âWillowâ by Taylor Swift line by line Analysis
Welcome to a very elaborate analysis of the song âWillowâ by Taylor Swift. My goal is to analyse all songs on Evermore, therefore creating an extensive but organised analysis of the whole album. A link will be provided when more song analysis are available.
Note: this is just my interpretation and in no way discards any other interpretation. I donât claim my interpretation to be the ârightâ interpretation.
Please do not steal my words or ideas as your own or repost, but refer to me, when you talk about my ideas or post it somewhere else, thank you so much!
âIâm like the water when your ship rolled in that night
Rough on the surface, but you cut through like a knifeâ
The song kicks off with rough waters, which may equal to stormy waters. Taylor thus refers to herself as stormy waters, potentially thinking of herself or her life as chaotic or turbulent. A love interest then enters her life like a âboatâ. This is an interesting metaphor, as Taylor has often referred to music as a âfloating deviceâ on a stormy sea (e.g. the piano in the Cardigan music video). Potentially, this means that she sees herself and her life as a stormy sea and the love interest enters her life as floating device (= the ship). Although the water seems rough, the love interest âcuts throughâ it âlike a knifeâ, suggesting that underneath the surface, the water isnât rough at all. This could mean that the love interests sees right through the stormy life/character of the singer and by doing that, enters the quiet part of her life/character. The ship/water metaphor is an ongoing metaphor throughout evermore (later: Gold Rush âeyes like sinking shipsâ).
 âAnd if it was an open-shut case
I never wouldâve known from that look on your faceâ
An open shut case is a case âwhich is easily decided or solved because the facts are very clearâ (collinsdictionary.com). This could mean that Taylor herself did not see the getting together with the love interest as an obvious thing that happened easily. She did not think of the issues that arise during the first period of dating and getting together as easily solved. And the look on the face of the love interest did not suggest he thought it was easy. Even if it was that easy to get together, she would have never guessed it.
 âLost in your current like a priceless wineâ
This is an interesting line, as it reverses positions. In the beginning, Taylor was the water and now the love interest is. Opposed to the love interest, she is not a ship that cuts through it, but instead she is lost in the waters. The priceless wine may be a reference to herself as being of high value, but the high value is lost in the relationship. It could also refer to the ships that sank while shipping wine, that then started aging in the sea, increasing in value only more. This would make more sense, as it could mean that while Taylor loses herself in her love interest, it only increases her personal value more. Aside from that, one may notice that Taylor uses âcurrentâ instead of âwaterâ, perhaps referring to the actions and the course of life of the love interest, more than their personality. It also appears he is in control of the current, of the waters heâs in of he is. Taylor on the other hands, seems out of control, storming.
 âThe more that you say, the less I know
Wherever you stray, I followâ
The more the love interests say, the less Taylor knows. This could mean that the love interest is very wise to Taylor, and therefore makes her feel unintelligent and discard old beliefs. It could however, also mean that the love interest is not making any sense when theyâre speaking. Maybe theyâre sending conflicting signals. This interpretation ties in with the upcoming lines âNow this is an open-shut case, I guess I shouldâve known from the look on your faceâ. However, even though Taylor is not understanding what the person means (or possibly, what their intentions are), she will follow him wherever he goes. This ties in with the previous line: âlost in your currentâ. She is unable to separate from him, lost in his current, bound to follow him wherever he decides to go.
 âIâm begging for you to take my hand
Wreck my plans, thatâs my manâ
She then asks the love interests to take her hand. This could again refer to him as a floating device. She is lost, following him around in his stormy sea, and sheâs begging him to take her hand, so she wonât get lost in his current. Sheâs also asking him to wreck her plans, possibly meaning that sheâs confused and abandoning her own plans to follow him wherever he wants. She then goes on to say âthatâs my manâ, which has some sense of pride. Possibly she admires him for being her âcurrentâ, taking her everywhere and guiding her.
 âLife was a willow and it bent right to your windâ
This again ties in with the resemblance of the love interest to the âcurrentâ. He is in control of his life, deciding where to go, changing course and she will follow. Life bents to his wind. This is the first time the song title is named, so why did she chose a âwillowâ to equal life? A willow is often considered a beautiful tree, but also a sad tree (willow often means the âweeping willowâ). This may mean that life is beautiful, but sad and weeping. All the same, the love interest is able to steer the beautiful and sad life.
 âHead on the pillow, I could feel your sneakinâ inâ
Taylor is in her bed, possibly pretending to sleep, while the love interests sneaks up on her. This could mean that she felt like she was in âpauseâ in her life, sleeping, doing nothing or maybe just not being on guard, but vulnerable. The love interest sneaks into her life, but although Taylor is not on guard, she does know he is entering her life.
 âAs if you were a mythical thing
Like you were a trophy or champion ring
But there was one prize Iâd cheat to winâ
Heâs entering her life like he is a mythical thing, like he is not real. This may in a way refer to folklore. It is as though he isnât real, but stories are told about him. Taylor then compares him to a trophy or a champion ring. Perhaps this line means that she sees him as something that people admire and desire to have, but nobody really ever wins. For example a Grammy is rarely won by anybody, it may feel rather mythical to many musicians. The love interest thus doesnât seem real to her, but he is highly desired. She would even cheat to win him. Cheating could referring to cheating in a game (this ties in with the champion ring metaphor, such as taking dopamine to win a cycling race), but also cheating in a relationship (which ties in better with the fact that sheâs talking about a love interest).
 âYou know that my train could take you home
Anywhere else is hollow
Iâm begging for you to take my hand
Wreck my plans, thatâs my manâ
After repeating the chorus, where she is again subject to his course of life, she then goes on to state that her train could take him home. This seems a lot more in control in this second chorus. Sheâs following him anywhere, but if he steps on her train, heâd go home. Perhaps this means that she will follow him, traveling anywhere, doing anything, but if he wants, he can come to her and she will take him home. She then states that anywhere besides home is hollow. This could mean that, yes, she will follow him anywhere, but she thinks itâs rather a waste, because sheâd rather be home. Home could be referring to a familiar place, somewhere where thereâs peace. She would follow him into the storm, but sheâd rather be at home with him in peace. In this version of the chorus, her asking the love interest to take her hand, may mean the opposite of what it meant in the first version. In this version sheâs begging him to let her control his route to take him home. Perhaps going home and staying in peace, however, wasnât her original plan, as she does refer to it as wrecking her plans. She loves it though, as she again proudly states: âthatâs my manâ.
 âLife was a willow and it bent right to your wind
They count me out time and time againâ
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind
But I come back stronger than a â90s trendâ
While he is completely in control of his beautiful and sad life, the people in Taylorâs life (âtheyâ), keep counting her out, as though sheâs no longer a part of the world/life. After stating again that he is in control of his life, she then takes control over hers and states that she âcomes back stronger than a â90s trendâ. This could mean that, in the beginning of the song, she felt out of control, following her love interest anywhere, unsure and confused, but now sheâs back, and sheâs stronger than ever.
 âWait for the signal and Iâll meet you after dark
Show me the places where the others gave you scarsâ
Waiting for signals and meetings in the dark suggests thereâs secrecy in the relationship. This could be because she is cheating (âthere was one prize Iâd cheat to winâ) and therefore they have to meet secretly. In my view, however, it could also refer to some sense of darkness in the world and they have to built their relationship in secrecy to avoid other people from interfering (this could tie in with âthey could me out time and time againâ. It also interesting to note that the love interests enters her life in the nighttime (âyour ship rolled in that nightâ), so perhaps they have always met during the nighttime in secrecy. It is also interesting to note the parallel this line has with Cruel Summer (album Lover track 2): âI snuck through the garden gate every night that summer just to seal my fateâ, perhaps referring to the same type of secrecy and nighttime meetings. During the meeting in the dark, they tell each other everything, showing each other their scars and where they got them from. They get to know each other deeply, in secrecy.
 âNow this is an open-shut case
I guess I shouldâve known from the look on your face
Every bait-and-switch was a work of artâ
Then follows a slightly different version of the ending of the first verse, where she states that if it was an open-shut case, she never wouldâve known. Now, however, she states that it in fact was an open-shut case and she should have known. Where at first, she thought that starting and building their relationship was a complex and uncertain thing and perhaps she wasnât even sure her love interest wanted it, now she knows. It was clear as day and it was quickly and easily done. And apparently he was already aware of that, before she was. An interesting parallel can be drawn with Cruel Summer again, where she sings: âI love you, ainât that the worst thing you ever heard?/He looks up grinning like a devilâ. This means â as is widely accepted among Taylor Swift listeners - he was already long aware she loved him and he was just playing along. She then goes on to state that every bait-and-switch was a work of art. A bait and switch is a âsales tactic that lures customers in with specific claims about the quality or low prices on items that turn out to be unavailable in order to upsell them or a similar, pricier itemâ. In this context it could mean that the love interest was pretending to be something he was not, therefore luring her into getting to know him. Then, as she dedicated herself to him, she stays with him, even though the costs are higher. In this case, I believe this is a âcheekyâ comment, about him selling himself a player, but when she falls for it, she finds out he actually never intended to enter her life as a player, but as a life partner. So now, instead of just dedicating to a period of fun loving, she is in the relationship for life. There is, yet again, a parallel with Cruel Summer: âBad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price, you know that I bought itâ.
