"Haunted" is about the moment that you realize the person you're in love with is drifting and fading fast. And you don't know what to do, but in that period of time, in that phase of love, where it's fading out, time moves so slowly. Everything hinges on what that last text message said, and you're realizing that he's kind of falling out of love. That's a really heartbreaking and tragic thing to go through, because the whole time you're trying to tell yourself it's not happening. I went through this, and I ended up waking up in the middle of the night writing this song about it.
I wanted the music and the orchestration to reflect the intensity of the emotion the song is about, so we recorded strings with Paul Buckmaster at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. It was an amazing experience - recording this entire big, live string section that I think in the end really captured the intense, chaotic feeling of confusion I was looking for."
Haunted
Taylor Swift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have known it all this time
But I never thought I'd live to see it break
It's getting dark and it's all too quiet
And I can't trust anything now
And it's comin' over you like it's all a big mistake
Whoa, holding my breath
Won't lose you again
Something's made your eyes go cold
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong, you're all I wanted
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't turn back, now I'm haunted
Stood there and watched you walk away
From everything we had
But I still mean every word I said to you
He will try to take away my pain
And he just might make me smile
But the whole time I'm wishing he was you instead
Oh, holding my breath
Won't see you again
Something keeps me holding on to nothing
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong, you're all I wanted
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't turn back, now I'm haunted
I know
I know
I just know
You're not gone, you can't be gone
No
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong, won't finish what you started
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't go back, I'm haunted
Oh, oh, oh, oh
You and I walk a fragile line
I have known it all this time
Never ever thought I'd see it break
Never thought I'd see it
The lyrics of "Haunted," a song by Taylor Swift, bear witness to someone struggling to come to grips with a relationship that has ended. The lyrics of the song explore the emotions the singer feels as she watches the love of her life slipping away from her. Taylor discerns the fragile line between a successful and a floundering relationship early on, but it does nothing to help her stop its decay.
When the "Haunted" progresses, we see that the situation grows increasingly dark and intense. The singer becomes more isolated as she tries to cope with the end of her relationship. She experiences a series of emotions, ranging from despair to frustration to anger. The lines, "Come on, come on, don't leave me like this" and "Can't breathe whenever you're gone, can't turn back, now I'm haunted," represent the woman's desperation to rekindle the relationship.
The song's climax comes when the singer views her love with someone else, though they make her happy, she wishes he was the one she was with. The lyrics capture her coming to terms with the fact that she may never get over him. All of this contributes to the song's dark, haunting tone, which perfectly captures the singer's struggle with the memories of a relationship she's lost.
Line by Line Meaning
You and I walk a fragile line
We're both in a delicate situation that could easily break
I have known it all this time
I've been aware of this precariousness from the beginning
But I never thought I'd live to see it break
Despite my awareness, I didn't think it would actually fall apart
It's getting dark and it's all too quiet
The situation is quickly becoming sad and uncomfortable
And I can't trust anything now
I'm uncertain about everything that's going on
And it's comin' over you like it's all a big mistake
You're feeling the situation is unfolding in a wrong way
Whoa, holding my breath
I'm anxious and tense
Won't lose you again
I don't want to experience losing you another time
Something's made your eyes go cold
There's a change in you, and you seem distant
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I don't want to be abandoned in this situation
I thought I had you figured out
I thought I understood and knew you well
Something's gone terribly wrong, you're all I wanted
Everything seems to have gone haywire, and you're the only person I desire
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
You're vital to me, and I feel breathless without you
Can't turn back, now I'm haunted
I can't undo what's already been done, and I feel like a ghost of myself
Stood there and watched you walk away
I had to endure the pain of watching you leave
From everything we had
We had something significant, and now it's gone
But I still mean every word I said to you
My feelings for you are genuine and unwavering
He will try to take away my pain
Someone else is attempting to soothe my heartbreak
And he just might make me smile
He's making an effort, and it's not futile
But the whole time I'm wishing he was you instead
Despite his attempts, I only want you to be here in his place
Something keeps me holding on to nothing
I'm continuing to cling to something that's not there
I know
I'm aware
I just know
I'm certain
You're not gone, you can't be gone
You're not lost to me because you're still in my memory
Won't finish what you started
You've stopped something before achieving what you intended to do
Can't go back, I'm haunted
I can't reverse what's been done, and I feel like I'm being tormented by it
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Sound effect without meaning in this context
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Taylor Swift
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Imalostboy
You and I walk a fragile line
I have known it all this time
But I never thought I'd live to see it break
It's getting dark and it's all so quiet
And I can't trust anything now
And it's coming over you like it's all a big mistake
Oh, holding my breath
Won't lose you again
Something's made your eyes go cold
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong
You're all I wanted
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't turn back now, I'm haunted
Stood there and watched you walk away
From everything we had
But I still mean every word I said to you
He will try to take away my pain
And he just might make me smile
But the whole time I'm wishing he was you instead
Oh, holding my breath
Won't see you again
Something keeps me holding onto nothing
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong
You're all I wanted
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't turn back now, I'm haunted
I know, I know
I just know
You're not gone
You can't be gone, no
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong
Won't finish what you started
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
I can't go back, I'm haunted
You and I walk a fragile line
I have known it all this time
Never ever thought I'd see it break
Never thought I'd see it
@alexandervalverde
Lyrics:
You and I walk a fragile line
I have known it all this time
But I never thought I'd live to see it break
It's getting dark and it's all too quiet
And I can't trust anything now
And it's coming over you like it's all a big mistake
Oh, I'm holding my breath
Won't lose you again
Something's made your eyes go cold
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong
You're all I wanted
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't turn back now, I'm haunted
Stood there and watched you walk away
From everything we had
But I still mean every word I said to you
He will try to take away my pain
And he just might make me smile
But the whole time I'm wishing he was you instead
Oh, holding my breath
Won't see you again
Something keeps me holding on to nothing
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong
You're all I wanted
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't turn back now, I'm haunted
I know
I know
I just know
You're not gone, you can't be gone, no
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong
Won't finish what you started
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't go back, I'm haunted
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
You and I walk a fragile line
I have known it all this time
Never ever thought I'd see it break
Never thought I'd see it
@beasttryna2997
Her mature voice makes this even better than it already was
@MandaFandaa
Couldn’t agree more!!!!!
@ChaosElohim
Perfect comment
@sheenatomaquin2305
EVERYBODY AGRESSS SSSSS SSS
@NoProblemShxt
YESSS
@CottageGurl
I'm telling u! she needs to make more rock songs cuz her mature voice is rlly fit in that genre
@AwesTex
Shout out to the folks who realize this is her best song. The orchestral arrangement and the rawness of her voice are so great!
@joyce316
Yesss the vocals and lyrics and music and everything
@theyluvabby
yes agreed and better than revenge too!
@popcornpotatoo
I also love how instruments are mixed here. The bass lines are really emphasized without having the song sound muddy. Not really the best one to evaluate the mixing here but I really love how this one turned out.