Swifter WetJet

"All Too Well" by Taylor Swift on the Red album (2012)

"All Too Well' heavily deals with a breakup in the recent past of the narrator and moves between remembering the past and analyzing how the past effects the present day. The song is in the first person perspective and the audience is the narrator's former significant other.

I walked through the door with you, the air was cold But something 'bout it felt like home somehow and I Left my scarf there at your sister's house And you've still got it in your drawer, even now Oh, your sweet disposition And my wide-eyed gaze We're singing in a car getting lost Upstate The autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place And I can picture it after all these days

The first verse deals mostly with the memory of the past and sets up the relationship. It appears that the relationship between the narrator and their former lover was a happy and comfortable one "but something 'bout it felt like home somehow". The first views discusses some of the ex-couple's favorite memories with each other and the narrator's fixation with the past "And I can picture it after all these days".

And I know it's long gone, and that magic's not here no more And I might be okay, but I'm not fine at all

The pre-chorus brings up the ending of the relationship and discusses how the past is in the past and cannot be repeated "And I know it's long gone, and that magic's not here no more". It also brings up how the narrator is still upset from the breakup and finds it hard to move on.

'Cause there we are again on that little town street You almost ran the red 'cause you were looking over at me Wind in my hair, I was there, I remember it all too well

The chorus than brings the audience back into the past and names some other memories between the couple. The second line "You almost ran the red 'cause you were thinking of me" plays with the perspective of the chorus that is mostly grounded in the past. These line almost seems like the narrator's former lover dealing with the breakup in their own way after the fact showing that both parties find it difficult to move on.

 Photo album on the counter Your cheeks were turning red You used to be a little kid with glasses in a twin-sized bed And your mother's telling stories 'bout you on the tee ball team You taught me about your past thinking your future was me

Verse 2 of the song is also in the past and is the memory of the narrators former love telling her about his past. The most powerful line of the song comes with "You taught me about your past thinking your future was me". The meaning of this line is that the former-couple never meant to breakup and fulling expected to be together in the future. This line continues the theme of playing with perspective (past v. present).

And I know it's long gone, and there was nothing else I could do And I forget about you long enough to forget why I needed to

The pre-chorus repeats it's with some slight modifications of the original. This pre-chorus deals more with the inevitable breakup between the two and and than jumps to the past where it shows the narrator as dealing with the question of rather its better to forget a painful memory or if it's better to remember and learn from the experience.

'Cause there we are again in the middle of the nightWe're dancing round the kitchen in the refrigerator lightDown the stairs, I was there, I remember it all too well, yeah

The chorus, again is set in the past with a new memory of the couple.

And maybe we got lost in translationMaybe I asked for too muchBut maybe this thing was a masterpiece'Till you tore it all upRunning scared, I was there, I remember it all too wellAnd you call me up again just to break me like a promiseSo casually cruel in the name of being honestI'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here'Cause I remember it all, all, all... too well

The bridge changes the tone of the song from sad rememory to anger over the end of the relationship. The first few lines list the possible reasons for the end of the relationship each one getting more angry with the audience, cumulation with "But maybe this thing was a masterpiece 'till you tore it all up" blaming the end of the relationship on the other person. The later lines discuss the emotional damage the narrator experienced, "And you call me up again just to break me like a promise. So casually cruel in the name of being honest. I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here". These lines are the most emotional of the song showing the anger, sadness, and rejection experienced during and after the breakup of the relationship.

Time won't fly it's like I'm paralyzed by it I'd like to be my old self again But I'm still trying to find it After plaid shirt days and nights when you made me your own Now you mail back my things and I walk home alone But you keep my old scarf from that very first week'Cause it reminds you of innocence and it smells like me You can't get rid of it, 'cause you remember it all too well, yeah

Verse 3 deals with the reflection at the emotional event. These lines are clearer than the rest of the song and they are firmly grounded in the present, dealing with the aftermath of the breakup. It discusses her inability to move on from the past and to "be my own self again". As the verse moves on, it becomes clearer to the speaker that the relationship has been finalized, "Now you mail back my things and I walk home alone". The final lines of the song switches more towards her former lover's perspective, showing that he also cannot let go of her "But you keep my old scarf from the very first week" which connects to the line in the first verse "I left my scarf there at your sister's house". This connection provides a feeling of completion to the song.