Holy Ground
In this song, Taylor establishes a lot of future patterns (which is why a few other songs are related). Her innate attraction to women that sets their relationship into overdrive. Inside jokes. Dancing. Fear ruining everything. Then, daydreaming about past sapphic loves.
I was reminiscing just the other day/While having coffee all alone and Lord, it took me away
Back to a first glance feeling on New York time
Back when you fit my poems like a perfect rhyme
Took off faster than a green light, go
Yeah, you skip the conversation when you already know
I left a note on the door with a joke we'd made
And that was the first day
And darling, it was good
Never looking down
And right there where we stood
Was holy ground
Spinning like a girl in a brand new dress
We had this big wide city all to ourselves
Holy Ground tells about a mutual understanding between two people. There is an unspoken familiarity that helps each individual put everything else aside to enjoy being unexpectedly captivated. They don’t require banter, because they are already close from the beginning.
We blocked the noise with the sound of 'I need you'
And for the first time I had something to lose
And it’s the first time Taylor feels love (vs. comp-het). She has something to lose because she actually has real feelings. “We blocked the noise” could be the literal sounds of the city. Secondly, the couple’s desire towards each other blocks out any criticism from society. Taylor notes that she has something to lose for the first time. Despite all her previous crushes and dating, this is the first time a relationship feels substantial to her. It’s different from the rest (because it’s with a woman).
But, but, but Taylor’s career and people’s perception of her is never far from her mind. Even when she’s swept away by the strongest desires for women, she is still worried about judgment.
And I guess we fell apart in the usual way
And the story's got dust on every page
But sometimes I wonder how you think about it now
And I see your face in every crowd
'Cause darling, it was good
Never looking down
And right there where we stood
Was holy ground
Even after the break-up, when collected dust shows the passage of time, Taylor sees the face everywhere because this person stays on her mind.
Don’t look down is a common saying meaning to stay focused on the action you’re taking, and don’t catastrophize about everything that could go wrong. Taylor and this person were so into each other that it was one of the rare times that Taylor wasn’t anxiously ruminating about how everything could fall apart in her life.
Tonight I'm gonna dance
For all that we've been through
But I don't wanna dance
If I'm not dancing with you
Tonight I'm gonna dance
Like you were in this room
But I don't wanna dance
If I'm not dancing with you
“Dance” is being unbothered and happy-go-lucky in her queerness. It’s a state Taylor enters only with this specific person per Holy Ground. In other songs, Taylor uses the word, “dance” to show intimacy between two people. At the end, Taylor makes clear this (dating women) would not be a new pattern of behavior. She only wants to “dance” (feel this carefree and calm about being sapphic) if it’s with this special person. This turns out to be a pattern with Taylor. In Dancing with our Hands Tied, Taylor is telling her ex-girlfriend what she would do if they could resume dancing. Taylor knows she left her lover hanging, and it’s her fault both of them are depressed. Even though this is the central person in Taylor’s life she never acknowledges them publicly.
No comments:
Post a Comment