<aside> 💡 Written in collaboration with Jack Antonoff, this song was partly inspired by a friend of Sara’s who was struggling to come out as gay. Taylor had Sara as a guest on her Red Tour singing Brave, and when she was introducing it she said that she has listened to the song “hundreds and hundreds of times”

Taylor Swift & Sara Bareilles - Brave (Live on the Red Tour)

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Other Artist

You can be amazing

You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug

You can be the outcast

Or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love

Or you can start speaking up

Nothing's gonna hurt you the way that words do

When they settle 'neath your skin

Kept on the inside and no sunlight

Sometimes a shadow wins

But I wonder what would happen if you

Say what you wanna say

And let the words fall out

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say

And let the words fall out

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you

I just wanna see you

I just wanna see you

I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you

I just wanna see you

I just wanna see you

I wanna see you be brave

Everybody's been there

Everybody's been stared down by the enemy

Fallen for the fear

And done some disappearing

Bow down to the mighty

Don't run, stop holding your tongue

Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live

Maybe one of these days you can let the light in

Show me how big your brave is

Say what you wanna say

And let the words fall out

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say

And let the words fall out

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave

And since your history of silence

Won't do you any good

Did you think it would?

Let your words be anything but empty

Why don't you tell them the truth?

Say what you wanna say

And let the words fall out

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say

And let the words fall out

Honestly, I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you

I just wanna see you

I just wanna see you

I wanna see you be brave

I just wanna see you

I just wanna see you

I just wanna see you

See you be brave

I just wanna see you (yeah)

I just wanna see you (oh o)

I just wanna see you

I just wanna see you

I just wanna see you

I just wanna see you

Links with Taylor’s Art

Taylor is infamous for including incredibly catchy phrases in her songs, and also loves to turn a phrase. If this lyric was singing about Taylor’s ability to write songs in this way, it would be speaking to her talent for her songs being aimed at ex-lovers, the industry, the “bullies” of the world (weapon) and her songs being addictive to listen to (drug) ‣ ‣

A big theme in Taylor Swift’s music has been feeling like an outcast. ‣

A lyric that could relate to Taylor “speaking” about her sexuality is from Illicit Affairs: “You taught me a secret language I can’t speak with anyone else.” She has also repeatedly used themes around silence & being loud, both of which could speak to her feelings about her closeted sexuality. For example, the following lyrics could speak to her feelings around staying closeted: “spineless in my tomb of silence” and “you had a speech you’re speechless.” ‣ ‣

Taylor has used sunlight to describe queer love but also to potentially describe a queer lover that was a catalyst to her discovery her queerness in a deeper/newer/stronger way. A lot of Gaylors believe the sun theme represents Taylor’s love with Karlie Kloss. But it can also represent Taylor stepping into her queerness in general. Getaway Car - the light of freedom on my face You Need To Calm Down - Sunshine on the street at the parade

Daylight - you gotta step into the daylight and let it go Sun/sunshine/daylight

Taylor has often mentioned bravery but has also mentioned her fears a lot too. Both of these themes give us an understanding of how she may feel about her journey with queerness and closeting: ‣ State Of Grace: We learn to live with the pain, mosaic broken hearts, but this love is brave and wild My Tears Ricochet: ‘Cause when I’d fight you used to tell me I was brave

‣ Dancing With Our Hands Tied - I, I loved you in spite of Deep fears that the world would divide us peace - I never had the courage of my convictions As long as danger is near

Taylor has oftentimes referenced how she makes her queerness “disappear” or be “invisible,” sometimes describing hiding. Some examples from the ‣ and ‣

• So It Goes - You make everyone **disappear/**Met you in a bar all eyes on me your illusionist
• I Know Places We Can Hide
• Dear Reader - So I wander through these nights I prefer hiding in plain sight

Taylor has utilised the theme of running away often throughout her discography, usually symbolising a forbidden relationship running away from judgemental or dangerous society. It’s interesting to note that Taylor makes an exception to Sara Bareilles’ advice in this line with It’s Time To Go: “Sometimes to run is the brave thing” ‣

• I Know Places - They are the hunters, we are the foxes, and we run
• Ivy: So tell me to run or dare to sit and watch what we’ll become
• Better Man - The bravest thing I ever did was run
• Dear Reader - Dear reader, get out your map, pick somewhere, and just run

Taylor has used cage imagery often throughout her discography to represent how fame feels to her but also she could be expressing how closeting feels. ‣

• So It Goes- Gold cage, hostage to my feelings
• Original Cardigan lyric - I knew you living in a gold age sneaking to my bird cage
• Midnights Announcement Post - We twist in our self-made cages and pray that we aren’t - right this minute - about to make some fateful life-altering mistake