Taylor Swift

We were both young when I first saw you. I close my eyes and the flashback starts: I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air. See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns. See you make your way through the crowd And say, "Hello," Little did I know... That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles, And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet" And I was crying on the staircase Begging you, "Please don't go" And I said... Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone. I'll be waiting; all that's left to do is run. You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess, It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes." So I sneak out to the garden to see you. We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew So close your eyes... escape this town for a little while. Oh, oh. 'Cause you were Romeo – I was a scarlet letter, And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet." But you were everything to me, I was begging you, "Please don't go." And I said... Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone. I'll be waiting; all that's left to do is run. You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess. It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes." Romeo, save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel. This love is difficult but it's real. Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess. It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes." Oh, oh. I got tired of waiting Wondering if you were ever coming around. My faith in you was fading When I met you on the outskirts of town. And I said... "Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone. I keep waiting for you but you never come. Is this in my head? I don't know what to think." He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said... "Marry me, Juliet, you'll never have to be alone. I love you, and that's all I really know. I talked to your dad – go pick out a white dress It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes." Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. 'Cause we were both young when I first saw you. Swift alludes her "Love Story" to the classic literature of "Romeo and Juliet". By alluding to this literature, SWift brings the listener to an earlier time period, talking about things like, "the ball gowns." It gives an image of a more elegant setting. The effect this has on the audience is to get them to experience a more vivid picture of the world in which her love was experienced. Also, Swift uses a metaphor saying, "you'll be the Prince and I'll be the princess." This metaphor shows that Swift wants to have a love in which her and the partner feel as if they have everything. Taylor Swift not only wants to feel safe with her man, but she wants to feel as if she is important, as a princess. Also, Swift uses a hyperbole when she says, "I love you, and that's all I really know." It's supposed to be Romeo saying these words. And by Romeo saying this, she is saying that as long as they both love each other, nothing else really matters because love will prevail. Swift also uses diction that appeals for nostalgia. Saying, "We were both young when I first saw you." and, "the flashback starts." By using this diction that appeals to early love, it acheives in creating a song that advocates for pure and clean love. Back in the early years of life when there was not much to worry about except for love.