Top 10 Taylor Swift Lyrics That Hit Us Too Hard

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most emotional, devastating lyrics Taylor Swift has ever given us. Which Taylor Swift lyric always has you screaming, crying, throwing up? Let us know in the comments!

#10: “Should've Kept Every Grocery Store Receipt…”

“marjorie” (2020)
Processing a loved one’s passing is unbearably hard. Feeling like you didn’t have the chance to properly know them doesn’t make it easier. Swift explores the complex emotions that accompany such loss in “marjorie.” Throughout the ballad, she sings about her late grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, recounting memories that keep the woman alive within her. It’s incredibly moving, and once we reach the bridge, we’re left breathless. The grief inherent in the lyrics becomes fully palpable here. This is especially true when Swift sings about wishing she had held onto something as normal as grocery store receipts, because one day, Marjorie herself would be gone. It’s a powerful reminder to cherish simple moments and mementos, because we never know how long we have with someone.

#9: The Whole Bridge

“Death by a Thousand Cuts” (2019)
As far as epic Taylor Swift breakup songs go, this one is up there. Sure, the production is pretty uptempo, but once you stop and actually listen to the words? Well, you notice there are plenty that cut deep. We’ve asked the traffic lights, they don’t think we’ll ever get over it. If we have to pick just one part though, it’s got to be the bridge. Lyrics about everything from a haunted club to paper cuts convey just how deeply the narrator has been irrevocably changed by a failed romance. Thanks to vivid descriptions and clever wordplay, we can practically see the tragic story play out in front of our eyes. Did someone just nick us a thousand times over? Help, it hurts so good.

#8: “I've Never Been a Natural, All I Do Is Try, Try, Try…”

“mirrorball” (2020)
Taylor Swift has always had a knack for creating songs that get us in our feelings, as evidenced in “folklore”. The album has a slew of songs, like “my tears ricochet,” that devastate us. There’s also “exile,” a duet that knows a whole lot about sad endings. And “peace”’s fear surrounding love and lack of privacy is nothing short of touching. Then there’s the heart-wrenching masterpiece that is “mirrorball,” which is full of lyrics that hit close to home. Still, no part resonates quite like the one about doing your best to impress others. We all know what it’s like to try, try, try – without it looking like we are, of course. Excuse us, we need a minute to bawl our eyes out.

#7: The Whole Bridge

“You're on Your Own, Kid” (2022)
On nights when we’re wide awake, we turn to “Midnights” for understanding. “Sweet Nothing” is sure to make any overachiever feel seen. “Anti-Hero,” for its part, wraps our insecurities in pop production. That’s saying nothing of “Maroon,” which makes us see shades of red everywhere. And “Hits Different,” well, hits different. Still, we have to give the bridge of “You’re on Your Own, Kid” its flowers. Hearing Swift sing about going above and beyond only to end up hurt and lost is all too relatable, and destroys us at every turn. Yet there’s also a reminder that adversity allows growth, so we shouldn’t be afraid to make the friendship bracelets. Simultaneously painful and filled with hope, this is a bridge we’ll never tire of crossing.

#6: “Your Heart Was Glass, I Dropped It”

“champagne problems” (2020)
It’s one thing to feel broken when a romantic partner ends things. But what if you’re the one doing the breaking? That’s the story “champagne problems” tells, from the point of view of a woman who rejected her boyfriend’s proposal. As you can imagine, the ballad is chock-full of passages that level us. The bridge alone has multiple we could point to. But the lyric that might hurt the most actually comes earlier in the song, when our narrator uses striking imagery to describe hurting her former love. It conveys just how sensitive and fragile a heart is, and how easily it can shatter if mishandled – ouch. Needless to say, when “champagne problems” is on, we’re singing passionately through a sea of tears.

#5: “Give Me Back My Girlhood, It Was Mine First”

“Would've, Could've, Should've” (2022)
In the “Speak Now”-era track “Dear John,” Swift sings about a past romance with someone older in harrowing fashion. “Midnight”’s “Would've, Could've, Should've” is widely believed to be a continuation of this story, with the once 19-year-old protagonist now grown and reflecting on the relationship’s toxicity. From the moment it starts, our chests tighten as we take in each loaded word. One lyric in particular stops us dead in our tracks, utterly gutting us. Being robbed of one’s youthful innocence, or girlhood – and longing to reclaim it in adulthood – is a trauma many know intimately. The vulnerability and strength in Swift’s voice as she delivers the line only adds to its impact, making it one of her most unforgettable creations yet.

#4: “I've Been Having a Hard Time Adjusting, I Had the Shiniest Wheels, Now They're Rusting”

“this is me trying” (2020)
If you ask any Swiftie to name “folklore”’s most soul-stirring song, we’re betting a fair few would pick “this is me trying.” The somber dream pop number is an ode to the strength it takes to live, and validates the importance of pushing past mistakes and self-doubt. And yes, it leaves us reeling from the jump. If you’ve ever found yourself struggling, and believed that your metaphorical wheels had lost their shine, these opening lyrics are sure to hit you extremely hard. The words flawlessly evoke what it’s like to feel like your life has gone off-course. The track doesn’t get any less candid as it goes on, either. We haven’t been the same since we first heard it.

#3: "Who Am I Supposed to Talk To? What Am I Supposed to Do, if There’s No You?"

“Soon You'll Get Better” feat. the Chicks (2019)
It’s no secret that Taylor Swift and her mother Andrea are extremely close. “The Best Day” never fails to move us, as Swift brings their bond to sweet life. As lovely as that is though, we have to spotlight “Soon You'll Get Better.” The ballad touches upon Andrea’s journey with cancer and emphasizes how deeply Taylor hopes for recovery. So it’s impossible for us to maintain our composure when it plays. The number reaches an emotional climax at the bridge, where, through two seemingly simple questions, the singer captures the immense, unconditional love she has for her mom. We immediately grasp how much she means to her, and it’s beautifully poignant. It doesn’t get much rawer or realer than that.

#2: “... I'm Begging for Footnotes in the Story of Your Life”

“tolerate it” (2020)
Few things hurt like being ignored. In “tolerate it” the protagonist sings about giving everything to an older man, only for him to take her for granted and toss her to the side. It’s a heart-rending premise that comes to a head once the gripping bridge rolls in. We can sense the narrator has had enough of merely being tolerated by her partner, as she recounts how he created a life she has no real part in anymore. Though she made him the center of her universe, she’s forced to plead if she wants the smallest bit of affection. Gut-wrenchingly poetic, this passage features just the right blend of anger and hurt. The effect is earth-shattering, stinging in ways we didn’t even think were possible.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“...Hope It Never Ends, I'd Never Walk Cornelia Street Again”, “Cornelia Street” (2019)

Great Loves Really Do Make You Feel This Way

“I've Been the Archer, I've Been the Prey…”, “The Archer” (2019)

Just One in a Series of Poignant Lyrics We Could Never Leave Behind

“My Love Had Been Frozen, Deep Blue, but You Painted Me Golden”, “Dancing with Our Hands Tied” (2017)

A Reminder That Healing & Love Exist

“...Some Things You Just Can't Speak About”, “epiphany” (2020)

A Haunting Encapsulation of the Tragedies We Can’t Bear to Discuss

“What Do You Do, When the One Who Means the Most to You…”, “The Moment I Knew (Taylor’s Version)” (2021)

Disappointment & Heartbreak Rolled Into One

#1: All of It

“All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)” (2021)
“Red (Taylor’s Version)” has several songs that make us curl up in a ball. We’d be remiss not to mention “Nothing New” and its painfully familiar look into young adulthood. But of course, no tune wrecks us like the 10 minute version of “All Too Well.” It’s dripping in everything from hurt to fury, as Swift processes a defunct relationship. We swear there’s not a passage that doesn’t make us audibly gasp. The bridge in particular comes at us like a ton of bricks, with fervent talk of casual cruelty completely taking us out. We don’t get a chance to recover, either, as more devastating lyrics soon enter the picture. You could say the power ballad proverbially maims us.