Taylor Swift Previews 'Speak Now'

Singer tries to sabotage an ex-lover's wedding day in the title track from her forthcoming album.
By Jocelyn Vena

Taylor Swift
Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

Taylor Swift has graduated from writing lyrics about boys on the football team to penning songs about guys getting married. The country singer released the title track from her forthcoming album Speak Now on Tuesday morning, and in the song, she sings from the perspective of a woman whose former lover is on the verge of walking down the aisle.

Swift isn't angry with this guy, who just might be inspired by someone she knows. In fact, she's still very much in love with him and wants to make sure he doesn't marry the wrong girl.

"I am not the kind of girl who should be rudely barging in on a white affair occasion," she sings. "But you are not the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girl."

Soon, the wedding-crashing Swift is pleading to her ex to forgo the "I do"s and run away with her. "Don't say it. Let's run away now. I'll meet you when you're out of the church at the back door," she croons in the chorus. "Don't wait to say a single vow. You need to hear me out and you say speak now."

As the song progresses, we learn a lot about the bride, who wears poofy wedding gowns, has a very stuffy-seeming family and (perhaps justifiably) hates Swift. In the bridge, Swift sings, "Horrified looks from everyone in the room, but I'm only looking at you," before echoing the song's opening pleas. "I am not the kind of girl who should be rudely barging in on a white affair occasion," she says. "But you are not the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girl."

Listeners aren't left hanging to find out who Swift's target ends up with. In a narrative twist that echoes earlier Swift tracks like "Love Story" and "You Belong With Me," she gets the guy: "And you say, 'Let's run away now. I'll meet you when I'm out of my tux at the back door. Baby, I didn't say a vow. So glad you were around when they said, "Speak Now."' "

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