Lyrical Analysis: "willow" by Taylor Swift

Capstone essay for "Theory of Rhetoric" class at Texas A&M University.

Swift rocked the world by releasing playlists outlining the 5 stages of grief. With hallmark love songs such as "Lover" and "willow" making the "I Love You, It's Ruining My Life" (Denial) playlist, I LOST MY LITTLE ENGLISH MAJOR BRAIN!!! Coincidentally, I have this paper I wrote for my rhetorical crit class at Texas A&M regarding the backhanded nature of the song "willow", so I figured, why not publish it for you all? Whether you're from my Tiktok, or just interested in diving deep into a Taylor Swift song, you've come to the right place!!!

Considering this is an essay I wrote for my rhetorical criticism class at Texas A&M, there is a bit of jargon and those nasty inbedded citations (I know, I'm sorry). Because of this, I will fill you in on a few key terms to know

Addresser: Taylor Swift

Addresse: basically ~he who must not be named~

Tenor: the subject

Vehicle: the lens applied to the subject (the crazy, metaphorical part - you dig?)

Monét Guilbeau

Metaphoric Criticism: “willow” by Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s reach has been unbeatable recently, with the artist surpassing billionaire status while igniting swarms of self-proclaimed Swifties to bolster her name in classrooms worldwide. She does all of this without saying a word. Swift has built an empire from her music career, but why are so many people invested? People flock to this pop star for many reasons, but the lyrics she writes are the main force propelling her songs to record heights. She is renowned for her ability to shift genres due to her excellent story-telling abilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she diverted genres again, adapting a less diaristic approach to album evermore. This shift was brilliant and refreshing, with the fantasy realm in this album serving as a magical escape for listeners during a time of strife and isolation. The song “willow” from the album evermore is a prime example of how she successfully diverted the attention of millions with mythical, romantic lyrics depicting mellifluous metaphors. The figurative language drowning this song represents this mystical love dynamic, but is something darker lying beneath the crystalline surface?

Using the metaphoric method of criticism, Swift’s comparisons reveal a deeper dynamic between the addresser and the addressee. Ironically, Sandra Foss states that metaphors are everywhere, explicitly stating that these linkages are commonly used to “describe difficulties in romantic relationships” (Foss 285). Metaphors are nonliteral comparisons that “involve the process of transferring, borrowing, or carrying over characteristics that apply to one object to a second one” (Foss 296). Metaphors always have a tenor, the subject, and a vehicle, the lens applied to the subject (Foss 285). Every lyric, especially the abstract ones, are meant to “compel readers to infer meaning from the author’s statements or phrasing” (Hasanah et al. 2). This paper is an attack on Thomas Hobbes’ view on metaphors, considering “willow” is solely figurative language, yet is a wildly successful, highly acclaimed track.

Though Taylor Swift is renowned for writing about her ex-boyfriends - ugh, her evermore album showcased her fictional world-building ability. Her song “willow” is one of her very first love songs, shrouded in poetic metaphors and fantastical imagery. When interviewed by journalist Alyssa Bailey, Swift describes “willow” as a song that encompasses “intrigue, desire, and the complexity that goes into wanting someone” (Bailey 12). The lyrics entail whimsical metaphors that draw the listener into the idyllic, romantic situation the speaker is discussing. The breathy chords and fairytale chimes that accompany the lyrics allow the listener to further ascend into this other-worldly, fairytale landscape. This song has been notable since its release in 2020, with the lyrics’ mysteriousness and complexity being a common appreciation among listeners. The hopeless romantic trope in this song is displayed in a peaceful, endearing way, but the similes and metaphors Swift employs have a more profound message.

By categorizing the appearances of metaphor in “willow,” it can be easily understood why this song is appreciated by millions worldwide yet quite misunderstood. Metaphors involving nature were most prevalent, with two subjects underpinning this category: a willow tree and the appearance of water. Together, these topics illustrate the dynamic of the addresser and addressee’s relationship. The term “willow” is arguably the most important word within the song. The dynamic of the speaker’s relationship is divulged upon analyzing the metaphors surrounding this tree. The lyric, “Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind” (0:48-0:51) illuminates the speaker’s position to the addressee as peacefully submissive, with the vehicle being a willow tree and the tenor serving as the speaker’s “life.” Swift decided to center and title the song around “a tree with hard roots in the ground, sluggish branches, moving in the direction of the wind. [The] willow is a symbol of a strong connection to roots, despite its shaky appearances on the surface,”(Grace Damanik 30). Therefore, the willow tree symbolizes the strong relationship between the speaker and the addressee, alongside the seemingly flexible nature of the speaker within their relationship.Within the chorus, the addresser states, “You know that my train could take you home / Anywhere else is hollow” (2:34-2:40). Here, the vehicles are “train” and “hollow,” with the tenor being “my” and “anywhere else.” The addresser defines themselves as a comfortable, reliable, romantic partner, with their “train” lending you to safe places, such as themselves, what should be “home.” The descriptor “hollow” serves as a thematic bridge back to the willow tree, representing how dating the speaker is a fruitfull fulfilling direction to take. When paired, these metaphors allow the listener to imagine the flexible dynamic the couple exudes.

Liquidity underlines the second category I discovered upon logging the metaphors in this song, with the appearance of water serving as another natural element to the story. “willow”begins with the lyrics, “I’m like the water when your ship rolled in that night / Rough on the surface but you cut through like a knife” (0:12-0:23). The vehicle of “water” is present, with the speaker serving as the tenor. The speaker is again illustrated as a flexible, passive person by comparing themselves to water. This line also demonstrates the addressee’s ability to cut through the speaker’s rough surface, with the vehicle placing the tenor, the addressee, as a knife, interesting. This line demonstrates the addressee’s ability to provoke the speaker while discussing the addresser’s acquiescent approach to the relationship. Chloe Harrison and Helen Ringrow explored the concept of disnarration in Swift’s evermore album. They discovered that this line was inspired by the Greek myth of Penelope waiting for Odysseus’ return, making the entrance to this song fantasy-infused and metaphorically potent (Harrison and Ringrow 12). As their relationship progresses within the song, the speaker becomes “Lost in your current like a priceless wine” (0:31-0:35). The vehicle here is “current” and the “priceless wine,” with the speaker being the implied tenor that is lost in the current. This second allusion to water illustrates the enveloping and unpredictable nature of the speaker and subject’s relationship. The “priceless wine” adds richness and value to the addressee’s love, yet the speaker is lost in the current of their partner. While water serves as a serene element, Swift created metaphors that highlight the uncontrollable nature of water, such as cutting through the surface and becoming lost in a current. These details add a layer of tumultuousness to the relationship.

Upon recognizing this, I asked myself, is “willow” truly a love song?

I discovered a third category while conducting my metaphoric criticism: comparisons that illustrate dysfunction within the speaker’s relationship. The speaker appears to view their love interest as a prize, viewing them “Like you were a trophy or a champions ring” (1:03-1:06). This simile has a sense of pride associated with it, for the vehicle of a trophy or a champion ring is shallow and quite territorial. The addressee is not merely a partner, but an object of conquest to the speaker. The speaker’s thinking hints at an imbalance in the relationship, which is further revealed in the chorus. The chorus begins with the line, “The more that you say / the less I know” (0:36-38). The “less I know” statement is an epistemic expression of ignorance, which coins the addressee as duplicitous. This metaphor outlines the uncertainty creeping into the speaker’s mind regarding their partner, highlighting how their relationship is dysfunctional. The speaker continues by stating, “And if it was an open-shut case / I never would’ve known from that look on your face” (0:24-0:29). This line draws upon the stoic and emotionally distant nature of the addressee, making the speaker view them “As if [they] were a mythical thing” (Harrison and Ringrow 12). The combination of these lines exposes the overwhelming sense of uncertainty the speaker experiences when involved with the addressee. Interestingly, the speaker is aware of these shortcomings within their relationship, repeatedly commanding the addressee to “Wreck my plans” (0:41-0:43). The vehicle here is the "wrecking" of the speaker’s plans, with the assertion followed by the speaker’s declaration, “That's my man” (0:44-0:46). These lines introduces a sense of ownership and acceptance regarding the disruptions brought about by the tenor, “my man.” These comparisons demonstrate the dysfunction of the speaker’s relationship, highlighting the “emotional dependence and manipulation, and the speaker’s awareness of being stuck in this cycle they cannot break” (Harrison and Ringrow 12). Combining these metaphors showcases the poor state of affairs surrounding the couple, making “willow” not a fairytale love story.

These analyses prove that metaphors are not mere decorations, but rather an enriched, artful form of story-telling that allows the listener to relate in their own way. The applicability of a metaphor is far more outpaced stylistically and emotionally than relating to someone through the details of an experience. Taylor Swift beautifully employs this art form within the song by utilizing metaphors involving nature, a universal appreciation of humans, to draw in her audience. She surrounded her feelings with currents, wind, trees, priceless wine, and water to create a serene and appealing landscape for the listeners to invest in.

Most importantly, “willow” demonstrated society’s appreciation for nostalgic, folkloric media during times of crisis and turmoil. John McGrath studied the societal search for foundations during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting how Swift’s shift to world-building and metaphorical storylines “deliver[ed] a figurative life raft, a comfort, and a solace, to many during lockdown” (McGrath 71). Her fictional and poetic story is a writing style that “arises as a reaction to turmoil, offering the familiarity of a mediated past, often one that never existed in reality, an imagined utopian ideal, and a reconnection with the supposed ‘old ways,’ with nature and the wild” (McGrath 72). This statement emphasizes the brilliance of Swift in centering her song around natural elements, for those earthly escapes are what people search for in times of strife, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It was genius for Swift to release this experimental album during the pandemic, for her audience was yearning to escape reality through mysticism, which is brought to life through captivating metaphors.

Though “willow” appears to be an airy tune regarding a peaceful and magical relationship, her metaphors provide depth into the struggle the addresser and addressee face within their relationship. With evermore being a deviation in writing style for Swift, she made the wise move of releasing her album during a time of crisis. This bolstered her overall success, granting the pop star recognition regarding her songwriting abilities. The personal touch and story “willow” encapsulates can apply to thousands of relationships around the globe, for the better and for the worse, all due to her metaphoric lyrics taking on many meanings. Did I mention that the “willow” could be a weeping willow? These are the questions that metaphoric language stirs within us that artists intentionally employ to capture their audience’s emotions, and it's beautiful.

The overall success of this mellow song can be directly associated with Swift’s in-touch nature with society’s needs and woes. This trait has solidified her as a wordsmith and a record-breaking businesswoman. McGrath’s analyzation of the cultural market during COVID-19 provides insight into the power of metaphors, especially when used at the right time in a creative space. This metaphoric criticism is a direct case regarding the economic power of metaphoric language and how utilizing the abstract serves as the doorstep in allowing one’s story to not only be heard, but felt.

Comment below, message me, and please let me know what you think!! Did you discover anything you didn't expect?

*Bibliography omitted due to word count, email me if you're curious ;) monetguilbeau@gmail.com *