Taylor Swift

There's an old poem by neruda that I’ve always been captivated by, and one of the lines in it has stuck with me ever since the first time I read it. It says "love is so short, forgetting is so long." It's a line I’ve related to in my saddest moments, when I needed to know someone else had felt that exact same way. And when we're trying to move on, the moments we always go back to aren't themundane ones. They are the moments you saw sparks that weren't really there, felt stars aligning without having any proof, saw your future before it happened, and then saw it slip away without any warning. These are moments of newfound hope, extreme joy, intense passion, wishful thinking, and in some cases, the unthinkable letdown. And in my mind, every one of these memories looks the same to me. I seeall of these moments in bright, burning, red. My experiences in love have taught me difficult lessons, especially my experiences with crazy love. The red relationships. The ones that went from zero to a hundred miles per hour and then hit a wall and exploded. And it was awful. And ridiculous. And desperate. And thrilling. And when the dust settled, it was something I’d never take back. becausethere is something to be said for being young and needing someone so badly, you jump in head first without looking. And there's something to be learned from waiting all day for a train that's never coming. And there's something to be proud of about moving on and realizing that real love shines golden like starlight, and doesn't fade or spontaneously combust. Maybe I’ll write a whole album about thatkind of love if I ever find it. but this album is about the other kinds of love that I’ve recently fallen in and out of. Love that was treacherous, sad, beautiful, and tragic. but most of all, this record is about love that was red.

loVe Is a ruThless GaMe unless you Play IT GooD anD rIGhT

Pro loGue

I'm waLking fast thrOugh the traffic lights / busy streets and busy liVes / and all wE knowis touch and go / we are alone with our changing minds / we fall in love till it hurts or bleeds or fades in time // and i never saw You coming / and i’ll never be the same // yOu come aroUnd anD the armOr falls / piErce the room like a cannonball / now all we know... is don't let go / we are alone juSt you and me / up in your room, aNd our slates are clean / jusT twin fire signs, four blue eyes /so you were never a saint / and i’ve loved in shades of wrong / we learn to live with the pain / mosaiC brOken hearts / bUt this love is brave aNd wild // and i never saw you coming / and i’ll never be The sAme // this is a state oF grace / This is the worthwhilE fight / love is a Ruthless game / unless you play it Good and right / these are the hands Of fate / yOu're my achilles heel / this is thegolDen age of something good and right and real // and i never saw you coming / and i’ll never Be the same / and i never saw You coming / and i’ll nEver be the same // this is a state of grace / this is the worthwhile fight / love is a ruthless game / unless you play it good and right // © 2012 Sony/ aTV Tree Publishing/ Taylor Swift music (Bmi). all rights reserved. Used By Permission. Producedby nathan chapman, Taylor Swift / recorded by chad carlson at Blackbird Studios (nashville, Tn); assisted by leland elliot / additional engineering by Brian david willis, matt rausch / mixed by Justin niebank at Blackbird Studios (nashville, Tn); assisted by drew Bollman / mastered by hank williams at mastermix (nashville, Tn) / Production coordinators: Jason campbell, mike “frog” griffith, leann“goddess” Bennett // acoustic guitar, electric guitar, Bass – nathan chapman / Percussion – eric darken / drums – nick Buda / Background Vocals – Taylor Swift

reD
loving him iS like driving a new maserati down a dead end street / faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly / loving him is like trying to change your mind once you're already flying through the free fall / like...