Blank Space

This song is Swift's response to the negative reputation the media has given her.

"I can make the bad guys good for a weekend" - the bad guys are the paparazzi to Swift, but are good to the "player" since association with Swift immediately gives publicity. Any publicity is good publicity and Swift knows this.

"You can tell me when it's over" - the tabloids rumor relationships are over before the couple announces it officially.

With this song Swift is portraying the way she is portrayed by the media. It is a sarcastic jab at how she views herself and how her "ex-lovers" only wanted to be with her to increase their fame.

I applaud the brilliance in writing about how you always write about relationships. It is expected so Swift is giving the media what they want and profiting off the attention.

Welcome to New York” may be wide-eyed and innocent, but the acid “Blank Space” is anything but. Those who don’t listen closely might miss the irony, but the song finds Swift—over a hip-hop-influenced drum machine beat recorded with Max Martin and Shellback—sending up her own reputation as a naive heartbreaker, a “nightmare dressed like a daydream.” “I’ve got a long list of ex-lovers,” she warns, plus “a blank space baby/ And I’ll write your name.”

when `it says I've got a long list of ex-lovers, I always thought it said starbucks-lovers, and I was just like huh?

I think this song has a much deeper meaning then how the music video actually portrays it. I think the song is actually quite sad, and it's basically Taylor expressing how she has lost hope in finding a relationship that is actually going to be successful. The media has given her the reputation of being a slut and being with many men, and she is using that stigma to show us how she is only looking for a relationship that will be eternal for her.

I find the sad part is how she disses herself in the song, which adds to the idea that she is losing hope of the possibility of love. For example; "You can tell me when it's over, if the high was worth the pain." She's treating the relationship likes it is already doomed and will go nowhere.

That's my interpretation. I may be wrong and maybe it really is just about Taylor Swift being a psychopath. I can't tell with her nowadays. xD

In an interview with Global News, Swift stated that she wrote this song from the perspective of a character she created based on claims made about her by the media. The character combines the various portrayals of her dating persona — being overly attached, dating just for publicity etc. In “Blank Space” she has spotted a bad boy and although she knows he is trouble she still wants to pursue him and have fun. She simply cannot resist a bad boy.

I looooooooooooooooove this song, but I am a little disappointed that she's not country anymore.

Firstly, Tay-Swift is an INCREDIBLE artist. This song is meant to be a satire, directed mainly at the media. There are virtually two meanings to the song, so I am going to add two comments to this page. One which is the romantic interpretation to this song (as is this one) and the other (titled 'Song Meaning') which explains the version Taylor really meant :)

Nice to meet you, where you been? (He is a new guy she's met, and she seems to have really connected with him immediately) I could show you incredible things (She has 'money'- maybe the real, substantial money, or maybe the other kind of things that are valuable, such as love or thrill.) Magic, madness, heaven sin (magical love of fairytales, refering to living fantasies, madness involved in love, 'heavenly' times, 'sinful' activities which could mean sex or anything that is impure- a romance of the novels is what she promises) Saw you there and I thought (she says she saw him once and was immediately attracted) Oh my God, look at that face (she feels he's extremely desirable) You look like my next mistake ('next mistake' is significant here, meaning that she's been in these 'hot-rich-fairytale-romances' before, and each one was a disaster after another) Love’s a game, want to play? (she has always taken love to be a game; something casual that is just made of fun. She wants this new guy to 'play this game' meaning fall in love together and see what comes of it. The word 'game' can also be taken to mean a competition that appears friendly, meaning that they do fall in love together, except now she feels it's just a race to see who lasts better when it ends- or if the game never ends at all) New money, suit and tie (the boy is classy and rich- he's more of a 'man') I can read you like a magazine (she has been with guys like him before, and knows his kind immediately. The word 'magazine' is significant as it is a show of her nature- she is a young girl immersed in casual love and is the type that changes boyfriends like her clothes.) Ain't it funny, rumors, lie [it is actually rumours fly] (she's seen this happen so many times before- the rumours, the lies- that it appears funny now) And I know you heard about me (and she knows he's heard that she's the rich b!tch of town, and yet he's here- which could mean he's interested in that) So hey, let's be friends (contrary to popular belief, this line actually holds a lot of her character. The word 'friends' here is a metaphor for 'casual love'; she is shown as someone who has degraded the concept of romance to nothing but the level of friendship, as she has lost any respect she once held for true love- which means that there were serious relationships in her life, but they changed her attitude for the worse) I'm dying to see how this one ends (she is so sure of this; she knows it's casual, and she has stopped getting involved in something as 'stupid' as love now, because she's faced severe heartbreak before. She wants to see how this one's going to end) Grab your passport and my hand ('Passport' is symbolic of 'ticket to entrance' as in, she wants him to come into her life, not missing out on an luxuries he has to offer, which is why she's interested in the first place) I can make the bad guys good for a weekend ('weekend' means a short time. She says that she knows how to hush up these bad boys into obedient puppies she can control; she knows the tricks now. This line may also be taken as a sexual innuendo)

So it's gonna be forever (so this relationship could either last forever) Or it's gonna go down in flames (or they would break up, and it'd be another disaster 'similar to a fire') You can tell me when it's over (she is so used to having to leave the guys that she lets him that he can tell her whenever he wants out) If the high was worth the pain (..and he can tell her his final image of this relationship; if the superificial high of this relationship was worth the pain of the break up) Got a long list of ex-lovers (she's had so many relationships before) They'll tell you I'm insane (and each guy says she's crazy) 'Cause you know I love the players (because she always falls for the players; i.e. those willing to play the game) And you love the game (and she knows the 'players' love the game)

'Cause we're young and we're reckless (she knows that they're too young for love, and she knows they are far too reckless) We'll take this way too far (and she knows that in that whirl of recklessness, they'll end up taking it a little too seriously) It'll leave you breathless (she knows that this whirlwind; this rollercoaster will leave HIM out of breath i.e. broken hearted.) Or with a nasty scar (or with a scar to deep in the heart. Note: she says 'you' not 'us' because she implies that she's so used to the pain, that it doesn't affect her any more.) Got a long list of ex-lovers They'll tell you I'm insane But I've got a blank space baby (her 'list' is extremely long, but there's still space for more. This 'list' means her heart, actually, implying that she has given away so much, but she's willing to give more because she's immune to it now.) And I'll write your name (and she'll fill that space with him now)

Cherry lips, crystal skies (refers to fantasies and fairytales) I could show you incredible things Stolen kisses, pretty lies (meaning the novel, authentic love story. Stolen kisses meaning sidelined kisses, and pretty lies are the pretence of this so-called 'love') You're the king baby I'm your Queen (They feel royal this way) Find out what you want (she'll see to it that she figures him out completely) Be that girl for a month (and becomes the girl he'll love for a while) Wait the worst is yet to come, oh no (because she is certain that the downhill will come soon) Screaming, crying, perfect storm (the betrayal, the downhill- it will be powerful and have a profound negative impact, turning it all to a 'storm') I can make all the tables turn (She can pin the entire blame on the guy) Rose gardens filled with thorns (This love was beautiful as a 'rose' but it was flooded with the 'thorns' of vices) Keep you second guessing like (she'll keep him second-guessing himself; make him believe it was his fault entirely) "Oh my God, who is she?" (she will point out betrayals) I get drunk on jealousy (this implies she has had problems of jealousy before, which is what makes her 'insane' to the others. It is plausible that it was her jealousy and possessiveness that caused her first few heartbreaks and led her to believe that love was non-existent and it was all about playing) But you'll come back each time you leave (but she knows that despite what she does, the guy will always try to come back with an apology) 'Cause darling I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream (because she's beautiful and she satisfies him; she makes him believe that she's a 'daydream' when in reality, she is a trainwreck-maginitude nightmare inside)

-chorus-

Boys only want love if it's torture (This further proves that she has been in bad but serious relationships before, and she was heartbroken each time, leading her to believing that all guys love the pain involved in love) Don't say I didn't say I didn't warn ya (she tells the women around the world that that's just how it is, and it's not like she didn't warn them before encouraging this practice)

-Chorus-

Her response to the media.

This song is like so many of Taylor's greats. You can interpret it on a superficial level, but in reality, Taylor is communicating a message more profound. This song has nothing to do with the vagaries of boy-girl relations, nor is it a commentary on the media's perception of Taylor's love life.

This song is about the illusory attraction of drug addiction ("you look like my next mistake") and the tragic consequences ("you can tell me when it's over; was the high worth the pain?"). The narrator of the song is a personification of drug addiction. Taylor's singing is meant to be like a siren; it's as if the drug sings out to you, entices you, lies to you, to your ultimate ruin.

The song starts by with the drug proclaiming the qualities of recreational drug use: "I could show you incredible things; Magic, madness, heaven sin." But the drug proves to turn quickly on it's next victim. The addicted victim is portrayed as "New money, suit and tie." In other words, no matter the person's position in life or accomplishments, once the drug takes hold, "I can read you like a magazine." The tide turns. The hunter becomes the hunted.

The lines, "Got a long list of ex-lovers; they'll tell you I'm insane" refers to the recovered addicts who know the truth, and struggle their entire lives to maintain sobriety. "But you'll come back each time you leave; 'cause darling I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream."

The song eventually ascends to its core message: "But I've got a blank space baby, and I'll write your name." This line represents drug addiction claiming its next fatality: The "blank space" is the victim's headstone, being prepared for the burial service.

This song is about living with Borderline Personality Disorder, a cluster B personality disorder characterized by frequent mood swings and short, turbulent relationships.

While Swift claims this is a knock at how the media portrayed her throughout the early 2010's as her career was on the rise, the intricate details of the lyrics exhibit first-hand knowledge of a very specific mental illness, and its' most prominent symptoms.

The first verse describes how individuals with BPD often have a tendency to fall in love very quickly, and "love-bomb" their targets by aggressively pursuing them and making the relationship very intense, very quickly, as opposed to letting it develop naturally. Swift's lyrics also allude to how many of these individuals have a reputation within their social circles, and will manipulate their targets into ignoring red flags by directly addressing rumours about them and claiming others were just "jealous."

The second verse details a pattern of behavior called "mirroring", in which individuals with BPD often do not have a personality of their own, but rather "copy" their significant other's likes and interest to role-play as the perfect girlfriend for the initial stages of the relationship.

The second half of verse 2 details a symptom called "splitting", in which the individual with BPD grows tired of their significant other for no reason, and decides the S/O is evil incarnate. This often involves temper tantrums, meltdowns, and other extreme emotional outbursts which leave the guy astronomically confused. The final line refers to a concept called "narcissistic hoovering", in which guys are often baited back into these relationships by promises the woman will change. She never does.

The chorus addresses typical BPD tropes such as how the relationships often go "down in flames," a long list of exes claim the particular woman is "insane" (often proven true), how dating a woman with the disorder can provide a "high" during the initial lovebombing stage, and she runs through guys so frequently that the S/O's names are difficult to keep up with.

The breakdown refers to how these women often say, quite directly at the start of the relationship, that they have serious mental issues, and to avoid dating them. Men often don't take heed to their warnings.

For Swift to write this intricately about a mental illness, is very concerning, and I suspect this song will take on a new life in her later years, once she is out of the spotlight.