"my tears ricochet" is the fifth track from Taylor Swift's eighth studio album, folklore. It was released on July 24, 2020, through Republic Records.
Background[]
Swift confirmed the existence of the song through social media on July 23, 2020. It was the first song written for folklore.[1]
The song has been described to be about the loss of a friendship or any kind of close relationship.[2] It uses the metaphor of a funeral to describe two people who were once very close, but ended up becoming each others' worst enemies.
| “ | It's a song about greed, it's a song about how somebody could be your best friend and your companion and your most trusted person in your life and then they could go and become your worst enemy because they know how to hurt you because they were once your most trusted person... it does remind me of people going through a divorce and having that person that they swore to be with forever then become the person that they spend most of their time talking shit about. | ” |
—Swift in folklore: the long pond studio sessions | ||
It was most likely inspired by her relationship with her old record label, Big Machine Records, after the sale of her masters.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
We gather here
We line up, weepin' in a sunlit room
And if I'm on fire
You'll be made of ashes, too
Even on my worst day, did I deserve, babe
All the Hell you gave me?
'Cause I loved you, I swear, I loved you
Till my dying day
[Chorus 1]
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace
And you're the hero flying around, saving face
And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?
Cursing my name, wishing I stayed
Look at how my tears ricochet
[Verse 2]
We gather stones
Never knowing what they'll mean
Some to throw
Some to make a diamond ring
You know I didn't want to have to haunt you
But what a ghostly scene
You wear the same jewels that I gave you
As you bury me
[Chorus 2]
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace
'Cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave
And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?
Cursing my name, wishing I stayed
Look at how my tears ricochet
[Bridge]
And I can go anywhere I want
Anywhere I want, just not home
And you can aim for my heart, go for blood
But you would still miss me in your bones
And I still talk to you (When I'm screaming at the sky)
And when you can't sleep at night (You hear my stolen lullabies)
[Chorus 3]
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace
And so, the battleships will sink beneath the waves
You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same
Cursing my name, wishing I stayed
You turned into your worst fears
And you're tossing out blame, drunk on this pain
Crossing out the good years
And you're cursing my name, wishing I stayed
Look at how my tears ricochet
Live performances[]
Swift performed "my tears ricochet" throughout The Eras Tour. It originally served as the fifth song in the folklore section of the setlist. On May 9, 2024, in Paris, France, Swift altered the setlist to include songs from her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. From this show until the end of the tour, the song served as the sixth song in the folklore + evermore section of the setlist.
References[]
| folklore | ||
|---|---|---|
| "the 1" • "cardigan" • "the last great american dynasty" • "exile" • "my tears ricochet" • "mirrorball" • "seven" • "august" • "this is me trying" • "illicit affairs" • "invisible string" • "mad woman" • "epiphany" • "betty" • "peace" • "hoax" | ||
|