Bad Music Theology: “I Knew You Were Trouble” by Taylor Swift

She is super serious...and pouty

by Ben Howard

Now we bring you Bad Music Theology, one man’s quest to over interpret bad music in a quixotic attempt to make vaguely mediocre theology.

Once upon a time a few mistakes ago
I was in your sights, you got me alone
You found me, you found me, you found me
I guess you didn't care, and I guess I liked that
And when I fell hard you took a step back
Without me, without me, without me

In the opening lines of the song, Taylor makes an interesting theological turn. She seems to be talking about a crisis in her life that is the result of some sort of sin, but instead of discussing the ideas in terms of individual acts, she personifies the sinful nature which she finds herself battling against.

She represents this personification of failure as a stalking predator, who had her in his “sights” and got her “alone”. Next we see the baiting relationship as the personification entices Taylor with its illicit promises before removing those promises as she takes the bait.

And he's long gone when he's next to me
And I realize the blame is on me

In retrospect Taylor realizes the folly of this course of his action, acknowledging her own culpability in her pain…

'Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
'Til you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble 

Just look at the desperate loss in her eyes

Ah, what agony, what ecstasy! The knowing and willful ignorance of a situation you should have avoided in the first place. But oh, who can resist the temptation of metaphorically flying “to places I’d never been” only to find yourself “lying on the cold hard ground” listening to layered Dubstep to simulate the earthquake of emotions you’ve experienced. Was there e’er of tale of such woe? Eh, it is Taylor Swift, it seems apropos.

No apologies, he'll never see you cry
Pretend he doesn't know that he's the reason why
You're drowning, you're drowning, you're drowning
Now I heard you moved on from whispers on the street
A new notch in your belt is all I'll ever be
And now I see, now I see, now I see 

In a quest to restore her lost dignity in the face of her own disappointment, Taylor attempts to hide her pain. She seems lost, lonely. Here we see the plight of the modern church which has overly emphasized the shame one should feel in the face of failure. Instead of sharing her pain with her friends, family and community, Taylor finds herself “drowning” in tears, hiding from the world. She hears rumors, whispers, and watches as she is reduced to a “notch in your belt.” Only now does she truly see, see, see.

He was long gone when he met me
And I realize the joke is on me, yeah! 

It’s not a joke Taylor. Oh no. This is no laughing matter. Yeah!

I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
'Til you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble 

With her recognition and anger reaching a fevered pitch, Taylor continues to reflect on how she could have been so taken in by this, this, thing, this personification of wanton desire. Oh how she, “knew you were trouble when you walked in.” She feels shame and she feels troubled. 

And the saddest fear comes creeping in
That you never loved me or her, or anyone, or anything, yeah 

Taylor comes to the profound realization that she is not the ultimate victim in this situation, but that her confused, angry, personification of evil and sin can never feel warmth, can never love anyone. Poor personification. *tear*

Taylor with a jaunty hat

I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
'Til you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in (you were right there, you were right there)
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I'd never been
Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble 

I think this is where Taylor goes off the rails, and the rest of Christian thought as well. Instead of reflecting on the sadness inherent in this personification of evil, Taylor redoubles her own cries of anger, heartbreak, shame and victimization. With the ability to finally uncover new metaphysical understandings of how the world functions in its brokenness, Taylor, like the wider Christian world, succumbs to the shallow desire to focus on self in the interest of protection.

I knew you were trouble when you walked in
Trouble, trouble, trouble
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
Trouble, trouble, trouble

All nuance is lost as Taylor rides off into the sunset reducing the personification of sin which has given her so many problems to mere “trouble, trouble, trouble”. Ah, if only we were to wrestle with the true implications of this pain and not dismiss it all as trouble.

Peace,

Ben

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