2 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Illicit Affairs Lyrics
Make sure nobody sees you leave
Hood over your head, keep your eyes down
Tell your friends you're out for a run
You'll be flushed when you return
Take the road less traveled by
Tell yourself you can always stop
What started in beautiful rooms
Ends with meetings in parking lots
And that's the thing about illicit affairs
And clandestine meetings and longing stares
It's born from just one single glance
But it dies and it dies and it dies
A million little times
Leave the perfume on the shelf
That you picked out just for him
So you leave no trace behind
Like you don't even exist
Take the words for what they are
A dwindling, mercurial high
A drug that only worked
The first few hundred times
And that's the thing about illicit affairs
And clandestine meetings and stolen stares
They show their truth one single time
But they lie and they lie and they lie
A million little times
And you wanna scream
Don't call me "kid," don't call me "baby"
Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me
You showed me colors you know I can't see with anyone else
Don't call me "kid," don't call me "baby"
Look at this idiotic fool that you made me
You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else
And you know damn well
For you, I would ruin myself
A million little times
Hood over your head, keep your eyes down
Tell your friends you're out for a run
You'll be flushed when you return
Take the road less traveled by
Tell yourself you can always stop
What started in beautiful rooms
Ends with meetings in parking lots
And clandestine meetings and longing stares
It's born from just one single glance
But it dies and it dies and it dies
A million little times
That you picked out just for him
So you leave no trace behind
Like you don't even exist
Take the words for what they are
A dwindling, mercurial high
A drug that only worked
The first few hundred times
And clandestine meetings and stolen stares
They show their truth one single time
But they lie and they lie and they lie
A million little times
Don't call me "kid," don't call me "baby"
Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me
You showed me colors you know I can't see with anyone else
Don't call me "kid," don't call me "baby"
Look at this idiotic fool that you made me
You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else
And you know damn well
For you, I would ruin myself
A million little times
Song Info
Copyright
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/atv Music Publishing Llc
Writer
Jack Michael Antonoff, Taylor A. Swift
Duration
3:10
Submitted by
aj96 On Jul 24, 2020
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
This is one of the songs that Swift has mentioned as a teenage love triangle. This song is from the point of view of the girl who the boy cheated with. “illicit affairs” is a song of how an affair and lying can kill you “a million little times”. This is a song that shows the attraction of cheating without the moral superiority found in many other songs. “illicit affairs” is a pensive song where the girl knows she was the other girl, but she cannot reason why to continue the relationship. She knows what has happened, and she wants no part of it.
The tenth track of Taylor's new album 'Folklore' was written by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff. Produced by Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift. It was recorded by Laura Sisk at the Kitty Committee Studio (Los Angeles, CA) and Jack Antonoff at Rough Customer Studio (Brooklyn, NY). Mixed by Serban Ghenea at Mixstar Studios (Virginia Beach, VA). Mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound (New York, NY). The track was released on July 24, 2020.
What the artist means On the ‘illicit affairs’ Taylor Swift goes in on this stringy instrumental as he tries to make some meaning out of the seemingly meaningless. The beat is soft and gives Taylor's voice so much texture as she croons about an illicit affair. Here she's reminiscing a relationship which was kept a secret for so long that both her and her ex-lover were a secret item without even their closest friends knowing. She paints a very vivid picture with references and imagery about the times she shared in this illicit affair. The beat is perfect for what she's trying to achieve and she sounds a little hurt on this one as she uses stronger words here than we are used to. The track is over almost as soon as it begins and is such a subtle flex that no matter how different Taylor advertises an album to be she'll never forget her roots in heartbreak, revenge and sounding good about it.
What the song means to me The song makes me quite scared and leaves me looking across my shoulder. I can imagine how the ex-lover would feel when he stumbles on this track during his off work hours. It makes me remember a few illicit affairs I had back in the day and how we would be all sneaky about it and steal kisses and stares when out mutual buddies left the room. The track doesn't feel sung out of spite but it is a subtle reminder that no matter how bug these artistes are they are still humans capable of being loved and also expressing hate in unquantifiable measures. I will give this song a rating of 9/10.