State of Grace (Taylor’s Version) Lyrics
I'm walkin' fast through the traffic lights
Busy streets and busy lives
And all we know is touch and go
We are alone with our changing minds
We fall in love 'til it hurts or bleeds or fades in time
[Chorus]
And I never (I never)
Saw you comin'
And I'll never (I'll never)
Be the same
[Verse 2]
You come around and the armor falls
Pierce the room like a cannonball
Now all we know is don't let go
We are alone, just you and me
Up in your room and our slates are clean
Just twin fire signs, four blue eyes
[Pre-Chorus]
So you were never a saint and I loved in shades of wrong
We learn to live with the pain, mosaic broken hearts
But this love is brave and wild
And I never (I never)
Saw you comin'
And I'll never (I'll never)
Be the same
[Bridge]
This is a state of grace
This is the worthwhile fight
Love is a ruthless game
Unless you play it good and right
These are the hands of fate
You're my Achilles heel
This is the golden age of somethin' good
And right and real
[Chorus]
And I never (I never)
Saw you comin'
And I'll never
Be the same, oh-oh-oh
And I never (I never)
Saw you comin'
And I'll never (I'll never)
(So you were never a saint and I loved in shades of wrong)
Be the same (We learn to live with the pain, mosaic broken hearts)
(But this love is brave and wild)
About
“State of Grace (Taylor’s Version)” is an energetic rock anthem that portrays “the feeling of falling in love in an epic way”. Taylor likens the purity of this new love to the religious concept of a “state of grace”, a condition of being “free from mortal sin” where someone becomes “God-like, notably through mercy and love”.
Many Taylor Swift fans assume that the song was written about Jake Gyllenhaal, Taylor’s ex-boyfriend. The pair dated for three months in late 2010, making it Taylor’s most recent public relationship when “State of Grace” was first released.
The connection is suggested through the lyrics “twin fire signs” and “four blue eyes”. Jake’s astrological sign is Sagittarius (a “fire sign”) and he has blue eyes, traits that he has in common with Taylor.
A more sensitive and subdued acoustic version of the song also appears on the album.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
In “The Stories Behind the Red Songs” Taylor said:
State of Grace is a song I wrote at the beginning process of making this album, and I think it helps to define what the rest of the record is about, just with one line. There’s a line in the song that says ‘Love is a ruthless game, unless you play it good and right’.
That’s kind of like a warning, for the rest of the record. This is what’s going to happen if you don’t play this right. This is what could happen if you do. It almost serves as the perfect kind of warning label for the rest of the record. As soon as you hear that song, there are two ways this could go, you could be good to people, or you could not play fair, and both the outcomes are reflected on the record.
And also in “Good Morning America”:
I wrote this song about when you first fall in love with someone the possibilities, kind of thinking about the different ways that it could go. It’s a really big sound. To me, this sounds like the feeling of falling in love in an epic way
The song debuted at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the week ending November 26, 2021. The song became the second highest charting debut song from Red (Taylor’s Version) to appear on the Hot 100, the first being “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]”, which reached the top spot the same week.
The original version of the song peaked at number thirteen in 2012.
- 1.State of Grace (Taylor’s Version)
