What does "The Archer" by Taylor Swift mean?

“The Archer” Lyrics Meaning

(The following blog post is a transcript created by Xalma of the below video.)

Today, we're going to talk about "The Archer", a new song released by Taylor Swift; this song is really interesting, particularly because it's the fifth one on the album; what does that mean for her fans?! Well, she's talked about it in a recent live-stream; basically, her fans started noticing that the fifth songs on her albums are always extra vulnerable and emotional; so we knew that this will probably be really deep and really personal; and so I've looked through the lyrics, and I've analysed them, and I can confirm; this song goes deeper than most of her songs, and it's really really interesting.

A little bit of contexts; she is still dating that one guy named Joe, and who doesn't want to be a celebrity, so we're not talking about him really; the fact that matters is that she's dating someone; and I think that this song is written to that person; but in classic Taylor Swift fashion, it goes in really deep into some of her own insecurities, and it even talks about the way that we as a general population view her. Can you imagine being somebody who's so popular and famous with such controversial relationship decisions that the people all around the world talk about and critique you? Well, I think that some of that is brought up in the song, and we are going to dive into it.

Verse One

Combat, I'm ready for combat
I say I don't want that, but what if I do?
'Cause cruelty wins in the movies
I've got a hundred thrown-out speeches I almost said to you

I think that this is her basically saying that when she comes to a relationship situation, she just wants for it to go wrong; she knows that people are going to talk and fight about it; so she comes in defensive already, looking for that reason to fight; and she has to remind herself not to; which is something that I can empathise with a lot.

Pre-Chorus

Easy they come, easy they go
I jump from the train, I ride off alone
I never grew up, it's getting so old
Help me hold on to you

So at first she's talking about those relationships, those ones who come and go fast; but after that those lines are where things get really interesting. "I never grew up, it's getting so old", she's talking about those relationships, and this cycle of those relationships, which people critique her for; and she's basically saying that "I know that a lot of the problems with those were me"; so she's trying to grow up and be more mature, "Help me hold on to you" and she's trying to stick to the guy she's currently dating; and it's important to her, because this message is in the pre-chorus, so it gets repeated a lot.

Chorus

I've been the archer, I've been the prey

The archer is a great metaphor, because they can start off the fights from really far away; and they are far enough so they don't get hurt at first. The prey is when she's being hunted by a person or people who're stronger than her, it could be the people she dated, people who betrayed her, and even the people in general who try to tear her down because of her relationships. So she's saying that she's bee the cause and the recipient of those fights.

Who could ever leave me, darling
But who could stay?

She's saying that "there are great things about me", but she's also saying that "there will always be those fights and at the end, everything will go south"

Verse Two

Dark side, I search for your dark side
But what if I'm alright, right, right, right here?

This "searching for someone's dark side" concept is a thing that I resonate with personally; if I'm with someone else who seems like a really great person, and if I know that I'm screwed up, and that I'm probably make mistakes; part of me feels a whole lot better if I can find out what's wrong with them, what's their flaws; so I don't have to feel so bad about myself; and I think that this is what she means, and that's what she is looking for, like "I know that this going to go wrong, and I'd feel a lot better if it's just going to be your fault"

And I cut off my nose just to spite my face
Then I hate my reflection for years and years

So she hurts herself, just to get back at something that would've been good for her in her former relationships; and then feeling bad about those "reflections; and I think that "reflections" are a double entendre, because she's also reflecting on the past, and feeling about it for years and years.

Pre-Chorus

I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost
The room is on fire, invisible smoke
And all of my heroes die all alone
Help me hold on to you

She comes back to him, even though she's obviously really stressed out and tired; and again, she asks him to help her hold on to him; she wants to stay in this relationship.

Bridge

'Cause they see right through me
They see right through me
They see right through
Can you see right through me?
They see right through
They see right through me
I see right through me
I see right through me

I think this is the part about fans; and her basically saying "the world knows that I'm jumping from a relationship to another; and they know that I have struggles"; this is my theory anyway. It seems that she also wonders if the person that she is singing to is able to see that she has flaws, just like how everyone else sees it; "They see right through me; can you see right through me?", she asks if her issues are obvious enough, you know; and then she ends it with "I see right through me", because she is being honest with herself now, but she's still wondering if the other person sees through her as well.

Pre-Chorus

All the king's horses, all the king's men
Couldn't put me together again
'Cause all of my enemies started out friends
Help me hold on to you

So Taylor is talking about these rivals she's had in the past; all of those people were her friends at one point; and it's kind of a sobering thought, right? I am also sure that a lot of us kind of feels the same way, when we wanted to be friends with somebody, and things just didn't work out, and all of the sudden, we just became enemies; when it would have been just so much better and nicer if we were just friends; and so she's reflecting on that; then the final pre-chorus comes back to what it always came back to, this message of "Help me hold on to you"

I think Taylor Swift was like "Everybody is going to think that I am so thoughtful, and that I'm saying such deep things, that they're going to be so impressed with me; but I need to remind them that I can see right through me, and that there are flaws"; and so she ends the song with this line.

Outro

Combat, I'm ready for combat

And that brings us back to this whole idea of her being imperfect, and her being aware of it; especially when she argues with others about what she cares about; not necessarily about philosophical things nor about the meaning or the quality of song lyrics like we do here on the Pop Song Professor; but about life in general, and the kind of arguments that come with relationships, particularly romantic relationships.

This was "The Archer" by Taylor Swift, her newest song from her newest album; I really enjoyed listening to it, and I liked reading through the lyrics because those were some good ones; and as I always say, there is nothing better for an artist to do than to be real and vulnerable; and Taylor Swift did that for sure.