Born in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Swift relocated to Nashville, Tennessee in 2004 to pursue a career in country music. She broke into the country music scene with her eponymous self-titled debut studio album, Taylor Swift in 2006, which included the singles "Teardrops on My Guitar" and "Our Song". Swift also released the holiday album, Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection, later titled as The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection in October 2007.
Swift rose to mainstream prominence with her sophomore studio album, Fearless (2008), a country pop record with crossover appeal. Aided by the top-five singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", Fearless was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Swift's third studio album, Speak Now (2010), blended country pop with elements of rock and featured the top-ten singles "Mine" and "Back to December".
Drawing inspiration from various pop, rock, and electronic genres, Swift's fourth studio album Red (2012) saw her transcending her country roots. She completely moved to pop with her synth-pop fifth studio album, 1989 (2014), and expanded the electropop sound on her next two studio albums, reputation (2017) and Lover (2019), which respectively embraced urban and retro styles. The four albums spawned a string of international top-five singles, including "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", "I Knew You Were Trouble", "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", "Bad Blood", "Look What You Made Me Do", "ME! (feat. Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco)", "You Need to Calm Down", and "Lover".
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift experimented with folk and alternative rock on her eighth and ninth studio albums, folklore and evermore (both 2020), whose lead singles "cardigan" and "willow" topped charts around the world. She also released the critically acclaimed documentaries Miss Americana and Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions that year. Swift's tenth studio album, Midnights (2022), marked her triumphant return to pop after two folk albums. The album set the record for biggest first day and first week ever on Spotify, spawned the hits Anti-Hero and Lavender Haze, and sold over 1.5 million copies in its first week becoming not only the biggest debut of the decade but also Swift's biggest debut ever. She would make history by becoming the first artist to occupy the entire top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 with tracks from Midnights.
Additionally, Swift began re-recording her back catalog in November 2020 as a result of a publicized dispute with talent manager Scooter Braun and her former label Big Machine, regarding the acquisition of the masters of her back catalog. In April 2021, Swift released a re-recorded issue of her 2008 album Fearless, titled Fearless (Taylor's Version). It debuted at number one in the US. Swift continued releasing re-recorded versions of her back catalog in November, 2021 with the release of Red (Taylor's Version), a 30 track re-issue of her 2012 critical smash. The album debuted at #1 in the US, spawned the #1 hit All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault), and broke the record at the time for biggest first day for a female album on Spotify. Red (Taylor's Version) was a critical and commercial hit, and proved that Swift's ambitious plan to re-record her first 6 albums was well worth it.
Along with the release of Red (Taylor's Version) came All Too Well: The Short Film (2021), Swift's filmmaking debut. The 15 minute romantic drama was based on the lyrical content from Swift's 2012 fan favorite "All Too Well" starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien. It had a limited theatrical release in major cities, and Swift held special screenings of the film throughout 2022 at various film festivals. In December, 2022 Taylor announced that she would be making her feature directorial debut with Oscar-winning studio Searchlight Pictures.
Following the release of Midnights, Swift would embark on her first tour in five years, The Eras Tour.
Swift has released several songs for film soundtracks. She co-wrote two songs for the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack— "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" and "Crazier", and contributed two songs to the Valentine's Day soundtrack, including the single "Today Was a Fairytale", which was her first number one on the Canadian Hot 100, and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. She also contributed two original songs to The Hunger Games soundtrack album: "Safe & Sound - from The Hunger Games Soundtrack", co-written and recorded with The Civil Wars and T-Bone Burnett, and "Eyes Open". "Safe & Sound" won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. In 2013, Swift recorded "Sweeter than Fiction", a song she wrote and produced with Jack Antonoff for the One Chance film soundtrack, which received a Best Original Song nomination at the 71st Golden Globe Awards. Swift and English singer Zayn Malik, mononymously known as Zayn, released a single together, "I Don't Wanna Live Forever", for the soundtrack of the film Fifty Shades Darker (2017). She also recorded an original song called "Beautiful Ghosts", which she wrote with Andrew Lloyd Webber for the Cats's soundtrack (2019). In 2020, Swift's documentary Miss Americana featured the song "Only the Young" which was written after the 2018 United States elections. In 2022, she released an original song titled "Carolina" for Where The Crawdads Sing (2022) inspired by the novel written by Delia Owens.
With sales of over 200 million records worldwide, Swift is a best-selling music artist. Her accolades include 12 Grammy Awards (including three Album of the Year wins), two Brit Awards (including a Global Icon award), an Emmy Award, 28 [https://guinnessworldrecords.com/]Guinness World Records, 32 American Music Awards (the most wins by an artist), and 23 Billboard Music Awards (the most wins by a woman). She ranked eighth on Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists Chart (2019) and was listed on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time (2015). Swift has been included in various power rankings, such as Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world (2010, 2015 and 2019) and Forbes Celebrity 100 (placing first in 2016 and 2019). She was named Woman of the Decade (2010s) by Billboard and Artist of the Decade (2010s) by the American Music Awards.
Didn't They
Taylor Swift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's just another day
At 10 o'clock she hears the screaming
Then finally she sees them
It's scary how things change
And I saw the story on the news
I saw the footage from the roof
Didn't she call you
Didn't she need you bad enough?
Was there some reason
Another way up?
Did you not write it down
Just one more thing to do
Where were you
And didn't she pray too?
He kissed his wife goodbye
And took the earliest flight
So he could be home that night
To put his kids to sleep
Down the aisle
Three men walked and said
"We're here to die for our God"
He stood up and said, "That's funny
'Cause my God died for me"
I put the magazine down
I read his words out loud
I sat down and cried
Didn't he call you
Didn't he need you bad enough?
Was there some reason
Another way up?
Did you not write it down
Just one more thing to do
Where were you
And didn't he pray too?
The taxis were full up
On the very day of
The rope 100 floors up
Just to come back down
They never thought they'd see the day
The, the tower'd be up in flames
There was nothing left to say
When it all came down
And didn't they call you
Didn't they need you bad enough?
Was there some reason
Another way up?
Did you not write it down
Just one more thing to do
Where were you?
Where were you?
And didn't they pray, oh
I walk to school and I wear a cross
I'm counting every day
The song “Didn’t They” by Taylor Swift is a poignant commentary on various events in society that have left people saddened, confused, and alone. In the first verse, she describes a young girl walking to school, arms crossed, indicating an attitude of defensiveness. The girl hears screaming and finally witnesses some traumatic event or tragedy. Swift remarks on how easily and quickly things can change and gives the example of seeing a news story and footage that makes her cry. Swift is highlighting the importance of being present and responsive to those who need us, especially during times of crisis. She questions if the people involved in these events reached out to others and if they prayed.
The second verse shifts to the story of a man who took the earliest flight possible to be home with his family. This man was confronted with three other men who declared they were willing to die for their God. The man, understanding the gravity of the situation, stands up and points out that Jesus, his God, had already died for him. Swift highlights the power of faith in this case.
The third verse describes the events of 9/11 where taxis were full of people hoping to escape only to be met with a building in flames. Swift questions again if people reached out to others during that crisis and whether they prayed. The repetition of the question “Didn't they call you? Didn't they need you bad enough?” emphasizes the importance of showing up and being present for those in need.
Overall, the song is a call to action for all of us to be there for one another in times of crisis and for us to hold on to our faith.
Line by Line Meaning
She walks to school with her arms crossed
She walks to school with her arms crossed, a posture indicating that she may not be secure in her environment or is anxious about something.
It's just another day
The situation is not unusual and something she is accustomed to experiencing.
At 10 o'clock she hears the screaming
She hears screaming at the specific time of 10 am, which is indicative of the disturbing new experience and a departure from her normal routine.
Then finally she sees them
After hearing the screaming, she ultimately ends up seeing the source of the commotion.
It's scary how things change
Life can be unpredictable and quickly take a turn for the worse.
And I saw the story on the news
The singer is reflecting on the event and how it was widely covered in the news.
I saw the footage from the roof
The singer saw firsthand the images and video footage captured from the rooftop.
I sat down and cried
The situation was emotionally overwhelming, and the artist cried in response.
Didn't she call you
The artist is questioning whether the person they are addressing could have done something to prevent the traumatic event from taking place.
Didn't she need you bad enough?
The artist is questioning if the person they are addressing could have helped the victim if they were more attentive and aware of the situation.
Was there some reason, another way up?
The singer is considering whether there were other options or paths that could have been taken to avoid the traumatic event from occurring.
Did you not write it down?
The artist is questioning if the person they are addressing failed to document information that could have helped prevent the situation.
Just one more thing to do
The singer is highlighting that with an extra effort, the traumatic event could have been averted.
Where were you?
The singer is questioning the person they are addressing's whereabouts during the stressful event.
And didn't she pray too?
The singer is questioning whether the victim prayed and if prayers could have made a difference.
He kissed his wife goodbye
The artist is describing a man saying goodbye to his wife before embarking on a trip.
And took the earliest flight
The man took the first flight available to reach his destination early.
So he could be home that night
The man was motivated to arrive at his destination by evening so he could be with his family.
To put his kids to sleep
The man's goal was to be home early enough to read his children's bedtime stories and put them to sleep.
Down the aisle, three men walked and said
The artist is describing the moment when three men marched down the aisle.
"We're here to die for our God"
The three men announced their intention to die for their religious beliefs.
He stood up and said, "That's funny 'cause my God died for me"
The artist is describing a man who challenged the three men's statement by referring to his own deep-seated beliefs and how they impacted his life.
I put the magazine down
The singer disengaged from reading a magazine, becoming more invested in processing the events at hand.
I read his words out loud
The artist spoke the statement made by the man in the previous stanza in an effort to process it further.
I sat down and cried
The singer was overwhelmed with emotions, resulting in tears.
The taxis were full up
The taxis were in high demand, likely due to the traumatic event.
On the very day of, the rope 100 floors up, just to come back down
People were attempting to evacuate the building during the traumatic event, even to the extent of lowering themselves down an exterior rope to the ground.
They never thought they'd see the day, the tower'd be up in flames
Because of the location and scale of the towers, people were shocked to see them ablaze.
There was nothing left to say, when it all came down
Once the towers collapsed, there was only shock and no words to describe what had just happened.
And didn't they call you
The singer is questioning whether the person they are addressing could have done something to prevent the traumatic event from taking place.
Didn't they need you bad enough?
The singer is questioning if the people who were impacted by the traumatic event needed more support and help than they received.
Was there some reason, another way up?
The artist is considering whether there were other options or paths that could have been taken to avoid the traumatic event from occurring.
Did you not write it down?
The artist is questioning if the person they are addressing failed to document information that could have helped prevent the situation.
Just one more thing to do
The artist is highlighting that with an extra effort, the traumatic event could have been averted.
Where were you?
The singer is questioning the person they are addressing's whereabouts during the stressful event.
And didn't they pray, oh
The artist is questioning whether the trauma victims prayed and if their prayers could have made a difference.
I walk to school and I wear a cross
The singer is reflecting on their own life and how they wear a symbol showing their religious faith.
I'm counting every day
The singer is aware of the fragility of life and is thus living each day one day at a time.
Contributed by Matthew G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Carissa Carter
Thank you for putting this back up! I hope she re-records it. It’s so beautiful.
Dryzenhawk
It would be nice if she re-records this and release it on September 11 as a single.
Radioactive Elephant 🧣
september 2001, so taylor wouldn't have even been 12. proof she's been an amazing songwriter since she was a kid. the outside proved that, but this proves it even more.
J Gallardo
My mouth dropped knowing how young she was to write this. Very mature and well written content. She was incredible then, and incredible now and never fails to amazes me.
MrBlueVexx
I remember delivering newspapers that day just outside of Manhattan. I remember seeing the plane that hit the north tower. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I could see the towers smoke from where I was standing. I remember, I stood there for 5 hours watching and listening. it just seemed to get worse. “Reports now that the Pentagon was struck by another plane. America is under attack.” I will never forget. I watched the south tower fall. I remember I just sat on my knees and looked at the ground. I will never forget September 11th, 2001.
Margaret Doekes
wow i live in canada but wow i can't even imagine
jeeeeessssss
I hope she would re-record this powerful song in the future🥲
Kasun Kavishka
Young Taylor was something else. Extremely beautiful songs.
Ray Bernier
And not-yet-12-year-old Miss Taylor Swift blows me away again. And there's even a bridge.
•RF Production•
I don't understand why UMG deleted Didn't They that was 8 yrs old. This song should be rerecorded