Been thinking about my favorite Taylor Swift lyric and I've decided it's "he keeps a picture of you in his office downtown:" it's the perfect encapsulation of the Swiftian ethos of turning the tiniest, mundane details into universal declarations of love. https://open.spotify.com/track/2KrOAg6FftbjgSKdd2a4rS?si=_Ykg2OdiTpy9Pyc5OSMJ8A

The way Treacherous opens with tension in "[p]ut your lips close to mine / as long as they don't touch"—not to mention the way she just briefly pauses before whispering "touch"—is a strong contender for Philip's List of Favorite Taylor Swift Lyrics. https://open.spotify.com/track/7nECwCDHS1JvQbrmuorZIH?si=9ZTYTmYARO26aFeTpDkuSg

Last Kiss is a six-minute slow burn of images climaxing to one of the best bridges in a Taylor Swift song—especially when she almost screams "and I keep up with our old friends just to ask them how you are" before whispering "hope it's nice where you are." https://open.spotify.com/track/4EUQXLipplO2v9mVaqQtjc?si=Qf9ZYJP_S9K6a3x3WVbXFw

Speaking of screams, Taylor Swift full-throatedly screaming "I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you and I" is one of the best lyrics in one of her best songs (and we all desperately need a live Cruel Summer performance and a Cruel Summer music video). https://open.spotify.com/track/1BxfuPKGuaTgP7aM0Bbdwr?si=DjAiICUIT5WXkUMYeqK0BQ

Not exactly one of her best lyrics but the whispered "one, two, three" after "[y]ou did a number on me / but, honestly, baby, who's counting?" in So It Goes... is cute and clever, like the lyrical equivalent of a wink. An underrated reputation deep cut. https://open.spotify.com/track/5PxFv9yJEg9dxvbZggykro?si=4MoH9SkNR5aJLyRp7xVmYA