"Love Story"

By Taylor Swift

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...

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...

"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.

I'll be waiting; all that'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.'"

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...

"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.

I'll be waiting; all that'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 try 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.'"
 Oh, oh.

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...

"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.'"

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

'Cause we were both young when I first saw you...

1. We were both young when I first saw you.
I close my eyes and the flashback starts
a. Term and Definition: Flashback – Definition*
b. Why: If Taylor Swift would not have used a flashback
here, the order of the song would have been confusing
and it would be difficult to understand what was going on.
c. Interpret: Taylor Swift uses this literary device to create a
setting for her song. She starts with a flashback to inform
the listener that this story started a long time ago and she
remembers it as she tells her story.
d. Theme/Meaning: The song is about two star-crossed
lovers who, despite their fate, fall in love and get married.
The mood is happy, romantic, and girly. The theme is that
love always wins.
2. That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles,
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"
a. Term and Definition: Allusion – Definition
b. Why: Taylor Swift uses this allusion in her song to quickly
and effectively communicate her relationship with this
boy. By using the infamous names Romeo and Juliet the
listener immediately understands that they must be star-
crossed lovers, forbidden to be together.
c. Interpret: Taylor Swift is saying that she is in love with
this boy and in the same way that Romeo and Juliet were
in love. She is also using these famous names to replace
their own. Taylor Swift creates a romantic relationship by
using this allusion.
d. Theme and Meaning: The song is about two star-crossed
lovers who, despite their fate, fall in love and get married.
The mood is happy, romantic, and girly. The theme is that
love always wins.
3. You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess,
a. Term and Definition: Metaphor – a figure of speech when
one thing is spoken of as though it were something else.
b. Why: Taylor Swift uses this metaphor to compare her
relationship to that of a classic, dreamy prince and
princess. It is widely known that every girl dreams of
 being a princess and by using this term in creates that
girly atmosphere.
c. Interpret: Taylor Swift’s song is about a love story and by
comparing their relationship to that of a prince and
princess it communicates a romantic, classic mood.
d. Theme and Meaning: The song is about two star-crossed
lovers who, despite their fate, fall in love and get married.
The mood is happy, romantic, and girly. The theme is that
love always wins.
4. We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew
a. Hyperbole – An extreme exaggeration
b. Why: Swift uses this hyperbole to express how the two
lovers are not supposed to be together.
c. Interpret: Swift is expressing that the two lovers will not
literally die but get in a whole lot of trouble.
5. I talked to your dad – go pick out a white dress
a. Metonomy – an identifier that represents a group of
words
b. Why: Swift uses this literary device to communicate that
the two will marry.
c. Interpret: The white dress stands for the two getting
married and it keeps the rhythm and timing of the song.
d.