I Knew You Were Trouble
Written By Taylor Swift, Max Martin & Shellback
Produced By Taylor Swift, Christopher Rowe & Shellback
About
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Track 4 on "Red".
"I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor's Version)" is the fourth track of Taylor's second re-recorded album, Red, that was produced by Taylor herself, Shellback and Christopher Rowe.
The song, lyrically, talks about falling in love with somebody while knowing that he is not good for you. Many of Taylor's fans assume that the song is about John Mayer, Taylor's ex who dated her when she was at the age of 19. She also wrote about him in the song "Dear John". Others assume that the song was written about Harry Styles, one of the members in One Direction.
When Taylor asked about the song, after performing it in the Brit Awards in 2012, she said:
It's not hard… when the person the song is directed at is standing by the side of the stage.
You're balancing the analytical side of your brain which is telling you where to go and how to go there, with the other side of your brain, which is saying "Feel everything you're singing, and show it on your face".
This quote made Taylor's fans think that the song was inspired by Harry Styles, that also appeared in the Brit Awards the same night - but, it is not possible, because Taylor wrote the song before she met him. It could be about Jake Gyllenhaal since a majority of Red has been linked to him, or John Mayer, who many of the lyrics of the song point at.
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Once upon a time, a few mistakes ago
I was in your sights, you got me alone
You found me, you found me
You found me-e-e-e-e
I guess you didn't care, and I guess I liked that
And when I fell hard, you took a step back
Without me, without me
Without me-e-e-e-e
[Pre-Chorus]
And he's long gone when he's next to me
And I realize the blame is on me
[Chorus]
'Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
'Til you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble
[Verse 2]
No apologies, he'll never see you cry
Pretends he doesn't know that he's the reason why
You're drowning, you're drowning
You're drowning-ing-ing-ing-ing
And I heard you moved on from whispers on the street
A new notch in your belt is all I'll ever be
And now I see, now I see
Now I see-e-e-e-e
[Pre-Chorus]
He was long gone when he met me
And I realize the joke is on me, yeah
[Chorus]
I knew you were trouble when you walked in (Oh)
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
'Til you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been (Yeah)
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble (Yeah, trouble)
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble
[Bridge]
And the saddest fear
Comes creeping in
That you never loved me
Or her, or anyone, or anything
Yeah, oh-oh
[Chorus]
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been (Never been)
'Til you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in (Knew it right there)
So shame on me now (Knew it right there)
Flew me to places I'd never been (Ooh)
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble (Oh)
Oh, oh-oh
Trouble, trouble, trouble (Trouble)
'Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in
Trouble, trouble, trouble
'Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in
Trouble, trouble, trouble