All Too Well was the first song I ever loved. In the fourth grade, I inherited my sister’s old iPod, which was meant to entertain me during long car rides. All of Red was downloaded on there- and I just remember thinking that ATW was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. I didn’t understand the lyrics at the time. Honestly, I thought it was about an old friend who literally stole her scarf, and Taylor is just awaiting her revenge.

Anyway, now that I’m about the age she was when she wrote it, I can finally attach the song to my own personal experiences, and it’s just so powerful. To me, the entire album represents not only my first heartbreak, but also my experience growing up and listening to those songs in the car. I just find that her early albums are more about a tender coming-of-age than anything else. Nothing is more eye roll inducing than when someone tries to pin the music she made in her teens as being purely about her relationships.

I just wanted to see if anyone else has grown to finally understand the depth of her lyricism now that they’re finally young adults themselves!