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Track 21 on "Midnights".

"Hits Different" is a bonus track on the Target-exclusive Midnights: Lavender Edition.

This song appears to be about a person who is struggling with the aftermath of a break-up or the end of a relationship. The speaker reflects on the pain and heartache they are experiencing, and how the end of the relationship feels different and more difficult to cope with than past break-ups. They mention feeling physically sick and unable to move on, and express sadness and longing for the person they loved.

The song also touches on the theme of memory and nostalgia, with the speaker recalling specific details and moments from the relationship. The chorus repeats the line "it hits different" to emphasize the unique and intense emotions the speaker is feeling. Overall, the song conveys the raw and difficult emotions that can come with the end of a relationship.

While Taylor has previously shunned lovers who left her such as in "White Horse" and "Picture to Burn", here, Taylor describes a situation of struggling to move on and wanting an ex back, similar to "Death by a Thousand Cuts".

Lyrics

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[Verse 1]
I washed my hands of us at the club
You made a mess of me
I pictured you with other girls in love
Then threw up on the street
Like waiting for a bus that never shows
You just start walkin' on
They say that if it's right, you know
Each bar plays our song
Nothing has ever felt so wrong


[Chorus]
Oh, my, love is a lie
Shit my friends say to get me by
It hits different
It hits different this time
Catastrophic blues
Movin' on was always easy for me to do
It hits different
It hits different 'cause it's you


[Post-Chorus]
('Cause it's you)


[Verse 2]
I used to switch out these Kens, I'd just ghost
Rip the band-aid off and skip town like an asshole outlaw
Freedom felt like summer then on the coast
Now the sun burns my heart and the sand hurts my feelings
And I never don't cry (And I never don't cry) at the bar
Yeah, my sadness is contagious (My sadness is contagious)
I slur your name 'til someone puts me in a car
I stopped receiving invitations


[Chorus]
Oh, my, love is a lie
Shit my friends say to get me by
It hits different
It hits different this time
Catastrophic blues
Movin' on was always easy for me to do
It hits different
It hits different 'cause it's you


[Post-Chorus]
('Cause it's you)


[Bridge]
I find the artifacts, cried over a hat
Cursed the space that I needed
I trace the evidence, make it make some sense
Why the wound is still bleedin'
You were the one that I loved
Don't need another metaphor, it's simple enough
A wrinkle in time like the crease by your eyes
This is why they shouldn't kill off the main guy
Dreams of your hair and your stare and sense of belief
In the good in the world, you once believed in me
And I felt you and I held you for a while
Bet I could still melt your world
Argumentative, antithetical dream girl


[Verse 3]
I heard your key turn in the door down the hallway
Is that your key in the door?
Is it okay? Is it you?
Or have they come to take me away?
To take me away


[Chorus]
Oh, my, love is a lie
Shit my friends say to get me by
It hits different (It hits different)
It hits different this time
Catastrophic blues
Movin' on was always easy for me to do
It hits different (It hits different)
It hits different 'cause it's you


[Outro]
Oh, my, love is a lie
Shit my friends say to get me by
'Cause it's you
Catastrophic blues
Movin' on was always easy for me to do
It hits different (Yeah)
It hits different 'cause it's you

Preview