"Would've, Could've, Should've" is the nineteenth track from the 3AM edition of American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album, Midnights, released on October 21, 2022, through Republic Records.
Background[]
This song was written about John Mayer, an ex-boyfriend who Swift dated while she was 19 years old.
This song can be seen as a continuation of the fifth track on Swift's third studio album, Speak Now (2010) - "Dear John", having many connections between the two. The title of this song states three hypotheticals, "would've", "could've", and "should've". Within the lyrics, hypothetical situations are given for only "would've" and "could've". The hypothetical situations for "should've" are featured in the lyrics of "Dear John". The lyrics "stained glass windows in my mind" along with other religious imagery within the song ties to the fact that Mayer lived in an apartment in New York that used to be a church, featuring stained glass windows.[1]
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
If you would've blinked, then, I would've
Looked away at the first glance
If you tasted poison, you could've
Spit me out at the first chance
And if I was some paint, did it splatter
On a promising grown man?
And if I was a child, did it matter
If you got to wash your hands?
[Pre-Chorus 1]
Oh, all I used to do was pray
Would've, could've, should've
If you'd never looked my way
[Chorus]
I would've stayed on my knees
And I damn sure never would've danced with the Devil
At nineteen
And the God's honest truth is that the pain was Heaven
And now that I'm grown, I'm scared of ghosts
Memories feel like weapons
And now that I know, I wish you'd left me wondering
[Verse 2]
If you never touched me, I would've
Gone along with the righteous
If I never blushed, then, they could've
Never whispered about this
And if you never saved me from boredom
I could've gone on as I was
But, Lord, you made me feel important
And then, you tried to erase us
[Pre-Chorus 2]
Oh, you're a crisis of my faith
Would've, could've, should've
If I'd only played it safe
[Chorus]
I would've stayed on my knees
And I damn sure never would've danced with the Devil
At nineteen
And the God's honest truth is that the pain was Heaven
And now that I'm grown, I'm scared of ghosts
Memories feel like weapons
And now that I know, I wish you'd left me wondering
[Bridge]
God rest my soul
I miss who I used to be
The tomb won't close
Stained glass windows in my mind
I regret you all the time
I can't let this go
I fight with you in my sleep
The wound won't close
I keep on waiting for a sign
I regret you all the time
[Verse 3]
If clarity's in death, then, why won't this die?
Years of tearing down our banners, you and I
Living for the thrill of hitting you where it hurts
Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first
[Chorus]
And I damn sure never would've danced with the Devil
At nineteen
And the God's honest truth is that the pain was Heaven
And now that I'm grown, I'm scared of ghosts
Memories feel like weapons
And now that I know, I wish you'd left me wondering
[Outro]
God rest my soul
I miss who I used to be
The tomb won't close
Stained glass windows in my mind
I regret you all the time
I can't let this go
I fight with you in my sleep
The wound won't close
I keep on waiting for a sign
I regret you all the time
Oh, God rest my soul
I miss who I used to be
The tomb won't close
Stained glass windows in my mind
I regret you all the time
I can't let this go
I fight with you in my sleep
The wound won't close
I keep on waiting for a sign
I regret you all the time
Audio[]
Live performances[]
Swift performed the song three times as a surprise song at The Eras Tour: on May 7, 2023, with Aaron Dessner, and twice in mashups: in Sydney, on February 26, 2024, mashed-up with "ivy"; and in Edinburgh, on June 7, 2024, mashed-up with "I Know Places".
Trivia[]
- The song was written alongside “High Infidelity” around the time of the 2021 Grammy Awards.
References[]
| Midnights | ||||
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| "Lavender Haze" • "Maroon" • "Anti-Hero" • "Snow On The Beach" • "You're On Your Own, Kid" • "Midnight Rain" • "Question...?" • "Vigilante Shit" • "Bejeweled" • "Labyrinth" • "Karma" • "Sweet Nothing" • "Mastermind" | ||||
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