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.
I’m Only Me When I’m With You
Taylor Swift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a field behind your yard
You and I are painting pictures in the sky
Sometimes we don't say a thing
Just listen to the crickets sing
Everything I need is right here by my side
And I know everything about you
I'm only up when you're not down
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground
It's like no matter what I do
Well, you drive me crazy half the time
The other half I'm only trying
To let you know that what I feel is true
And I'm only me when I'm with you
Just a small-town boy and girl
Living in the crazy world
Trying to figure out what is and isn't true
And I don't try to hide my tears
My secrets or my deepest fears
Through it all nobody gets me like you do
And you know everything about me
You say that you can't live without me
I'm only up when you're not down
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground
It's like no matter what I do
Well, you drive me crazy half the time
The other half I'm only trying
To let you know that what I feel is true
And I'm only me when I'm with you
When I'm with anybody else
It's so hard to be myself
And only you can tell
I'm only up when you're not down
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground
It's like no matter what I do
Well, you drive me crazy half the time
The other half I'm only trying
To let you know that what I feel is true
And I'm only me when I'm with you
"I'm Only Me When I'm with You" is an upbeat, feel-good country pop song by Taylor Swift, and serves as a tribute to her friend Abigail. In this song, Taylor expresses the deep connection she has with this person to the point where she doesn't feel like herself when she's not with her. The song captures a beautiful moment in time that Taylor shares with her friend, painting pictures in the sky on a Friday night, just listening to the crickets and enjoying each other's company.
The opening lines set the scene for a romantic night beneath the stars, a time when Taylor feels her true self. She describes how they paint pictures in the sky, and although they may not say a word, everything she needs is right there by her side. Taylor then sings about how well she knows her friend, and that she doesn't want to live without her. Her friend's presence uplifts her and makes her feel like the best version of herself. This is emphasized in the chorus where Taylor reveals that she is only up when her friend is not down, and she doesn't want to fly if her friend is still on the ground because she feels incomplete without her.
The second verse details the support system that Taylor shares with her friend despite their struggles. They both live in a crazy world that will often leave them feeling lost or confused, but they find solace in each other's company. Taylor doesn't hide her emotions or fears from her friend, and she knows that nobody can understand her like she does. The chorus reiterates the point that Taylor is only herself when she's with her friend, and the final verse emphasizes this by stating that it's hard for her to be herself with anyone else, and only her friend can tell when she is truly herself. The song is a tribute to the enduring power of friendship.
Line by Line Meaning
Friday night beneath the stars
We are spending a lovely Friday evening looking up at the night sky.
In a field behind your yard
We are in a field behind your house, away from the rest of the world.
You and I are painting pictures in the sky
We are creating a picture together by pointing out constellations and imagining what else could be up there.
Sometimes we don't say a thing
We are comfortable with silence and just enjoying each other's company without the need for words.
Just listen to the crickets sing
We are surrounded by the peaceful sounds of nature, especially the chirping of the crickets.
Everything I need is right here by my side
I don't need anything else but you by my side to feel content and happy.
And I know everything about you
I have taken the time to get to know everything about you, from your likes and dislikes to your hopes and dreams.
I don't wanna live without you
I can't imagine a future without you in it and want to stay together forever.
I'm only up when you're not down
When you're feeling good, it makes me happy as well.
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground
I don't want to move forward in life without you by my side, even if it means staying in one place.
It's like no matter what I do
No matter what happens, I always feel happiest when I'm with you.
Well, you drive me crazy half the time
Sometimes you do things that drive me crazy, but I still love you all the same.
The other half I'm only trying
The other times, I'm trying my best to let you know how much I care for you.
To let you know that what I feel is true
I want you to know that my feelings for you are genuine and real.
And I'm only me when I'm with you
Being with you brings out the best in me and allows me to be my true self, without fear of judgment.
Just a small-town boy and girl
We are just two regular people from a small town, trying to navigate the world together.
Living in the crazy world
Despite the unpredictable and chaotic nature of the world, we are choosing to face it together.
Trying to figure out what is and isn't true
We are constantly trying to make sense of the world around us and determine what's real and what's not together.
And I don't try to hide my tears
I feel comfortable being vulnerable around you and don't need to hide my emotions.
My secrets or my deepest fears
You are the only one I trust enough to confide my secrets and fears in.
Through it all nobody gets me like you do
Even when no one else understands me, you always do and are there for me.
And you know everything about me
You've taken the time to learn everything there is to know about me, from my strengths to my flaws.
You say that you can't live without me
You've expressed that you need me in your life just as much as I need you in mine.
When I'm with anybody else
When I'm around other people, I put on a facade and try to be someone I'm not.
It's so hard to be myself
I struggle to be my true self around others, but with you, it comes easily and naturally.
And only you can tell
You can tell when I'm not being true to myself and gently encourage me to be who I truly am.
Lyrics © ORRALL FIXATION MUSIC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Angelo Thomas Petraglia, Robert Ellis Orrall, Taylor Alison Swift
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jason Smalls
[Verse 1]
Friday night beneath the stars
In a field behind your yard
You and I are painting pictures in the sky
And sometimes we don't say a thing
Just listen to the crickets sing
Everything I need is right here by my side
And I know everything about you
I don't wanna live without you
[Chorus]
I'm only up when you're not down
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground
It's like no matter what I do
Well you drive me crazy half the time
The other half I'm only tryna let you know that what I feel is true
And I'm only me when I'm with you
[Verse 2]
Just a small town boy and girl
Living in a crazy world
Tryna figure out what is and isn't true
And I don't try to hide my tears
The secrets or my deepest fears
Through it all nobody gets me like you do
And you know everything about me
You say that you can't live without me
[Chorus]
I'm only up when you're not down
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground
It's like no matter what I do
Well you drive me crazy half the time
The other half I'm only tryna let you know that what I feel is true
And I'm only me when I'm with you
[Bridge]
When I'm with anybody else it's so hard to be myself
Only you can tell
[Chorus]
That I'm only up when you're not down
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground
It's like no matter what I do
Well you drive me crazy half the time
The other half I'm only tryna let you know that what I feel is true
And I'm only me
Who I wanna be
Well, I'm only me when I'm with you
With you
Uh huh
Yeah
Yellow !!
Friday night beneath the stars,
in a field behind your yard,
you and I are paintin' pictures in the sky.
And sometimes we don't say a thing;
just listen to the crickets sing.
Everything I need is right here by my side.
And I know everything about you
I don't wanna live without you.
[Chorus:]
I'm only up when you're not down.
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground.
It's like no matter what I do.
Well you drive me crazy half the time;
the other half I'm only trying to let you know that what I feel is true.
And I'm only me when I'm with you.
Just a small town boy and girl
livin' in a crazy world.
Tryin' to figure out what is and isn't true.
And I don't try to hide my tears.
The secrets or my deepest fears.
Through it all nobody gets me like you do.
And you know everything about me.
You say that you can't live without me.
[Chorus]
When I'm with anybody else it's so hard to be myself.
Only you can tell.
[Chorus:]
That I'm only up when you're not down.
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground.
It's like no matter what I do.
Well you drive me crazy half the time;
the other half I'm only trying to let you know that what I feel is true.
And I'm only me
Who I wanna be
Well, I'm only me when I'm with you
With you
Uh huh
Yeah
nils sjöberg
Imagine Taylor rerecording this song with her matured voice..
Sachin Sharma
Same thought came to my mind
Creme
That would be next month ohmygod
Rodmar Saula Omar Abonales
Maybe she can't sing it anymore just like when she was a teenager😰
The person
@Creme wait WHAT! When will she sing her old songs again? I missed something?? 😭
Karla Calonia
@The person she will re-record next month.
jessica j
She wrote this song when she was 13 years old and sang it two hours ago in concert in Melbourne! ❤️
r
Lol I was 1 at the time.. 14 now :’)
rock & roll
Love how I was just born when Taylor was 13 and now I’m turning 18 in three months! We really grew up with her.
Metal Edge
jessica j h