"Dress" is the twelfth track from American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's sixth studio album, reputation, released on November 10, 2017, through Big Machine Records.
Background[]
The song is about Swift's then-boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. The lyric "flashback when you met me, your buzzcut and my hair bleached" is a reference to when the two met at the 2016 Met Gala.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Our secret moments in a crowded room
They got no idea about me and you
There is an indentation in the shape of you
Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo
[Pre-Chorus]
All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation
My hands are shaking from holding back from you
Ha-ah-ah
All of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting
My hands are shaking from all this
Ah-ha-ha, ha-ah
[Chorus]
Say my name and everything just stops
I don't want you like a best friend
Only bought this dress so you could take it off
Take it off, ha-ha, ha-ah
Carve your name into my bedpost
’Cause I don't want you like a best friend
Only bought this dress so you could take it off
Take it off, ha-ha, ha-ah
[Verse 2]
Inescapable, I'm not even gonna try
And if I get burned, at least we were electrified
I’m spilling wine in the bathtub
You kiss my face and we're both drunk
Everyone thinks that they know us
But they know nothing about
[Pre-Chorus]
All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation
My hands are shaking from holding back from you
Ha-ah-ah
All of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting
My hands are shaking from all this
Ah-ha-ha, ha-ah
[Chorus]
Say my name and everything just stops
I don't want you like a best friend
Only bought this dress so you could take it off
Take it off, ha-ha, ha-ah
Carve your name into my bedpost
'Cause I don't want you like a best friend
Only bought this dress so you could take it off
Take it off, ha-ha
[Post-Chorus]
Ha-ah-ah, ha-ah-ah, ha-ah-ah-ah
Only bought this dress so you could take it off
Ha-ah-ah, ha-ah-ah, ha-ah-ah-ah
Only bought this dress so you could take it off
[Bridge]
Flashback when you met me, your buzzcut and my hair bleached
Even in my worst times, you could see the best in me
Flashback to my mistakes, my rebounds, my earthquakes
Even in my worst lies, you saw the truth in me
And I woke up just in time, now I wake up by your side
My one and only, my lifeline
I woke up just in time, now I wake up by your side
My hands shake, I can't explain this
Ah-ha-ha, ha-ah
[Chorus]
Say my name and everything just stops
I don't want you like a best friend
Only bought this dress so you could take it off
Take it off, ha-ha, ha-ah
Carve your name into my bedpost
’Cause I don’t want you like a best friend
Only bought this dress so you could take it off
Take it off, ha-ha, ha-ah
[Outro]
There is an indentation in the shape of you
Only bought this dress so you could take it off
You made your mark on me, golden tattoo
Only bought this dress so you could take it off
Taymoji pack[]
 A bittersweet treat!  Your love is electric!  Love you with every beat of my heart!  That’s one way to keep track of your glass.  You made your mark on me...  All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation...  You’re such a colorful person!  Box |
Live performances[]
Swift performed "Dress" from May 8, 2018, in Glendale, Arizona, to November 21, 2018, in Tokyo, Japan, on the Reputation Stadium Tour, as the thirteenth song on the setlist.[1] It was performed as a surprise song at The Eras Tour in Los Angeles on August 7, 2023. "Dress" was also performed as a surprise song on March 2, 2024, in Singapore, as part of a mashup with "I Don't Wanna Live Forever".
Trivia[]
- "Dress" was the first song made with Jack Antonoff for Reputation.
References[]
| reputation |
|---|
| "...Ready For It?" • "End Game" • "I Did Something Bad" • "Don't Blame Me" • "Delicate" • "Look What You Made Me Do" • "So It Goes..." • "Gorgeous" • "Getaway Car" • "King Of My Heart" • "Dancing With Our Hands Tied" • "Dress" • "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" • "Call It What You Want" • "New Year's Day" |