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.
End Game
Taylor Swift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanna be your first string
I wanna be your A-Team
I wanna be your endgame, endgame
Big reputation, big reputation
Ooh you and me we got big reputations, ah
And you heard about me, ooh
Big reputation, big reputation
Ooh you and me would be a big conversation, ah
And I heard about you, ooh
You like the bad ones too
You so dope, don't overdose
I'm so stoked, I need a toast
We do the most
I'm in the Ghost like I'm whippin' a boat
I got a reputation girl, that don't precede me
I'm one call away, whenever you need me
I'm in a G5
Come to the A side
I got a bad boy persona that's what they like
You love it
I love it too 'cause you my type
You hold me down and I protect you with my life
I don't wanna touch you (I don't wanna be)
Just anther ex-love (you don't wanna see)
I don't wanna miss you (I don't wanna miss you)
Like the other girls do
I don't wanna hurt you (I just wanna be)
Drinkin' on a beach with (you all over me)
I know what they all say (I know what they all say)
But I ain't tryna play
I wanna be your endgame
I wanna be your first string
I wanna be your A Team
I wanna be your endgame, endgame
Knew her when I was young
Reconnected when we were little bit older
Both sprung, I got issues and chips on both of my shoulders
Reputation precedes me, in rumors I'm knee deep
The truth is it's easier to ignore it, believe me
Even when we'd argue, we don't do it for long
And you understand the good and bad, end up in the song
For all your beautiful traits, and the way you do it with ease
For all my flaws, paranoia, and insecurities
I've made mistakes, and made some choices that's hard to deny
After the storm, something was born on the fourth of July
I've passed days without fun, this endgame is the one
With four words on the tip of my tongue, I'll never say
I don't wanna touch you (I don't wanna be)
Just anther ex-love (you don't wanna see)
I don't wanna miss you (I don't wanna miss you)
Like the other girls do
I don't wanna hurt you (I just wanna be)
Drinkin' on a beach with (you all over me)
I know what they all say
But I ain't tryna play
I wanna be your endgame
I wanna be your first string
I wanna be your A Team
I wanna be your endgame, endgame
Big reputation, big reputation
Ooh you and me we got big reputations, ahh
And you heard about me, ooh
I got some big enemies
Big reputation, big reputation
Ooh you and me would be a big conversation, ahh
And I heard about you, ooh
You like the bad ones too
I hit you like bang
We tried to forget it, but we just couldn't
And I bury hatchets but I keep maps of where I put 'em
Reputation precedes me, they told you I'm crazy
I swear I don't love the drama, it loves me
And I can't let you go, your hand print's on my soul
It's like your eyes are liquor, it's like your body is gold
You've been calling my bluff on all my usual tricks
So here's the truth from my red lips
I wanna be your endgame
I wanna be your first string
I wanna be your A Team
I wanna be your endgame, endgame
I wanna be your endgame
I wanna be your first string
I wanna be your A Team
I wanna be your endgame, endgame
In Taylor Swift's song "End Game," she sings about wanting to be her lover's "endgame," or the person he chooses to spend the rest of his life with. She compares herself to his first string and A-Team, showing her desire to be the most important person in his life. The lyrics also reference their big reputations and shared love for the "bad ones." Taylor talks about her desire to protect her lover and not hurt him, while also alluding to past mistakes and issues in their relationship.
The song also touches on Taylor's own reputation and the rumors surrounding her. She acknowledges her flaws and imperfections, but ultimately wants to be with someone who accepts her for who she is. The chorus is repeated multiple times throughout the song, emphasizing her desire to be her lover's "endgame" and end up with him in the end.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna be your endgame
I want to be the final long-term partner you have
I wanna be your first string
I want to be your top priority
I wanna be your A-Team
I want to be the best you have, the one you can always count on
Big reputation, big reputation
We both have prominent public images that precede us
Ooh you and me we got big reputations, ah
Our respective reputations are well-known and significant
And you heard about me, ooh
People mention me frequently to you
I got some big enemies
There are people who don't like me and might be hostile towards me
And you heard about you, ooh
I have heard of you through word of mouth
You like the bad ones too
You are attracted to people who are seen as risky or edgy
You so dope, don't overdose
You are amazing, but I don't want to overdo it with you
I'm so stoked, I need a toast
I am excited and want to make a celebratory gesture
We do the most
We go above and beyond in our actions with each other
I'm in the Ghost like I'm whippin' a boat
I am in a luxurious car and feel powerful
I got a reputation girl, that don't precede me
Despite my reputation, I want to show you who I really am
I'm one call away, whenever you need me
I am always available to help you
I'm in a G5 / Come to the A side
I have a private jet and want you to join me in a specific place
I got a bad boy persona that's what they like / You love it / I love it too 'cause you my type
I have a reputation for being rebellious and you find it attractive, which I embrace
You hold me down and I protect you with my life
You support and comfort me, and I will defend you with all I have
I don't wanna touch you (I don't wanna be) / Just another ex-love (you don't wanna see) / I don't wanna miss you (I don't wanna miss you) / Like the other girls do / I don't wanna hurt you (I just wanna be) / Drinkin' on a beach with (you all over me) / I know what they all say (I know what they all say) / But I ain't tryna play
I don't want a superficial or temporary relationship with you like I had with others, I want something real and lasting
Knew her when I was young / Reconnected when we were little bit older / Both sprung, I got issues and chips on both of my shoulders
We knew each other at a young age and got together again later. Both of us are infatuated with each other, but I have emotional baggage
Reputation precedes me, in rumors I'm knee deep / The truth is it's easier to ignore it, believe me
My image is widely known and rumors about me are abundant. It's best to disregard them
Even when we'd argue, we don't do it for long / And you understand the good and bad, end up in the song
Our arguments don't last because we have a deep understanding of each other, which ultimately leads to us making music together
For all your beautiful traits, and the way you do it with ease / For all my flaws, paranoia, and insecurities
We both have admirable qualities and abilities, but I also have negative qualities I acknowledge
I've made mistakes, and made some choices that's hard to deny / After the storm, something was born on the fourth of July
I've done things I regret, but through adversity, we still came together to create something great
I've passed days without fun, this endgame is the one / With four words on the tip of my tongue, I'll never say
I have gone without happiness, but I know this relationship is the one I want. I have strong feelings I am unable to confess
I hit you like bang / We tried to forget it, but we just couldn't / And I bury hatchets but I keep maps of where I put 'em
We had an intense encounter but couldn't stop thinking about each other. I forgive and move on, but keep track of who hurt me in the past
Reputation precedes me, they told you I'm crazy / I swear I don't love the drama, it loves me
My reputation has caused people to think I'm unstable, but I don't seek out drama- it seeks me out
And I can't let you go, your handprint's on my soul / It's like your eyes are liquor, it's like your body is gold
You've made a profound impact on me and I can't lose you. I find you irresistible
You've been calling my bluff on all my usual tricks / So here's the truth from my red lips
You see through my usual facade, and I want to be honest with you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Edward Christopher Sheeran, Johan Karl Schuster, Max Martin, Nayvadius Wilburn, Taylor Swift
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
great 10toes ZaynXKDB
Nothing can top her reputation era
It literally cemented her position in the pop word, broke records with her tour
Joe
it literally ruined her on pop radio until delicate
Joscelyn Miers
@Joe you do know delicate is off reputation right
Joe
@Joscelyn Miers yeah and one song can’t cement her position in the pop world when the rest of the rep singles tanked
Suzie ALVES
THIS
Ellise
@Joe Someones a bit mad... Rep as a whole was so amazing, not just delicate bae
NOMAN'S SOULS
This song may be 5 years old but for us it never gets old. Because she's a masterpiece!
Milo Wilson
Literally it's AMAZING ❤❤
Abby McGarr
Yas
NY Man
@Abby McGarr Hey, swifty fans. Sheeran fan here