Music critics lauded "White Horse" for what they deemed a somber production and a portrayal of universal feelings arising from heartbreak, but some found the lyrics uncreative. At the 2010 Grammy Awards, the track won Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. In the United States, the single peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Country Songs chart, and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it double platinum. The song also charted in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom; it received certifications in the first two countries.
Trey Fanjoy directed the song's music video, which depicts Swift reliving memories with her ex-boyfriend after having ended their relationship through a phone call. The video premiered on February 7, 2009, on CMT, and it became the first video to debut at number one on the network's countdown. Swift performed "White Horse" live at the 2008 American Music Awards, on her Fearless Tour (2009–2010), and on select dates of her later tours. Following the 2019 dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's back catalog, she re-recorded the song as "White Horse (Taylor's Version)" for her 2021 re-recorded album Fearless (Taylor's Version).
According to a note published in the liner notes of Swift's 2019 album Lover, part of the lyrics to "White Horse" dated from December 2006. She wrote the first verse by herself; co-writer Liz Rose helped her complete the song in 45 minutes. Swift completed writing "White Horse" weeks after she finished the lead single "Love Story", almost one year before the release of Fearless. Swift said she was inspired to write "White Horse" by the moment she realized all the fantasies she had about a boy turned out completely false. The subject was also the inspiration for "Love Story"—Swift never dated him and, although initially infatuated with him, realized he was not an ideal Prince Charming like she thought. She told The Daily Telegraph that she kept his identity anonymous so as to "not glorify his inspirational qualities". Whereas both "Love Story" and "White Horse" feature prominent fairy-tale lyrical imagery, Swift said it was important to regard fairy tales with "both sides"; the former song represented her optimistic and idealistic viewpoint on romance, and the latter her disillusionment with the said notion.
Swift intended to leave "White Horse" off Fearless because she felt the album already had a fair share of sad songs. She changed the decision when the producers of Grey's Anatomy wanted to feature the song in the series. Swift recalled that at a meeting set up by her agency with the show's executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, she played "White Horse" alone on guitar and they "freaked out". The song appeared on the premiere of season five, broadcast on September 25, 2008. Swift was elated by the feature and said it was her "life goal" to have her song on Grey's Anatomy, one of her favorite series.
"White Horse" was released as an album cut on Fearless, on November 11, 2008, by Big Machine Records. On December 8, Big Machine released the song to US country radio as the second single from the album. In the United States, "White Horse" debuted and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart week ending November 29, 2008. It gave Swift her sixth top-20 debut in 2008, which broke the record for the most top-20 debuts in a calendar year by an artist. On Hot Country Songs, the single peaked at number two on the chart week ending April 4, 2009. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2014 and had sold two million digital copies in the United States by 2017. The single also charted in Australia (41), Canada (43), and the United Kingdom (60). It was certified gold in the first two countries.
White Horse
Taylor Swift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That face of an angel
Comes out just when you need it to
As I paced back and forth all this time
'Cause I honestly believed in you
Holding on
The days drag on
Stupid girl
That I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale
I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet
Lead her up the stairwell
This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down
Now it's too late for you
And your white horse, to come around
Maybe I was naive,
Got lost in your eyes
And never really had a chance
My mistake I didn't know to be in love
You had to fight to have the upper hand
I had so many dreams
About you and me
Happy endings
Now I know
I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale
I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet
Lead her up the stairwell
This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down
Now it's too late for you
And your white horse, to come around
And there you are on your knees
Begging for forgiveness, begging for me
Just like I always wanted but I'm so sorry
'Cause I'm not your princess, this ain't a fairytale
I'm gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me well
This is a big world, that was a small town
There in my rear view mirror disappearing now
And its too late for you and your white horse
Now its too late for you and your white horse, to catch me now
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa
Try and catch me now
Oh, it's too late
To catch me now
At its core, "White Horse" is a song about disillusionment and heartbreak. The song tells the story of a girl who believed in the fairy tale romance with her partner. However, soon, she realizes that her partner never shared her dreams and was never going to change. She acknowledges that she had been naïve to believe that she was in love without realizing what it would take to maintain a relationship. As she muses on her feelings, she comes to the realization that it's too late for her partner and their white horse to come around as she moves on from their relationship.
The line, "I'm not your princess, this ain't a fairy tale," lends a sense of maturity to the song, indicating that the singer is wiser than she was at the song's beginning. The lyrics are powerful, and Swift sings them with vulnerability, adding a sense of honesty and authenticity to the track. The song's intimate and earnest lyrics resonate with those seeking solace after a failed relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Say you're sorry
Apologize to me for the pain you caused.
That face of an angel
You have a charming personality and always know what to say.
Comes out just when you need it to
You can turn on your charm when necessary but it's not genuine.
As I paced back and forth all this time
I spent a lot of time agonizing over our relationship.
'Cause I honestly believed in you
I trusted you and believed in our relationship.
Holding on
I was holding onto the hope that we could make things work.
The days drag on
Time felt like it was moving slowly and painfully.
Stupid girl
I feel foolish for believing in someone who didn't deserve it.
I should have known, I should have known
Hindsight has made me aware of your true intentions.
That I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale
I've realized that my life isn't a perfect fairytale and that love isn't always easy.
I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet
I know now that you were never going to be the Prince Charming of my dreams.
Lead her up the stairwell
You won't be the one to whisk me off into the sunset.
This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town
We don't live in a fantasy world - this is real life.
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down
I was hopeful and had a positive outlook on love before you broke my heart.
Now it's too late for you
You missed your chance with me.
And your white horse, to come around
I won't be waiting for you or any other 'perfect' love interest to come back.
Maybe I was naive,
Perhaps I was too trusting and inexperienced in relationships.
Got lost in your eyes
I was captivated by your charm and couldn't see through your facade.
And never really had a chance
I didn't stand a chance at having a healthy relationship with you.
My mistake I didn't know to be in love
I didn't realize that love sometimes involves fighting for what you need.
You had to fight to have the upper hand
Your need for control and dominance ruined our relationship.
I had so many dreams
I had imagined a future with you and had high hopes for our love story.
About you and me
I envisioned a life where we would be happy and in love.
Happy endings
I wanted us to have a perfect love story, like in the movies.
And there you are on your knees
Now you're begging for my forgiveness and attention.
Begging for forgiveness, begging for me
You want me back but I won't fall for your lies again.
Just like I always wanted but I'm so sorry
I wanted you to feel sorry for what you did, but now I see that your apology is not genuine.
I'm not your princess, this ain't a fairytale
I won't play the role of a perfect princess in your fantasy world.
I'm gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me well
I'm confident that I will find someone who will value and respect me in a healthy relationship.
This is a big world, that was a small town
There are many other opportunities and people in the world, beyond our small town.
There in my rear view mirror disappearing now
You and our relationship are in the past and I'm moving on.
Try and catch me now
You won't be able to catch me or my heart again.
Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa
Expressing emotional distress.
Oh, it's too late
Regretting missed opportunities.
To catch me now
I'm done with your games and won't be falling for them again.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Anthem Entertainment
Written by: Elisabeth Wagner Rose, Taylor Alison Swift
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@monkd.306
Lyrics🐴
Say you're sorry
That face of an angel
Comes out just when you need it to
As I paced back and forth all this time
'Cause I honestly believed in you
Holding on
The days drag on
Stupid girl,
I should have known, I should have known
That I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale
I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet,
Lead her up the stairwell
This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town,
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down
Now it's too late for you
And your white horse, to come around
Maybe I was naive,
Got lost in your eyes
And never really had a chance
My mistake I didn't know to be in love
You had to fight to have the upper hand
I had so many dreams
About you and me
Happy endings
Now I know
I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale
I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet,
Lead her up the stairwell
This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town,
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down
Now it's too late for you
And your white horse, to come around
And there you are on your knees,
Begging for forgiveness, begging for me
Just like I always wanted but I'm so sorry
'Cause I'm not your princess, this ain't a fairytale
I'm gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me well
This is a big world, that was a small town
There in my rear view mirror disappearing now
And its too late for you and your white horse
Now its too late for you and your white horse, to catch me now💕
@rawr8703
15 Facts you probably didn’t know about Taylor Swift’s White Horse.
1. Taylor wrote this song in the hallway of a Nashville recording studio in her journal.
2. It took 45 minutes to write this song.
3. This song received 2 Grammy Awards; Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performace.
4. Taylor had the intro music and first verse of ‘White Horse’ done before she called Liz Rose to help her with it.
5. Lyrically, the track speaks of disillusionment and pain in a relationship, drawing references to fairytales. "To me, 'White Horse' is about what, in my opinion, is the most heart-breaking part of a break-up – that moment when you realize that all the dreams you had, all those visions you had of being with this person, all that disappears," Taylor said.
6. This song was originally to be put on Taylor’s third album because ‘Fearless’ had its “fair share” of sad songs until the people who worked on Grey’s Anatomy requested Taylor send them a song to play on the show.
7. The lyrics originally said “as I pace back and forth this whole time” instead of “all this time” as well as “this is Holywood” instead of “This is ain’t Hollywood”.
8. Ryan Adams became a Taylor fan when he first heard the song.
9. This song is one of Taylor’s favorite from ‘Fearless’ because she could listen to it a year later and still be sad.
10. Taylor started crying hysterically when she got he call that ‘White Horse’ was going to be on Grey’s Anatomy. She said she had never been that excited.
11. There was a lot of controversy in the Grammy committee surrounding the decision to give Taylor the ‘Best Country Vocal Performance’ award at the 2010 ceremony, but ultimately more voters agreed than disagreed.
12. Once, when Chriss Pratt was at a photoshoot, “White Horse” began playing. He joked as the song began, “Taylor Swift plays in the background as I look longingly pensively out the window.” Then he began singing along to the chorus. He knew all the words.
13. The video was shot in one day. Coincidentally, on the day of filming, it rained heavily, something which Swift was enlightened by, since it corresponded to the video's gloomy and dark feel. Swift said it aided in making the video less colorful lighting-wise, and more fixated on muted tones. The last scenes were more difficult for Swift because they involved crying.
14. This song peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its appearance, along with six other songs, on the chart tied Swift with Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) for the female act to have the most songs charting on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same week, a record later surpassed by Swift herself when she charted eleven songs at once in 2010.
15. It was certified 2x Platinum in the US, Gold in Australia and Canada
© Swift Facts
@princessbueno2388
Taylor Swift:
2009(White Horse): I'm not a Princess
2014(Blank Space): I'm your queen
2017(Call It What You Want): They took my crown
2019(You Need To Calm Down): We all got crowns
WE STAN OUR QUEEN TAYLOR👑💓
Edit: Thanks for likes stay safe🌹🌹🌹
@jasminereyes3999
Is everyone just listening to old songs cause this is the only thing close to a time machine
@jeffnewell2725
Best line ever
@drkim4077
Yeah
@keymirxh8386
Yes 😭😢 dont make me cry now lol.
@keymirxh8386
Lifes to short to not like Taylor
@nashd552
Yes, so true,well said😃
@SabrinaJohns
SEEING HER CRY WHILE SINGING “I’m gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me well” WHILE KNOWING THAT SHE ACTUALLY FOUND SOMEONE WHO TREATS HER SO WELL MAKES ME CRY AND I AM NOT OK 😭😭😭😭
@zainabarshad2944
SAME OMFG-
@Jackmichaelz
i love you
@mirandagibson7173
She found Joe❤