Ruin the Friendship – English Lyrics

• By: Taylor Swift
• Album: The Life of a Showgirl

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music can be a deeply emotional journey, and Taylor Swift's 'Ruin the Friendship' offers a perfect example. The song's narrative structure and heartfelt lyrics about love and loss can help you connect with English on a more personal level. Its storytelling style makes it special for learners, as it clearly conveys a sequence of events and the emotions tied to them, making the language both understandable and memorable.

[English]

Glistening grass from September rain

Gray overpass full of neon names

You drive 85

Gallatin Road and the lakeside beach

Watching the game from your brother's Jeep

Your smile, miles wide

And it was not an invitation

Should've kissed you anyway

Should've kissed you anyway

And it was not convenient, no

But your girlfriend was away

Should've kissed you anyway, hey

Shiny wood floors underneath my feet

Disco ball makes everything look cheap

Have fun, it's prom

Wilted corsage dangles from my wrist

Over his shoulder, I catch a glimpse

And see you looking at me

And it was not an invitation

But as the 50 Cent song played (Song played)

Should've kissed you anyway (Anyway)

And it was not convenient, no (It was not convenient)

Would've been the best mistake

Should've kissed you anyway, hey

Don't make it awkward in second period

Might piss your ex off, lately we've been good

Staying friends is safe, doesn't mean you should

Don't make it awkward in second period

Might piss your ex off, lately we've been good

Staying friends is safe, doesn't mean you should

When I left school, I lost track of you

Abigail called me with the bad news

Goodbye, and we'll never know why

It was not an invitation

But I flew home anyway

With so much left to say

It was not convenient, no

But I whispered at the grave

"Should've kissed you anyway"

Oh, and it was not an invitation (It was not an invitation)

Should've kissed you anyway (Anyway)

Should've kissed you anyway, anyway (Anyway)

And it was not—

My advice is always ruin the friendship

Better that than regret it for all time

Should've kissed you anyway

And my advice is always answer the question

Better that than to ask it all your life

Should've kissed you anyway

Should've kissed you anyway

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
glistening /ˈɡlɪs.nɪŋ/ B2	adjective - shining with a soft, sparkling light
neon /ˈniːɒn/ B1	noun - a bright, colorful gas‑discharge light; a neon sign
invitation /ˌɪn.vɪˈteɪ.ʃən/ B1	noun - a request to attend or take part in something
kiss /kɪs/ A2	verb - to touch with the lips as a sign of affection noun - a brief touch of the lips
convenient /kənˈviː.ni.ənt/ B2	adjective - suitable or useful for a particular purpose; easy to use
awkward /ˈɔː.kwəd/ B2	adjective - causing or feeling embarrassment or discomfort
friendship /ˈfrɛnd.ʃɪp/ B1	noun - a close and trusted relationship between people
regret /rɪˈɡret/ B1	noun - a feeling of sadness about something that has happened or been done verb - to feel sorry about something that has happened
whisper /ˈwɪs.pər/ B2	verb - to speak very softly, usually to keep something secret noun - a soft spoken sound
grave /ɡreɪv/ B1	noun - a place of burial; a tomb
shiny /ˈʃaɪ.ni/ A2	adjective - giving off a bright reflection; glossy
wilted /ˈwɪl.tɪd/ C1	adjective - drooping or limp, especially because of loss of moisture
corsage /kɔːˈsɑːʒ/ C1	noun - a small bouquet of flowers worn on a woman's clothing, especially at a formal event
prom /prɒm/ B1	noun - a formal dance held at the end of a school year
disco /ˈdɪs.kəʊ/ B1	noun - a type of dance music and a club where it is played
cheap /tʃiːp/ A2	adjective - low in price; not expensive, often of low quality
smile /smaɪl/ A1	noun - a facial expression showing pleasure or amusement
overpass /ˈəʊ.və.pæs/ B2	noun - a bridge that carries a road or railway over another road

Key Grammar Structures

• Should've kissed you anyway

  ➔ Modal verbs in past conditional

  ➔ "Should've" is a contraction of "should have," expressing regret about a past action that didn't happen, suggesting a missed opportunity in a hypothetical scenario.

• Watching the game from your brother's Jeep

  ➔ Present continuous for descriptive statements

  ➔ "Watching" uses the present continuous to describe an ongoing action in the past, creating a vivid, narrative effect to immerse the listener in the memory.

• Over his shoulder, I catch a glimpse

  ➔ Prepositions for location and motion

  ➔ "Over" indicates physical position relative to another object, combining with "his shoulder" to show a directional glance in a descriptive scene.

• Might piss your ex off, lately we've been good

  ➔ Modal verbs for possibility and politeness

  ➔ "Might" expresses possibility and adds a cautious tone, softening the statement about potential consequences in a relational context.

• Staying friends is safe, doesn't mean you should

  ➔ Ellipsis for brevity in contrastive clauses

  ➔ The verb and subject are omitted after the comma in "doesn't mean you should," implying "it doesn't mean you should," creating a concise contrast for emphasis.

• When I left school, I lost track of you

  ➔ Past simple in time clauses

  ➔ "Left" and "lost" in past simple refer to completed actions, with "when" introducing the clause to show sequence and causality in the narrative.

• Don't make it awkward in second period

  ➔ Imperative mood with negation

  ➔ "Don't make" is an imperative advising caution, using negation to instruct avoidance of a social situation for relational harmony.

• With so much left to say

  ➔ Prepositional phrases for emphasis

  ➔ "With so much" uses a prepositional phrase to emphasize unfinished emotions, adding emotional depth to the reflective statement.

• But I whispered at the grave

  ➔ Past simple for sequence in narrative

  ➔ "Whispered" indicates a single, emotional action in the past, contrasting with prior inaction to build narrative tension.