Taylor’s Old Love vs. New: “Begin Again” Meaning
Begin Again (Taylor’s Version) is a song about rebirth and renewal. So much of the accompanying Red album is about devastating loss, but Begin Again sees Taylor rise from the ashes.
She’s been crushed and broken, but in this gorgeous track 16, she can finally see the light amidst the darkness. Who brought her back to life?
Here’s my full analysis of the Begin Again meaning, line by line.

Begin Again (Taylor’s Version)
- Title: Begin Again (Taylor’s Version)
- Track: 16, Red (Taylor’s Version)
- Written By: Taylor Swift
- Pen: fountain
- Secret Message: “I wear heels now”
- Lyrics via Genius
Begin Again Song Meaning: Narrative Analysis
- Setting: “A Wednesday in a cafe”, and Taylor’s memory of it.
- Characters: Narrator (Taylor), subject (“you”, new love interest), ex-boyfriend (“him”).
- Mood: Hopeful
- Conflict: Her past relationship trauma might taint her future ones, and she might not believe in love ever again.
- Inciting Incident: They meet in a cafe (first date).
- Quest: Begin a new love, hopefully untainted by the old one.
- Symbols & Metaphors: “deep breath in the mirror,” high heels, lock, “pull my chair out”, “break and burn and end,” “wednesday in a cafe,” James Taylor records, “like a little kid,” Christmas movies
- Theme: Even if you’ve been crushed, you can pick yourself up and start fresh.
- Imagery: “Took a deep breath in the mirror,” “you got here early and you stand and wave”, “You pull my chair out and help me in,” “all love ever does is break and burn and end,” “throw your head back laughin’ like a little kid.”
Begin Again (Taylor’s Version) Lyric Video
What was the Hidden Message for Begin Again?
The hidden message for Begin Again was “I wear heels now.”
The song references an ex-boyfriend who didn’t like her to wear high heels (likely because of her height vs. his). Taylor saying she wears heels now is her telling us that she’s over him, and won’t let anyone control her again.
Who is Begin Again About?
It’s likely about Connor Kennedy, with whom Taylor had a brief romance with during the writing of Red. The theme of the song is very similar to Everything Has Changed, which is very likely about Connor, so we can assume these two songs were written about the same person.
The ex mentioned in the song is likely Jake Gyllenhaal, whom much of the Red album is about.
Taylor has never confirmed who the song is about specifically.
What is Begin Again About?
Begin Again is about going on a first date after you’ve had your heart broken, and what that means for your new relationship.
The song deals with the themes of moving on, letting go, and opening yourself up after you’ve been crushed.
Taylor said, “It’s about when you’ve gotten through a really bad relationship and you finally dust yourself off and go on that first date after a horrible breakup, and the vulnerability that goes along with all that.”
Begin Again Meaning: Line by Line Lyric Analysis

Verse one sees Taylor getting ready for a first date. She takes a “deep breath in the mirror,” which is a metaphor for girding yourself and getting ready to do something brave.
We’re introduced to the ex-boyfriend character with “he didn’t like it when I wore high heels, but I do.”
This is painting her ex in a controlling light, but now she’s wearing heels, and symbolically ridding herself of him and his manipulation completely.
“Turn the lock and put my headphones on” both describe her leaving for the date, and metaphorically shutting out the past.
The song on her headphones, though, reminds her of him: “he always said he didn’t get this song, but I do.”
This is showing a deep incompatibility with her ex. Music – of course – is central to who Taylor is, and the fact that he doesn’t “get” a song that she loves is a big red flag. She also explored this ex’s taste – or lack of taste – in music in We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (“some indie record that’s much cooler than mine”).
But here she goes – bravely to a first date – after being with someone who was terrible to her.
🧣Do you really know Red? Try the Red TV Lyrics Quiz! 🧣
Verse 2: “Expectin’ You’d Be Late”

Verse two sees her walk into the cafe. She highlights her current standards, after being crushed by her ex: she expects her date will be late.
This little anecdote also serves to characterize her ex, who was likely never on time. It haunts her so much that she takes that lesson into her date: he’ll likely be late, too, just like her ex was.
“But you got here early and you stand and wave” is a moment of elation and relief. The tension is broken – he’s there, he’s reliable, and he is happy to see her. His being early is a metaphor for who he is as a person: reliable, on time, predictable.
She goes to him, both physically walking through the cafe and metaphorically moving toward a relationship with him.
He pulls out her chair – a gentlemanly gesture – and this means the world to her. “You don’t know how nice that is, but I do.” This is also showing her past trauma of being with someone who isn’t’ good for her.
The chair anecdote should not be this much of a surprise to her, but it is. What does that say about her ex? It’s not good.
Chorus: “All Love Ever Does is Break, and Burn, and End”

The chorus describes the innocence and playfulness of her date: “you throw your head back laughin’ like a little kid.” When contrasted with the man who wouldn’t let her wear heels and was always late, this is a breath of fresh air.
He’s got a childlike quality that’s soothing, compared to the controlling and unpredictable nature of her ex.
“I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny ‘cause he never did” not only shows their compatibility, but also highlights just how terrible her ex was. How do you not think Taylor is funny? Blasphemy.
We get a peek into her past: “I’ve been spendin’ the last eight months thinkin’ all love ever does is break and burn and end.” Love breaking and burning and ending is a metaphor for her soul in that last relationship: she was broken, and got burned, and was metaphorically ended (dead).
She’s been in a pit of despair, thinking nothing will ever work out in her love life again. She has no hope.
But – in this small moment – on a random Wednesday in a restaurant, her hope is renewed: “I watched it begin again.”
The choice of Wednesday is similar to Tuesday in You Belong With Me. It means a typical day; nothing special, but made special by what happens.
Verse 3: “James Taylor Records”

Verse three gives us some more anecdotes from the date with the James Taylor records reference. This is symbolic of a deep compatibility between them, bonding over music (central to Taylor’s priorities).
She’s “comin’ off a little shy,” and he can’t figure out why. She’s got this huge secret in her past that’s haunting her present (her terrible last relationship). She knows this is why she’s gunshy, but he has no clue.
Should she tell him? The bridge explores this.
Bridge: “I Almost Brought Him Up”

In the bridge, she almost lets her secret slip: “I almost brought him up.” It’s like she’s bursting to tell him her deepest fears and insecurities. But she doesn’t. She gets diverted.
“But you start to talk about the movies / That your family watches every single Christmas.” This small moment brings her out of her head, and suddenly she wants to “talk about that.”
The Christmas movies represent a couple of things:
- Family, and how it’s important to him (also, he’s from a notable family, if we assume this is about Connor Kennedy).
- Christmas as a magical time, referencing the magic of this moment.
- Christmas movies as a symbol of comfort and ease, reflecting their ease of connetion in this candid moment.
“For the first time,” she says, “what’s past is past.” For the first time in eight long months, she can finally put her ex behind her and look forward.
“What’s past is past” is a common proverb meaning that your past shouldn’t affect your present, and in this moment, she believes that.
Final Chorus & Outro: “I Watched it Begin Again”
‘Cause you throw your head back laughin’ like a little kid
I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny ’cause he never did
I’ve been spendin’ the last eight months
Thinkin’ all love ever does is break and burn and end
But on a Wednesday in a café, I watched it begin again
[Outro]
On a Wednesday in a café, I watched it begin again
-Taylor Swift, “Begin Again” (Taylor’s Version)
The final chorus and outro repeat the central theme: beginning again. This is a fresh start, with a fresh person, who (hopefully) won’t treat her terribly.
Sure, this particular relationship didn’t last forever. But it did do something important: it gave her hope that love doesn’t only “break and burn and end.” It can also be magical, and lighthearted, and caring.
This date offered her this chance to step back, reflect, take a deep breath, and give love another shot.
“I watched it begin again” is an interesting perspective, like Taylor is floating above watching this moment out of body. She’s looking down on herself as the narrator, pointing to this moment and saying “that’s where it started.”
This is where Taylor comes out of her grave and metaphorically rises from the ashes of heartbreak.
🧣Do you really know Red? Try the Red TV Lyrics Quiz! 🧣
Begin Again Song Meaning: Final Thoughts
What’s most interesting about Begin Again is not who it’s about, but what it’s about. It’s about love, and not about the particular person she goes on a first date with.
Taylor watches “it begin again”, and the “it” is not a relationship. It’s her heart, opening itself up to love once again. It’s been closed off and shut down, but now it blossoms.
And what allows it to blossom? One example of a man being kind and thoughtful. She didn’t think men were capable of that anymore. It’s the small moments – the chair, the laughter, the records – that give her the evidence she needs to prove that not all men are terrible.
Similar to the theme of the previous track Everything Has Changed, her entire outlook changes because of these small, intimate moments. She believes in love – and in herself finding it – once again.
Paired with the secret message “I wear heels now,” she’s now towering over her ex, clicking her heels, and marching on to bigger and better things. She just needed a small moment of kindness to put a spring in her step.
More From Red (Taylor’s Version)
- Red Prologues: Original vs. Taylor’s Version
- State of Grace
- Red
- Treacherous
- I Knew You Were Trouble
- All Too Well [10 Minute Version]
- 22
- I Almost Do
- We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
- Stay Stay Stay
- The Last Time
- Holy Ground
- Sad Beautiful Tragic
- The Lucky One
- Everything Has Changed
- Starlight
- The Moment I Knew
- Come Back…Be Here
- Girl at Home
- Better Man [From the Vault]
- Nothing New [From the Vault]
- Babe [From the Vault]
- Message in a Bottle [From the Vault]
- I Bet You Think About Me [From the Vault]
- Forever Winter [From the Vault]
- Run [From the Vault]
- The Very First Night [From the Vault]