I think it’s also very important to know the history of Coney Island. She could have chose every place but she went for Coney Island. It’s an amusement park which over time fell into decay just like their relationship. Once upon a time it was the one place to be, Everything was exciting (fast times) and bright lights everywhere but unfortunately they entered the long haul and fell apart because of different ambitions/life goals. How I see it the two soulmates thought they will beat time and last forever but even soulmates can’t compete with time. Sooner or later time will separate them (falling apart). That’s why time is such an important motif in this song (long haul, so soon, the fast times, over and over, too old to care, gold clock). How I view it the relationship of the protagonist is over and they both regret the way it all went down but it’s far beyond repair. That’s why the song ends with both singing sorry for not making you my centrefold. I’m a sucker for a tragic love story :D. P.S. I just found your channel and I love it. It is so cool to dissect people’s songwriting, especially Taylor’s :)
I agree with this completely. I think a lot of people who interpret this song aren't aware of the fact that Coney Island isn't what it once was (for a variety of reasons - but it was also nostalgic, like "the one place to be" at a certain point, in a time gone by) and that's why it's the song title. I've watched a lot of reactions and interpretations of this song, but only one guy kind of mentioned it before his live reaction to the song. Anyway, you explained it better than I did!
I wanted to add something about your favourite line (which is also my favourite line), particularly the phrase "rogue who coaxed you". Not only does this sound fantastic because of the internal rhyme, but it kind of sounds like "rollercoaster", and I refuse to believe that's a coincidence. You could almost read the line as "Do you miss the rollercoaster into paradise?" It plays into Coney island as a theme, as well as linking with the "fast times" idea of the beginning of the relationship, and the way it swept them into this wonderful idyllic life together, the one that they're now losing, where they feel left behind. It's an incredible line.
Just out of interest, I asked ChatGPT what it thought of this, and it said: Yes, absolutely. The phrase "rogue who coaxed you" does have a rhythmic quality that echoes the ups and downs of a rollercoaster ride, which ties in perfectly with the theme of Coney Island as a setting and motif in the song. Rollercoasters are known for their thrilling and unpredictable nature, much like the experience of being with someone who is charming yet unreliable, as implied by the term "rogue." This connection adds depth to the imagery and enhances the overall metaphorical resonance of the song. Not quite what I was saying, but an interesting take nonetheless 😂
I think that in the bridge she gives us references to all of her ex relationships, the birthday cake references to "the moment I knew", the sky turning into grey references to " dear john", the accident references to "out of the woods" and the podium speech to the "this is what you came for" affair with calvin.
i've been waiting so long for a coney island analysis, so thank you for this 💜 i usually understand taylor's lyricism in the first listen, but this song is just hard for me to grasp. it's kinda weird to jam to taylor's song without understanding what it's talking about. so your analysis brings so much clarity to this song for me also 2 things i wanna note. one, the word "the merry-go" i feel like it's a double entendre on the attraction that's merry-go-round but it's also to say that the merriment of their relationship is gone now. two, i kind of think that the male protagonist is dead after the accident, and the female protagonist is speaking from a podium at his funeral. like she's giving a eulogy for him or something. but i'm not really sure but anyway, can't wait for your next analysis 🌟 (that is if i can survive red tv lol)
I feel that the line “sorry for not winning you an arcade ring” could mean that each of them had their achievements, they "won" tickets from all their efforts at the ""arcade" and failed to use those winnings to present something meaningful and significant to the other. Kind of like they did life with each other, side-by-side, disillusioned that they were in a relationship, but they didn't do anything FOR each other. That's why they were like the mall before the internet, they seemed to flock to the one place everyone went to thoughtlessly, "the one place to be". It did have mischief and that gift-wrapped sub-urban dream, but it may not have been true although it was real. (Familiarity vs passion)
thank you for your comment! you explained everything so eloquently i was literally sitting here just nodding my head as i read it lol 😊 i love your take on the "tickets" from the arcade essentially being wasted...they had a chance to create more value w/in their relationship but for one reason or another they "failed to use those winnings" as you said i think the disillusion you mentioned is spot on, same with the thoughtlessness involved in just going to the mall...they were on auto-pilot in a sense. doing things but in actuality doing nothing of real value
One of my favorites off the album. Another great job SS. Are you still planning on doing an overview of the album as a whole? Thanks again for your insight!
About your alternate metaphorical interpretation of the line "were you waiting at our old spot, in the tree line, by the gold clock" I was thinking about this line before you got into your alternate interpretation and my theory was: Both the OLD spot and the golden CLOCK have something to do with time. The word old is suggesting a progression in time and the object clock keeps track and tells us the time. I know this is sounding very weird and I might be over-analysing but maybe they were a time journey - to travel back in time (metaphorically) because they used to have that happy mindset IN THE PAST. And the fact that this sounds super fairytale-like is fitting the entire Coney Island situation as well - this park is full of children and families and playful stuff. I love the way that it is a gold clock, which you pointed out as well, is valuable and important. And also I think it's interesting because the colour of gold has been a re-occurring motif in Taylor's songs in general, especially when Joe appeared. It may be representing true love or faith? Also, the fact that the gold clock is by a tree line is kinda giving me the vibe of a welcome ceremony with like a marching thing. And this usually implies the presence of a crowd of people. And the male protagonist is just alone, standing there and waiting - which emphasises the anxious and lonely feeling. And the female protagonist just didn't appear to this old spot to try to change things, so maybe these lines are apologetic and show a sense of guilt? And time has also been an important element in the song invisible string where she talks about how time is this thing that brought her happiness. And in these lines she was trying to avoid a change of time / avoiding the past (?, idk what am i saying). So this suggests that the female protagonist wasn't ready to be with him again / didn't want to. I definitely am over-analysing here but WOW it was so fun to come up with these ideas. I also love your point on the juxtaposition of the trees being a part of nature but the gold clock is man-made.
I would also add on to the bridge. I think right after the song came out in 2020, I saw a few Swifties talking about this, so I'm just bringing it up - credits to the big brains!!! Old spot, tree line, gold clock - debut and fearless era vibe??? Leave you hanging - kinda speak now-ish, kinda fearless-ish, kinda red-ish Birthday cake - definitely the moment I knew painting the darkest sky - dear john reference? accident - out of the woods bridge reference? podium - taylor didn't thank clavis, who I think was still her boyfriend, when she won album of the year for 1989 and the entire bridge section is just mirroring taylor's entire life - that's so smart and it also makes sense that even though these lines are in different perspectives corresponding to who is singing the line, it all matches to the actual scenario.
that lyric is SO interesting b/c i'm still not sure how i want to interpret it, my opinion goes back and forth every few times i hear it! i think you're spot on about the concept of time, i do think it's emphasized here. i definitely think there could have been a metaphorical trip back in time like you suggested, b/c it seems like there's quite a bit of memories being thought about within this song. also really enjoy how you mentioned that coney island is full of kids/is playful, that's a great detail to note! yes! the color gold definitely took on ALOT of significance since taylor got w/ joe in my opinion. maybe it's a positive foreshadow?? i do think there may be some guilt involved! i agree with you there! you presented some SUPER interesting ideas and i really enjoyed reading them!! thank you for sharing! 😃 ✨ sorry my reply is so late, i'm always trying to catch up w/ comments and tend to put off longer comments until i have enough time to read them and actually provide a more thought-out reply lol also your additional comment is super interesting too! wild how those lyrics really do line up w/ those past lyric references!!
@@summersentiment hi!!! ty for replying!!! i'm planning on doing literature courses now cuz i feel like analysing text is just SO FUN after spending the entire summer watching ur videos and analysing with u
beautiful interpretation! on the part of 'sorry for not winning you an arcade ring', i personally think that this line is an apology from both parties for wasting each other's beautiful once-in-a-lifetime youth with someone that turned out wreck it. They might enter the relationship in the hope of making memories in their youth altogether, and hopefully being able to look again when they're old that 'yes, i had the time of my life back then when i was young' but turned out they hurt and wreck each other instead of creating beautiful memories together. Hence the apology, for wasting and breaking the youth that they will never have again in their entire life. This verse is full of disappointments and apologies for wasting each other's time. Arcade ring, in my opinion, is a symbol for the promise of youth.
Hey, loved this video and yout analysis. Have you ever thought of doing "Cowboy Like Me"? I feel like this song is a little underappreciated, the song itself feels like it's telling you a whole story.
thank you!😊 and yes! i'm planning on doing all evermore & folklore songs eventually! i agree, "cowboy like me" IS like a whole story! it becomes more intricate every time you listen to it✨
I LOVE these videos! I think it’s because I’m bad at analysing songs myself so these videos really help me understand songs much better! Idk if you take suggestions but I’d recommend ‘My Limb’ by Hayley Williams :)
Anna Kendrick sang an amazing song called Still Hurting it was from a musical movie that im sure you'll love called The last five years. check out both if you like and maybe even react to it .Keep up the good work ☺
I think it’s also very important to know the history of Coney Island. She could have chose every place but she went for Coney Island. It’s an amusement park which over time fell into decay just like their relationship. Once upon a time it was the one place to be, Everything was exciting (fast times) and bright lights everywhere but unfortunately they entered the long haul and fell apart because of different ambitions/life goals. How I see it the two soulmates thought they will beat time and last forever but even soulmates can’t compete with time. Sooner or later time will separate them (falling apart). That’s why time is such an important motif in this song (long haul, so soon, the fast times, over and over, too old to care, gold clock). How I view it the relationship of the protagonist is over and they both regret the way it all went down but it’s far beyond repair. That’s why the song ends with both singing sorry for not making you my centrefold.
I’m a sucker for a tragic love story :D.
P.S. I just found your channel and I love it. It is so cool to dissect people’s songwriting, especially Taylor’s :)
I agree with this completely. I think a lot of people who interpret this song aren't aware of the fact that Coney Island isn't what it once was (for a variety of reasons - but it was also nostalgic, like "the one place to be" at a certain point, in a time gone by) and that's why it's the song title. I've watched a lot of reactions and interpretations of this song, but only one guy kind of mentioned it before his live reaction to the song. Anyway, you explained it better than I did!
I wanted to add something about your favourite line (which is also my favourite line), particularly the phrase "rogue who coaxed you". Not only does this sound fantastic because of the internal rhyme, but it kind of sounds like "rollercoaster", and I refuse to believe that's a coincidence. You could almost read the line as "Do you miss the rollercoaster into paradise?"
It plays into Coney island as a theme, as well as linking with the "fast times" idea of the beginning of the relationship, and the way it swept them into this wonderful idyllic life together, the one that they're now losing, where they feel left behind.
It's an incredible line.
Just out of interest, I asked ChatGPT what it thought of this, and it said:
Yes, absolutely. The phrase "rogue who coaxed you" does have a rhythmic quality that echoes the ups and downs of a rollercoaster ride, which ties in perfectly with the theme of Coney Island as a setting and motif in the song. Rollercoasters are known for their thrilling and unpredictable nature, much like the experience of being with someone who is charming yet unreliable, as implied by the term "rogue." This connection adds depth to the imagery and enhances the overall metaphorical resonance of the song.
Not quite what I was saying, but an interesting take nonetheless 😂
I think that in the bridge she gives us references to all of her ex relationships, the birthday cake references to "the moment I knew", the sky turning into grey references to " dear john", the accident references to "out of the woods" and the podium speech to the "this is what you came for" affair with calvin.
omg i love this interpretation so much! it fits the bridge SO WELL (...fits it all too well?...i had to lol 😅)
thank you for stating this 😊
Thank you for this in depth analysis ♥️ I love all your Taylor Swift’s songs lyric analysis. Taylor should watch them ♥️
thank you for your kind words!! i appreciate it 😊✨
This needs so much more recognition and views
thank you lol 😊
English isn't my mother tongue but I love English literature so I enjoy learning from you videos. 💗
thank you!! i'm glad you find them helpful! 💖
same here! watching your videos from Brazil and learning a lot 🇧🇷
i've been waiting so long for a coney island analysis, so thank you for this 💜 i usually understand taylor's lyricism in the first listen, but this song is just hard for me to grasp. it's kinda weird to jam to taylor's song without understanding what it's talking about. so your analysis brings so much clarity to this song for me
also 2 things i wanna note. one, the word "the merry-go" i feel like it's a double entendre on the attraction that's merry-go-round but it's also to say that the merriment of their relationship is gone now. two, i kind of think that the male protagonist is dead after the accident, and the female protagonist is speaking from a podium at his funeral. like she's giving a eulogy for him or something. but i'm not really sure
but anyway, can't wait for your next analysis 🌟 (that is if i can survive red tv lol)
THIS NEEDS MORE VIEWS-- as an ap lit swiftie i loved this 😭😭
aww tysm!! 😊
good luck in your ap lit class!
@@summersentiment thanks!!
Your analysis is always chef’s kiss 😩
thank you so much! 💖
I feel that the line “sorry for not winning you an arcade ring” could mean that each of them had their achievements, they "won" tickets from all their efforts at the ""arcade" and failed to use those winnings to present something meaningful and significant to the other. Kind of like they did life with each other, side-by-side, disillusioned that they were in a relationship, but they didn't do anything FOR each other. That's why they were like the mall before the internet, they seemed to flock to the one place everyone went to thoughtlessly, "the one place to be". It did have mischief and that gift-wrapped sub-urban dream, but it may not have been true although it was real. (Familiarity vs passion)
thank you for your comment! you explained everything so eloquently i was literally sitting here just nodding my head as i read it lol 😊
i love your take on the "tickets" from the arcade essentially being wasted...they had a chance to create more value w/in their relationship but for one reason or another they "failed to use those winnings" as you said
i think the disillusion you mentioned is spot on, same with the thoughtlessness involved in just going to the mall...they were on auto-pilot in a sense. doing things but in actuality doing nothing of real value
Perfect, even the Gilmore girls reference. ❤
oh it's time to DIG IN
My favorite lyrics? The whole song😭😭😭😭
taylor has to see this
I loved your analysis so much. And if I'm not mistaken, rogue is also a noun.
thank you for such beautiful explanation, I hope you can do the sam for evermore :)
I am in love with your channel!
💖💖💖
I missed this channel 🥺
One of my favorites off the album. Another great job SS. Are you still planning on doing an overview of the album as a whole? Thanks again for your insight!
very nice 💕👏👏
Can you do cowboy like me? I'd love to see your interpretation✨ Congrats for your videos and analysis
the podium line in the bridge was in reference to his funeral. the male protagonist died in the (likely car) accident also referenced in the bridge
About your alternate metaphorical interpretation of the line "were you waiting at our old spot, in the tree line, by the gold clock"
I was thinking about this line before you got into your alternate interpretation and my theory was:
Both the OLD spot and the golden CLOCK have something to do with time. The word old is suggesting a progression in time and the object clock keeps track and tells us the time. I know this is sounding very weird and I might be over-analysing but maybe they were a time journey - to travel back in time (metaphorically) because they used to have that happy mindset IN THE PAST. And the fact that this sounds super fairytale-like is fitting the entire Coney Island situation as well - this park is full of children and families and playful stuff.
I love the way that it is a gold clock, which you pointed out as well, is valuable and important. And also I think it's interesting because the colour of gold has been a re-occurring motif in Taylor's songs in general, especially when Joe appeared. It may be representing true love or faith?
Also, the fact that the gold clock is by a tree line is kinda giving me the vibe of a welcome ceremony with like a marching thing. And this usually implies the presence of a crowd of people. And the male protagonist is just alone, standing there and waiting - which emphasises the anxious and lonely feeling.
And the female protagonist just didn't appear to this old spot to try to change things, so maybe these lines are apologetic and show a sense of guilt?
And time has also been an important element in the song invisible string where she talks about how time is this thing that brought her happiness. And in these lines she was trying to avoid a change of time / avoiding the past (?, idk what am i saying). So this suggests that the female protagonist wasn't ready to be with him again / didn't want to.
I definitely am over-analysing here but WOW it was so fun to come up with these ideas. I also love your point on the juxtaposition of the trees being a part of nature but the gold clock is man-made.
I would also add on to the bridge. I think right after the song came out in 2020, I saw a few Swifties talking about this, so I'm just bringing it up - credits to the big brains!!!
Old spot, tree line, gold clock - debut and fearless era vibe???
Leave you hanging - kinda speak now-ish, kinda fearless-ish, kinda red-ish
Birthday cake - definitely the moment I knew
painting the darkest sky - dear john reference?
accident - out of the woods bridge reference?
podium - taylor didn't thank clavis, who I think was still her boyfriend, when she won album of the year for 1989
and the entire bridge section is just mirroring taylor's entire life - that's so smart
and it also makes sense that even though these lines are in different perspectives corresponding to who is singing the line, it all matches to the actual scenario.
that lyric is SO interesting b/c i'm still not sure how i want to interpret it, my opinion goes back and forth every few times i hear it!
i think you're spot on about the concept of time, i do think it's emphasized here. i definitely think there could have been a metaphorical trip back in time like you suggested, b/c it seems like there's quite a bit of memories being thought about within this song. also really enjoy how you mentioned that coney island is full of kids/is playful, that's a great detail to note!
yes! the color gold definitely took on ALOT of significance since taylor got w/ joe in my opinion. maybe it's a positive foreshadow??
i do think there may be some guilt involved! i agree with you there!
you presented some SUPER interesting ideas and i really enjoyed reading them!! thank you for sharing! 😃 ✨
sorry my reply is so late, i'm always trying to catch up w/ comments and tend to put off longer comments until i have enough time to read them and actually provide a more thought-out reply lol
also your additional comment is super interesting too! wild how those lyrics really do line up w/ those past lyric references!!
@@summersentiment hi!!! ty for replying!!! i'm planning on doing literature courses now cuz i feel like analysing text is just SO FUN after spending the entire summer watching ur videos and analysing with u
@@loveinhannah7485 omg yaay! that's amazing!! i hope you enjoy your literature courses and good luck!! 😊
and thank you for watching!!
beautiful interpretation! on the part of 'sorry for not winning you an arcade ring', i personally think that this line is an apology from both parties for wasting each other's beautiful once-in-a-lifetime youth with someone that turned out wreck it. They might enter the relationship in the hope of making memories in their youth altogether, and hopefully being able to look again when they're old that 'yes, i had the time of my life back then when i was young' but turned out they hurt and wreck each other instead of creating beautiful memories together. Hence the apology, for wasting and breaking the youth that they will never have again in their entire life. This verse is full of disappointments and apologies for wasting each other's time. Arcade ring, in my opinion, is a symbol for the promise of youth.
thanks, I love It . ❤️
I wish Taylor sees this
Hey, loved this video and yout analysis. Have you ever thought of doing "Cowboy Like Me"? I feel like this song is a little underappreciated, the song itself feels like it's telling you a whole story.
thank you!😊
and yes! i'm planning on doing all evermore & folklore songs eventually! i agree, "cowboy like me" IS like a whole story! it becomes more intricate every time you listen to it✨
I LOVE these videos! I think it’s because I’m bad at analysing songs myself so these videos really help me understand songs much better! Idk if you take suggestions but I’d recommend ‘My Limb’ by Hayley Williams :)
♡ TIMESTAMPS ♡
0:00 preview
0:10 intro
0:46 ~vocab vibes~
1:11 overview
1:28 song title
3:07 verse 1
3:44 is a soul breakable?
5:30 verse 1 continued
10:38 verse 2
16:15 bright lights imagery
18:15 merry-go & infinity
20:36 verse 2 continued
20:16 chorus
23:48 verse 3
30:37 verse 4
30:58 oops my millennial is showing 💅🏻
34:24 arcade ring image
38:01 bridge
39:26 alternate metaphorical interpretation
44:45 bridge continued
48:23 last verse
50:55 closing thoughts
Evermore ft.bon iver ? please
Hi! Can u pls do Cowboy like Me 🤗
Anna Kendrick sang an amazing song called Still Hurting it was from a musical movie that im sure you'll love called The last five years. check out both if you like and maybe even react to it .Keep up the good work ☺
Can you please do ' long story short' by taylor swift
I don’t know if someone’s ever told you but you really remind me of Emma Roberts from Scream Queens, very pretty.
i do get that from time to time, thank you for the compliment! 😊