Like “happiness,” “evermore” deals strongly with themes of mental health, though this track lays out a more linear path towards healing. Fittingly, Swift has publicly discussed her struggles with significant periods of depression in the past.
On an interview with Apple Music, Swift says:
"There were sort of a double meaning to the months and the feelings that are mentioned. One of the meanings is that I wrote this song and these lyrics when we were coming up to the election and I didn’t know what was going to happen. I was almost preparing for the worst to happen, and trying to see some sort of glimmer at the end of the tunnel. The song goes through walking in the forest barefoot in the middle of winter, or standing on a balcony and letting the icy wind just hit you, and you’re catching your death and then, in the last chorus, the person goes inside and finally is warm and safe. It’s about sort of the process of finding hope again, but it also reflected back to an experience that I had that was pretty life-altering, when I went through a bunch of bad stuff in 2016. July, November, during all those times, I was just taking it day by day to get through, trying to find a glimmer of hope, all of that. So, I was coming from both of those perspectives. We wrote it exactly the same way we wrote “exile”, where Joe wrote the piano, I based the vocal melody on the piano, and we sent it to Justin, who then added that bridge. Joe had written the piano part so that the tempo speeds up, and it changes, the music completely changes to a different tempo in the bridge, and Justin really latched onto that, and just 100% embraced it and wrote this beautiful sort of the clutter of all your anxieties in your head, and they’re all speaking at once. When we got the bridge back, I wrote this narrative of ‘When I was shipwrecked, I thought of you,’ that sort of thing, where there was this beacon of hope and then, in the end, you realized the pain wouldn’t be forever, that it could get better."
Dessner told Rolling Stone:
"[Joe Alwyn] plays the piano on ‘evermore,’ actually. We recorded that remotely. That was really important to me and to them, to do that, because he also wrote the piano part of ‘exile,’ but on the record, it’s me playing it because we couldn’t record him easily. But this time, we could. I just think it’s an important and special part of the story."
This song debuted #57 on Billboard’s Hot 100, being the eighth-highest charting song off the album.
evermore
Taylor Swift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been down since July
Motion capture
Put me in a bad light
I replay my footsteps on each stepping stone
Trying to find the one where I went wrong
Writing lettersAddressed to the fire
And I was catching my breath
Staring out an open window
Catching my death
And I couldn't be sure
I had a feeling so peculiar
That this pain would be for
Evermore
Hey December
Guess I'm feeling unmoored
Can't remember
What I used to fight for
I rewind the tape but all it does is pause
On the very moment all was lost
Sending signals
To be double crossed
And I was catching my breath
Barefoot in the wildest winter
Catching my death
And I couldn't be sure
I had a feeling so peculiar
That this pain would be forEvermore
(Evermore)
Can't not think of all the cost
And the things that will be lost
Oh, can we just get a pause?
To be certain we'll be tall again
Whether weather be the frost
Or the violence of the dog days
I'm on waves, out being tossed
Is there a line that I could just go cross?
And when I was shipwrecked (can't think of all the cost)
I thought of you (all the things that will be lost now)
In the cracks of light (can we just get a pause?)
I dreamed of you (to be certain we'll be tall again)
(If you think of all the costs)
It was real enough (whether weather be the frost)
To get me through (or the violence of the dog days)
(Out on waves being tossed)
But I swear (is there a line that we could just go cross?)
You were there
And I was catching my breath
Floors of a cabin creaking under my step
And I couldn't be sure
I had a feeling so peculiar
This pain wouldn't be for
Evermore
Evermore (evermore)
Evermore
This pain wouldn't be for evermore (evermore)
Evermore
In Taylor Swift's song "evermore," she sings about the pain of a lost love and the lingering feeling of heartbreak that seems to have no end. The opening lines of "Gray November, I've been down since July" describe the length of time that she has felt this way, comparing it to the bleakness of November after the bright summer months. The line "motion capture, put me in a bad light" suggests that perhaps a media portrayal of her relationship went awry, causing public scrutiny and making the loss even more painful.
The following lines show her attempting to make sense of what went wrong, replaying moments in her head and writing letters that will never be sent. The chorus, "And I was catching my breath, staring out an open window, catching my death, and I couldn't be sure, I had a feeling so peculiar, that this pain would be for evermore," speaks to the overwhelming feeling of loss and the uncertainty of whether or not it will ever go away.
As the song continues, Swift mentions feeling unmoored in December, struggling to remember what she used to value and believe in. She longs for a break from the pain and asks if there is a way to "just get a pause" so she can be certain that she will feel happiness again. The song ends with Swift catching her breath again, this time in a cabin where she is reminded of her lost love. The repetition of the word "evermore" throughout the song emphasizes the idea that the pain and heartbreak will be with her for a long time to come.
Line by Line Meaning
Gray November
The onset of winter, a time of bleakness
I've been down since July
I have been struggling and feeling low for months
Motion capture
Being caught up in a situation that distorts one's perception of reality
Put me in a bad light
Made me look bad or untrustworthy
I replay my footsteps on each stepping stone
Reflecting on every decision that led to the current situation
Trying to find the one where I went wrong
Trying to identify the exact moment of misstep or mistake
Writing letters
Communicating feelings and regrets through written words
Addressed to the fire
Telling one's story to the void, hoping for answers
And I was catching my breath
Feeling overwhelmed and breathless
Staring out an open window
Lost in thought or contemplation
Catching my death
Being in danger or despair
And I couldn't be sure
Uncertainty about the future
I had a feeling so peculiar
An unusual or distinct emotion
That this pain would be for
Understanding that the pain will last
Evermore
For an indefinite or endless time
Hey December
The continuation of winter, a time of sorrow and hopelessness
Guess I'm feeling unmoored
Feeling adrift and aimless
Can't remember
Having difficulty recalling past memories
What I used to fight for
Forgetfulness about past ambitions or dreams
I rewind the tape but all it does is pause
Attempting to relive the past but realizing it is impossible
On the very moment all was lost
The exact moment of hopelessness or failure
Sending signals
Attempting to communicate or convey a message
To be double crossed
Betrayed or misled by someone
Can't not think of all the cost
The realization of the high price one must pay
And the things that will be lost
The things that cannot be recovered or regained
Oh, can we just get a pause?
Yearning for a break or respite from the pain
To be certain we'll be tall again
To find one's confidence and strength again
Whether weather be the frost
No matter how difficult the circumstances
Or the violence of the dog days
The struggles of the hottest days of summer
I'm on waves, out being tossed
Being carried away by the turmoil of one's emotions
Is there a line that I could just go cross?
The search for a definitive answer or solution
And when I was shipwrecked
Being stranded and alone
I thought of you
Finding comfort and solace in the memory of a loved one
In the cracks of light
In the fleeting moments of hope or happiness
I dreamed of you
Wishing for the return of someone who is no longer there
It was real enough
The memory was vivid and poignant
To get me through
To survive or endure the ordeal
Floors of a cabin creaking under my step
The sound of solitude and isolation
This pain wouldn't be for evermore
Hoping for a new beginning and the end of the current suffering
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Justin Deyarmond Edison Vernon, Taylor A. Swift, William Bowery
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MadilynBailey
took me right to heaven... obsessed
@devanshofficial2071
Wow MADILYN YOU AND TAYLOR HAS A BEAUTIFUL VOICE I AM ALSO IN HEAVEN
@Hailoow
and heaven i am in right now
@StudyLens
love her so much ! 💜 btw i make videos on films! i recently made one on ‘Her’ and ‘Queens Gambit’! if you’re interested, please check it out! heart ❤️
@fary67fary29
Madilyn😍
@jerry-kf2hb
madilyn, pls make a cover for thisssss
@maheen97
"I had a feeling so peculiar - this pain wouldn't be for evermore"
This gets me through.
@DeniseSantos-qe5ee
Same 😭😭💜
@diamondcookieoftruth898
❤✨
@vlada6859
Did a cover of this song on my channel, check it out if you'd like to 😁❤️