The Outside
Taylor Swift Lyrics


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I didn't know what I would find
When I went lookin' for a reason I know
I didn't read between the lines
And, baby, I've got nowhere to go
I tried to take the road less traveled by
But nothin' seems to work the first few times
Am I right?
So how can I ever try to be better?
Nobody ever lets me in
And I can still see you, this ain't the best view
On the outside, lookin' in
I've been a lot of lonely places
I've never been on the outside

You saw me there, but never knew
That I would give it all up to be
A part of this, a part of you
And now it's all too late, so you see
You could have helped if you had wanted to
But no one notices until it's too late to do anything

How could I ever try to be better?
Nobody ever lets me in
And I can still see you, this ain't the best view
On the outside, lookin' in
I've been a lot of lonely places
I've never been on the outside

Oh, yeah

How can I ever try to be better?
Nobody ever lets me in
And I can still see you, this ain't the best view
On the outside, lookin' in
I've been a lot of lonely places
I've never been on the outside

Oh, oh
Oh, oh,
Oh, oh




Oh, oh
Oh, oh

Overall Meaning

In the song "The Outside" by Taylor Swift, the lyrics hold a theme of feeling isolated and trapped on the outside. The first stanza describes the singer's journey to find a reason for feeling like an outsider. She took the road less traveled, but nothing seems to work out for her. She is trying to find a way to be better, but nobody is letting her in. The chorus repeats the idea of feeling trapped and lonely on the outside, with a view of what her reality could have been if she were an insider. She has been to many lonely places but never on the outside.


The second verse states that someone saw her there but never knew what she was going through. She would have given up everything to be a part of that person's life. The repetition from the chorus follows, and the bridge intensifies the emotion in the lyrics, with a plea of wanting to be better but feeling like nobody is there to help. The last stanza is another repetition of feeling trapped and lonely, with a powerful repetition of "oh oh."


Line by Line Meaning

I didn't know what I would find
I was uncertain about what I would discover


When I went lookin' for a reason I know
I was trying to find a reason for something that I knew


I didn't read between the lines
I failed to comprehend the hidden meaning


And, baby, I've got nowhere to go
Right now, I have no purpose or destination


I tried to take the road less traveled by
I attempted to choose a unique path different from others


But nothin' seems to work the first few times
Things aren't successful from the beginning


Am I right?
Isn't this correct?


So how can I ever try to be better?
How can I improve myself?


Nobody ever lets me in
I am not being given a chance to be included


And I can still see you; this ain't the best view
Although I can see you, it's not a positive point of view


On the outside, lookin' in
I feel left out of something that's happening around me


I've been a lot of lonely places
I've been in a lot of places by myself


I've never been on the outside
I've never felt excluded in this way before




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Taylor Alison Swift

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@awwee1457

I didn't know what I would find
When I went looking for a reason
I know I didn't read between the lines
And, baby, I've got nowhere to go

I tried to take the road less traveled by
But nothing seems to work the first few times
Am I right?

So how can I ever try to be better?
Nobody ever lets me in
I can still see you
This ain't the best view
On the outside looking in
And I've been a lot of lonely places
I've never been on the outside

You saw me there, but never knew
That I would give it all up to be
A part of this, a part of you
And now it's all too late. So you see

You could've helped if you had wanted to
But no one notices until it's too late to do anything

So how can I ever try to be better?
Nobody ever lets me in
I can still see you
This ain't the best view
On the outside looking in
And I've been a lot of lonely places
I've never been on the outside

Oh, yeah

So how can I ever try to be better?
Nobody ever lets me in
And I can still see you
This ain't the best view
On the outside looking in
And I've been a lot of lonely places
I've never been on the outside



All comments from YouTube:

@Sidneet_Edits

I'll never manage to comprehend how she wrote this masterpiece when she was just 12😭💌

@imkindasortofmaybealittlegay

omg she did? 😨

@cowboyliketaylor138

DEBUT IS SO UNDERRATED CHANGE MY MIND

@caioreeves

taylor swift (taylor's version)

@Slow_Internet

@@caioreeves never thought of it like this, but this is hilarious

@tailsandsticks-cc6pc

I can’t

@shehujuel

Girl change your own mind its yours not mine

@cowboyliketaylor138

@@shehujuel im sorry but you're not funny

7 More Replies...

@sw1ftiiz

I love the outside, and her speech abt it is so relatable

@alexarose598

I can't believe I never heard this song before...the vocals are astounding

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