This Love
Written By Taylor Swift
Produced By Christopher Rowe & Taylor Swift
About
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Track 11 on "1989".
The 11th track on Taylor Swift's 1989 finds her using cyclical metaphors to ponder on the cycles of her relationship. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, but regardless, it's still love.
This was the first song Swift wrote for 1989, right after she released, "Red". The song started off as a short poem that Taylor wrote in her book:
This love is good, this love is bad
This love is alive back from the dead
These hands had to let it go free
And this love came back to me
After she wrote it in her book, Taylor started to think of it as a melody, and realised that the poem could become a song.
Also, This Love is the only songnto be solely written by her on 1989. However, she did co-write every song on the album, with "Style" having the most writers: four.
In an interview, Swift told how she decided to change who she would fall in love with:
[I'm] not looking for anything, not necessarily being open to anything, but only being open to the idea that, if I found someone who would never try to change me, that would be the only person I could fall in love with.
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Clear blue water
High tide came and brought you in
And I could go on and on, on and on and I will
Skies grew darker
Currents swept you out again
And you were just gone and gone, gone and gone
[Pre-Chorus]
In silent screams and wildest dreams
I never dreamed of this
[Chorus]
This love is good, this love is bad
This love is alive back from the dead, oh-oh, oh
These hands had to let it go free, and
This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
[Verse 2]
Tossing, turning
Struggled through the night with someone new
Baby, I could go on and on, on and on
Lantern, burning
Flickered in my mind, only you
But you were still gone, gone, gone
[Pre-Chorus]
Been losing grip on sinking ships
You showed up just in time
[Chorus]
This love is good, this love is bad
This love is alive back from the dead, oh-oh, oh
These hands had to let it go free, and
This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh
This love left a permanent mark
This love is glowing in the dark, oh-oh, oh
These hands had to let it go free, and
This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh
[Post-Chorus]
(This love, this love, this love, this love, oh-oh, oh)
(This love, this love, this love, this love, oh-oh, oh)
(This love, this love, this love, this love, oh-oh, oh)
(This love, this love, this love, this love)
[Bridge]
Your kiss, my cheek, I watched you leave
Your smile, my ghost, I fell to my knees
When you're young, you just run
But you come back to what you need
[Chorus]
This love is good, this love is bad
This love is alive back from the dead, oh-oh, oh
These hands had to let it go free, and
This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh
(This love) This love left a permanent mark
(This love) This love is glowing in the dark, oh-oh, oh
(This love) These hands had to let it go free, and
(This love) This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh
[Post-Chorus]
(This love, this love, this love, this love, oh-oh, oh)
(This love, this love, this love, this love, oh-oh, oh)
(This love, this love, this love, this love)
This love, this love came back to me, oh-oh, oh