Speak Now Lyrics

Lyric discussion by robuneh 

Cover art for Speak Now lyrics by Taylor Swift

I've been a fan of Taylor since her first album came out, but in my opinion this is by far the worst piece of writing she has ever released.

Honestly, the first time I heard this song I started laughing because it's just... so bad. It's just awful. It ended up having the opposite effect on this listener to what Taylor intended - mainly that I hate her, and feel sorry for the bride-to-be instead.

"I am not the kind of girl Who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion But you are not the kind of boy Who should be marrying the wrong girl"

Is she implying that there are kinds of people who should be doing these things? Also, 'White veil occasion" is really, really awkward wording. Couldn't Taylor do better?

"And her snotty little family all dressed in pastel And she is yelling at a bridesmaid Somewhere back inside a room wearing a gown shaped like a pastry"

This is one of the things I hate the most about the song- it actually says more about her "reasons" for hating the bride than any actual reasons why she's in love with the man she's fighting for. And quite frankly, it's even ruder that she's dissing the bride at her own wedding, which she's almost about to ruin. Also, I love how she can't find a better insult other than that she doesn't like the dress.

"Fun gestures are exchanged And the organ starts to play a song that sounds like a death march And I am hiding in the curtains It seems that I was uninvited by your lovely bride-to-be"

Wait... 'fun gestures'? like what? What's even the point of that lyric? The organ death march. Again with the pissy insults towards the wedding. I know you love this guy and all, but it's not the bride-to-be's fault he's stupid enough to nearly marry someone he doesn't actually want to be with. Also, here it says she's hiding in the curtains. Who in real life wouldn't notice that? Secondly, later on it says she stands up when they say 'speak now or...', but how could she have been sitting down behind the curtain? It would stick out and her presence would be apparent. We know she's not in the seats because she's not supposed to be there and the bride would flip shit if she was there, so where the hell IS she? Also, that last line is really dumb. Can she seriously BLAME the the bride for not inviting her, since 1) It would probably be up to the man to invite her since it's not like she was the bride's friend and 2) SHE'S INTERRUPTING THE WEDDING. No WONDER she didn't want her around!

"I hear the preacher say speak now or forever hold your peace There�s the silence, there�s my last chance I stand up with shaking hands, all eyes on me Horrified looks from everyone in the room But I�m only looking at you"

okay, at least this verse makes logical sense and isn't just plain stupid. But I hate the ways she sings it, like she's trying to make 5 syllables out of one. It wouldn't bother me so much if I knew her voice could actually hit those notes in real life, but it's so obviously edited that it's painful. Taylor, you can't do that in real life, so singing as if you're bragging that you can do that DOESN'T WORK WHEN IT'S AUTO-TUNED.

But seriously, how can you not feel bad for the bride here? Taylor never said anything about why the bride's actually apparently a bitch. On the other hand, the narrator herself is barging in and ruining what's supposed to be one of the best days of the bride's life, stealing her near-husband from her and embarrassing her in front of all her close friends and family, not to mention revealing that her near-husband never loved her at all. I think she's got more than enough reason to be a little bitchy. Also, the guy sounds like an asshole. How dumb do you have to be to ALMOST MARRY someone you obviously don't love? Wow. Not to mention it's really inconsiderate that he didn't consider how hurt the bride-to-be would be.

Yeah, this couple were meant for each other.

My Opinion

I have to say, as much as I usually love Taylor, I agree with you here. I know this song is intended to be "tongue in cheek" and playful, and some lines do reach their purpose (I personally found the line about the pastry dress quite funny), but to me the whole thing just comes off as pretentious and almost bratty.

"You are not the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girl" What kind of boy SHOULD be marrying the wrong girl, exactly?

"I know you wish it was me" I'm actually...

Haha this made me laugh. I agree completely. But the melody is catchy and it's Taylor so people will like it. It's also been like a recurring story that people relate to. At least she didn't say his eyes were as blue as weather.

@its4amandimclumsy

Yeah, I agree. I honestly think it's the worst she's written so far. I wist was so much more creative.

I love your point about how she's always talking about being the 'better' girl. Who here really thinks it makes you a better person to ruin someone's future? Ugh, I hate that line as well. Obviously, if he wished it was you, HE'D BE MARRYING YOU, now wouldn't he?

I think one of the things that bothers me the most about the song is that so many of the lines feel like they're just there to be there;...