Key contrast: “baby let the games begin” and “I want to be your end game”
Story: I have to play games in the industry now but I don’t want to play them forever
Taylor starts the Reputation album with a willingness to patiently & skilfully play the games she needs to play in order to end up with her lover: “I know I’m gonna be with you so I take my time” “baby let the games begin.” The following track, End Game, looks towards the future result of the couple’s efforts: “I want to be your end game.” Assuming that Taylor isn’t oblivious to this contrast could lead us to believe she is wanting to purposefully draw people’s attention to her feelings about the “games” she has to play in the public eye.
Key contrast: “help I’m still at the restaurant” and “when the dinner gets cold and the chatter gets old you ask for the tab”
Story: I was stuck in the restaurant for a long time but found the courage to leave
| Right Where You Left Me | It’s Time To Go | |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant | help I’m still at the restaurant | when the dinner gets cold and the chatter gets old you ask for the tab |
| Frozen | Did you ever hear about the girl who got frozen? | He’s got my past frozen behind glass |
| End of friendship | Friends break up | Not a twin from your dreams she’s a crook who was caught |
| Rumours | Rumours fly through new skies | When the words of sister come back in whispers |
| Glass | Glass shattered on the white cloth | He’s got my past frozen behind glass |
| More than friends | Friends break up friends get married | Or that moment again he’s insisting that friends look at each other like that |
| Kids | Kids and Christmas | Or trying to stay for the kids when keeping it how it is will only break their hearts worse |
| Crying | I could feel the mascara run | 15 years, 15 million tears begging ‘til my knees bled |