Ultimately, the song is about empowerment, as the singer comes to terms with her feelings of helplessness and affirmently decides to "not want no other shade of blue but you" - meaning she is willing to stay in the relationship despite its struggles.
hOaX
Taylor Swift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My smoking gun
My eclipsed sun
This has broken me down
My twisted knife
My sleepless night
My win-less fight
This has frozen my ground
Stood on the cliffside
Screaming, "Give me a reason"
Your faithless love's the only hoax
I believe in
Don't want no other shade of blue
But you
No other sadness in the world would do
My best laid plan
Your sleight of hand
My barren land
I am ash from your fire
Stood on the cliffside
Screaming "Give me a reason"
Your faithless love's the only hoax
I believe in
Don't want no other shade of blue
But you
No other sadness in the world would do
You know I left a part of me back in New York
You knew the hero died, so what's the movie for?
You knew it still hurts underneath my scars
From when they pulled me apart
You knew the password, so I let you in the door
You knew you won, so what's the point of keeping score?
You knew it still hurts underneath my scars
From when they pulled me apart
But what you did was just as dark
Darling, this was just as hard
As when they pulled me apart
My only one
My kingdom come undone
My broken drum
You have beaten my heart
Don't want no other shade of blue
But you
No other sadness in the world would do
In "hOax," Taylor Swift sings about a tumultuous and emotionally tumultuous relationship. She uses powerful imagery and metaphor to describe her feelings of being hurt and betrayed. She starts out singing about the love of her life and how he has brought her down. He is her "smoking gun" and "eclipsed sun." He is the one who has twisted the knife and caused sleepless nights. The relationship has become a losing battle that has frozen her to the ground.
In the chorus, Swift paints a picture of standing on a cliffside and screaming for a reason. She believes in the faithless love of her partner, even though she knows it is a hoax. She doesn't want anything else but this shade of blue and this particular sadness. She then details how her partner has hurt her with their deceit and broken her down. Despite the hurt, Swift admits that she still loves this person.
The bridge of the song brings in a personal touch as Swift references events from her own life. She has left a part of herself in New York, and the hero of her story has died. She is left feeling hurt and scarred from past relationships, but her partner has been able to enter her life and hurt her all the same. The final verse is a powerful message that even though her heart has been beaten, she cannot imagine anyone else bringing her happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
My only one
The only person I have ever loved
My smoking gun
You are the thing that kills me slowly
My eclipsed sun
You darken skies and bring me sadness
This has broken me down
Your love has shattered me
My twisted knife
My emotions are messed up because of you
My sleepless night
I cannot rest because I'm constantly thinking of you
My win-less fight
I cannot seem to overcome my feelings for you
This has frozen my ground
I am stuck and cannot move on from you
Stood on the cliffside
I am at a pivotal point where I need to make a decision
Screaming, "Give me a reason"
I need you to explain your lack of commitment and fidelity
Your faithless love's the only hoax
I believe in
I continue to believe in you despite knowing that your love is insincere
Don't want no other shade of blue
But you
I only want you and no one else
No other sadness in the world would do
I only want to be sad over losing you
My best laid plan
I had it all figured out until you came along
Your sleight of hand
You deceived me into thinking we had a future
My barren land
My life without you is empty and lifeless
I am ash from your fire
You have destroyed me completely
You know I left a part of me back in New York
A piece of my heart will always be in the place where we fell in love
You knew the hero died, so what's the movie for?
Our story does not have a happy ending, so why continue telling it?
You knew it still hurts underneath my scars
From when they pulled me apart
Even though I try to hide it, I am still hurting from the pain you caused me
You knew the password, so I let you in the door
I trusted you completely and gave you access to my heart
You knew you won, so what's the point of keeping score?
You got what you wanted, so why continue playing the game?
But what you did was just as dark
Darling, this was just as hard
As when they pulled me apart
Your actions were just as hurtful as the initial pain of being torn apart
My kingdom come undone
You destroyed everything that was once perfect in my life
My broken drum
My heart no longer beats in rhythm without you
You have beaten my heart
You hurt me so deeply that my heart is now damaged beyond repair
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Aaron Brooking Dessner, Taylor A. Swift
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@teyluuuuur3219
"Stood on the cliffside screaming, give me a reason"
I know that asking for answers about the questions on my mind will probably hurt me in the end, yet i demand to be answered.
"Your hopeless love is the only hoax i believe in."
Even with the smallest hope, i still believe, that maybe, your love that i keep on believing might change everything.
"Don't want no other shade of blue but you. No other sadness in the world would do"
You made me so sad. Loving you gave me so much pain but i can endure it all because it's you, the only pain that i can tolerate.
@pjmvee
this whole album is “sitting by a foggy window sipping tea on a rainy august night, with a cat curled in your lap while you read french poetry wearing a cardigan” kind of vibe.
@namubear5281
Uhhh true ❤❤❤
@tejavigneshs6893
How do u get this, so true
@angelaclearwater6272
But how did you hit the mood on the head? So true 💙
@miulovesu
Love this, my vibe completely
@montgomerymadison03
This is so detailed and perfect tf 🤣
@jqxx2538
I think this is what's best about Taylor: her raw, delicate, emotions, writing and voice filling her songs and her.
@valeriaalexaguerrero1453
Army!!!!!
BTW, you are riggt, she is unique in this industry
@wefoundtaylorland133
AGREED
@B-MRZ
No