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, yet ongoing 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—a retrospective tour covering the entirety of her discography. During her ongoing tour, Swift would release her next two re-recorded albums, Speak Now (Taylor's Version) in July and 1989 (Taylor's Version) in October of 2023. The former of which would land Swift as the woman with the most number-one albums (12) in Billboard 200 history, surpassing Barbra Streisand. The latter was her sixth album to sell one million copies in a single week in the US, her largest album sales in a week span. “Is It Over Now? (Taylor's Version)”, the lead single for 1989 (Taylor's Version), would peak at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
At the 66th annual GRAMMY Awards, Taylor Swift surprised viewers by announcing her eleventh studio album, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. On April 19, 2024, the album was released globally, breaking records: it became the first ever to amass 1 billion Spotify streams in a week and sold 2.6 million units in its first week in the US. Swift dominated the charts, monopolizing the top 14 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 and securing the top 10 positions on Australia’s ARIA Singles Chart. The lead single, Fortnight, featuring Post Malone, quickly soared to the number-one position on the Hot 100. Additionally, just two hours after the album’s release, Swift surprised fans with a reissue titled THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY, which included 15 extra songs.
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 14 Grammy Awards, including four Album of the Year wins, which makes Swift the artist with the most awards for that category in history, two Brit Awards (including a Global Icon award), an Emmy Award, 28 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, Artist of the Decade (2010s) by the American Music Awards, and Person of the Year (2023) by Time Magazine.
Karma
Taylor Swift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Addicted to betrayal but you're relevant
You're terrified to look down
'Cause if you dare, you'll see the glare
Of everyone you burned just to get there
It's coming back around
And I keep my side of the street cleanYou wouldn't know what I mean
'Cause karma is my boyfriend, karma is a god
Karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend
Karma's a relaxing thought
Aren't you envious that for you, it's not?
Sweet like honey, karma is a cat
Purring in my lap 'cause it loves me
Flexing like a goddamn acrobat
Me and karma vibe like that
Spider boy, king of thieves
Weave your little webs of opacity
My pennies made your crown
Trick me once, trick me twice
Don't you know that cash ain't the only price?
It's coming back around
And I keep my side of the street clean
You wouldn't know what I mean
'Cause karma is my boyfriend, karma is a god
Karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend
Karma's a relaxing thought
Aren't you envious that for you, it's not?
Sweet like honey, karma is a catPurring in my lap 'cause it loves me
Flexing like a goddamn acrobat
Me and karma vibe like that
Ask me what I've learned from all those years
Ask me what I earned from all those tears
Ask me why so many fade when I'm still here (I'm still here, I'm still here)
'Cause karma is the thunder rattling your ground
Karma's on your scent like a bounty hunter
Karma's gonna track you down
Step by step, from town to town
Sweet like justice, karma is a queen
Karma takes all my friends to the summit
Karma is the guy on the screen
Comin' straight home to me (woo)
'Cause karma is my boyfriend (karma is my boyfriend), karma is a god
Karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend (weekend)
Karma's a relaxing thought
Aren't you envious that for you, it's not?
Sweet like honey, karma is a cat
Purring in my lap 'cause it loves me
Flexing like a goddamn acrobat
Me and karma vibe like that
Karma is my boyfriend
Karma is a god, ooh
Karma's a relaxing thought
In "Karma," Taylor Swift is addressing someone who is constantly talking negatively and betraying others just for attention and relevancy. Swift claims that the person is scared to look down or confront their actions because they know it will reveal the people they hurt along the way. Everything this person has done will ultimately come back to them because of karma. Swift, on the other hand, keeps her side of the street clean and does not engage in toxic behavior. She sees karma as her boyfriend and a god, someone who will always be on her side, and lets it guide her actions.
Swift compares karma to a breeze in her hair on the weekends, a relaxing thought, and a cat purring in her lap because it loves her. For her, karma is sweet like honey and flexes like an acrobat. On the other hand, she says that the person she's addressing will never be able to experience karma in the same way because they have not acted with kindness and empathy. Swift notes that she has learned a lot from the years of experience and tears, and she has been able to stay relevant despite others fading away. At the end of the song, she asserts that karma is a queen, who will always come back to track down those who have done wrong, and that she and karma vibe like that.
Overall, "Karma" is a strong statement on the power of karma and how one's actions can have long-lasting consequences. It also speaks to Swift's values and how she believes it's important to treat others with kindness and empathy.
Line by Line Meaning
You're talkin' shit for the hell of it
You are saying hurtful things just for the sake of being mean.
Addicted to betrayal but you're relevant
You constantly betray others, but somehow you still think you matter in this world.
You're terrified to look down
You are scared to face the consequences of your actions.
'Cause if you dare, you'll see the glare
If you look down, you will see the judgment and condemnation from everyone you have hurt.
Of everyone you burned just to get there
You have hurt many people in your quest for success.
It's coming back around
The bad things you did will catch up to you eventually.
And I keep my side of the street clean
I always try to do the right thing and be a good person.
You wouldn't know what I mean
You have no idea what it means to be a good person.
'Cause karma is my boyfriend, karma is a god
I believe in the concept of karma and trust that it will bring justice to those who deserve it.
Karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend
Karma is a feeling of peace and relaxation for me.
Karma's a relaxing thought
Thinking about karma brings me a sense of calm and control.
Aren't you envious that for you, it's not?
You are jealous that you cannot feel this sense of peace and tranquility like I can.
Sweet like honey, karma is a cat
Karma is a comforting and soothing presence in my life, like a purring cat.
Purring in my lap 'cause it loves me
Karma is something I can always count on and feel comforted by, like a cat lovingly cuddling in my lap.
Flexing like a goddamn acrobat
Karma is powerful and can move in ways you wouldn't expect, like an acrobat performing impressive tricks.
Me and karma vibe like that
I have a strong connection with karma and trust that it will always come through for me.
Spider boy, king of thieves
You are sneaky and deceptive, always trying to take what isn't yours.
Weave your little webs of opacity
You use your deceitful nature to create a web of lies and confusion.
My pennies made your crown
Your wealth and accomplishments are built on the backs of others and their hard work.
Trick me once, trick me twice
You have fooled me in the past, but I won't let you do it again.
Don't you know that cash ain't the only price?
There are more important things in life than money, and your actions will have consequences.
Ask me what I've learned from all those years
I have learned a lot from my experiences and the people I have encountered throughout my life.
Ask me what I earned from all those tears
I have gained a lot of wisdom and strength from the hardships I have faced and the tears I have shed.
Ask me why so many fade when I'm still here (I'm still here, I'm still here)
Many people have come and gone, but I have persevered and remained strong.
'Cause karma is the thunder rattling your ground
Karma can shake things up and bring about major changes in your life.
Karma's on your scent like a bounty hunter
Karma is always tracking your actions and will catch up to you eventually.
Karma's gonna track you down
Karma will make sure that you face the consequences of your actions.
Step by step, from town to town
Karma will follow you wherever you go and make sure that justice is served.
Sweet like justice, karma is a queen
Karma is a powerful force that brings about justice and fairness in the world.
Karma takes all my friends to the summit
Karma rewards those who do good and brings them to success and happiness.
Karma is the guy on the screen
Karma is a symbol of justice and morality, often depicted in movies and TV shows.
Comin' straight home to me (woo)
Karma is always on my side and brings me good things in life.
Karma is my boyfriend (karma is my boyfriend), karma is a god
Karma is a central part of my life and beliefs, like a loving partner or deity.
Karma's a relaxing thought
Thinking about karma brings me a sense of calm and control.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jack Michael Antonoff, Jahaan Akil Sweet, Keanu Dean Torres, Mark Anthony Spears, Taylor Alison Swift
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@phoenixarjun
Hearing this chorus echo through a stadium is giving me goosebumps already
@thegreenfairyqueen7884
SAME
@radhikasharma7727
Yup hopefully the chaotic announcement is a tour!
@hypernovaeofficial4063
@@radhikasharma7727 maybe it's the 3 am 7 more songs!
@robinskull
MY SONGS ARE WAY BETTER THAN TAYLOR SWIFT
@shreenidhhi8633
OMG OMG YES
@catherine4757
This is so genius, I'm in love with the idea that Karma has the backs of those who have no bad intentions
@teeg.9097
Yes! 🔥🔥🔥
@afaqumara
preach 👏
@SarahbearJayne
This is EXTREMELY well said. A perfect summary of this song.