It's a love story, baby just say yes.

I thought I was a person pretty well informed about love. I read poetry, I’ve heard 1st Corinthians at every wedding I’ve ever attended, and I’m lucky to have a number of good role models of healthy, loving relationships. But after listening to Taylor Swift on Pandora recently, I started to doubt myself. Love according to Taylor Swift is very different than love as I thought I knew it.

From what I can tell, love according to Taylor Swift has three main components: Never having be alone; being someone’s entire life; and meaningful crying. I’ve selected lyrics from her oeuvre that demonstrate the importance of these elements.

1. Never having to be alone
Lyrical examples

• “Then you took me by surprise / You said ‘I’ll never leave you alone’” [Mine]
• “Marry me Juliet, you’ll never have to be alone.” [Love Story]
• “Hey Stephen, boy you might have me believing I don't always have to be alone. [Hey Stephen]

By far, the most crucial aspect of true love is that having it means you never have to be by yourself EVER AGAIN. A couple that I went to college with were notorious because they did everything together; they were even spotted at the track, running together holding hands. At the time I judged them harshly but now I realize they were simply in true love. There is a great comfort in knowing that once you fall in love, you’ll never have to venture into a room full of strangers, or your bathroom, solo.  

2. Being someone’s entire life.
Lyrical examples:

• “Everything I need is right here by my side. / And I know everything about you / I don't wanna live without you.” [I’m Only Me When I’m with You]
• “Take me back to the creek beds we turned up / Two A.M. riding in your truck and all I need is you next to me” [Mary’s Song]
• “So baby come hold me tight cause / I want to be everything you need” [Beautiful Eyes]

It might seem that never having to be alone and being someone’s entire life are two versions of the same thing. But being the other person’s entire life takes never having to be alone one step further. Not only will you never have to be alone, but also, you’ll never need anyone else. The love of your life should be both your everything and your only thing.

3. Meaningful crying:
Lyrical examples:

• “I miss your tanned skin, your sweet smile, / So good to me, so right / And how you held me in your arms that September night -- / The first time you ever saw me cry.” [Back to December]

• “Oh I remember you driving to my house in the middle of the night / I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're about to cry.” [You Belong with Me]
• “The time is gonna come when you're so mad you could cry / But I'll hold you through the night until you smile” [Jump Then Fall]

Inevitably, we will all encounter things in life that make us want to cry; maybe you don’t get voted prom queen, or you have a day when you’re feeling really fat. Crying in front of someone can make you feel very vulnerable, so when you find someone that you feel comfortable crying in front of, it does seem like milestone. Besides, if it’s really true love, then you won’t be able to escape crying in front of that person, because he’ll be around you all the time. You don’t really have a choice but to cry in front of him.

I think the following from Taylor’s hit Safe and Sound off the Hunger Games soundtrack sums it up nicely:

“I remember tears streaming down your face / When I said, I'll never let you go / When all those shadows almost killed your light /I remember you said, Don't leave me here alone”

This lyric combines all major elements essential to love according to Taylor Swift. It doesn’t hurt to have the support of the lovely The Civil Wars, but really what drives this song home is its depiction of love, smothering, one-dimensional, over-wrought love. Bravo Taylor! And thank you for helping me better understand true love. I’ve been going about it all wrong.