#ithadtobesaid

The other day I was listening to Red and this thought occurred to me. It came from somewhere deep in my heart and my soul. Taylor is one of the most brilliant songwriters I’ve ever heard. Now, I know this sounds like what everyone else says, but I really want to explain why I feel this way.

The first song I ever heard from Taylor was Tim McGraw. I heard it while watching the video on CMT. At first I was captivated by this older girl’s beauty. I was, I think, 10 at the time. I loved the song but never really heard it again after that.

The second song I heard from Taylor was Teardrops On My Guitar. This is the song that did it for me. The lyrics were so raw and clever! And even at, 11 now, such a young age I was blown away at her use of metaphors and poetic integrity.

To keep this short, I soon after recieved her album as a going away gift from my father. I listened to it non-stop and singing every word. I remember moving to Florida for the first time and being bullied so horribly I became stricken with anxiety and depression. Taylor’s first album was the only thing that got me through. Songs like The Outside, Place in this World, and Tied Together With A Smile were like ripping my heart apart and making music from it. The lyrics hit me like a truck going 90 miles down the highway. Her words were what I was needing in times of sorrow and her cheerful songs were what I needed to feel lighter and happier.

Over the years she released more albums with lyrics that swept me off me feet and made me feel things in my soul. I have gone through so many heartbreaks and lived with much pain, but having Taylor’s words there with me through it all has done more than I can truly express.

I have digressed a tad. Let me get back to explaining why I feel she is one of the most remarkable songwriters to date.

When I hear a song, I listen intently to the lyrical content. I like a lot of songs, but my favorites are the ones that have lyrics that feel as if somebody has cut me to my very core. When I listen to Taylor Swift songs I feel this very way. It’s not an emotion easily described,but I’ll try my best.

It starts with a lyric. I’ll use my favorite lyric to date as my example: “You call me up again just to break me like a promise. So casually cruel in the name of being honest”. I can’t really tell you why this hit me hard like it did, oh, but it did. When I heard it for the first time I felt chills all over my body; my heart began to beat very hard and fast; my eyes filled up with tears; I started to shake with emotion. Everything at this moment froze, and I found myself having to pause the song for a moment to digest what I just heard.

Not many songs can do this to me, but a lot of Taylor Swift songs can. I feel this way with a lot of songs by her, and not just upon first listen. I find my breath being taken away sometimes when I just take a step back to admire her craft. It’s beatiful when someone can make you feel that way just by the lyrics of a song. I think it’s more than talent when you can stir something so deep and personal inside someone. I’m glad I found an artist that can do that for me. Take all the fame, success, Grammys, and genres away from her, and those lyrics and words she sings/speaks will still resonate with me.

Thank you, Taylor. You are a true saphant to me. You’ve touched my life with your words in ways I will never quite grasp. If all you ever hear from me is this, I hope you know that even through all the scrunity and backlash your craft and legacy is glorious and monumental. I know I’m not the only one you’ve given a voice to, but I cannot speak for the others. I can only speak for me. I love you, and I love your music.