We were both young when I first saw you
I close my eyes and the flashback starts
I'm standing there
On a balcony in summer air
See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns
See you make your way through the crowd
And say, "Hello"
Little did I know
[Pre-Chorus]
That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"
And I was crying on the staircase
Begging you, "Please don't go," and I said
[Chorus]
Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"
[Verse 2]
So I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew
So close your eyes
Escape this town for a little while, oh, oh
'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"
But you were everything to me
I was begging you, "Please don't go," and I said
[Chorus]
Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"
Romeo, save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it's real
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess
It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"
[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh
[Bridge]
But I got tired of waiting
Wondering if you were ever coming around
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town and I said
[Chorus]
"Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone
I keep waiting for you, but you never come
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think"
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring, and said
"Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
It's a love story, baby, just say 'Yes'"
About
Taylor was inspired to write “Love Story” when she was going through a difficult situation with a boy she liked, whom she wasn’t “officially” dating. The song has been rumored to be about two singers – the first being Joe Jonas, since it was recorded in March of 2008, just a few months before she began actually dating him. Other songs such as “Forever & Always” and “Last Kiss” are more explicitly about him.
The second rumored subject of the song is Boys Like Girls front-man, Martin Johnson whom Swift had a brief fling with in 2008 and collaborated with to pen the band’s track “Two is Better Than One” and Taylor’s song “If This Was a Movie”. This is a fitting match for the “star-crossed lovers” theme of the song as sources claimed that although the pair were into each other, Taylor’s publicists felt he was not a good match for her “American sweetheart” image – with him being a punk rocker who was going through personal issues at the time.
She chose to portray the story of Romeo and Juliet in the song, because she felt like she could relate.
I used to be in high school where you see [a boyfriend] every day. Then I was in a situation where it wasn’t so easy for me, and I wrote this song because I could relate to the whole Romeo and Juliet thing.
The lyrics talk about disapproval against the relationship, and her desire to go somewhere far away with him, and escape the people who look down on them.
“Love Story” peaked at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, and at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, just weeks after its release.
The song’s music video was described as timeless, by Swift.
The video won the CMT Music Awards for “Video of the Year,” as well as “Female Video of the Year.”
In February 2021, “Love Story” became the first official re-release from Taylor’s backcatalog following contractual disputes with Scooter Braun. It marked the beginning of a new chapter in her career as she sought autonomy and freedom from what she perceived as a manipulative business relationship.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Swift stated:
I was going through a situation like that where I could relate. I used to be in high school where you see a boyfriend every day. Then I was in a situation where it wasn’t so easy for me, and I wrote this song because I could relate to the whole Romeo and Juliet thing. I was really inspired by that story. Except for the ending. I feel like they had such promise and they were so crazy for each other. And if that had just gone a little bit differently, it could have been the best love story ever told. And it is one of the best love stories ever told, but it’s a tragedy. I thought, why can’t you… make it a happy ending and put a key change in the song and turn it into a marriage proposal.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, she said that she wrote it about them because she could relate to their story.
I used to be in high school where you see [a boyfriend] every day. Then I was in a situation where it wasn’t so easy for me, and I wrote this song because I could relate to the whole Romeo and Juliet thing. I was really inspired by that story.
Taylor’s known to be a romantic soul. However, she wrote about another reason in a since-deleted post that was on her label’s website:
When I wrote the ending to this song, I felt like it was the ending every girl wants to go with her love story. It’s the ending that I want. You want a guy who doesn’t care what anyone thinks, what anyone says.
- 1.Fearless
- 2.Fifteen
- 3.Love Story
- 4.Hey Stephen
- 5.White Horse
- 7.Breathe
- 8.Tell Me Why
- 11.Forever & Always
- 12.The Best Day
- 13.Change