Shoulda Said No
Taylor Swift Lyrics


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It's strange to think the songs we used to sing
The smiles, the flowers, everything is gone
Yesterday I found out about you
Even now just looking at you
Feels wrong
You say that you'd take it all back
Given one chance, it was a moment of weakness
And you said, "Yes"

You should've said, "No"
You should've gone home
You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go
You should've known that word 'bout what you did with her
Get back to me (get back to me)
And I should've been there
In the back of your mind
I shouldn't be asking myself, "Why?"
You shouldn't be beggin' for forgiveness at my feet
You should've said, "No"
Baby, and you might still have me

You can see that I've been cryin'
Baby, you know all the right things
To say
But do you honestly expect me to believe
We could ever be the same?
You say that the past is the past
You need one chance, it was a moment of weakness
And you said, "Yes"

You should've said, "No"
You should've gone home
You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go
You should've known that word 'bout what you did with her
Get back to me (get back to me)
And I should've been there
In the back of your mind
I shouldn't be asking myself, "Why?"
You shouldn't be beggin' for forgiveness at my feet
You should've said, "No"
Baby, and you might still have me, oh-whoa

I can't resist
Before you go, tell me this
Was it worth it?
Was she worth this?

No, no, no, no, no, no

You should've said, "No"
You should've gone home
You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go
You should've known that word 'bout what you did with her
Get back to me (get back to me)
And I should've been there
In the back of your mind
I shouldn't be asking myself, "Why?"
You shouldn't be beggin' for forgiveness at my feet




You should've said, "No"
Baby, and you might still have me

Overall Meaning

In Taylor Swift's song Should've Said No, the lyrics seem to be about a past partner who has cheated on her with another woman. Taylor sings about how it's strange to think about the songs they used to sing and the happy moments they shared, now that everything has crumbled. She reveals that she found out about the cheating and even looking at her partner feels wrong. Her partner tries to explain that it was just a moment of weakness and that they would take everything back if given the chance. However, Taylor believes that her partner should have said "no" to the other woman and come back home to her.


The chorus repeats the phrase "you should've said no" multiple times, which underscores Taylor's sentiment that her partner should have known better. She emphasizes that if her partner had made a different choice, they could still be together. Taylor explains that she has been crying and despite her partner saying all the right things, she cannot believe that they could be the same as they were before. The song ends with Taylor asking if the affair was worth it and if the other woman was worth losing her.


Overall, Should've Said No deals with themes of infidelity and regret. Taylor expresses her hurt and betrayal and emphasizes that her partner should have made better choices. The chorus is particularly powerful, repeating the phrase "you should've said no" as a reminder of what could have been.


Line by Line Meaning

It's strange to think the songs we used to sing
It's hard to believe that our past, happy memories were just a facade


The smiles, the flowers, everything is gone
The positive moments we experienced are all in the past and cannot be retrieved


Yesterday I found out about you
I recently discovered something about you that changed my perception of you


Even now just looking at you Feels wrong
Your presence makes me uneasy and uncomfortable


You say that you'd take it all back Given one chance, it was a moment of weakness And you said, "Yes"
You admit that you made a mistake and regret what you did, but you did it anyway


You should've said, "No" You should've gone home You should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go You should've known that word 'bout what you did with her Get back to me (get back to me) And I should've been there In the back of your mind I shouldn't be asking myself, "Why?" You shouldn't be beggin' for forgiveness at my feet You should've said, "No" Baby, and you might still have me
You should have made better decisions because your actions caused irreversible consequences, and now you must live with the regret of losing me


You can see that I've been cryin' Baby, you know all the right things To say
I am visibly emotional, and you know how to apologize to make me feel better


But do you honestly expect me to believe We could ever be the same?
You are not facing the reality that our relationship has changed, and it can never be the same as it was before


You say that the past is the past You need one chance, it was a moment of weakness And you said, "Yes"
You believe that what happened in the past should be left behind, and your mistake was caused by a moment of weakness


I can't resist Before you go, tell me this Was it worth it? Was she worth this?
Before you leave, I need to know if your actions were worth losing me over


No, no, no, no, no, no
The answer to my question is a definite no




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Taylor Swift

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@aryy

this used to be my fave live video from her

@creambagel.

Hey aryy! Didn't expect you to be here, btw I love your songs! 💖💖

@AngeloAgito

not until i found out that the climax was lip synced😭😡

@felyxyz

Angelo Agito it wasnt

@FreeSpiritPaulette

How times fly...

@nadiawu7664

I know...

46 More Replies...

@zayareum

everyones talking about how she's improved and her voice was weak here but honestly the fact this was live and she sounded this well so early in her career is astounding <3 the set and performance just still holds up to this day

@sanatanrajruleofrighteousn5780

https://youtu.be/XwsasNce2WQ

https://youtu.be/882K7LA3AiY

@randytaylor1569

Randolph w Taylor 3 62 love yes no love for you 🥰🥰🥰 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 and love your love and love your new girl ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ love how you Love

@alishdafish

@@randomuser5464 it’s quite a hard song to sing tbh

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