'Babylon' Lyrics: Taylor Swift's Song Meaning, Analysis, & Connection to Old Songs | Just Jared

Taylor Swift‘s new song “Babylon” is here and we’re going to breakdown the lyrics to the track.

The Grammy-winning singer has released four new songs on The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, the deluxe version of her album from last year.

Fans have already noticed that the song title has connections to some of Taylor‘s previous songs.

“Babylon” is mentioned in two previous Taylor Swift songs

Taylor first referenced the Gardens of Babylon on her song “cowboy like me” from the 2020 album evermore. She described an elusive romance: “Now you hang from my lips / Like the Gardens of Babylon.“

Taylor later co-wrote and appeared on Gracie Abrams‘ 2024 song “us.,” which also invokes Babylon while describing lovers and a relationship destined to fall apart: “Babylon lovers hangin’ lifetimes on a vine.”

What is Babylon and what is it’s meaning?

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but historians have debated whether they actually existed at all, which has made Taylor‘s original metaphor especially intriguing.

Fans have interpreted her earlier use of Babylon in different ways: a romance that was never real, or a love whose existence is impossible to prove. Those interpretations have resurfaced now that Taylor has named an entire song “Babylon.”

What are the lyrics for “Babylon” and what do they mean?

Taylor‘s song “Babylon” appears to be about an ex-boyfriend and not her current relationship with husband Travis Kelce. The song appears to be about appreciating what you have while it’s there in front of you, because you never know when you won’t have it anymore.

The idea of “Babylon” explores the bittersweet idea of two people pouring everything they have into creating something extraordinary, only to watch it slowly transform into something they never could have imagined.

“You hate this song, but you wake up on the train with your headphones gone / Then that melody is all you want / You never knew that it was Babylon ’til it was gone,” she sings in the chorus.

She sings in the bridge:

You’re using nostalgia as a weapon to hurt yourself
But darling, you end up hurting everybody else
The self-harm of never being where you are
It’s bedtime, but you’re sitting in your car
You’re missing all the best parts
And they’re all at home
She’s hanging Christmas lights with your son
Sneak into the bathroom to call her mom
And say, “It’s not working, it’s just not worth it if we’re not what he wants”

Read the full lyrics for the song below.

Posted To:Lyrics Music Taylor Swift The Life of a Showgirl