The next song in our #MidnightsTS lyrical analysis series is Labyrinth! We will discuss how Taylor uses the lyrical AND sonic landscape to create (and then resolve) the feeling of anxiety, and how this approach compares to her past thematically similar work like The Archer. A🧵: 
1) At its core, Labyrinth is a song about anxiety. Taylor shows us how this anxiety has sparked fear, distrust, and self-destruction in her past relationships, and she then takes us on a journey of how she came to to feel and accept emotional safety with her current partner.
2) The dreamlike, ethereal production that begins Labyrinth almost invites the listener to dissociate: to lose themselves in their own thoughts, their head in the clouds. This sonic atmosphere is incredibly fitting, as the song itself takes place in the labyrinth of her own mind.
3) Alongside this dreamlike production is a slow, regular double beat, which is very reminiscent of a calm, resting human heartbeat--adding to the sensation of being inside her mind and body as the song takes place.
4) But punctuating the hazy production and calm heartbeats are abrupt, loud, almost jolting synth melodies. I see these interruptions as bursts of sudden, strong emotion: the sparks of fear which lie in wait and could at any moment ignite an intense surge of anxiety and panic.
5) Before we have even heard a single lyric, the emotional landscape of the song is set. We are inside the labyrinth of her mind, primed with uneasiness. On the surface, things may seem calm, but there is also a tension, a constant anticipation of the strong emotions to come.
6) As the lyrics begin, the percussion transitions to a much quicker, dominant drumbeat, very reminiscent of the pervasive heartbeat that runs through The Archer. The anxiety is almost palpable, the drumbeat pulsating the way our heartbeat pounds in our ears when we are anxious.
7) "It only hurts this much right now was what I was thinking the whole time." These first words mark the beginning of Taylor's anxiety about her current relationship, and I think they can be interpreted in several different ways.
8) The first interpretation is that, as the fear of losing her current partner creeps in, Taylor fearfully remembers the intensity of her pain when her past relationships have ended. Her anxiety tells her that the end is coming soon, and she is terrified of reliving that pain.
9) When she has been heartbroken in the past, she remembers how she would reassure herself that the intense pain was only temporary. She would tell herself over and over again--it's only this painful right now. You will get through this, you will be able to move forward and heal.
10) As soon as she begins to care for her new partner, she fears this very same end. She almost expects it--why would this last, when nothing else has? She tries this same reassurance with herself--this intense anxiety is temporary. When this, too, ends, this pain will be over.
11) Perhaps she is even convincing herself to rip off the band-aid: to end things with her partner first, before he has a chance to hurt her. Perhaps the constant anxiety of losing him is just too unbearable--maybe it would be better, easier to just end the pain right now.
12) The other explanation of this line is that Taylor is telling us WHY she has so many issues with anxiety in relationships--WHY she has so much trouble trusting or feeling safe with her current partner. She could be tracing her current feelings back to her past relationships.
13) Perhaps she had partners who hurt her--who painted her a blue sky and turned it back to rain, or who were casually cruel. She tried to justify staying in those relationships, telling herself it "only hurt this much right now," that it would get better--but it never did.
14) "Breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breath out." On one level, Taylor is replicating a breathing exercise often used to calm anxiety. She is trying to ground herself, to still her fears and see clearly. But she is also describing the pattern of her past relationships.
15) Her entire life, she has cycled in and out of love. She lets them IN, they see THROUGH her, she falls DEEP--and then breathes them out, losing them. Rinse and repeat, lover to lover. She is so afraid of the eventual loss that she fears even letting her new partner in at all.
16) "I'll be getting over you my whole life." As much as she tries to tell herself that the anticipated pain of the feared breakup will be temporary, she knows this new partner is different. It won't just hurt this much right now--the pain of losing him would last forever.
17) And maybe this is why her anxiety is so intense--because this relationship is just that much more high-stakes. If she lost him, she would never walk Cornelia Street again--it would be the kind of heartbreak that time could never mend. As her love grows, so does her anxiety.
18) "You know how scared I am of elevators, never trust it if it rises fast, it can't last." This metaphor beautifully depicts how her anxiety parallels the intensity of her love. The faster the connection rises, the more intensely she feels, the more she fears for the fall.
19) The musical choice for these lyrics enhances the metaphor even more. Every two syllables, she drops to a lower note, in direct opposition to the lyrics themselves, which describe an elevator rising. As her love rises, her heart sinks further and further with the fear of loss.
20) And now we get to the deceptively simple, but meaningful, chorus, which repeats the same three lines: "Uh oh, I'm falling in love. Oh no, I'm falling in love again. Oh, I'm falling in love." Each line accompanied by almost nothing but the constant, pulsing, anxious heartbeat.
21) The first "uh oh" represents the surprised realization that she is truly falling in love with her partner. She didn't expect or plan it--they "were supposed to be just friends," and she was supposed to "sweat him out." But by some accident, her feelings have become serious.
22) The "oh no" lyric represents her visceral, hairpin-trigger anxiety. Now that her feelings for her partner have deepened, her fear of loss is instantly triggered. She is terrified of love, of going through the pain of her past again and again. She isn't ready to lose him.
23) The last "oh" represents her acceptance. She realizes that she's fallen in love despite her best intentions, and no amount of fear can change the depth of her feelings. Even more importantly, this line represents moving PAST her crippling anxiety and learning to feel safe.
24) She realizes that despite her conviction that it was too good to last, the plane HASN'T "gone down." Her partner has somehow "turned it right around," and they are safe. She is incredulous--this has never happened before. Everything has always ended before. How did he do it?
25) The next verse answers that question--how did her partner turn her fears right around and keep them safe? How is this relationship different than any other she has had before? Is it possible that she can truly trust her happiness, when she has never been able to in the past?
26) "It only feels this raw right now, lost in the labyrinth of my mind." This line is a very interesting acknowledgement of her self-perpetuating anxiety. She is finally beginning to understand that so much of the fear around her partner has been manufactured in her own mind.
27) This concept is very similar to the theme of The Great War: "Maybe it's the past that's talking, screaming from the crypt." She now understands that her past relational trauma created this raw, fearful labyrinth of anxiety, which held her back from trusting her new partner.
28) "Break up, break free, break through, break down." She reflects on the harmful consequences of her past relationships, and how they continue to affect her. Her past breakUPs, especially from those responsible for her relational trauma, let her break FREE from toxicity.
29) After the initial pain passed, she would have a breakTHROUGH about the relationship (perhaps realizing that it was toxic). But despite this breakthrough, she continued to emotionally break DOWN. She was constantly fearful of relationships, and the cycle would repeat itself.
30) This line also reminds me of "if clarity's in death then why won't this die?" She realizes that the emotional weight of her trauma has continued to affect her, even after she has tried her best to understand it. These experiences have held her back from really loving again.
31) And why has this partner been able to break this cycle? Because he truly loves her and cares deeply about her happiness, in a way her others partners never could. Because rather than breaking her heart and breaking her down, he would break his back to make her break a smile.
32) In the next line, Taylor returns to the descending melody she previously used to describe her fear of elevators: "you know how much I hate that everybody just expects me to bounce back, just like that." Once again, she uses this musical contrast to illustrate her point.
33) Others expect so much from her. They expect her to "rise" to the occasion, to always "bounce back" from pain--analogous to the rise of an elevator she described before. In contrast, the melody progressively lowers, as if to mirror how weighed down she feels by this pressure.
34) But this partner is different. He knows how much she hates this expectation. He doesn't expect her to rise too fast or always bounce back. He's happy to be with her as she is, without pressure. You can almost feel her sinking into a beautiful safety with him with these words.
35) And now we return to the chorus, which is repeated four more times. No more new words are spoken, but once again the changing sonic landscape of these next choruses are just perfect representations of the emotions she goes through as she begins to feel real emotional safety.
36) In the first chorus, you can still hear the pulsing heartbeat, but it is much softer and less present than before. You can feel the calming of her anxiety as she settles into this new love. She now trusts her partner, and because of this, she can finally let her love blossom.
37) The blossoming expansion of her feelings, now that she feels safe enough to really experience love, is represented by the layering of new, beautiful components of the production. Gone is the foreboding heartbeat--every line brings in a new, exciting sound we have never heard.
38) I think it's very interesting that this new chorus is accompanied by the vocal distortion. I think this could represent the change in her perspective, but it could also mean that she has finally let her partner in, emotionally. He is now welcome in the labyrinth of her mind.
39) The gorgeously layered production and eventual soft fade-out is the true climax of the song, and I have very rarely heard something that so incredibly replicates the feeling it represents. You really do feel the euphoria of her connection, and the joy in overcoming her fears.
40) I also think this is what makes this song sonically so different from The Archer. Many have noted that The Archer builds but never seems to reach a climax, and I would agree--but I think this is entirely purposeful, because that is exactly what the song represents.
41) The Archer is a song about anxiety, but is more about an anxiety that has not resolved. The pulsing heartbeat never fades, and even the somewhat hopeful "you could stay" at the end doesn't represent a true victory over the anxiety: just a flickering light of hope in the dark.
42) Labyrinth, on the other hand, represents a real victory over fear. The plane has turned around, and in this ultimate, life-defining relationship, Taylor has finally learned to accept her vulnerability and embrace the secure love she has for her partner.
43) As we end the song, the rich production makes us, even if just for a moment, feel the same overwhelming happiness and relief that she does in finally being able to feel without fear. It is the carefree elation that we all wish we had, and which Labyrinth dares us to hope for.
Calling @swftay13 @seeitinmymind @taylorhitsdiff @MamaEmmerson @NonS @kalynleigh @tisthedamseas0n @LabyrinthMayhem @irissversion13 and all my other Labyrinth lovers!!
Thanks so much for everyone who has read my threads and discussed all these songs with me, it means so much to get to talk music and lyricism with such brilliant and kind people ❤️❤️
Here is the link to my lyrical analysis Megathread for more!!
Here is the link to my lyrical analysis Megathread for more!!
https://twitter.com/tweetsricochet/status/1592155831004721152?t=wWROta7gyD1QqbKvqgFaag&s=19
@nona_uppal mis-tagged you above 🙃🙃
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