Daylight – English Lyrics

• By: Taylor Swift
• Album: Lover

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical maturity of Taylor Swift's "Daylight." This song is a masterclass in using color and light metaphors to express deep personal growth, offering learners excellent vocabulary for discussing emotions, life changes, and secure relationships. Pay close attention to the final spoken epilogue, as it provides a powerful, quotable English phrase for self-definition and positive thinking: "you are what you love." The contrast between 'red' and 'golden' is an essential study in poetic language.

[English]

My love was as cruel as the cities I lived in

Everyone looked worse in the light

There are so many lines that I've crossed unforgiven

I'll tell you the truth, but never goodbye

I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you

I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you

I've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night

And now I see daylight, I only see daylight

Luck of the draw only draws the unlucky

And so I became the butt of the joke

I wounded the good and I trusted the wicked

Clearing the air, I breathed in the smoke

Maybe you ran with the wolves and refused to settle down

Maybe I've stormed out of every single room in this town

Threw out our cloaks and our daggers because it's morning now

It's brighter now, now

I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you

(I can never look away)

I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you

(Things will never be the same)

I've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night

(Now I'm wide awake)

And now I see daylight (Daylight), I only see daylight (Daylight)

I only see daylight, daylight, daylight, daylight

I only see daylight, daylight, daylight, daylight

And I can still see it all (In my mind)

All of you, all of me (Intertwined)

I once believed love would be (Black and white)

But it's golden (Golden)

And I can still see it all (In my head)

Back and forth from New York (Sneaking in your bed)

I once believed love would be (Burning red)

But it's golden

Like daylight, like daylight

Like daylight, daylight

I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you

(I can never look away)

I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you

(Things will never be the same)

I've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night

(Now I'm wide awake)

And now I see daylight (I see daylight), I only see daylight (Ah)

I only see daylight, daylight, daylight, daylight

I only see daylight, daylight, daylight, daylight (Ah)

I only see daylight, daylight, daylight, daylight

I only see daylight, daylight, daylight, daylight

...

Like daylight

It's golden like daylight

You gotta step into the daylight and let it go

Just let it go, let it go

...

I wanna be defined by the things that I love

Not the things I hate

Not the things that I'm afraid of, I'm afraid of

Not the things that haunt me in the middle of the night

I, I just think that

You are what you love

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
cruel /krʊəl/ A2	adjective - causing pain or suffering
unforgiven /ˌʌnfərˈɡɪvən/ B1	adjective - not forgiven
truth /truːθ/ A1	noun - the quality of being true
bright /braɪt/ A2	adjective - giving off a lot of light
wound /wuːnd/ B1	verb - to injure or harm noun - an injury
wicked /ˈwɪkɪd/ A2	adjective - evil or morally wrong
settle /ˈsetl/ B1	verb - to adopt a more steady or secure position
dagger /ˈdæɡər/ B1	noun - a short knife with a pointed blade
golden /ˈɡoʊldən/ A2	adjective - made of or resembling gold
define /dɪˈfaɪn/ B1	verb - to explain the meaning of something
haunt /hɔːnt/ B2	verb - to frequently visit in spirit or memory
intertwine /ˌɪntərˈtwaɪn/ C1	verb - to twist or combine together
sneak /sniːk/ B1	verb - to move quietly and secretly
refuse /rɪˈfjuːz/ A2	verb - to decline or reject something
storm /stɔːrm/ A2	verb - to move angrily or forcefully noun - a violent weather condition

Key Grammar Structures

• My love was as cruel as the cities I lived in

  ➔ Comparison using 'as ... as'

  ➔ This line uses the structure 'as ... as' to compare the cruelty of the love to the cities, emphasizing equality in negativity; specifically, 'as cruel as' highlights the similarity.

• Everyone looked worse in the light

  ➔ Comparative adjectives

  ➔ The word 'worse' is a comparative adjective implying something negative compared to a previous state in 'the light', suggesting deterioration when viewed clearly.

• I've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night

  ➔ Present perfect continuous

  ➔ This line employs the present perfect continuous tense with 'have been sleeping' to describe an ongoing action starting in the past ('20-year dark night') and continuing to the present, emphasizing duration and recent wakefulness.

• Maybe you ran with the wolves and refused to settle down

  ➔ Speculative past tense with 'maybe'

  ➔ The use of 'maybe' with past tenses like 'ran' and 'refused' expresses speculation about past actions or choices, suggesting uncertainty or hypothetical scenarios in the narrative.

• Threw out our cloaks and our daggers because it's morning now

  ➔ Adverbial clause of reason with 'because'

  ➔ This line connects the past action ('threw out') to its reason ('because it's morning now'), using 'because' to explain the logical motivation for discarding metaphorical items symbolizing past conflicts.

• I once believed love would be (Black and white) But it's golden

  ➔ Contrast between past belief and present reality

  ➔ This expresses a shift using 'once believed' for past assumptions versus 'it's' for current actuality, highlighting changing perceptions of love through tenses and negation.

• I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you

  ➔ Adverbial clause with 'now that'

  ➔ The phrase 'now that I saw you' serves as a clause indicating time and reason, modifying 'wanna look', showing how a past event ('saw') justifies the present desire.

• You are what you love

  ➔ Identify clause with 'what'

  ➔ This is a defining clause where 'what you love' identifies the subject ('you'), using 'what' to specify qualities or definitions based on love.

• You gotta step into the daylight and let it go

  ➔ Colloquial imperative with 'gotta'

  ➔ The word 'gotta' is slang for 'have got to' or 'must', used in an imperative mood ('step') to advise or urge action, emphasizing release and enlightenment.