"You're On Your Own, Kid" Song Meaning Explained & Line by Line Analysis | Taylor Swift MIDNIGHTS

[@summersentiment]

~~ more taylor swift content & timestamps: ~~ ✨ "midnights" album analyses (so far!): kzbin.info/aero/PLazE3XIuXADRT2xJlpdXJX-mgoSA7CpQS ✨ all taylor swift analyses (so far!): kzbin.info/aero/PLazE3XIuXADSx0s74NE1-0ipDe88GTScm ♡ TIMESTAMPS ♡ 0:00 preview 0:32 intro 1:38 verse 1 7:50 i touch my phone as if it's your face 11:33 rest of verse 1 14:32 verse 2 20:13 i offer tutoring!! 21:08 chorus 23:05 verse 3 30:37 100% totally important announcement 30:54 verse 3 continued 33:39 verse 4 37:37 chorus repeated 38:03 bridge 44:43 more thoughts about "hosted parties" lyric 1:03:27 what do you think? 1:04:56 chorus 2 1:06:08 closing thoughts

[@kelleycheek5142]

She talks about this hometown person a lot...You Belong With Me, Tis The Damn Season

[@KhushiSharma-iw5pk]

I love this song, thanks for this analysis! Wanted to add my interpretation of verse 4. I personally think she’s talking about a different party from verse 2. Maybe some kind of event for budding songwriters after she moved to Nashville. And that’s where she realised that her dreams of making it big as a songwriter aren’t rare. I can totally understand being surrounded by other ambitious talented people and feeling intimidated.

[@summersentiment]

i love that interpretation! that's such a cool way to view verse 4, it adds another important layer to what the protagonist is going through. thank you for sharing your take! 😊

[@carolinabustamante1212]

i interpreted it like that as well!!! love this theory

[@lkcullen1918]

My initial interpretation of "So long, Daisy May" was very similar. Daisy May/Mae is a very southern/country name so it sounds like her way of saying goodbye to the simple, small-town-life she had romanticized (especially in debut and fearless) in pursuit of bigger and better opportunities.

[@simplymatt13]

FINALLY MY FAVV SONG OAT.

[@summersentiment]

it's such a wonderful song!! ✨

[@tomenrico6199]

As the song moves toward the end, time has passed … “I gave my blood, swear and tears for this” = worked her ass off to get her career off the ground. “I hosted parties” probably refers to things like album launches or even her concerts. “I starved my body” as in trying to mold her image to public expectations. “The jokes weren't funny” may refer to people not taking her seriously when she was young and making light of her. “I took the money” is her finding success and fame. “My friends from home …” may refer to trying to cope with her life becoming larger than life. “I looked around in a blood soaked ground” refers to the trials she was put through by people like Kanye and Kim and Scott and Scooter. “And I saw something they can't take away” refers to reclaiming ownership of her music and freeing herself from the manipulation of others. The rest of the song expresses her positive attitude gained from her experiences. To move forward in life you sometimes have to burn bridges. But that's not bad. So celebrate life (“friendship bracelets”), live in the moment and don't be afraid. You're on your own, but you can make it. This is very like the message she gave graduates at NYU last year. The scary news is you're on your own now. The great news is that you're on your own now.

[@melissa.atensia]

yay, thanks for talking about this song! I love your analyzes, they help me understand and learn so much about literary analysis ❤

[@summersentiment]

thank you so much!! i'm glad you find them helpful! 😃

[@parurushi]

To me the beginning of the song up until the first chorus are about her being a normal teen, feeling out of place in her hometown like that's not really where she belongs, but Love Interest is there and that's enough to make her stay, then it turns out they don't care and the protagonist is on her own. Then after realizing they don't care and the first chorus she starts writing songs, realizes that's what fulfills her, starts making music and decides to pursue that path. When she's "playing her songs in the parking lot" I picture her singing with her guitar outside random businesses hoping to be noticed by an agent or producer, then verse 4 is her going to industry events for the first time and meeting other aspiring musicians and realizing if she wants to "make it" she will have to compete with them. For the bridge I don't think it's are about one specific moment or even one specific period in the protagonist's life, it's about the whole journey starting when the protagonist realized she had this dream she really wanted to follow and has taken her to where she is now, and all the sacrifices and things she did to try to fit in even when they hurt her, and how she was on her own cause it's an enviroment where you don't really know who actually likes you for yourself and who "likes" you for convenience so it's hard to find people you can trust. But the protagonist is looking back on it and how despite all the painful experiences she was able to face them and make it through, how she was able to reach the dream she shared with the people that were at the party of better bodies. And for the "better bodies" I interpreted them both as the protagonist dealing with their self-image. The first time, when they're a heartbroken teen because Love Interest is not into her she is like "oh maybe they would like me back if I looked more like so and so". The second time she is insecure cause she's entered this world where image is everything and is now comparing herself with the people sharing her dream like "oh if I looked like so and so I would have a better chance of making it". I tie them in with the "starved my body" in the bridge which I agree in this specific context has to do with being in control, especially since they are also mentioned right after the party. She went from searching the parties of better bodies, trying to find her way in the crowd, to being the one hosting the party, so now she is the one in control of the event. I thought a lot about the blood-soaked gown and I think it's metaphorical, like the protagonist was dressing up and hosting these parties and going to fancy events to the poing her friends from home didn't recognize her. But at one point things fell apart and she got hurt, she realized once again she was alone, cut ties with the ones who wounded her but even that moment brought her a step closer from where she is now. Ok and tangent but re: the Tour. I think it's a mix between her older albums getting their time to shine again thanks to the re-recordings, not getting to tour for her previous three albums due to the pandemic, AND her latest album being the 10th which is a big milestone. But also I do think that while she probably won't stop making music this may be her last Big tour (for now?). Making something of that scale takes a lot of time and energy and I think she's outgrown the 2-3 years album-tour-album-tour way she was living 5-10 years ago and I get the impression she wants to focus more on her close relationships and pursuing things like directing etc. Anyways this was very long and probably all over the place, please forgive my 4am ramblings lol

[@summersentiment]

i love your take on the "play my songs in the parking lot" lyric!! it goes well with how you're interpreting verse 4 too! i love how this interpretation really takes into account the more "business" side of the protagonist's journey! interesting take on "better bodies"! it could definitely be a reference to the protagonist's self-image. for me, "better bodies" always meant "better options" but your interpretation fits wonderfully as well! it also adds depth to what the protagonist is going through b/c they are constantly comparing themselves with A LOT of ppl (bodies= plural). also great point about how "hosting" = more control! i feel similarly about her tour!! i also think she wants to start pursuing other avenues in entertainment like directing, which is pretty exciting tbh! i really enjoyed reading your comment!! thank you so much for sharing your perspective!! your 4am thoughts are pretty eloquent tbh 😊 ✨ 💖

[@BieberFever1016862]

I love your analysis so much! I definitely agree this pairs well and could go hand in hand with "Midnight Rain". I feel like the protagonist in both songs is wanting to get out of her hometown and pursue her dreams but is held back by the idea of a potential future of picket fences with her crush, but ultimately is able to move forward with her big plans. I was also remembering your "Cruel Summer" analysis and thinking it could be connected like summer and their fling end and she's still left with those intense emotions and has no closure with him so it turns to yearning. Anyway love your take on this song- amazing as always!!

[@summersentiment]

thank you so much!! 💖 i love that you mentioned "cruel summer", so interesting to thing about!! i don't personally think they're about the same relationship (just b/c of the timeline, but i could totally be wrong lol) but i think the qualities of summer romance can apply here in terms of the intensity and like you mentioned: the yearning!! i would argue this summer was also a "cruel" one for our protagonist

[@Thatfantasyfootballchick]

This song spoke to me the most on the album so I had to set aside this AM to give you my full attention! :) edit: I’m an older Swifty 37 and I can see how this song may identify more for younger people -but as a 37 year old with many failed relationships and crushes I’ve put on a pedestal throughout my 20s and 30s it’s just a reminder that I still got this despite all the failures and what it put me through

[@13lizzy31]

Would've, Could've, Should've & The Great War, pls, you know how much you want to

[@summersentiment]

they're on the list! 😊

[@IsabelleOGomez]

You always makes me vibe and appreciate the song even more! Thank you for your very insightful lyric analysis! LOVE

[@summersentiment]

thank you so much!! and yes!! 😊 i FINALLY heard the whole song a few days ago and I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!

[@Thatfantasyfootballchick]

So when I heard Daisy May in the lyrics I always thought it went with the flower imagery of that Stanza - she has picking petals, something bloomed …I thought she was saying so long to her as a stage of being a young flower - now she has endured the April showers (perhaps the realization from the party) progressed through the growing of May after the showers (I thought that time after you’ve cried and then spent some time in reflection after your cry) …or maybe she was taking “so long” to get to the point of being a daisy in May? I guess the capitalization she picked for Daisy May makes it name but I will still say it’s purposeful! :)

[@summersentiment]

i love your interpretation of daisy may! it's so well thought out and made me smile 😊 and when you mentioned "young flower"!!! so beautiful and bittersweet. it could definitely signify that the protagonist is realizing she's ending and era of her life and entering a new one. i really enjoy the nature imagery here, since nature is cyclical and imo has a divine wisdom, i really enjoy your interpretation here. aligning the protagonist's life with that of a flower. that you so much for sharing!! 😊 ✨

[@alisonswift5911]

Please do Maroon as well! But thanks for this!

[@imjustagirl_1234-q8b]

The first line reminded me of august, specifically the lyrics "summer went away, still the yearning stays" but i dont think they are related. also, the "we're the best of friends" line reminds me of you belong with me, because in that song she expresses that she is in love w her best friend. also, taylor said that the midnights album was about sleepless nights during her life, and a lot of songs are about things that happened long ago, so i think they might be about the same guy. also, as you said, this song is about her reminiscing her teenage years, and she wrote you belong with me in her teenage years. furthermore, in her adolescence i think she felt very lonely, and that she didnt have many true friends, plus que felt excluded. but obviously, this song is from a more mature perspective.

[@victoriasuarez8527]

I interpreted the blood soaked gown more of a Carrie reference In Carrie she believes everyone is laughing at her When the pigs blood falls on her Taylor has a similar experience with the first Kanye incident and really believed people were laughing at her

[@summersentiment]

interesting point! definitely possible to be a reference to carrie! thank you for sharing😊

[@phoebedemontefalcon1423]

"I took the money" is pertaining to getting a portion of Olivia's earnings/royalty from her song "DeJavu"

[@imjustagirl_1234-q8b]

I think the line "the jokes werent funny is refering to the jokes that people and media used to do (and still do) about her, that arent actually funny because theyre hurtful and disrespecful, for example, the "jokes" about her body or about how many exes she has had.

[@tomenrico6199]

I think “of better bodies” is an expression of her own insecurity. She is comparing the bodies of other girls at the party with her own. An additional clue that it is introspective like this is that she changes the line to “I starved my body” in the last verse.

[@tomenrico6199]

I disagree with your interpretation of “I learned that my dreams aren't rare.” She's moved on beyond her feelings for her crush. Har dreams now are advancing her music career. She got to Nashville and realized the town was full of people with the same dreams. Being on her own this time means it is up to her, and nobody else, to make progress toward her goals.

[@mehribozorgmehri4252]

very nice❤❤🎉

[@imjustagirl_1234-q8b]

Can you make a Dear Reader analysis ?

[@coleintheville117]

Do you plan on doing the evermore title track? Love your videos!

[@summersentiment]

eventually, yes!! and thank you! 😊

[@joaovictorborges3968]

46:55

[@manofagoodwill6321]

Will you please react to The Lady of Heaven movie Trailer next? 💜