting, herself into believing that the way her significant other is treating her is made up and all a figment of her imagination. It’s easier to believe that than to come terms with the truth that you are being mistreated.
The gut-punch and the focal point lyric of the song arrives here with the line ‘I know my love should be celebrated it – But you tolerate it.’ This line is straightforward – but sure does pack a punch. The singer is explaining that she is aware that herself and her love deserve to be ‘celebrated’ and appreciated by her person, but they fail to do so. Instead, like we discussed a few lines up, they are indifferent and do not care as much as she ultimately does.
‘I greet you with a battle hero’s welcome’ – This line is particularly complex in terms of meaning. The overall consensus could be that Swift is describing her character in this line as greeting her person with a ‘battle hero’s welcome’ which is often seen as a high form of praise and admiration for someone. It could be interpreted as the singer explaining how her character has a great amount of appreciation and admiration for her significant other. The complex part of this line comes in the form of the meaning of ‘battle hero.’ A battle hero is known as someone who receives an award for the ‘highest level of damage’ done on the battle ground. Keeping this definition in mind, this lyric could be interpreted as Swift’s character referring to her person as a battle hero, as they have done the most amount of damage to her and their relationship, yet she still praises them with the utmost respect.
‘I take your indiscretions all in good fun’ – This lyric is a defining moment in the song. It gives us clarity into the issues within their tormented relationship. Swift provides insight into the behaviours of her significant other, claiming that they commit ‘indiscretions’ to their relationship. The specific indiscretions could be left up to the interpretation of the listener but would most likely fall under the categories of an affair, betrayal, lies and basic disrespect. The singer also claims that her character takes those indiscretions in ‘good fun’ which essentially means that she turns a blind eye toward them or, pardon the pun, shakes them off without holding her person accountable.
‘I sit and listеn – I polish plates until they gleam and glistеn’ – These lines are some of my personal favourites, merely because of the phenomenal literature and poetic craftsmanship.
The singer uses alliteration with the ‘polish plates’ and ‘gleam and glisten’ to really create that imagery of her character cleaning the dishes, making them sparkle, while also adding emotion to the lyrics. This alliteration also works stunningly alongside the wistful piano played throughout the song.
In terms of meaning, these lines relate back to previous themes of Swift’s character doing household chores to the best of her ability. It really is reminiscent of the struggles of a 1950s housewife, doing all the work while the husband is out at work or busy with other commitments. Whether this is the imagery Swift is trying to portray – or if it’s more of a metaphor for how her character is putting in more effort into the relationship as a whole while her person is barely trying – this is left up to the interpretation of the listener.
The next section of this song is, arguably, some of her best lyrical content and one of her most well-written bridges.
The bridge strikes with the line ‘While you were out buildin’ other worlds, where was I?’ Which is a direct call out to Swift’s significant other, enforcing the fact that she was by their side while they were ‘out buildin other worlds’ – which can most likely refer to the times where her person was busy with work or any other occasions where they were not present.
Where’s that man who’d throw blankets over my barbed wire? – This line is particularly heartbreaking as Swift’s character is desperately asking what happened to her lover who had once ‘thrown blankets’ over her ‘barbed wire.’ This line could be interpreted as Swift’s significant other once being someone who would protect her and comfort her from the ‘barbed wire’ which could be a metaphor for the singer’s inner turmoil and struggles, yet now they no longer do so.
The next lyric is a fan-favourite (and a personal one of mine) due to its mournful meaning that really showcases Swift’s talent as a lyricist.
‘I made you my temple, my mural, my sky -Now I’m beggin’ for footnotes in the story of your life’ – This beautifully crafted line packs a punch. Swift’s character explains to her person that she made them the centre of her universe, holding them to the highest honour and respect yet now she is begging them for details in their life that seemingly no longer includes her. If anyone has been in this particular situation, you would understand these lyrics on a personal level. It ultimately describes the feeling of being in a relationship where you feel your significant other drifting away, living their own life while you merely beg for the smallest details into what they’re thinking and doing.
This leads into the next line ‘drawing hearts in the byline’ – which adds to the imagery of a book or notepad filled with the story of Swift’s lovers’ life which she is barely a part of. While she only gets minute details of their life, she is still drawing hearts and showing them love even though they clearly don’t deserve it.
‘Always takin’ up too much space or time’ – This line sums up the inner thoughts of Swift’s character and how she feels within the relationship, like she takes up too much of her person’s time and how they have more important things to deal with rather than spending time in their relationship.
Leading into the final chorus of the song, new lyrics are added.
The lyric ‘You assume I’m fine but what would you do if I – Break free and leave us in ruins’ spins the song’s story on its head and makes us hopeful into how Swift’s character handles this tarnished relationship. The singer explains that her significant other assumes that she is alright but asks what they would think if she were to finally leave the relationship, leaving them in ‘ruins.’
This further develops with the next line ‘Took this dagger in me and removed it’ which is a perfectly crafted metaphor, the ‘dagger’ being the emotional hurt which her person has caused her and ‘removing it’ being the act of leaving the relationship.
‘Gain the weight of you, then lose it’ – This lyric is another metaphor for Swift’s character leaving her significant other, gaining the weight of the relationship then losing it by leaving them.
The next lyric adds to the hopefulness we feel about the development of Swift’s character with her proclaiming ‘Believe me, I could do it’ which is her telling her lover that she has the power and strength to leave the relationship if she wanted to.
Finally, to resolve the song, it ends with the same lyric that started the song – ‘I sit and watch you’. This final line can be interpreted in a few ways – it could follow the meaning of the bridge and mean that Swift’s character watches the reaction of her lover once she finally leaves them, or it could have a much sadder meaning. Based on the performance of this song on Taylor’s The Eras Tour – I feel that it may have that sadder meaning. The melancholier meaning of the outro lyric of this song could mean that the singer does not, in fact, leave her significant other and continues to sit and watch them, hoping for things to change and waiting for the courage to finally end a tragic relationship.