Young Writers Society

take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die
-the lakes, Taylor Swift

INDEX

1. happiness: part 1
2. happiness: part 2
3. happiness: BRIDGE
4. cowboy like me

happiness is track 7 off of Taylor Swift's 9th studio album, evermore.

The reason this is the very first song I wanted to put up is because a) it is one of the songs that are dearest to my heart and b) it's a shining example of Swift's mastery over the pen- it features her songwriting at its finest and most tragic form, reminding us of how the nature of heartbreak that she explores in her songs continues to be fresh, raw, and achingly resonant. It is also laden with references to The Great Gatsby, and that isn't an oddity at all, for it seems perfectly natural that Swift would be enamoured by the classic tale of love, and love lost.

Disclaimer: I have not read the Great Gatsby (not yet, but there sits a copy on my bookshelf just waiting to be opened) so any allusions to the novel made in the song are ones that were picked up by other people's analyses (see References at the very end.)

honey, when i'm above the trees
i see it for what it is
but now im right down in it

Swift opens on a soft note right away, giving clues as to the tone of the song with her usage of the term of endearment honey, as the very first word.
Trees symbolise wisdom- when Swift speaks of being above the trees, it is possible she is speaking of a time in the future when she can look at this relationship with clarity and wisdom.The image also brings to mind a common expression can't see the forest for the trees. Swift is right down in the trees now, too involved in the details, to be able to see the bigger picture.

It would also be helpful to refer back to the opening of the song seven, from Swift's 8th studio album, folklore.

please picture me in the trees
i hit my peak at seven

In seven, a song about youth, Swift asks us to "picture her in the trees", a clever way to refer to her being in her childhood. By using "above the trees" in happiness,, it could refer to the image of her reaching old age, so that she may see her relationship for what it truly was without the present turmoil of it clouding her vision.

all the years i've given
are just things we're dividing up

notice how "just things we're dividing up" is a tonal shift from the soft melancholy from before to something she is now trying to be impersonal, and coldly rational about. (also expressed in her voice, which goes lower)

showed you all of my hiding spots
i was dancing when the music stopped

A pair of lovely images, alluding both literally and metaphorically to the things that people who are close to each other would do. "dancing" is oft referenced in Swift's songs, meant to refer to the exchange of love between two people, and "dancing when the music stopped" might mean that Swift was still ready to keep giving love, never having realised that the music of their relationship had already stopped.

and in the disbelief, i can't face reinvention
i haven't met the new me yet.

Swift describes these lyrics wonderfully in an Apple Music interview.

I think “I haven’t met the new me yet,” in the context of the relationship song, I was trying to sort of channel my friends who have gotten out of very, very long, impactful, life-altering relationships and saying, ‘How do I pack this up? How do I put this in a box, put it in my car and drive away? And what did I leave there?’ So, from that perspective it goes to ‘I haven’t met the new me yet’, who’s the person I’m gonna have to become in order to get over this. This person who’s gonna have to have new hobbies and fill their time with new things other than you.

It is certainly a poignant way to describe the specific kind of identity loss and erasure that both parties can feel after breaking out of a long, and once magnificent, relationship.

there'll be happiness after you
but there was happiness because of you.
both of these things can be true, there is happiness
past the blood and bruise
past the curses and cries
beyond the terror in the nightfall
haunted by the look in my eyes that would've loved you for a lifetime
leave it all behind
and there is happiness

This is a stark departure from the usual black and white views we may often come across when discussing breakups and separation- Swift acknowledges both the joy and the sorrow of love- how one person can be both balm and bruise, and how there can be happiness even past that person.

"beyond the terror in the nightfall" is an odd choice of sentence in this chorus that i cannot decipher, but my personal interpretation is that happiness is a song that takes place, as Swift earlier alludes to, right in the thick of the break up, and that this can be symbolised by a 'sunset'- there was happiness in the days spent with this person, but now the sun is going down on their relationship, and dusk is on its way, and when the nightfall comes, when the pain of separation from this person sinks in, fully- that is the terror. that is the heartbreak. but there is still happiness.

part 2 coming soon !

tell me, when did your winning smile
begin to look like a smirk?

It is in these couple of verses that we begin to see Swift ruminating on the course of their relationship, and when it started going wrong.
This is an almost clear reference to Gatsby's charismatic smile, which as narrated by Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, is like this:

He smiled understandingly — much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced — or seemed to face — the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.

We see the concept of the winning smile being explored in another song of Swift's, namely Snow On The Beach, from her 10th studio album, Midnights.

and my smile is like I've won a contest
and to hide that would be so dishonest

She subverts this smile in happiness, turning it into a 'smirk' instead- an indication that her partner began devaluing her, or smiling down on her, unlike before. It could also be a way of saying that someone who regarded her as a "prize or contest that they had won" (we could even go as far as to say she was a prize they'd cheat to win *wink wink*) had started to take her for granted instead.

when did all our lessons start to look like weapons
pointed at my deepest hurt

The internal rhyme with "lessons" and "weapons" is flawless.
Swift had trusted this person with all her fears and insecurities, believing she would find a space for safety and growth in this person despite her mistakes. (see 'showed you all of my hiding spots') But they have begun to use her own weaknesses against her. They have become her weakness.

We see her exploring the same theme in Would've, Could've Should've, from Midnights.

Memories feel like weapons

Weapons are a recurring motif in many of her songs otherwise.

I hope she'll be a beautiful fool
Who takes my spot next to you

This verse is a direct quoting of Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby.

I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.

Swift's usage of 'beautiful fool' in the context of happiness is powerful: in a momentary display of her anguish, she is resorting to villifying her partner and their future lovers, which is a common perspective in her breakup songs. (which she will disparage later on in this same song). She also takes a dig at her partner's flaws, hoping their new lover will be beautiful and foolish enough to look past them. Furthermore, there is a certain edge to her voice when Swift sings this verse, an almost growl, primal and pained.

no, i didn't mean that
sorry, i can't see facts through all my fury
you haven't met the new me yet

Swift desribes a universal experience in these lines- there is no one who hasn't regretted the bite of their own words, no one who hasn't wished they could take back things that were said in the blinding heat of anger. There is also a turn of phrase that happens here, which Swift describes in that same Apple Music interview.

In the second verse, it says ‘I hope she’ll be a beautiful fool who takes my spot next to you’ and ‘You haven’t met the new me yet’, meaning you haven’t met the person who’s gonna replace me yet, but I know you’re going to.

Then we transition back to the chorus, which now has new implications added on to it.

there'll be happiness after me
but there was happiness because of me
both of these things i believe, there is happiness
in our history, across our great divide,
there is a glorious sunrise, dapplied with the flickers of light
from the dress i wore at midnight
leave it all behind
and there is happiness

'Great divide' certainly refers to the separation, but may also mean, in the context of The Great Gatsby, as explored in Genius.

In keeping with the Great Gatsby allusions throughout the song (and others in Taylor Swift’s work), the great divide here may be a reference to the lake that divides the West Egg from the East Egg — and, symbolically, that divides Jay Gatsby’s “new money” life from the life he desires, a life of established wealth, status, and his lover Daisy Buchanan.

In keeping with one of my personal interpretations, 'there is a glorious sunrise' is a continuation of the scene described in 'terror in the nightfall', symbolising both parties moving on from the other and embarking on their respective lives.

In the first chorus, we are introduced to the idea of her partner being 'haunted' by Swift's loving eyes, but in the second chorus, the same idea is used to invoke different imagery, namely 'her dress at midnight' - even after her partner finds their happiness, they will be reminded of Swift and the joy she gave them, the sparkle that they found in her on their darkest nights.

We can find a similar visual in one of Swift's more popular songs, Wildest Dreams, from her 5th studio album, 1989.

say you'll remember me
standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset, babe

If we were to overanalyse these fairly straightforward lines- we could say that 'sunset' in this song has the similar connotation of a 'breakup' as it has in happiness as well. In Wildest Dreams, Swift was anticipating the end of their relationship, which is exactly what 'staring at the sunset' would symbolise as well.

To further contrast Wildest Dreams and happiness, we see Swift in different stages of maturity- in the former song, Swift asks her partner to remember her, even if it's only in dreams, but in the latter, she asks them instead to 'leave it all behind', emphasising the importance of acknowledging the past- and finding happiness after it.

part 3: THE ICONIC TAYLOR SWIFT BRIDGE coming soon !

i can't make it go away by making you a villain
i guess it's the price i pay for seven years in heaven

happiness is one of the most complex songs Swift has ever written, interlinking multiple themes and emotions that change over the course of 5 minutes. Earlier on in the song, we see Swift antagonizing her partner (see "when did your winning smile begin to look like a smirk" and the beautiful fool line) and the villification of exes and past lovers is a common thread in many breakup songs otherwise. To see this raw admittance and maturity from Swift is equal parts refreshing and heartbreaking.

and i pulled your body into mine every long cold night
now i give fake niceties
no one teaches you what to do
when a good man hurts you
and you know you hurt him too

(space for screaming because I'm SCREAMING. WHAT. OSPWKDPDLPED0P3PD)

Swift's songs can sometimes be cryptic, or embellished with long winding metaphors and surface level thoughts- and this sets up the stage for the bridge of the song, which cuts through everything like a guttural scream. There is nothing I have to explain about these verses, because they are straight forward and have no double meaning whatsoever- this is the very heart of it.

What I will comment on, however, is that we begin the bridge with quiet and unassuming instrumentals, which suddenly spike during this particular line- what stands out to me most is the violin, and it almost sounds like a pained wail, which paired with Swift's vocals, deliver a punch to the gut.

honey, when im above the trees
i see this for what it is
but now my eyes leak acid rain on the pillow where you used to lay your head
after giving you the best i had,
tell me what to give after that?

'acid rain' is a strange metaphor for tears, one that appears almost over the top- but it is accurate to the burn that one may experience behind one's eyes before or while crying, which can be comparable to the burn of acid. the two lines at the end of this stanza are reminiscient of these lines from Better Man, from Red: Taylor's Version.

and i gave to you my best
and we both know you can't say that

we come back to happiness, which now has another allusion to The Great Gatsby.

all you want from me now is the green light of forgiveness
you haven't met the new me yet
and i think she'll give you that

The green light in The Great Gatsby serves as a representation of all that Jay Gatsby wants to achieve. It is a guiding light. When he glances upon the light, it reminds him to keep pushing forward. Most specifically, this pertains to his infatuation with Daisy.

Furthermore, even without the context of Gatsby's green light, the metaphor speaks for itself as green lights symbolise approval or permission to proceed, and as both parties in this song seek to move on and find their peace, Swift's partner seeks her forgiveness. And Swift reassures them they will get their forgiveness, but only when she has been able to move past this and process everything herself first.

The chorus is repeated once more, before the instrumentals keep playing softly for a few seconds more, thereby closing the song with the last note. The lilt of the music in this song is cathartic- deadly silent at parts, and rising with renewed vigor at others. It solidifies my personal interpretation of the song being treated like a sunset- with the bridge being the ultimate moment when the sun's feet reaches the horizon, bursting into a cacophony of hues and shades of reds and oranges- much like the intense emotions and feelings at that point in the song- before silently sliding down and letting the night take its place. Now, we wait- we wait all through the night, all through the twilight, for the dawn to arrive.

Now, we wait for happiness to find us again.

Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave any notes, thoughts and interpretations YOU may have- it is always a delight to hear all perspectives

Hi there! I am huge swiftie <3
Your thread is absolutely mesmerising! I adore the songs from evermore but rarely get to read anything about it because of taylor's as well as most of her fan's lack of attention towards it
I'm currently reading the great gatsby (which is amazing btw) and have been listening to this song on repeat as well as reading your thread and I have to say that it's quite the experience! Amazing work on the post and the references! Looking forward to reading more of it! ^_^

This is random but my brothers actually took and English class in college and the teacher had a whole section on the fact the Taylor Swift is a poet
I dunno just something interesting
I've never heard a Taylor swift song because my fa (actually I have heard anti hero and one other)my family is like super against any pop artists but I actually might have to now

@Thediffident hiiii!!! fellow swifties gang !! <33333 (and im very sorry about the late reply adfxyebhd)
YESSSS I AGREE WITH YOU SO MUCH ! - evermore is like a gold mine of music that's just been so unexplored, and it makes me so happy to hear you enjoyed my interpretations in this thread !
PXLEPDLEPE THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE you are a literal genius and I am incredibly honored to have been part of that experience for you through my thread ! Thank you so much, and I'm hoping to explore another song as soon as I get the time :)

(Also MANY MANY MANYYYYYY CONGRATULATIONS FOR FM !!!! <333333333333 JDOEJDOEKDO I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOUUUUU :DDDDDDDD HOPE you're celebrating !!! )

@Quillfeather your English teacher sounds super cool ^^
Awww, that's a shame ! I hope you can listen to T Swift if you get the chance, though it's totally cool if you can't, I think her lyrics are often masterpieces in themselves without the music :)