The song 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word 'fortnight' shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
In every heart there is a room
A sanctuary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past
Until a new one comes along
I spoke to you in cautious tones
You answered me with no pretense
And still I feel I said too much
My silence is my self defense
And every time I've held a rose
It seems I only felt the thorns
And so it goes, and so it goes
And so will you soon I suppose
But if my silence made you leave
Then that would be my worst mistake
So I will share this room with you
And you can have this heart to break
And this is why my eyes are closed
It's just as well for all I've seen
And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows
So I would choose to be with you
That's if the choice were mine to make
But you can make decisions too
And you can have this heart to break
And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows
A sanctuary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past
Until a new one comes along
I spoke to you in cautious tones
You answered me with no pretense
And still I feel I said too much
My silence is my self defense
And every time I've held a rose
It seems I only felt the thorns
And so it goes, and so it goes
And so will you soon I suppose
But if my silence made you leave
Then that would be my worst mistake
So I will share this room with you
And you can have this heart to break
And this is why my eyes are closed
It's just as well for all I've seen
And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows
So I would choose to be with you
That's if the choice were mine to make
But you can make decisions too
And you can have this heart to break
And so it goes, and so it goes
And you're the only one who knows
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Fortnight
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
They're right. It's about Elle MacPherson, not Elizabeth, though it's entirely possible that (based on other things we know about Joel) the two were taking place at about the same time.
I admire and respect the man, and he's probably my favorite artist of all time, but even I can admit that he isn't exactly known for his fidelity.
He does state in interviews that this about Elle however, and they didn't start (publicly) dating until he was divorced from Elizabeth.
well, yeah, here i go again not being able to express myself. but after the conversation i had with this amazing boy last nite, it's exactly how i feel. i'll share my room if he wants, but i can't help thinking he won't want to . . .
To write a song this deep, you MUST know what hurt is. The great songwriters have LIVED. That is the only way they can touch you so profoundly.
What a piece life this song is!
I heard this song from the mixed honor choir in Alabama and just cried my heart out. I am a very quiet person and have experienced good and bad things because of it. It is hard to know when to stay quiet and when to express your love or gratitude. Love the love. And dont be afraid.
@JessiL so if you posted this comment 18 years ago, that means i was around a year old. I’m 18 now and I’m my senior year of high school and I recommended we do this song for my chamber choir because it was the only song that left me breathless when I first heard it as a freshman from the chamber choir at the time. Just thought this was interesting
I'm listening to this right now and it is a beautiful song, but i find it very sad but at the same time hopeful.
In every heart there is a room, (there is a place of refuge within ones self) A sanctuary safe and strong, (A place of healing and safety from heart break) To heal the wounds of lovers past, (It is a place of recovery from past heart break) Until a new one comes a long, (Until a new lover comes along)
I spoke to you (new lover) in cautious tone, (I was scared to tell you about myself) You answered me with no pretense, (You answered me without pretending to love me) But still i fear ive said to much, (Im afraid ive told you to much about my self) My silence is my self defense, (Being quiet is the only way to keep from being hurt again)
And every time ive held a rose, (every time that ive had love) It seems ive only felt the thorns, (its seems ive always gotten hurt) And so it goes, and so it goes, (And so it leaves me) And so will you soon i suppose, (Im guessing you will leave me heart broken like every one else has)
But if my silence made you leave, (If my insecurity made you leave me) Then that would be my worst mistake, (Then i could miss out on true love) So i will share this room with you, (So you can enter my place of refuge) And you can have this heart to break, (And you can break my heart)
And this is why my eyes are closed, (This is why i cant see if you will hurt me) Its just as well for all ive seen, (Its because ive seen alot of people who love me and leave me) And so it goes and so it goes, (And it continues) But your the only one who knows, (You are the first person ive told this to)
So i will choose to be with you, (I will trust you) As if the choice were mine to make, (As if I could resist you) But you can make decisions too, (But you can do what you want to me) And you can have this heart to break, (And you can break my heart)
This song not only touches on heart break but it touches on the effects of heart break. After a heart is broken the person tends to be more cautious, and to say the least timid, about trusting another person. But the previous lover masked them selves so well that there is no way for a person with a broken heart to tell the difference between someone trying to hurt them or love them. So after a while the person with a broken heart will surrender his/her defense and just give in to anyone that seems suitable. Giving that person the chance to break there heart once more.
-Anthony Johnson
The lyrics for this song are pretty straightforward and simple, but I really think that this song is supposed to relate to a breakup. Not someone who wants someone else to like them, but knows it not gonna happen, etc. etc.
"In every heart there is a room A sanctuary safe and strong To heal the wounds from lovers past Until a new one comes along"
This first stanza is not exactly an intro, but a synopsis of the song. The last two lines suggest that the narrator is going through a breakup.
I guess the reason why I'm writing this is because, like everyone else here, I relate to this song and cry to it. I've been with someone for more than half a year now, and after this summer we're probably breaking up because of college/distance.
"I spoke to you in cautious tones You answered me with no pretense And still I feel I said too much My silence is my self defense"
This part really speaks to me. When we talked about this inevitable situation, he really "answered with no pretense." And for me, I draw back in silence because I'm always too afraid to speak out my feelings. It's almost as if speaking them out is confronting my feelings, which will lead to more tears and pain.
"So I would choose to be with you That's if the choice were mine to make But you can make decisions too And you can have this heart to break"
This part always makes me cry the hardest. I feel that since I'm the one staying, and he the one leaving..he feels more comfortable ending the relationship, because he's moving on to something new and exciting. It is really up to him to decide how this relationship will play out in the end, and I think the narrator here feels the same way. Just waiting for the verdict.
If you actually read through all this, thank you, and this song is really therapeutic for me.
this song really speaks to me, since i've definitely lost relationships by keeping silent. i really love it, and it reminds me of one specific time in my life, and i end up crying almost every time i hear it. i have a great version of it live at the NYE concert and i love it.
My friends at All-State told me I had to hear this, and each verse reminds me of one of my friends. The first verse makes me think of Kelli L. she is there to heal wounds and to help me and give me a "room" in her heart until I'm better. The second reminds me of Lindsay B. I speak to her a LOT and I do it in "cautious tones" because I know she will always know what's up with me. Once Im through I feel like I have spoken too much, and so I try to be silent and not speak so much. Hence, my silence is my self-defense. The third reminds me of really of myself. I never really see the beauty of the "rose" (situation) until it has passed, and I while it is there I feel all the thorns and negativeness about it. The fourth, without a doubt reminds me of Jessi L. She is the most soft-spoken, yet honest person I know, and I am sure she is afraid that her silence will make others leave, when in fact it makes them stay. And while they stay, she finds a place for them, and allows them to leave and break her heart. The fifth, oddly, reminds me of Ashley B. It seems odd, but I really think she keeps her "eyes" closed because of all she has seen. I dont wanna tell anything, but it very much applies to her. And lastly, the 6th verse is Melissa J. she wants to be a friend to all, that's if she could make the choice, but it's not always her choice, so sometimes, she will kindly acknowledge that we can make choices too, and lets people break her heart. And so it goes, and so it goes.
this song makes me cry every single time i listen to it..i love it so much, even billy sounds sad when he's singing it...its just amazing