The second verse sees Swift flipping the script, referencing her own reputation as a heartbreaker ("knew I was a robber first time that he saw me"). But just as she sees herself as his equal, she also invites him to join her in metaphorical thievery, suggesting they move to an island and he can be her "jailer" (similar to how Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor have been linked together as past Hollywood legends).
Throughout the song, Swift seems to be pushing boundaries and testing this new relationship, suggesting that they are both ready to play a game with each other. The song's refrain, "baby, let the games begin", reinforces this idea of a playful, yet intense, romantic pursuit. In the end, she asks him if he's "ready for it", implying that she's fully committed to exploring this new love with him.
...Ready for It?
Taylor Swift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wonder how many girls he had loved and left haunted
But if he's a ghost, then I can be a phantom
Holdin' him for ransom
Some, some boys are tryin' too hard
He don't try at all, though
Younger than my exes but he act like such a man, so
I see nothing better, I keep him forever
I-I-I see how this is gon' go
Touch me and you'll never be alone
I-Island breeze and lights down low
No one has to know
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
You should see the things we do, baby, mmm
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
I know I'm gonna be with you
So I take my time
Are you ready for it?
Knew I was a robber first time that he saw me
Stealing hearts and running off and never saying sorry
But if I'm a thief, then he can join the heist
And we'll move to an island, and
And he can be my jailer, Burton to this Taylor
Every lover known in comparison is a failure
I forget their names now, I'm so very tame now
Never be the same now, now
I-I-I see how this is gon' go
Touch me and you'll never be alone
I-Island breeze and lights down low
No one has to know
(No one has to know)
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
You should see the things we do, baby, mmm
In the middle of the night in my dreams
I know I'm gonna be with you
So I take my time
Are you ready for it?
Ooh, are you ready for it?
Baby, let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
Baby, let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
I-I-I see how this is gon' go
Touch me and you'll never be alone
I-Island breeze and lights down low
No one has to know
In the middle of the night, in my dreams (my dreams)
You should see the things we do, baby, mmm
In the middle of the night, in my dreams (my dreams)
I know I'm gonna be with you
So I take my time
In the middle of the night
Baby, let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
Are you ready for it?
Baby, let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
Are you ready for it?
The lyrics of Taylor Swift's song ...Ready For It? are about a new relationship that is exciting and thrilling but also intimidating. The opening lines describe the initial attraction to the person, but also a sense of caution and uncertainty about his past behavior. The singer imagines herself as a ghost or phantom, holding him for ransom, suggesting that she is willing to be in control and set boundaries in the relationship. The contrast of the boy's easy confidence and masculinity to her older, more complicated exes heightens the excitement and danger of the potential relationship.
The chorus repeats the image of being in the middle of the night, in her dreams, where she can fully explore the possibilities of the relationship. The island breeze and lights represent a sense of paradise or utopia, where they can escape from the world and be together. The singer takes her time, indicating a slow build-up to the relationship and perhaps a need for caution or self-reflection.
The second verse continues the theme of role-playing and fantasy, with the singer as a thief and the boy as her partner in crime. The comparison to other lovers further emphasizes the excitement and uniqueness of this new relationship. The repetition of "let the games begin" serves as a call to action, signaling the beginning of the relationship and the possibility of breaking out of previous romantic patterns.
Line by Line Meaning
Knew he was a killer first time that I saw him
From the moment I saw him, I could tell he was dangerous
Wonder how many girls he had loved and left haunted
I couldn't help but wonder how many girls he had hurt and left damaged
But if he's a ghost, then I can be a phantom
If he's playing games, then so can I
Holdin' him for ransom
I'll have control of the situation
Some, some boys are tryin' too hard
Some guys are trying too hard to impress
He don't try at all, though
But he doesn't try at all, yet he still seems like a man
Younger than my exes but he act like such a man, so
He's younger than my past boyfriends, but acts more mature
I see nothing better, I keep him forever
He's the best option I have, I'll keep him around for good
Like a vendetta-ta
He's like a mission for me, like I have something to prove
I-I-I see how this is gon' go
I can see where this is headed
Touch me and you'll never be alone
Being with me means you'll never be lonely
I-Island breeze and lights down low
In a tropical setting, with romantic lighting
No one has to know
We can keep our relationship a secret
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
In my subconscious, I can imagine us together
You should see the things we do, baby, mmm
Our dream activities are not for the faint of heart
I know I'm gonna be with you
I'm convinced that we're meant to be together
So I take my time
I'll enjoy the journey and take things slow
Knew I was a robber first time that he saw me
He knew I was going to steal his heart from the moment he met me
Stealing hearts and running off and never saying sorry
I have a history of breaking hearts and not apologizing
But if I'm a thief, then he can join the heist
If I'm going to steal his heart, he can be a part of it
And we'll move to an island, and
We can escape together and start fresh
And he can be my jailer, Burton to this Taylor
He can be the one who keeps me in line and grounded
Every lover known in comparison is a failure
No one else compares to him in my eyes
I forget their names now, I'm so very tame now
I've become more settled and content now that I have him
Never be the same now, now
Since meeting him, I'll never be the same again
Baby, let the games begin
Our love story is like a game, let's begin playing it
Are you ready for it?
Are you ready to take on this challenge with me?
Let the games begin
Our love story is going to be exciting and full of surprises
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ali Payami, Karl Johan Schuster, Max Martin, Taylor Swift
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mamtasisodiya7149
I am not over Taylor Swift.
I am not over Fearless.
I am not over speak now.
I am not over 1989.
I am not over Red.
I am not over Reputation.
I am not over Lover.
I am not over Folklore.
I am not over Evermore.
I am not over Taylor Swift.
@priyanshjoshi7
Taylor Swift's classmates say she's bad at singing and bully her...
•Taylor becomes a singer and debuts albums and shuts them down.
Taylor's debut albums face ownership problems.
•Taylor tries to ignore it and live her life and date many people.
People say Taylor Swift dates too much in her 20's.
•Taylor stops and is single for years.
People say "Red" is filled with too many break-up songs.
•Taylor makes a new album about moving to New York and how her life is amazing with her friends.
People say Taylor's music is changing too much for her to stay in country music.
•Taylor presents an entire genre shift, and a pop album called "1989".
People say Taylor shows too many pictures of her friends.
•Taylor stops doing that as well.
People say Taylor is a "calculated manipulator".
•Taylor disappears from Public view for a year.
People say Taylor is now being cast as a villain
•Taylor returns and makes a dark villainous album "Reputation"
People say Taylor's new album is too dark.
•Taylor makes the most colourful and fun album ever "Lover".
People say Taylor's music is too colourful and fun.
•Taylor makes soft albums, "Evermore", and "Folklore".
Now, people say Taylor copies Lana Del Rey
•This time, Taylor ignores them, and fights for ownership to her first six albums for one last time, and gets it. She releases "Taylor's Version"s of the controversial songs, is Happier than Ever, and shuts down all haters.
If you're a Swiftie, copy this comment and paste this in other comment sections to put in light Taylor's story.
@katelynpomeroy
Lyrics 😀😁
Knew he was a killer first time that I saw him
Wonder how many girls he had loved and left haunted
But if he's a ghost then I can be a phantom holding him for ransom
Some some boys are trying too hard
He don't try at all though
Younger than My Exes but he act like such a man, so
I see nothing better I keep him forever
Like a vendetta-ta
I-I-I see how this is gon' go
Touch me and you'll never be alone
I-Island breeze and lights down low
No one has to know
In the middle of the night in my dreams
You should see the things we do baby
In the middle of the night in my dreams
I know I'm gonna be with you
so take my time
Are you ready for it?
Me I was a robber first time that he saw me
Stealing hearts and running off and never saying sorry
But if imma thief them he can join the heist
And we'll move to an island-and
And he can be my Jailer, Burton to this Taylor
Every lover known in comparison is a failure
I forgot their names now, I'm so very tame now
never be the same now, now
I-I-I see how this is gon' go
Touch me and you'll never be alone
I-Island breeze and lights down low
No one has to know
(no one has to know)
In the middle of the night in my dreams you should see the things we do baby
In the middle of the night in my dreams
I know I'm gonna be with you so I take my time
Are you ready for it?
ooh, are you ready for it?
Baby let games begin
let the games begin
let the games begin
Baby let games begin
let the games begin
let the games begin
I-I-I See how this gon' go
Touch me and you'll never be alone
I-Island breeze and lights down low
No one has to know
In the middle of the night in my dream you should see the things we do baby
In the middle of the night in my dreams I know I'm gonna be with you
so I take my time
in the middle of the night
Baby let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
Are you ready for it?
Baby let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
Are you ready for it?
there might be some mistakes☺
I was bored
@samyukthaabala2242
0:14 -1989
0:20 - number 13
0:24 -two is enough
0:25 - I love you in secret - Dancing With Our Hands
0:30-king of my heart
0:31- Ur gorgeous
1:16 -out of the woods (iguess)
1:38 -badblood vibes
1:41-white horse
3:03 -all eyes on us
3:15 -They’re Burning all the witches
@MB-ho4zn
Knew he was a killer
First time that I saw him
Wonder how many girls he had loved and left haunted
But if he's a ghost then I can be a phantom
Holdin' him for ransom
Some, some boys are tryin' too hard
He don't try at all though
Younger than my exes but he act like such a man, so
I see nothing better, I keep him forever
Like a vendetta-ta
I-I-I see how this is gonna go
Touch me, and you'll never be alone
I-Island breeze and lights down low
No one has to know
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
You should see the things we do, baby
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
I know I'm gonna be with you
So I take my time
(Are you ready for it?)
Me, I was a robber
First time that he saw me
Stealing hearts and running off and never saying sorry
But if I'm a thief then
He can join the heist
And we'll move to an island-and
He can be my jailer
Burton to this Taylor
Every lover known in comparison is a failure
I forget their names now
I'm so very tame now
Never be the same now, now
I-I-I see how this is gonna go
Touch me and you'll never be alone
I-Island breeze and lights down low
No one has to know
(No one has to know)
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
You should see the things we do, baby
In the middle of the night in my dreams
I know I'm gonna be with you
So I take my time
(Are you ready for it?)
(Ooh, are you ready for it?)
Baby, let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
Baby, let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
I-I-I see how this is gonna go
Touch me and you'll never be alone
I-Island breeze and lights down low
No one has to know
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
You should see the things we do, baby
In the middle of the night, in my dreams
I know I'm gonna be with you
So I take my time
In the middle of the night
Baby, let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
(Are you ready for it?)
Baby, let the games begin
Let the games begin
Let the games begin
(Are you ready for it?)
@pikachupiplup1
Could be late but been listening to this and noticed all of the references i know some have spotted some of them
0:14 - 89 91 could be 1989 or two separate birth years (alwyns and swifts)
0:19 - 13 (swifts lucky number)
0:20 - 'All eyes on us' written on the right pillar
0:24 - 'This is enough' written on the left wall
0:25 - 'I love you in secret' written on the right wall
0:30 - crown over heart (king of my heart reference)
0:31 - 'Ur Gorgeous' written on the wall (Gorgeous reference)
0:43 - 21 typed into keypad
1:06 - Snakes (looks like maybe LWYMMD reference as well as haters)
1:41 - White horse (Blank Space, White Horse reference)
2:46 - Old Taylor meets New Taylor
2:49 - Old Taylor not going anywhere just reimaged
3:14 - 'They're burning all the witches' reference to I did something bad.
@thafearess1
You can’t tell me this woman isn’t VERSATILE! She literally went from “reputation” to “Lover” to “folklore” & “evermore” in a 3 year time frame! Each album has such a unique, different vibe! From the lyrics to the music videos! It’s just impeccable! Versatility at its best 👑‼️
@pottonscy6837
LOUDER !!!
@misterhughdjass7880
To be fair folklore and evermore are quite similar but still
@saragene9696
SHES THE DEFINITION OF VERSATILE SHE IS VERSATILE ITSELF
@sunny1234321
Let's not forget Love Story, 1989 & RED... She is blazing trail for everyone. You imagine and Taylor can bring that up :-)
@gm.8805
love how this is RAP pop
@lorenzgargallano774
I can't believe that this is the same person who wrote folklore. What an artist.
@damanpreetkaur2785
It's called a growth
Never be the same now!
@sinyenPinkflorist
Shut up bot .
@taptaptaps
folklore and evermore 😭