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"Haunted" is the twelfth track from the standard edition of American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's third studio album, Speak Now, released on October 25, 2010, through Big Machine Records. It is also the twelfth track from Swift's third re-recorded album, Speak Now (Taylor's Version), released on July 7, 2023, through Republic Records.

Background[]

"Haunted" is about the moment that you realize the person you're in love with is drifting and fading fast. And you don't know what to do, but in that period of time, in that phase of love, where it's fading out, time moves so slowly. Everything hinges on what that last text message said, and you're realizing that he's kind of falling out of love. That's a really heartbreaking and tragic thing to go through, because the whole time you're trying to tell yourself it's not happening. I went through this, and I ended up waking up in the middle of the night writing this song about it.


I wanted the music and the orchestration to reflect the intensity of the emotion the song is about, so we recorded strings with Paul Buckmaster at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. It was an amazing experience - recording this entire big, live string section that I think in the end really captured the intense, chaotic feeling of confusion I was looking for.

Hidden message[]

Hidden message: Still to this day.

Lyrics[]

[Verse 1]
You and I walk a fragile line
I have known it all this time
But I never thought I'd live to see it break
It's getting dark and it's all so quiet
And I can't trust anything now
And it's coming over you, like it's all a big mistake

[Pre-Chorus 1]
Oh, holding my breath
Won't lose you again
Something's made your eyes go cold

[Chorus]
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong
You're all I wanted
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't turn back now, I'm haunted

[Verse 2]
Stood there and watched you walk away
From everything we had
But I still mean every word I said to you
He will try to take away my pain
And he just might make me smile
But the whole time, I'm wishing he was you instead

[Pre-Chorus 2]
Oh, holding my breath
Won't see you again
Something keeps me holding onto nothing

[Chorus]
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong
You're all I wanted
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
Can't turn back now, I'm haunted

[Bridge]
I know, I know
I just know
You're not gone
You can't be gone
No

[Chorus]
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong
Won't finish what you started
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Can't breathe whenever you're gone
I can't go back, I'm haunted

[Outro]
You and I walk a fragile line
I have known it all this time
Never ever thought I'd see it break
Never thought I'd see it

Live performances[]

"Haunted" was part of the main setlist of the Speak Now World Tour. It was a surprise song on May 28, 2013, in Glendale, Arizona, on the Red Tour. The song was also a surprise song on the Reputation Stadium Tour on July 11, 2018, in Landover, Maryland. It was also performed as a surprise song at the Eras Tour twice: once on June 9, 2023, in Detroit, Michigan, and once on February 25, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. In the second performance, it was mashed-up with "Exile".

References[]

Speak Now
"Mine" • "Sparks Fly" • "Back to December" • "Speak Now" • "Dear John" • "Mean" • "The Story of Us" • "Never Grow Up" • "Enchanted" • "Better Than Revenge" • "Innocent" • "Haunted" • "Last Kiss" • "Long Live"
Deluxe Edition
"Ours" • "If This Was a Movie" • "Superman" • "Back to December" (acoustic) • "Haunted" (acoustic) • "Mine" (Pop Mix)
Taylor's Version
"Electric Touch" (feat. Fall Out Boy) • "When Emma Falls In Love" • "I Can See You" • "Castles Crumbling" (feat. Hayley Williams) • "Foolish One" • "Timeless"
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