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Taylor Swift's 'Renegade' Lyrics Touch On Mental Health And Relationships
2 July 2021, 16:24
Taylor Swift has graced us with yet another release! She opens up about mental health in 'Renegade', a new song featuring her 'folklore' collaborators... let's break down the lyrics!
Taylor Swift is undoubtedly a song-making machine as she drops yet another collaboration, seemingly out of nowhere!
'Renegade' is another indie-folk collaboration with the minds behind Taylor's wildly successful lockdown albums, 'folklore' and 'evermore'.
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Who are Taylor's collaborators? Is the song about Joe Alwyn? What do the lyrics mean? We've got the answers to all your questions...
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The single comes after the industry powerhouse announced that 'Red' will be the next album from her discography to be reimagined – it's arriving to streaming platforms in November.
'Renegade' is a continuation of the eclectic, ethereal style that Taylor introduced her fanbase to with her sister albums of 2020.
The 'Cardigan' singer has tapped into a more experimental vein of her songwriting style with this collaboration, adding another string to her very impressive musical bow.
Big Red Machine is an folktronica musical project between Justin Vernon, of Bon Iver, and Aaron Dessner, the producer of Taylor's last two records.
The alternative indie track was recorded in the same space Taylor filmed her Disney+ special, Folklore: the long pond studio sessions.
The 'The Man' songwriter lay down her vocals for the track when isolating with her Aaron the same week they won 'Album of the Year' at the Grammy's!
What has Taylor said about her Big Red Machine collaboration?
The busy songstress took to her social media platforms to celebrate the surprise release, she gushed: "I can’t believe I get to work with Aaron Dessner.
"When Aaron came into my life, I was ushered into his world of free-flowing creativity where you don’t overthink, you just make music."
Taylor seems limitlessly inspired when talking about her new strain of indie-folk projects with her collaborators: "A song we wrote (which also features Justin Vernon) is out today! It’s called Renegade. Thanks Aaron for asking me to show up at your party."
In a matter of months we get pop sensations like 'Fearless' dancing back into the charts as well as melancholy indie tunes... Taylor really can do it all.
What is Taylor's new track, 'Renegade', about?
The themes woven throughout 'Renegade' are that of relationships, anxiety and worry...
Although the sound of this track is more electronic than Taylor's previous works, a lot of parallels can be drawn in the songwriting style.
The track chronicles how mental health issues can affect a budding relationship, much like 'The Archer', a ballad from Taylor's 'Lover' record.
A re-occurring line in each verse of 'Renegade' calls back to the lyricism of 'Call It What You Want', the penultimate track on 'Reputation'.
The song opens with "I tapped on your window on your darkest night", and is strikingly similar to the 2017 lyric "starry eyes sparking up my darkest night."
All three aforementioned tracks are speculated to at least in part inspired by Taylor's long-term boyfriend Joe Alwyn.
Big Red Machine - Renegade (feat. Taylor Swift) (Official Lyric Video)
Taylor Swift and Big Red Machine's 'Renegade' full lyrics
I tapped on your window on your darkest night
The shape of you was jagged and weak
There was nowhere for me to stay, but I stayed anyway
And if I would've known how many pieces you had crumbled into
I might have let them lay
Are you really gonna talk about timin’ in times like these?
And let all your damage, damage me
And carry your baggage up my street
And make me your future history, it's time
You've come a long way, open the blinds, let me see your face
You wouldn’t be the first renegade, to need somebody
Is it insensitive for me to say "Get your sh*t together so I can love you?"
Is it really your anxiety that stops you from givin' me everything?
Or do you just not want to?
I tapped on your window on your darkest night
The shape of you was jagged and weak
There was nowhere for me to stay, but I stayed anyway
You fire off missiles 'cause you hate yourself
And do you know you're demolishin' me?
And then you squeeze my hand as I'm about to leave
Are you really gonna talk about timin' in times like these?
And let all your damage, damage me
And carry your baggage up my street
And make me your future history, it's time
You’ve come a long way, open the blinds, let me see your face
You wouldn’t be the first renegade, to need somebody
Is it insensitive for me to say "Get your sh*t together so I can love you?"
Is it really your anxiety that stops you from givin' me everything?
Or do you just not want to?
And if I would have known
How sharp the pieces were you crumbled into
I might have let them lay
Are you really gonna talk about timin’ in times like these?
And let all your damage, damage me
And carry your baggage up my street
And make me your future history, it's time
You've come a long way, open the blinds, let me see your face
You wouldn't be the first renegade, to need somebody
To need somebody, to need somebody, to need somebody, to need
[Justin Vernon]
[Are you really gonna talk about timin’ in times like these?
And let all your damage, damage me
And carry your baggage up my street
And make me your future history, it's time]
Is it insensitive for me to say "Get your sh*t together so I can love you?"
You come a long way, open the blinds, let me see your face
You wouldn't be the first renegade, to need somebody
Is it really your anxiety that stops you from givin' me everything?
Or do you just not want to?
Taylor really is playing musical chairs when it comes to her genre... and we love it!
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