Taylor Swift announced the release of a surprise new song during her livestream this afternoon: 'The Archer'—one that really explores how her own vulnerability and difficulty trusting people. ('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.')
Swift explained during her livestream that ''The Archer' is not the next single. It’s just a song I love on the album. I haven’t made a video for it or anything. This is just sort of a glimpse into another side of the album I wanted to show you.'
Swift and Jack Antonoff worked on the song together.
As Swift explained during her livestream, on Lover generally, "'there’s a lot that’s covered emotionally, and I really wanted to give you track 5 before the album came out. So track 5 is kind of a tradition that really started with you guys because I didn’t realise I was doing this but…instinctually I was putting a very vulnerable, honest, emotional song as track 5. So because you noticed this, I started to put the songs that were honest, emotional, vulnerable, and personal as track 5.'
'The Archer' (which could be a nod to the fact that Swift is a Sagittarius, and the archer is literally part of her zodiac) goes there on Lover. Listen to it below and take in the lyrics, via Genius:
Verse 1:
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
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
Chorus:
I've been the archer, I've been the prey
Who could ever leave me, darling
But who could stay?
Verse 2:
Dark side, I search for your dark side
But what if I'm alright, right, right, right here?
And I cut off my nose just to spite my face
Then I hate my reflection 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
Chorus:
I've been the archer, I've been the prey
Screaming, who could ever leave me, darling
But who could stay?
(I see right through me, I see right through me)
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
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
Chorus:
I've been the archer, I've been the prey
Who could ever leave me, darling
But who could stay?
(I see right through me, I see right through me)
Who could stay?
Who could stay?
Who could stay?
You could stay
You could stay
Outro:
Combat, I'm ready for combat
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
