Songwriter: Taylor Swift

[Verse 1]
He's got a nice little life
He's gonna live it, but on
Friday nights he plays that mandolin
Painted red, and he said
It's not the best I know
But it's mine, I'm gonna make it mine
People there can't help but care
About the friendly music of a guy
Who's getting by from their applause
He's got a song that moves along
He's got his local crowd tonight
At Angelina's family bar and grill

[Chorus]
He's got his heart on his sleeve
The songs he plays just living free
But who knows what goes through his mind
When he plays a song it brings along
Everybody saying
Who's that guy who plays the mandolin... mandolin
Oh yeah, mandolin

[Verse 2]
Got a car, got a scar
Like everyone he's got a few but
Everybody loves that mandolin
Got his problems, bills to pay
Somehow that boy finds a way
Through paychecks in tip jars, yeah

[Chorus]
He's got his heart on his sleeve
The songs he plays just living free
But who knows what goes through his mind
When he plays a song it brings along
Everybody saying
Who's that guy who plays the mandolin... mandolin
Oh yeah, mandolin

[Bridge]
Oh he's the kind of guy
Who never really wanted fame
His feet are planted firmly on the ground
He never wanted people to remember his name
He never wanted word to get around
That he found heaven on earth

[Chorus]
He's got his heart on his sleeve
The songs he plays just living free
But who knows what goes through his mind
When he plays a song it brings along
Everybody saying
Who's that guy who plays the mandolin
Oh, I'm the guy who plays the mandolin
Mandolin
Oh, mandolin

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.

more tracks from the album

Unreleased Songs

From the albums