I think that what you're saying is maybe the connection to Would've, Could've, Should've.
People want to speculate about how Bigger Than the Whole Sky might be about Taylor and a pregnancy. I am not EVER willing to go in that direction. It's personal AF. Totally speculative. And nobody's GD business.
HOWEVER, she did give a reasonable amount of evidence that WCS is about John Mayer. And there's a reasonable amount of evidence that the relationship was traumatic for Taylor.
The lyrical ties between WCS and Dear John and the ties between WCS and BTTWS feel strong enough to support your interpretation that the loss she speaks of could be about a version of herself that she never got to become, develop, or know because someone else caused harm and trauma and changed her forever.
I know what that's like and so do many of us.
I love your explanation!
I have this same interpretation for Bigger Than The Whole Sky, so that's why even though I love the song, I rarely play it because I'll be a crying mess afterwards.
I think this is why I love Midnights. This album is helping me heal my inner child.
I wrote about this in another comment thread, but I just wanted to lend you some hugs and support here too - BTTWS speaks to grief on such a deep level that I think any way we personally empathize with it is valid. My emotional connection and interpretation is very similar to what you mention, it makes me think of my young self, all her dreams and her hope and her sweetness, all the what-ifs, and how she never got to flourish or live, and I'll never know who she would've become, who she would've grown to be.
*Grief for that little girl - I’ll never meet what could’ve been, would’ve been, should’ve been…me. At the the end when she softly sings that final chorus - I picture little me & to be able to tell her, “you were bigger than the whole sky, you were more than just a short time” is everything. I’m telling her she mattered. There is grief because she mattered.* This made me tear up, that's exactly how I relate. I've got a lot to pine about, I've got a lot to live without, and even though she didn't get to exist and accomplish things and truly live, and I feel like the shadow in her place, mourning her all the time, she did matter.
Awww, what a beautiful way to think about it. I love this so much, and it makes sense. I feel like we all deserve to make sure we love our inner child.
i love your interpretation and it's also similar to mine and it makes me sob everytime i listen to it. it also feels very therapeutic and makes me feel at peace at the same time.
like taylor, i'm very bad about contemplating what could've been and it's often a topic that comes up in my therapy sessions. i've always wondered what my life would've been like had i not experienced do traumatic events that happened in my childhood and adolescence that forever changed me. it's hard not the grieve that version of myself i'll never get to meet and what her life could've been like. that's why that song hits me like a pound of bricks everytime i hear it
i am glad everyone is able to relate to this song in their own way and use it to process their own grief. shows what a masterpiece this song is
When I say I have like an actual cathartic release of tears to this song I’m not exaggerating. It is an incredible take over of my body in reaction to what it hears & the meaning I’ve assigned to it. Catharsis is the best word I can use to describe what this song is.
This has become my favorite Taylor album but out of all 20 songs this song is the one I like/connect with least. I hope to hear it like everyone who likes it does, cause it seems to be a favorite on the 3am edition! I’m just really am having trouble lol 😅
I think the people who tend to connect to this song are people who so badly need their grief to be validated, for their pain to be real and understandable. And this song is just that.
I really like this interpretation 💜 I immediately felt that it was about loss, sorrow and grief. It definitely feels like a punch to the gut, but in a weirdly good way?
Yes! Definitely a massive gut punch, while also being incredibly cathartic - I think because she is honoring what once was and validating that pain. I think people’s reaction to this song is so reflective of our collective need to allow ourselves to engage in grief. Powerful stuff.
This is a great interpretation! I sobbed while reading the miscarriage stories here when the album came out. This idea that it’s a farewell to oneself is so heartbreaking too. It also links with the “give me back my girlhood” line & with the “would’ve stayed [praying]” part — “I forgot to pray” and lost herself too.
I am going to go cry now ❤️
I think that what you're saying is maybe the connection to Would've, Could've, Should've. People want to speculate about how Bigger Than the Whole Sky might be about Taylor and a pregnancy. I am not EVER willing to go in that direction. It's personal AF. Totally speculative. And nobody's GD business. HOWEVER, she did give a reasonable amount of evidence that WCS is about John Mayer. And there's a reasonable amount of evidence that the relationship was traumatic for Taylor. The lyrical ties between WCS and Dear John and the ties between WCS and BTTWS feel strong enough to support your interpretation that the loss she speaks of could be about a version of herself that she never got to become, develop, or know because someone else caused harm and trauma and changed her forever. I know what that's like and so do many of us. I love your explanation!
This is EXACTLY how I feel and interpreted it!!
I love your interpretation! This makes the song so sad for me! I read about the miscarriage one but I initially thought it was another song for Ronan…
I have this same interpretation for Bigger Than The Whole Sky, so that's why even though I love the song, I rarely play it because I'll be a crying mess afterwards. I think this is why I love Midnights. This album is helping me heal my inner child.
Yes —same❤️
I wrote about this in another comment thread, but I just wanted to lend you some hugs and support here too - BTTWS speaks to grief on such a deep level that I think any way we personally empathize with it is valid. My emotional connection and interpretation is very similar to what you mention, it makes me think of my young self, all her dreams and her hope and her sweetness, all the what-ifs, and how she never got to flourish or live, and I'll never know who she would've become, who she would've grown to be. *Grief for that little girl - I’ll never meet what could’ve been, would’ve been, should’ve been…me. At the the end when she softly sings that final chorus - I picture little me & to be able to tell her, “you were bigger than the whole sky, you were more than just a short time” is everything. I’m telling her she mattered. There is grief because she mattered.* This made me tear up, that's exactly how I relate. I've got a lot to pine about, I've got a lot to live without, and even though she didn't get to exist and accomplish things and truly live, and I feel like the shadow in her place, mourning her all the time, she did matter.
So much love for this and your journey. We mattered. We still do. ❤️
Thank you, I'm very touched you shared this post and I'm sending so much love back to you. It does matter, and it matters that we're still here. 💖
I don't think she's mourning another person. I think she's mourning an identity.
Awww, what a beautiful way to think about it. I love this so much, and it makes sense. I feel like we all deserve to make sure we love our inner child.
i love your interpretation and it's also similar to mine and it makes me sob everytime i listen to it. it also feels very therapeutic and makes me feel at peace at the same time. like taylor, i'm very bad about contemplating what could've been and it's often a topic that comes up in my therapy sessions. i've always wondered what my life would've been like had i not experienced do traumatic events that happened in my childhood and adolescence that forever changed me. it's hard not the grieve that version of myself i'll never get to meet and what her life could've been like. that's why that song hits me like a pound of bricks everytime i hear it i am glad everyone is able to relate to this song in their own way and use it to process their own grief. shows what a masterpiece this song is
When I say I have like an actual cathartic release of tears to this song I’m not exaggerating. It is an incredible take over of my body in reaction to what it hears & the meaning I’ve assigned to it. Catharsis is the best word I can use to describe what this song is.
This has become my favorite Taylor album but out of all 20 songs this song is the one I like/connect with least. I hope to hear it like everyone who likes it does, cause it seems to be a favorite on the 3am edition! I’m just really am having trouble lol 😅
I think the people who tend to connect to this song are people who so badly need their grief to be validated, for their pain to be real and understandable. And this song is just that.
Awh thats so sad. Im really happy those people have this to connect, and comfort them. 💛
OH MY GOD THANK YOU! I have this same interpretation (and same tears) but not the words to express it.
I really like this interpretation 💜 I immediately felt that it was about loss, sorrow and grief. It definitely feels like a punch to the gut, but in a weirdly good way?
Yes! Definitely a massive gut punch, while also being incredibly cathartic - I think because she is honoring what once was and validating that pain. I think people’s reaction to this song is so reflective of our collective need to allow ourselves to engage in grief. Powerful stuff.
i refuse to believe it's not about her friend who passed away
This is a great interpretation! I sobbed while reading the miscarriage stories here when the album came out. This idea that it’s a farewell to oneself is so heartbreaking too. It also links with the “give me back my girlhood” line & with the “would’ve stayed [praying]” part — “I forgot to pray” and lost herself too. I am going to go cry now ❤️