Speak Now
Taylor Swift Lyrics

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I am not the kind of girl
Who should be rudely bargin' in on a white veil occasion
But you are not the kind of boy
Who should be marryin' the wrong girl

I sneak in and see your friends
And her snotty little family, all dressed in pastel
And she is yelling at a bridesmaid

Somewhere back inside a room
Wearing a gown shaped like a pastry
This is surely not what you thought it would be
I lose myself in a daydream
Where I stand and say

"Don't say yes, run away now
I'll meet you when you're out
Of the church at the back door
Don't wait or say a single vow
You need to hear me out"
And they said, "speak now"

Fond gestures are exchanged
And the organ starts to play
A song that sounds like a death march
And I am hiding in the curtains
It seems I was uninvited by your lovely bride-to-be
She floats down the aisle like a pageant queen
But I know you wish it was me
You wish it was me, don't you?

Don't say yes, run away now
I'll meet you when you're out
Of the church at the back door
Don't wait or say a single vow
You need to hear me out
And they said, "speak now"

Don't say yes, run away now
I'll meet you when you're out
Of the church at the back door
Don't wait or say a single vow
Your time is running out
And they said, "speak now"

I hear the preacher say
"Speak now or forever hold your peace"
There's a silence, there's my last chance
I stand up with shaking hands
All eyes on me
Horrified looks from everyone in the room
But I'm only lookin' at you

I am not the kind of girl
Who should be rudely bargin' in on a white veil occasion
But you are not the kind of boy,
Who should be marryin' the wrong girl

So don't say yes, run away now
I'll meet you when you're out
Of the church at the back door
Don't wait or say a single vow
You need to hear me out
And they said, "speak now"

And you say, "let's run away now
I'll meet you when I'm out of my tux at the back door

Oh baby, I didn't say my vow
So glad you were around when they said, "speak now"

Overall Meaning

In "Speak Now," Taylor Swift tells the story of a woman who sneaks into her ex-boyfriend's wedding because she knows he's making a mistake. She sees her ex's bride, who is wearing a gown shaped like a pastry, and her snotty family, who are all dressed in pastel. The woman daydreams of standing up and telling her ex to run away with her instead. Eventually, during the ceremony, the preacher asks if anyone has any objections to the wedding, and the woman stands up with shaking hands and speaks up. In the end, the ex-boyfriend realizes his mistake and runs away with the woman.

Swift's "Speak Now" is about love and heartbreak, and the lengths that people go to try and win back someone they love. This song is about taking the chance to say what you need to say before it's too late, rather than holding back your feelings because you're afraid of what others might think. The song emphasizes the power of speaking up and being brave in the face of heartache, and how sometimes taking a risk can lead to a happy ending.

Line by Line Meaning

I am not the kind of girl Who should be rudely bargin' in on a white veil occasion
I am surprised to be found hatching a plan to crash your wedding ceremony, as it goes against proper etiquette.

But you are not the kind of boy Who should be marryin' the wrong girl
I cannot fathom why you would choose to marry someone who is clearly not right for you.

I sneak in and see your friends And her snotty little family, all dressed in pastel And she is yelling at a bridesmaid Somewhere back inside a room Wearing a gown shaped like a pastry This is surely not what you thought it would be
I surreptitiously make my way into your wedding venue and witness chaos among your bride-to-be's family and friends. The bride herself throws tantrums so outrageous that I cannot imagine this is the wedding you had envisioned.

I lose myself in a daydream Where I stand and say "Don't say yes, run away now I'll meet you when you're out Of the church at the back door Don't wait or say a single vow You need to hear me out" And they said, "speak now"
As I get lost in my fantasies, I picture myself standing up and urging you to flee from this marriage. I want you to listen to me before you make a lifelong commitment. The audience, meanwhile, encourages me to speak up if I have something to say.

Fond gestures are exchanged And the organ starts to play A song that sounds like a death march And I am hiding in the curtains It seems I was uninvited by your lovely bride-to-be
As the ceremony proceeds, with music and pleasantries, I continue to hide myself behind the drapes. I realize that I was uninvited by your delightful bride-to-be, who seems to delight in causing trouble.

She floats down the aisle like a pageant queen But I know you wish it was me You wish it was me, don't you?
As your bride-to-be makes her grand entrance, looking like a beauty pageant winner, I realize that deep down you wish it were me standing there in her place. You must regret not following your heart when you had the chance.

Don't say yes, run away now I'll meet you when you're out Of the church at the back door Don't wait or say a single vow You need to hear me out And they said, "speak now"
I reiterate my plea for you to escape the wedding while you still can, promising that I will be waiting for you outside. I implore you to listen to me before committing yourself to another person, while the congregation asks me to speak my mind.

Don't say yes, run away now I'll meet you when you're out Of the church at the back door Don't wait or say a single vow Your time is running out And they said, "speak now"
Repeating myself, I urge you once again to leave the ceremony as soon as possible. Time is of the essence, and I don't want you to regret spending your life with the wrong person. Others in the room tell me to speak now if I have something to confess.

I hear the preacher say "Speak now or forever hold your peace" There's a silence, there's my last chance I stand up with shaking hands All eyes on me Horrified looks from everyone in the room But I'm only lookin' at you
The preacher asks the guests if there is anyone who objects to the marriage, and everything comes to a standstill. This is my final opportunity to reveal my feelings to you, and I reluctantly rise from my hiding spot with trembling hands, causing everyone to stare at me in astonishment. Despite the looks I'm getting from the crowd, I can only focus on you.

So don't say yes, run away now I'll meet you when you're out Of the church at the back door Don't wait or say a single vow You need to hear me out And they said, "speak now"
After I gather the courage to confess my true feelings to you, I repeat my plea for you to leave the ceremony with me. Let me explain to you what you're about to give up. Others in the room urge me to come clean now.

And you say, "let's run away now I'll meet you when I'm out of my tux at the back door Oh baby, I didn't say my vow So glad you were around when they said, "speak now"
To my surprise, you agree to flee the ceremony with me, even though you're still wearing your tuxedo. You reveal that you hadn't uttered your vows yet, and you're relieved I showed up in time to rescue you from a disastrous marriage.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TAYLOR SWIFT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Taylor Swift explains the story behind "Speak Now" on her official website:

"This song was inspired by one of my friends who was telling me about her childhood sweetheart, crush guy. They were kind of together in high school and went their separate ways, and it was kind of understood that they were gonna get back together. Then, she one day comes in and tells me he's getting married. He had met this girl who was just this mean person who made him completely stop talking to all of his friends Read Full BioTaylor Swift explains the story behind "Speak Now" on her official website:

"This song was inspired by one of my friends who was telling me about her childhood sweetheart, crush guy. They were kind of together in high school and went their separate ways, and it was kind of understood that they were gonna get back together. Then, she one day comes in and tells me he's getting married. He had met this girl who was just this mean person who made him completely stop talking to all of his friends, cut off his family, had him like so completely isolated. And I just, kind of randomly, was like, 'So, you gonna speak now?' She was like, 'What do you mean?' And I was like 'Oh, you know, like storm the church, speak now or forever hold your peace? I'll go with you. I'll play guitar. It would be great.' She was just kind of laughing, and later on I just was wrapping my mind around that idea of how tragic it would be if someone you loved was marrying somebody else.

Later I had a dream about one of my ex-boyfriends getting married, and it just all came together that I needed to write this song about interrupting a wedding. For me, I like to think of it as good versus evil, and this girl is so completely painted as the evil one. So this is 'Speak Now.'"