Hello, it's Crown
Today I'll talk about Taylor Swift's Blank Space!
Welcome to English Song Spotlight. In this series we're going to learn English by songs~
In the last episode we introduced Justin Timberlake's Can't Stop the Feeling
Today we're going to listen to the Queen of Country, Taylor Swift's hit single Blank Space!
Taylor actually wrote the song to satirize people and media's
gossip and criticism toward her relationships.
Since she has been viewed
So what she wanted to convey in her MV was
"Outsiders' perception toward Taylor Swift"
Therefore she acted like a maniac
This time I'm also going to explain and analyze some of the lyrics from the song
Let's begin!
Saw you there and I thought
oh my God, look at that face
You look like my next mistake
Love's a game, wanna play?
"You look like my next mistake" means
"You look like someone that's going to break my heart
but I'm ready to play this game of love"
A more positive saying could be "you look like my next boyfriend"
But she used "mistake" instead, therefore it's like a foretelling saying that
You're likely to be a wrong decision
New money, suit and tie
I can read you like a magazine
Ain't it funny, rumors fly
and I know you heard about me
This line could be translated into: 拿著新鈔、穿著西裝打領帶，我一眼就可以看穿你
There are two interpretations of the line. The first one is that "I can read you like a magazine"
is actually originated from an idiom "I can read you like a book"
"I can read you like a book" means
"You're like a book that could be easily understood"
Here, she replaced "book" with "magazine"
meaning men are like magazines that are easy to read and understand
The second interpretation is that, to explain the whole line by
putting "new money, suit and tie" together with "magazine", and it would mean
This man is rich and well dressed. Looking at him is like looking at models on magazines
So it's gonna be forever
or it's gonna go down in flames
You can tell me when it's over
if the high was worth the pain
This line could be translated into: 這會是永永遠遠，還是會燃燒殆盡
"Gonna be forever, or gonna go down in flames"
is Taylor's view toward the relationship
Either be with each other forever, or be dead together
The "gonna" in the line is an informal way of saying "going to"
Similarly, "want to" can be expressed as "wanna"
And "go down in flames" can be used to describe the burn down of buildings or objects
or failed to achieve something
This line could be translated into: 看看我們享受的歡愉是否值得隨後而來的痛苦
Here, Taylor described the joy and happiness brought by love as drugs
In the US, "get high" or "high" often means
"the temporary joy and excitement brought by doing drugs"
The "high" here is similar to Taiwan's slang "很嗨"
However, in Taiwan it means "good vibes, fun, and feeling awesome"
So it's somewhat different. Notice that there is no such a usage as "it's high" in foreign countries
Screaming, crying, perfect storms
I can make all the tables turn
Rose garden filled with thorns
Keep you second guessing like
oh my God, who is she?
This line could be translated into: 我有能力翻轉一切狀況
"Turn the tables" is an English idiom
It means "turning the situation to one's advantage"
So this line here could be interpreted as:
I won't stop bothering you until you compromise. It's my victory when turning the situation around
This line could be translated into: 我會讓你一直猜疑我的心思到讓你抓狂的地步
Second guess is "第二次的猜測"
You not only guessed once, but twice
It means the continuous guessing and suspecting of other's thoughts
Got a long list of ex-lovers
they'll tell you I'm insane
But I've got a blank space, baby
And I'll write your name
This line could be translated into: 但我的心上剛好有個空檔，所以我要把你的名字寫上去
"A blank space" literally means an "empty space"
And in this song I think there are two different perspectives of explanation
The first one is more romantic, meaning that there is a room in Taylor's heart
waiting for someone she loves to move in, and let her write the name on her heart
Another explanation is more interesting, which is
there is still space available on Taylor's long list of ex-lovers
meaning: if we break up soon, you'll be listed on the ex-lovers list
So this is today's English Song Spotlight!
You can click here to listen to the original song!
So what song would you like to learn next time?
Don't forget to tell us your favorite song in the comments below, maybe you'll get chosen for the next episode!
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And that is a wrap, thank you guys for watching, as always,
and I’ll catch you guys next time! See ya~~~
This is like a top model shooting
You sure it's not selling fruits?
Hahahaha fruits for sell~ One for $30 NT only~ Come on~
Tuned into a "歐巴桑" immediately lol
Hey~ Buy some fruits, taste really good~