Fun fact- Marcus Mumford (Mumford and Sons) provides the backend vocals on this track. He joined her in Vegas during her Eras Tour and they performed it together- gorgeous performance!
I love this one! You got most of it - it’s about two con artists falling in love with each other. But I think the theme of it is that the narrator doesn’t know if her lover is conning her like they have conned others in the past. The key to it is the line about the Gardens of Babylon - wonders of great beauty, but we don’t know if they actually existed or where they were. “Forever is the sweetest con” is such an interesting and beautiful and heartbreaking concept. And I agree about the airport bar line - I think it’s underrated! If you’re in an airport bar, there isn’t anywhere else you can go. It’s a state of purgatory. To me, this song is about the discovery of the power imbalance in a relationship when you realise you love the other person so much that you would (or have) sacrifice too much of yourself to attempt to make them love you back. Some of her other songs play with this idea too in different ways - Tolerate It is a favourite.
Taylor starting a song with “and” is one of my favorite things she’s ever done. She just throws you into the middle of this story where we are at an event or a wedding with dancing. Maybe at a country club? It’s like I can see it exactly in my mind.
When I hear this song, I envision two swindlers sitting at a bar in Vegas. She's surprised to have met someone who understands her script and her motives. But they fall in love with each other, and it's pure and unscripted. She only wants his boots at the foot of her bed ❤
This is one of my favorites! Great storytelling and it has such a warmth to it. It’s two people in life that are career driven, that put their ambition above everything else. They put on a mask to advance their careers. They discover a kindred spirit in each other and fall in love unexpectedly. To me “waiting at an airport bar,” is being stuck somewhere. You can’t go back and you can’t go forward. You’re just there waiting with anxiety and anticipation for what’s next. The top layers of the song is a story about two con artists that fall for each other. They’re used to using people but find themselves in a vulnerable situation of trusting the other person with their heart. It changes them and they know they’ll never be the same.
There is this connotation that when you're independent (cowboy metaphor), you are wise, strategic, calculated just to chase your dreams in life. That also refers to being a bandit because strategic people are sometimes viewed as robbers of opportunities or something of that sort. They're both cowboys (artist/celebrity metaphor) who are hustling in the industry.
This is a surprisingly great song hidden deep in Evermore, it really sneaks up on you. I love the rich production, the whole sound of this is so smooth. I get agitated in reactions sometimes when there's pausing because it usually interrupts moments I'm waiting for, but I don't have to fear that here because you go back to make sure you experience it all, so I like how dedicated you are to respecting what you're listening to
Thanks, Izzy, great reaction! "With your boots beneath my bed, forever is the sweetest con" gets me every time. Ending with "I'm never gonna love again"...is this true love or is she saying it's all a con and she'll never really love again? Masterful writing there.
Izzy, you’re so cool! I adore watching these reactions and hearing your interpretations, personal connection to the lyrics, and especially when you get deep into a train of thought or idea. This is the type of discourse I desire to have about music and it is quite difficult to find in my physical world. Thankful for the internet as a way to bring us kindred souls together. Thanks for doing this and having so much fun with it. Much love to you!😌🫶🏼
I feel like the Evermore album is her first album of fully adult themed songs. I hope you check out Coney Island which in my opinion is the best track❤
Yea I agree. No teenage throwbacks on evermore. Some wistful memories of the past but true adult emotions and a collection of some of her most mature songs.
Listen to Champagne Problems, Ivy, Evermore (the song) from the album Evermore, the storytelling in those stories is incredible, I can visualize it now without even listening
I love love love the storytelling on ‘tis the damned season! I always see a movie trailer on my head, starting with a car parallel parking then it zooms out to a Methodist church on the trunk side and a school in the engine side while the intro plays. And you just know ❤
@@lulsi0830 'Tis The Damned Season is in my Top 5 Taylor songs. It's a whole movie in my mind for sure. I can visualise it perfectly. The opening guitar gives me goosies every time!
Folklore blew my mind during the pandemic, so much so that when she announced that there was a follow up sister album, I got nervous. It was described as just more of what she, Aaron and Jack had been working on " a longer walk into the folklorian woods' I think she had said. To my utter relief and astonishment, it was just as amazing (if not better than) Folklore. Marjorie is astounding (with a tear-jerking lyric video) and Tis The Damn Season is like a whole movie inside your head. It's one of my all time favourite albums. I'm so glad you got what this song is about. Great reaction as always Izzy.
‘Tis the damn Season and Dorothea are written from the perspective of each lover (similar to the Betty, James and Augustine trilogy in Folklore). Knowing that makes those two songs truly stand out. 💜
This song is about two similar people, who handle love carefree, never really loving deeply, “you’re a cowboy like me, takes one to know one, never wanting love, just a fancy car”. But they meet and they start a dance, and they actually fall in love, but they both know what they are so they also fear each other. But now “she’s sitting by the phone like sitting in a airport bar”, she’s waiting by the phone to hear that person cause she’s in love, she has this anxiety in waiting for a reply, a text, a call. The song show that they both love each other, but I think it doesn’t end well, one or both end up bolting but she knows “she’ll never love again like this”. I’m sure the ending is sad cause of the song “The Bolter”. Anyway, it could be a literal song or like usual with her, if we start seeing the layer the story may be a metaphor for many other things, a queer love, a secret love that can’t be etc etc
Another favorite Izzy!! I definitely did not appreciate this song when I first heard it, but the story telling is great from the beginning talking about two swindlers getting money from the rich and not knowing what was covering the tennis court (which is a marquee) but they don't know that kind of language. They end up falling in love but she's not sure if he's just swindling her too. Its a great story and I would argue evermore is her best work out of all her albums. The Gardens of Babylon were a part of the seven wonders of the world, not knowing if it really existed (like their love). "Getaway Car" is a song from reputation that is reminiscent of this song as well as a "Bonnie and Clyde" vibe but with a better ending. It's more synth and the story of course, is wonderful! Thank you as always for your reaction Izzy!
@ I signed up for your patreon only for the tiny desk “death by a thousand cuts” and lover in Paris “Cornelia street”. I thought the same thing as you while the song doesn’t really speak to me her vocals are amazing! I’m watching the documentary now with you!
There are so many lyrics in the song that I love. "Forever is the sweetest con" when one of them. Great reaction! I'm so glad you got to hear this. I love when Taylor taps into her country roots and gives us something that sounds like it came straight out of the American southwest. 😊❤
This is my first time listening to this song. I just started diving into Taylor's music a year ago, but I had a feeling this one was about Matt Healy. As always love your reaction and personal interpretations.
Karma is an amazing thing: Taylor's breakup after Gyllenhaal missed her 21st birthday party was because he went to a Mumford and Sons concert instead; obviously, she didn't blame the band. Marcus Mumford sang backup for this. And you, would hide away and find your peace of mind With some indie record that's much cooler than mine // WANEGBT (You watched the 1989 tour version; check the music video or Grammy performance (Red Tour version) sometime.
Evermore is so good. This song is as well. I can just picture the story unfolding. I could play this one on repeat 500 times and not get sick of it. The melody and guitar make me feel like I'm riding into an old west town on a horse.
This is such a cool song, and another example of not knowing what kind of sound she is going to deliver until you listen, and it’s a completely different sound compared to the last song, although thematically it all works together.
I think you will love Evermore! I hate when people ask about my favorite album, but it changes on the daily tbh. It really depends on what I'm going through that her music helps me process. That being said, Evermore is always in my top 3. It is a hauntingly beautiful record that I think is full of the vibes you love. And this song is so underrated IMO. "Forever is the sweetest con"...ain't it though ;)
This song reminds me a lot of romeo and juliet by dire straits, I think its the guitar in the background and some of the vocals and imagery. Both songs beautiful and romantic in some way
To me, there was always some dark and deep thing about this song that makes it my favorite song of her. But before TTPD, we didn't exactly knew if this was about her and if it was, what did it meant. After TTPD, we found out and then...everything made so much sense. She's really smart, in 2020 she went to an award show where Matty Healy was, an old flame that really did a number on her, and when he won he said on stage "i think i'm a cowboy, we are all cowboys" and then months after...she released folklore and evermore that she already said, she wrote songs that she claimed that were "histories that are not exactly about her" - that is also something that Matty said on a interview before that he would love to see Taylor doing something like this, 'an acoustic album about histories that are not exactly yours' - but in fact Taylor wrote folklore and evermore to experiment those feelings that she was having while she was in a relationship with Joe Alwayn at that time, that was falling apart, while reconecting with Matty and thinking about "what if?", while she was living a sad relationship. This is about Matty. She did that on evermore and midnights as well. They are both intellectual, both artists and both...you know...doing "bad" things. They are both cowboys
Well said. I hope Izzy sees this. Although he’s not very interested in her dating life, per se. He’s more interested in if it fiction or non-fiction. But I really loved your summary. 👏🏻🫶🏼🤍
You must do more Evermore! I think the entire albums fits you vibe! Deep lyrics, great storytelling and folksy sound. Ivy is my all time favorite TS song. Other good ones include No Body No Crime, Evermore ft Bon Iver, Tis The Damn Season, and Right Where You Left Me.
the way i VISCERALLY screamed and clicked within 0.01 seconds when i saw this one (this is my favorite taylor song and i've been waiting for this reaction forever and have never reacted this way to a YT video before 😭), thank you so much for reacting to cowboy like me (my favorite taylor swift lyric is from this song: "forever is the sweetest con", such a tender yet bittersweetly true line) 🤎
fun fact: she switches up from "i've got some tricks up my sleeve" at the start, to "i've had some tricks up my sleeve" in the end. "has" transitioned into its past tense "had" , alluding she went from a place of vigilance to surrender, which can be interpreted as: a.) she isn't going to con wealthy old people into "relationships" for money anymore as she found HIM, who was just like her OR, b.) she got conned by HIM and it left her deeply scarred, unable to continue her hustling. so this song can be interpreted as both a narrative of a romance OR a breakup, but for me it's the former: a romantic love song 🤎
caveat though, none of the songs on evermore sound like cowboy like me, but i'll recommend my second favorite song from this album, the title track: evermore (ft. Bon Iver). it's a slow piano ballad (with a surprise in the middle) about the agonizing yet gradual transition from depression to healing (most likely about the world turning on her in 2016-the catalyst for her album reputation).
alwaysss enjoyed your toughtful reflections throughout these reaction videos, izzy! this is one of my fav tracks from evermore album along with ivy (so so so beautiful). when she released the evermore album it was only 5 months after she released folklore so i was still digesting folklore and didnt really get a lot of the tracks in the album but then once it settles in i was OBSESSED with those two tracks: cowboy like me and ivy. i couldnt believe i overlooked these tracks the first time i listened to it.
Evermore is an album I think you will love. I think lyrically it was her best album until she released TTPD and I know you love lyrics. Champagne Problems, Ivy, and Willow just to name a few.
Hi Izzy, love your thoughts on this one. Love “forever is the sweetest con” she’s vulnerable, not truly believing love can last forever. Would love to have a lyric video from you. Also putting in a bid for Champagne Problems,(evermore), and another for Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus TTPD Anthology- lots of good wishes to you for 2025 for a creative and Happy New Year 😊
Fun fact- Marcus Mumford (Mumford and Sons) provides the backend vocals on this track. He joined her in Vegas during her Eras Tour and they performed it together- gorgeous performance!
I was at that show!
I love this one! You got most of it - it’s about two con artists falling in love with each other.
But I think the theme of it is that the narrator doesn’t know if her lover is conning her like they have conned others in the past.
The key to it is the line about the Gardens of Babylon - wonders of great beauty, but we don’t know if they actually existed or where they were.
“Forever is the sweetest con” is such an interesting and beautiful and heartbreaking concept.
And I agree about the airport bar line - I think it’s underrated! If you’re in an airport bar, there isn’t anywhere else you can go. It’s a state of purgatory.
To me, this song is about the discovery of the power imbalance in a relationship when you realise you love the other person so much that you would (or have) sacrifice too much of yourself to attempt to make them love you back. Some of her other songs play with this idea too in different ways - Tolerate It is a favourite.
Great analysis, Sophie! Thanks!
Taylor starting a song with “and” is one of my favorite things she’s ever done. She just throws you into the middle of this story where we are at an event or a wedding with dancing. Maybe at a country club? It’s like I can see it exactly in my mind.
When I hear this song, I envision two swindlers sitting at a bar in Vegas. She's surprised to have met someone who understands her script and her motives. But they fall in love with each other, and it's pure and unscripted. She only wants his boots at the foot of her bed ❤
This is one of my favorites! Great storytelling and it has such a warmth to it. It’s two people in life that are career driven, that put their ambition above everything else. They put on a mask to advance their careers. They discover a kindred spirit in each other and fall in love unexpectedly. To me “waiting at an airport bar,” is being stuck somewhere. You can’t go back and you can’t go forward. You’re just there waiting with anxiety and anticipation for what’s next.
The top layers of the song is a story about two con artists that fall for each other. They’re used to using people but find themselves in a vulnerable situation of trusting the other person with their heart. It changes them and they know they’ll never be the same.
There is this connotation that when you're independent (cowboy metaphor), you are wise, strategic, calculated just to chase your dreams in life. That also refers to being a bandit because strategic people are sometimes viewed as robbers of opportunities or something of that sort. They're both cowboys (artist/celebrity metaphor) who are hustling in the industry.
This is a surprisingly great song hidden deep in Evermore, it really sneaks up on you. I love the rich production, the whole sound of this is so smooth. I get agitated in reactions sometimes when there's pausing because it usually interrupts moments I'm waiting for, but I don't have to fear that here because you go back to make sure you experience it all, so I like how dedicated you are to respecting what you're listening to
Thanks, Izzy, great reaction! "With your boots beneath my bed, forever is the sweetest con" gets me every time. Ending with "I'm never gonna love again"...is this true love or is she saying it's all a con and she'll never really love again? Masterful writing there.
Thanks, Timothy!
Izzy, you’re so cool! I adore watching these reactions and hearing your interpretations, personal connection to the lyrics, and especially when you get deep into a train of thought or idea. This is the type of discourse I desire to have about music and it is quite difficult to find in my physical world. Thankful for the internet as a way to bring us kindred souls together. Thanks for doing this and having so much fun with it. Much love to you!😌🫶🏼
Hey, Annabell! Glad to hear how much you're enjoying it! Glad to have you hear! Love to ya!
I feel like the Evermore album is her first album of fully adult themed songs. I hope you check out Coney Island which in my opinion is the best track❤
❤❤❤
Yea I agree. No teenage throwbacks on evermore. Some wistful memories of the past but true adult emotions and a collection of some of her most mature songs.
Listen to Champagne Problems, Ivy, Evermore (the song) from the album Evermore, the storytelling in those stories is incredible, I can visualize it now without even listening
I love love love the storytelling on ‘tis the damned season! I always see a movie trailer on my head, starting with a car parallel parking then it zooms out to a Methodist church on the trunk side and a school in the engine side while the intro plays. And you just know ❤
@@lulsi0830 'Tis The Damned Season is in my Top 5 Taylor songs. It's a whole movie in my mind for sure. I can visualise it perfectly. The opening guitar gives me goosies every time!
Love them all!!!
@ yes, that’s exactly right
Folklore blew my mind during the pandemic, so much so that when she announced that there was a follow up sister album, I got nervous. It was described as just more of what she, Aaron and Jack had been working on " a longer walk into the folklorian woods' I think she had said. To my utter relief and astonishment, it was just as amazing (if not better than) Folklore. Marjorie is astounding (with a tear-jerking lyric video) and Tis The Damn Season is like a whole movie inside your head. It's one of my all time favourite albums. I'm so glad you got what this song is about. Great reaction as always Izzy.
Totally agree!
Thanks, Kell! Looking forward to getting to those tunes!
‘Tis the damn Season and Dorothea are written from the perspective of each lover (similar to the Betty, James and Augustine trilogy in Folklore). Knowing that makes those two songs truly stand out. 💜
This song is about two similar people, who handle love carefree, never really loving deeply, “you’re a cowboy like me, takes one to know one, never wanting love, just a fancy car”. But they meet and they start a dance, and they actually fall in love, but they both know what they are so they also fear each other. But now “she’s sitting by the phone like sitting in a airport bar”, she’s waiting by the phone to hear that person cause she’s in love, she has this anxiety in waiting for a reply, a text, a call. The song show that they both love each other, but I think it doesn’t end well, one or both end up bolting but she knows “she’ll never love again like this”. I’m sure the ending is sad cause of the song “The Bolter”.
Anyway, it could be a literal song or like usual with her, if we start seeing the layer the story may be a metaphor for many other things, a queer love, a secret love that can’t be etc etc
Some great points! I like the idea of it being all of those things, and a different experience for each listener. Thanks!
i love the replaying of this over and over, it’s my favorite from evermore, so underrated 🫶🏻
Another favorite Izzy!! I definitely did not appreciate this song when I first heard it, but the story telling is great from the beginning talking about two swindlers getting money from the rich and not knowing what was covering the tennis court (which is a marquee) but they don't know that kind of language. They end up falling in love but she's not sure if he's just swindling her too. Its a great story and I would argue evermore is her best work out of all her albums.
The Gardens of Babylon were a part of the seven wonders of the world, not knowing if it really existed (like their love). "Getaway Car" is a song from reputation that is reminiscent of this song as well as a "Bonnie and Clyde" vibe but with a better ending. It's more synth and the story of course, is wonderful!
Thank you as always for your reaction Izzy!
Thanks, Emily! I'm looking forward to checking those out!
@ I signed up for your patreon only for the tiny desk “death by a thousand cuts” and lover in Paris “Cornelia street”. I thought the same thing as you while the song doesn’t really speak to me her vocals are amazing! I’m watching the documentary now with you!
@@emilyelser1779 Glad to hear it, Emily! Enjoy!
This is my favorite song of all time. 🫶 yes, champagne problems is on Evermore. So many good songs on that album.
There are so many lyrics in the song that I love. "Forever is the sweetest con" when one of them.
Great reaction! I'm so glad you got to hear this. I love when Taylor taps into her country roots and gives us something that sounds like it came straight out of the American southwest. 😊❤
Thanks!
Evocative lyrics that succinctly get at the ephemeral. Love this song.v
This is my first time listening to this song. I just started diving into Taylor's music a year ago, but I had a feeling this one was about Matt Healy. As always love your reaction and personal interpretations.
Thanks, Patricia!
There’s a French film called “Priceless” or “Hors de Prix” I think that’s pretty much exactly this song.
this is one of my faves from evermore/all time from taylor! so glad you enjoyed it as well :)
I recommend checking out Renegade by Big Red Machine ft Taylor (she is the lead vocalist on the track). It’s another one of my favorites from her!
Karma is an amazing thing: Taylor's breakup after Gyllenhaal missed her 21st birthday party was because he went to a Mumford and Sons concert instead; obviously, she didn't blame the band. Marcus Mumford sang backup for this.
And you, would hide away and find your peace of mind
With some indie record that's much cooler than mine // WANEGBT (You watched the 1989 tour version; check the music video or Grammy performance (Red Tour version) sometime.
Evermore is so good. This song is as well. I can just picture the story unfolding. I could play this one on repeat 500 times and not get sick of it. The melody and guitar make me feel like I'm riding into an old west town on a horse.
Love me some Izzy musings in the morning ❤
Thanks, Jenny!
This is such a cool song, and another example
of not knowing what kind of sound she is going to deliver until you listen, and it’s a completely different sound compared to the last song, although thematically it all works together.
Lovely lovely song,and the story sucks you right in.Her lyricism is incredible,noone paints pictures like her .😊
Izzy looking forward to you checking out more Evermore
Me as well, Ivy is one of my favorite songs...and Coney Island...but love the song Evermore with Bon Iver
this song gives me sawyer and kate vibe from lost and I just love it so much
💯
Happy New Year Izzy! Love this song and your interpretation, as always 😊
Happy New Year Izzy!!
My favourite song from Evermore is "Tolerate it", the Eras Tour performance specially.
Happy New Year, Ana!
Yeeees! So exited to hear you are thinking about lyric videos... it means me are closer to listening to your music, cant wait!
Glad to hear you're looking forward to that! Thanks!
One of my favorite Evermore songs, I recommend checking it out too Right You Left Me
I think you will love Evermore! I hate when people ask about my favorite album, but it changes on the daily tbh. It really depends on what I'm going through that her music helps me process. That being said, Evermore is always in my top 3. It is a hauntingly beautiful record that I think is full of the vibes you love. And this song is so underrated IMO. "Forever is the sweetest con"...ain't it though ;)
Evermore is my fav Taylor album ❤
This song reminds me a lot of romeo and juliet by dire straits, I think its the guitar in the background and some of the vocals and imagery. Both songs beautiful and romantic in some way
To me, there was always some dark and deep thing about this song that makes it my favorite song of her. But before TTPD, we didn't exactly knew if this was about her and if it was, what did it meant. After TTPD, we found out and then...everything made so much sense. She's really smart, in 2020 she went to an award show where Matty Healy was, an old flame that really did a number on her, and when he won he said on stage "i think i'm a cowboy, we are all cowboys" and then months after...she released folklore and evermore that she already said, she wrote songs that she claimed that were "histories that are not exactly about her" - that is also something that Matty said on a interview before that he would love to see Taylor doing something like this, 'an acoustic album about histories that are not exactly yours' - but in fact Taylor wrote folklore and evermore to experiment those feelings that she was having while she was in a relationship with Joe Alwayn at that time, that was falling apart, while reconecting with Matty and thinking about "what if?", while she was living a sad relationship. This is about Matty. She did that on evermore and midnights as well. They are both intellectual, both artists and both...you know...doing "bad" things. They are both cowboys
great interpretation. my all time favorite taylor song!!
Well said. I hope Izzy sees this. Although he’s not very interested in her dating life, per se. He’s more interested in if it fiction or non-fiction. But I really loved your summary. 👏🏻🫶🏼🤍
I saw it! Thanks for filling me in! I do find it interesting, the layers of thought she puts into things.
You must do more Evermore! I think the entire albums fits you vibe! Deep lyrics, great storytelling and folksy sound.
Ivy is my all time favorite TS song. Other good ones include No Body No Crime, Evermore ft Bon Iver, Tis The Damn Season, and Right Where You Left Me.
🎉🎉🎉Happy New Year Izzy!!! To you and all your subscribers and subscribers to be...❤❤❤
Happy New Year, Randy!
the way i VISCERALLY screamed and clicked within 0.01 seconds when i saw this one (this is my favorite taylor song and i've been waiting for this reaction forever and have never reacted this way to a YT video before 😭), thank you so much for reacting to cowboy like me (my favorite taylor swift lyric is from this song: "forever is the sweetest con", such a tender yet bittersweetly true line) 🤎
fun fact: she switches up from "i've got some tricks up my sleeve" at the start, to "i've had some tricks up my sleeve" in the end. "has" transitioned into its past tense "had" , alluding she went from a place of vigilance to surrender, which can be interpreted as: a.) she isn't going to con wealthy old people into "relationships" for money anymore as she found HIM, who was just like her OR, b.) she got conned by HIM and it left her deeply scarred, unable to continue her hustling. so this song can be interpreted as both a narrative of a romance OR a breakup, but for me it's the former: a romantic love song 🤎
caveat though, none of the songs on evermore sound like cowboy like me, but i'll recommend my second favorite song from this album, the title track: evermore (ft. Bon Iver). it's a slow piano ballad (with a surprise in the middle) about the agonizing yet gradual transition from depression to healing (most likely about the world turning on her in 2016-the catalyst for her album reputation).
please listen "The Alcott" The National feat. Taylor Swift, is a masterpiece!!!❤
One of my faves on one of my fave albums. Ivy next 🙏 it’s also “fiction” although we all suspect nothing is fiction with Taylor. 😉
alwaysss enjoyed your toughtful reflections throughout these reaction videos, izzy! this is one of my fav tracks from evermore album along with ivy (so so so beautiful). when she released the evermore album it was only 5 months after she released folklore so i was still digesting folklore and didnt really get a lot of the tracks in the album but then once it settles in i was OBSESSED with those two tracks: cowboy like me and ivy. i couldnt believe i overlooked these tracks the first time i listened to it.
Thanks, Dina!
Evermore is an album I think you will love. I think lyrically it was her best album until she released TTPD and I know you love lyrics. Champagne Problems, Ivy, and Willow just to name a few.
Hi Izzy, love your thoughts on this one. Love “forever is the sweetest con” she’s vulnerable, not truly believing love can last forever. Would love to have a lyric video from you. Also putting in a bid for Champagne Problems,(evermore), and another for Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus TTPD Anthology- lots of good wishes to you for 2025 for a creative and Happy New Year 😊
Thanks! Happy New Year!