Released: November 21, 2011

Songwriter: Taylor Swift

Producer: Taylor Swift

[Verse 1]
You were in college, working part-time, waiting tables
Left a small town and never looked back
I was a flight risk, with a fear of falling
Wondering why we bother with love, if it never lasts

[Pre-Chorus 1]
I say, "Can you believe it?"
As we're lying on the couch
The moment, I could see it
Yes, yes, I can see it now

[Chorus]
Do you remember, we were sitting there, by the water?
You put your arm around me for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter
You are the best thing that's ever been mine

[Verse 2]
Flash forward, and we're taking on the world together
And there's a drawer of my things at your place
You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded
You say we'll never make my parents' mistakes

[Pre-Chorus 2]
But we got bills to pay
We got nothing figured out
When it was hard to take
Yes, yes
This is what I thought about:

[Chorus]
Do you remember, we were sitting there, by the water?
You put your arm around me for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter
You are the best thing that's ever been mine

Do you remember all the city lights on the water?
You saw me start to believe for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter
You are the best thing that's ever been mine oh-woah

[Bridge]
And I remember that fight, 2:30 AM
As everything was slipping right out of our hands
I ran out, crying, and you followed me out into the street
Braced myself for the goodbye
'Cause that's all I've ever known
Then, you took me by surprise
You said, "I'll never leave you alone."

[Chorus 2]
You said, "I remember how we felt, sitting by the water
And every time I look at you, it's like the first time
I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter
She is the best thing that's ever been mine
"Hold on, make it last"
Hold on, never turn back
You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter
You are the best thing that's ever been mine

[Outro]
Do you believe it?
We're gonna make it now
And I can see it
Yeah, yeah
I can see it now (See it now, see it now)

Taylor Swift

One of the defining artists of the 2010s, Taylor Alison Swift, born December 13th, 1989, is an American singer-songwriter and actress who has achieved success in both country and pop. Raised on a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania, Swift moved to Nashville, Tennessee at age fourteen to pursue a career in country music. Scott Borchetta signed Swift to his then-nonexistent label Big Machine Records after seeing her perform at the Bluebird Cafe in November 2004.

Swift debuted in June 2006 with “Tim McGraw,” an ode to a lover who would be leaving town. The song served as an introduction to her self-titled debut album, which touched upon topics like heartbreak and bullying Swift faced at school. Her honesty and relatability appealed to fans from all walks of life, and went on to become the longest-charting album of the 2000s, spending 227 weeks on the Billboard 200.

Swift’s sophomore effort, Fearless, came in November 2008 and cemented her status as a country superstar, while tracks like “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” also garnered mainstream attention. Not only did the record become her first number one, but it also became the most-awarded country album of all time, winning accolades such as the Grammy award for Album of the Year. Until Billie Eilish’s 2020 win, then-20-year-old Swift was the youngest person to have ever received the honor.