Taylor Swift's Ruin the Friendship lyrics are speaking to us for more reasons than one. Allow us to explain…
After the release of The Life of a Showgirl tracklist, many Swifties were quick to speculate that the song might relate to Taylor Swift's relationship with Blake Lively. In fact, Ruin the Friendship seems to have a totally different meaning, with the song conjuring the relatable feeling of not acting on a crush out of fear of ruining a friendship.
So who is the song about? Let's decode these Taylor Swift's Ruin the Friendship lyrics once and for all.
Taylor Swift's Ruin the Friendship lyrics explained
As above, the song starts off by conjuring an image of Taylor Swift's high school days, with her singing “Glistening grass from September rain / Grey overpass full of neon names /You drive (Mm-mm), eighty-five (Mm-mm) / Gallatin Road and the Lakeside Beach / Watching the game from your brother's Jeep / Your smile (Mm-mm), miles wide”.
Ugh, wholesome vibes aplenty. Sadly, the song continues on to the bridge when we get the revelation that her friend has passed away, with Taylor expressing her regret that she never got a chance to kiss them.
The bridge explains how Swift learnt of her friend's passing from her longtime bestie Abigail Anderson Berard: “When I left school, I lost track of you / Abigail called me with the bad news / Goodbye, and we’ll never know why / It was not an invitation / But I flew home anyway / With so much left to say / It was not convenient, no / But I whispered it at the grave / “Should’ve kissed you anyway.”"
We're not crying, you are.
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Ultimately, Swift continues by urging others not to make the same mistake and instead be true to your feelings at the risk of “[ruining] the friendship”.
“My advice is always ruin the friendship / Better that than regret it / For all time / Should’ve kissed you anyway / And my advice is always answer the question / Better that than to ask it / All your life.”
The song concludes with "Should've kissed you anyway / Should've kissed you anyway."
Ugh, this is all far too relatable. 🤧
Only one of Hollywood's biggest icons, mind you.
Who is Ruin the Friendship about?
So who actually is this friend? While Swift doesn't explicitly name anyone in the song, we know that she lost a close high school friend in her early 20s. Specifically, at the 2010 BMI Country Music Awards, the singer spoke about the death of Jeff Lang who had died days prior to the event.
Speaking at the awards she said “Yesterday, I sang at the funeral of one of my best friends, and he was 21, and I used to play my songs for him first. So I would like to thank Jeff Lang.”
Swifties also believe Taylor's Forever Winter song in which she details her concern for a close friend's wellbeing to be about Lang.
Ultimately, Ruin the Friendship is one of Swift's most heartfelt on The Life of a Showgirl. You can see the full Ruin the Friendship lyrics below, along with the visualiser for the song.
"You had to make your own sunshine, but now the sky is opalite."
Taylor Swift's Ruin the Friendship lyrics in full
1st verse
Glistening grass from September rain
Grey overpass full of neon names
You drive (Mm-mm), eighty-five (Mm-mm)
Gallatin Road and the Lakeside Beach
Watching the game from your brother's Jeep
Your smile (Mm-mm), miles wide
Chorus
And it was not an invitation
Should've kissed you anyway
Should've kissed you anyway
And it was not convenient, no
But your girlfriend was away
Should've kissed you anyway, hey
2nd verse
Shiny wood floors underneath my feet
Disco ball makes everything look cheap
Have fun (Mm-mm), it's prom (Mm-mm)
Wilted corsage dangles from my wrist
Over his shoulder, I catch a glimpsе
And see (Mm-mm) you lookin' at me
Chorus
And it was not an invitation
But as the 50 Cent song playеd (Song played)
Should've kissed you anyway (Anyway)
And it was not (It was not) convenient (Convenient), no
Would've been the best mistake
Should've kissed you anyway, hey
Refrain
Don't make it awkward in second period
Might piss your ex off, lately we've been good
Staying friends is safe, doesn't mean you should
Don't make it awkward in second period
Might piss your ex off, lately we've been good
Staying friends is safe, doesn't mean you should
Bridge
When I left school, I lost track of you
Abigail called me with the bad news
Goodbye, and we'll never know why
It was not an invitation
But I flew home anyway
With so much left to say
It was not convenient, no
But I whispered at the grave
"Should've kissed you anyway"
Chorus
Oh, and it was not (It was not) an invitation (An invitation)
Should've kissed you anyway (Anyway)
Should've kissed you anyway (Anyway), anyway
Post-chorus
And it was not—
My advice is to always ruin the friendship
Better that than regret it for all time
Should've kissed you anyway
And my advice is to always answer the question
Better that than to ask it all your life
Should've kissed you anyway
Should've kissed you anyway
Many fans think the “Actually Romantic” lyrics are a direct response to Brat's “Sympathy is a knife.”
