My apologies on the delay on this one. I had many personal life things come up and I just could not grapple with it all at the same time. In reviewing this song, it’s interesting because the lyrics alone – read like a poem – feel entirely different from the interpretation musically. Meaning, the sound of the song feels much more light hearted than the lyrics themselves.
I was a tad let down that Lana didn’t have her own verse or something in this song – and I’m assuming that Taylor probably had a discussion around the ideas of collaboration with her – but I am very interested in WHAT those discussions were. Right now only Phoebe Bridgers has her own verse in one of Taylor’s songs, while other women artists just get a little harmony or background vocal part. That part is the only disappointing aspect of this song to me.
Lyrical Interpretation
One night a few moons ago
I saw flecks of what could’ve been lights
But it might just have been you
Passing by unbeknownst to me
Random fact, it takes 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes for our Moon to complete one full orbit around Earth. Relevant but not. The first line is just a representation of the passing of time.
I really love this first verse because it feels so visual. I feel like in singing and reading this line I am in the dark with little glitters of light or energetic orbs all around me – unfamiliar to what they are but curious to learn.
Can we take a moment to appreciate the use of ‘unbeknownst’.
I do feel that the last two lines feel very similar to Invisible String. The inevitable and surprise of a love meant to be that occurs in the future at the time it was destined to. I think about time and space a lot. Relationships – friends or more – that appear in the future even though the person may have been aware of us our entire lives. There are so many friends I have now that I grew up with – but we were not friends in the past. It took a specific growth from myself, or them, and a specific time I was ready to receive that relationship for it to blossom.
Life is emotionally abusive
Quote of the year.
Life is emotionally abusive lol
Always feeling, changing, whiplashing us from emotion to emotion without any warning – rude.
And time can’t stop me quite like you did
Ok but this is so underrated and romantic. We talk about time standing still – Taylor does talk about it a lot actually. Time standing still in moments that take our breath away – good or bad – and the fact that time can’t do this as well as someone else? Kill me, that’s so sweet.
Time seems to linger for me when I am surprised in the moment. A proposal, a sudden death, good or bad in these moments we tend to go into tunnel vision — making the moment blurry and slow but also passing quickly all at the same time.
And my flight was awful, thanks for asking
My flight was awful – I think there are a few ways to interpret this. But I kind of take this as the journey. Like the path I had to get here was really terrible, but it led me to this spot and ..
[hell was the journey but it brought me heaven]
I’m unglued, thanks to you
Ever feel so in love or beginning to catch yourself you feel unhinged and crazy? Maybe you are glued to your phone in awaiting their response. Maybe you over think if they haven’t spoken to you all day? Maybe you start to act irrational because you never thought you could find someone that gets you in this specific way. I read this line as almost a sarcastic, playful jab. Like, thanks for that, making me all irrational and excited at the same time.
And it’s like snow at the beach
Weird but fucking beautiful
I know that her use of her beach house has a lot to do with this metaphor, but I grew up and live on Lake Michigan and snow on the beach is very common here lol
But the idea is to have something that isn’t expected – occur. The unexpected weather pattern in a place that doesn’t match up in our minds. A normal instance we didn’t think would happen because its us. [too big to hang out].
Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful
Flying in a dream obviously is a normal occurring dream many of us have. Something that is impossible in reality but endless opportunity in our sleep. Maybe metaphorically, something that we’ve always hoped to happen in our real lives but something we didn’t think was possible due to our history of pain and hurt from others.
Stars by the pocketful I literally cannot get away from catch a tiny star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away, lol.
You wanting me tonight feels impossible
But it’s coming down, no sound, it’s all around
The first line of this feels similar to other songs Taylor has. I even think to the similar undertones of Dancing With Our Hands Tied and Call it What You Want. The fear of it being an impossible love because of the media and speculation. She doesn’t think that people can endure the outside voices long enough to create a lifetime love – so this strong mutual bond is at risk and feels impossible, but it’s happening and it’s unbelievable.
It’s coming down, no sound. This just feels like a silent movie to me. There are flakes around everywhere, the sound from the outside world is blocked off – the continuation of love and falling in love is happening and the beautiful thing is the rest of the world could not be, or could be paying attention but it doesn’t matter – they are not allowed to be in this silent space.
This scene feels like what I once saw on a screen
A movie reel, a love story, a fantasized version of reality we don’t get to have for ourselves.
I searched aurora borealis green
another unusual visual that occurs in a specific place and time- not an everyday occurrence – not for all to see or feel. If you get to see it you are lucky – but if not you are relying on those who have seen it to share their experience and images with you – kind of like a movie still.
I’ve never seen someone lit from within
Blurring out my periphery
Periphery is outer limits. Kind of like exterior vision too – if you think about it.
I’ve never seen someone lit from within – blurring the outside voices and opinions – living for themselves and not for the critique of others – causing the blurring out of care of her worries too. Lighting up life from interior motives and not from the satisfaction or affirmation of others. This feels like a very deep one-on-one conversation to me. The panic of one person always worried what people think and what they are saying vs the other person giving them perspective of why none of it matters. The exterior voices aren’t living in this space – they have no context – and their voices are muted.
edit: google and youtube say the lyrics are LIVE from within, and her booklet says LIT from within so.. confusing times
My smile is like I won a contest
And to hide that would be so dishonest
Ok, these two lines actually are REALLY deep for me in multiple ways. The first is obvious, that when we win we feel happy and accomplished [for the most part], but also hey anti-hero. And it is a feeling we cannot hide when we are happy and recognized for our goals and achievements.
Secondly, the more deeply societally rooted aspect of these two lines is the fact that sometimes we DO try to hide our happiness in the presence of others – for multiple reasons. Either we are guarding ourselves, or because we have been trained to think of others first rather than ourselves. We may accomplish big things but tone them down in the words of being humble because no one likes a bragger. I find this bullshit and always encourage those around me, particularly my students, to have bragging moments. But either way, these lines reflect a happiness that can not and should not be hidden – it should be celebrated and not tolerated – by the other person or by the media.
And it’s fine to fake it ’til you make it
‘Til you do, ’til it’s true
This line is relatable in the grand scheme of life – not even just falling in love. I don’t necessarily think this is about faking love – I think it’s about faking the comfortability of being open about the love. Taylor has been so quiet about her relationships – even when publicly known – to protect people. But she never really lets us know where she is emotionally. She writes songs, but as an artist I know to take lyricism about as serious as reality TV. Its 70 percent for the business and show and 30 percent sometimes identifiable to the truth. So maybe this falling in love and smiling about it is uncomfortable to her, and she is working on that heavily until it is no longer uncomfortable.
I can’t speak afraid to jinx it
I don’t even dare to wish it
ugh. knock on wood – ya feel? Our biggest dreams coming to fruition. Our largest hopes we don’t want to fuck up. Just like how unpredictable the weather is, life also takes unpredictable turns that are out of our control. We are at the fate of the universe and sometimes even if we don’t mess up the weight of the world and random events destroy specific aspects of our lives.
But your eyes are flying saucers from another planet
This line just feels like Lana Del Rey lol
But flying saucers are original, are make believe to those who haven’t seen them and feel unreal. We have heard of their existence but not many of us have seen the proof. The most imaginatively perfect and different type of human who sees things in a way we can’t – that is this person.
Now I’m All For You like Janet
what a great fucking song
It’s all for you
If you really want it
It’s all for you
If you say you need it
It’s all for you
If you gotta have it
It’s all for you if you make a move
It’s all for you
ps this is my karaoke go to song lmaooooooooo
Can this be a real thing? Can it?
can I go where you go?
Like snow on the beach (snow on the beach)
Like snow on the beach (are we in a dream?)
Like snow on the beach (you want me)
Like snow (like snow)
But it’s coming down, no sound, it’s all around
Like snow on the beach (it’s coming down, it’s coming down)
(It’s coming down, it’s coming down)
snow on the beach, are we in a dream, you want me like snow coming down.
THIS FEELS LIKE A SNOW GLOBE. TAYLOR RELEASE THE SNOW ON THE BEACH SNOW GLOBE. It’s protected from the outside world, its quiet, its secluded, it’s within it’s own world, it’s peaceful, and its comin’ down.
Photo Representation
I saw flecks of what could’ve been lights
But it might just have been you
I was going to be cliche and photograph this on a beach but then I was in the middle of my interpretation lyrically and read this line and was captured by it. Small specks [flecks] of light that go by so quickly, delicately, quietly and without a specific light – go unseen.
Just like these small specs of flecks – sometimes people pass by at the wrong time and are not illuminated in a way that we see them. The right time may come along where the light and the specs illuminate at the same time – giving us a sense of belonging and fate colliding at the same time.
Paige Young 