Don’t Rain on My Parade: Taylor’s “Bejeweled” Meaning, Explained

Taylor Swift’s Bejeweled is her shimmering, sparkling track 9 from Midnights. The lyrics describe how she’s felt suppressed by her relationship, and is re-entering the spotlight after being in seclusion. 

Taylor often uses sparkling imagery to describe herself and her stardom, but in this track, someone has tried to dim her inner light. What happened, and how did she reclaim the spotlight?

Here’s my full English teacher analysis of Taylor’s Bejeweled meaning, line by line and shine by shine. 

Cover image for a lyrical analysis of Taylor Swift's "Bejeweled." A blue/purple starry sky background features bold text overlaid, with author's logo Swiftly Sung Stories at the bottom.

Bejeweled by Taylor Swift

  • Title: Bejeweled 
  • Written by: Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff 
  • Track: 9, Midnights
  • Pen: Glitter Gel Pen
  • Lyrics from Genius

Bejeweled Narrative Summary

  • Setting: Leaving a relationship and moving back into the spotlight. 
  • Characters: Narrator (Taylor), subject (ex-lover, “you”) 
  • Mood: Sassy, confident. 
  • Conflict: She felt like a caged animal, needing to be set free. 
  • Inciting Incident: “walkin’ all over my peace of mind” (he took advantage of her). 
  • Quest: Leave him behind, get her sparkle and shine back. 
  • Symbols & Metaphors: “bejeweled,” “walkin’ all over my peace of mind / in the shoes I gave you as a present,” “top five,” “going out,” “I can still make the whole place shimmer,” “the band,” “I don’t remember,” “familiarity breeds contempt,” “basement” vs. “penthouse,” “diamonds,” “polish up,” “extra credit, then got graded on a curve,” “teach some lessons,” “made you my world,” “reclaim the land,” “sparklin’”, “Sapphire tears,” “Sadness became my whole sky,” “moonstone,” “dancin’ all night,” “wait in line,” “diamond’s gotta shine.” 
  • Lesson: Lean in to what makes you special – don’t make yourself small for anyone. 

What is Bejeweled About? 

This song is about embracing aspects of yourself that are remarkable, and not making yourself small for anyone. 

Taylor uses “sparkle” and “shine” to describe the glittering aspects of her career and personality, and leaves behind a man in the lyrics who has tried to cage her. 

She said: 

“The song Bejeweled is a song that I think it’s really about finding confidence when you feel that it’s been taken away, for whatever reason.

You know, you’re feeling insecure, you’re feeling taken for granted…I think that there are tiny inflections of me pumping myself up to return to pop music after spending these glorious years writing folk songs and being in this metaphorical forest that I’ve created, which I loved so much, but there was a bit of pumping myself back up to be like, “You can do it, you’re still bejeweled!” I’m still bejeweled? We’ll see, but that’s what the song’s about.”

Taylor Swift, iHeart Radio

Though many of the songs on Midnights are Taylor’s late-night ruminations and worries, Bejeweled is a bit different. In the Midnights Prologue, she said:

“Some midnights, you’re out and you’re buzzing with electric current – an adventurer in pursuit of a rapturous thrill. Music blaring from speakers and the reckless intimacy of dancing with strangers. Something in this shadowy room to make you feel shiny again. On these nights, you know that there are facets of you that only glow in the dark.”

We can see that in this track, she’s looking for those “facets” of herself “that only glow in the dark.” She’s searching for her innate shine, because someone has tried to take it away.

Who is Bejeweled About? 

Taylor has never revealed if the relationship described in the song was inspired by any real people in her life. 

Since Midnights is a concept album about sleepless nights throughout her life, it’s entirely possible that it’s about any of her past relationships. 

Fans speculate that the central romance in the lyrics is about her ex, Joe Alwyn, who was notoriously reclusive. But this is all speculation, and we’ll never know who inspired the lyrics unless Taylor tells us. 

Bejeweled Lyrics Meaning: Line by Line

Annotated lyrics of Taylor Swift's "Bejeweled" song, dissecting hidden meanings, alternate interpretations, and analyzing her use of literary devices.
The first verse reads: "Baby love, I think I've been a little too kind

Didn't notice you walkin' all over my peace of mind

In the shoes I gave you as a present

Puttin' someone first only works when you're in their top five

And by the way, I'm goin' out tonight"

“Baby love,” she says condescendingly to her partner, “I think I’ve been a little too kind.” She’s let him take advantage of her generosity and understanding. 

“Didn’t notice you walkin’ all over my peace of mind,” she says, “In the shoes I gave you as a present.” She didn’t notice that he was slowly taking away important pieces of herself.

She describes this as being “walked over” like a doormat, and the irony is that she “gave” him the shoes in which to do it. 

The gifted shoes represent her cooperation and complicity in this slow breakdown. It happened so slowly, and he so discreetly slipped past her boundaries, that she didn’t see it happening all at once. 

But now she realizes what’s happened, and it’s all going to stop. “Puttin’ someone first only works when you’re in their top five,” she muses, implying that he hasn’t put her first, and she’s not even in the top 5 of his list of priorities. She’s done. 

“And by the way,” she says, halfway out the door, “I’m goin’ out tonight.” She’s leaving him – either for the night, or forever. She’ll no longer sit at home and wait to be valued. 

Chorus: “Familiarity Breeds Contempt”

Annotated lyrics of Taylor Swift's "Bejeweled" song, dissecting hidden meanings, alternate interpretations, and analyzing her use of literary devices.
The first chorus reads: "Best believe I'm still bejeweled

When I walk in the room

I can still make the whole place shimmer

And when I meet the band

They ask, "Do you have a man?"

I could still say, "I don't remember"

Familiarity breeds contempt

Don't put mе in the basement

Whеn I want the penthouse of your heart

Diamonds in my eyes

I polish up real, I polish up real nice"

“Best believe I’m still bejeweled,” she says, meaning that although she’s been locked away, she still has innate sparkle and shine. 

“When I walk in the room / I can still make the whole place shimmer” means that she can light up a room. Her light has been dimmed by her lover, but now she’s breaking out and letting it shine again. 

“And when I meet the band,” she says, going out dancing, “They ask, ‘Do you have a man?’” She’s met someone new. But does she have a man? It’s unclear whether she’s left him for the evening or for good. 

🌌 Are you a Mastermind? Try my Midnights Lyrics Quiz! 🌌

“I could still say, ‘I don’t remember’,” she says sarcastically. This is a harsh burn: her lover (or ex-lover) doesn’t meet the definition of a “man” – he’s made her feel small and insignificant. 

“Familiarity breeds contempt” means that if you’re too close and know too much about a person, you can lose respect for them. That’s what’s happened in her relationship. 

“Don’t put mе in the basement,” she begs, “When I want the penthouse of your heart.” She wants and deserves top tier respect, but he’s been locking her away in the metaphoric basement of love. He doesn’t value, respect, or prioritize her. 

But she still has “Diamonds in my eyes.” She still has that innate value, whether he sees it or not. 

“I polish up real, I polish up real nice,” she muses. Now that she’s out from under his thumb, she rubs off the tarnish that her ex has cloaked her in. She’s still just as shiny as she was before they met.

She metaphorically shakes off the dust, and finds her way back to herself. 

Verse 2: “It’s Time to Teach Some Lessons”

Annotated lyrics of Taylor Swift's "Bejeweled" song, dissecting hidden meanings, alternate interpretations, and analyzing her use of literary devices.
The second verse reads: "Baby boy, I think I've been too good of a girl (Too good of a girl)

Did all the extra credit, then got graded on a curve

I think it's time to teach some lessons

I made you my world (Huh), have you heard? (Huh)

I can reclaim the land

And I miss you (Miss you), but I miss sparklin' (Nice)"

“Baby boy,” she says sarcastically in the second verse, “I think I’ve been too good of a girl.” She infantilizes him, and thinks she’s been too tame and gentle with this “wittle baby.” 

Taylor as the “good girl” is a common theme in her lyrics, such as in Style, Question…? and more. She gives more context as to what this means to her in the Miss Americana documentary, where she says her early career was centrally focused on getting people to like her. 

Here, she’s taken it too far. She’s been a doormat, and she’s about to get up off the floor. 

She “did all the extra credit, then got graded on a curve,” meaning she did all the hard work, but then it was discounted or went unnoticed. 

“I think it’s time to teach some lessons,” she says, switching from the metaphorical student to teacher. She’s taking her power back. 

And what are the lessons? “I made you my world”: she’s telling him exactly how hard she worked to prioritize him. But, “have you heard?” It’s about to change. 

“I can reclaim the land,” she says. He is no longer her world, and she’ll take back those pieces of herself that revolved around him. Like a King or Queen, she’s taking back her realm. 

This likely also refers to the era of the song: Midnights followed the folklore & evermore eras, in which the pandemic placed Taylor in an isolated forest. 

Her career as a kingdom is a common metaphor she uses (see Look What You Made Me Do, New Romantics, The Archer, Castles Crumbling, et al). She’ll “reclaim the land” that once belonged to him, and take her rightful place as ruler of her destiny, in music and in her personal life. 

“And I miss you,” she says, with a hint of sarcasm, “but I miss sparklin’.” She doesn’t miss him as much as she misses her old self.

She’s polishing herself up, and putting herself back out into the daylight

Bridge: “Sapphire Tears on my Face”

Annotated lyrics of Taylor Swift's "Bejeweled" song, dissecting hidden meanings, alternate interpretations, and analyzing her use of literary devices.
The bridge reads: "Sapphire tears on my face

Sadness became my whole sky

But some guy said my aura's moonstone

Just 'cause he was high

And we're dancin' all night

And you can try to change my mind

But you might have to wait in line

What's a girl gonna do?

A diamond's gotta shine"

“Sapphire tears on my face,” she says of her past with him, “Sadness became my whole sky.” The “sapphire tears” is her blue depression. But even when she cries, she cries jewels: she’s still innately valuable and sparkly, even if she’s depressed. 

“Sadness became my whole sky” when she was with him. She made him her whole world, and staying with him made her whole universe sad and depressing. 

“But some guy said my aura’s moonstone,” she says, running into a stoner dude on her big night out, “Just ’cause he was high.” Moonstone represents divine femininity and good luck, but here, she means that it’s not her aura. Her aura is more valuable, like a diamond.

“And we’re dancin’ all night,” she says, dancing through the carefree hours, “And you can try to change my mind / But you might have to wait in line.”

He can try to win her back, but – like all the others who disapprove of her spotlight – he’ll have to wait to voice his opinion. And she won’t listen, anyway. 

This likely alludes to her “cancellation” in 2016, and to “wait in line” represents all her haters lining up to voice their opinions about her life and value. He’s just another person who disapproves of her, and she no longer has any shits to give. 

“What’s a girl gonna do?” she asks, “A diamond’s gotta shine.”

If you’re innately valuable, show it off. Use it. Don’t hide away, or let others walk all over you. Use your assets instead of hiding them. 

Outro: “I Polish Up Nice”

Annotated lyrics of Taylor Swift's "Bejeweled" song, dissecting hidden meanings, alternate interpretations, and analyzing her use of literary devices.
The outro reads: "And we're dancin' all night

And you can try to change my mind

But you might have to wait in line

What's a girl gonna do? What's a girl gonna do?

I polish up nice

Best believe I'm still bejeweled

When I walk in the room

I can still make the whole place shimmer"

The outro uses the dancing metaphor again, but this time, it feels like more than a night out. She’s dancing through life, and “you can try to change my mind / But you might have to wait in line.” 

She’s back as the mirrorball, illuminating the dance floor, in the center of it all. And it will take more than a few dissenting options to get her to switch off the spotlight. 

“I polish up nice,” she says confidently. She’s back where she belongs, having collected the pieces of herself that he shattered. 

“I can still make the whole place shimmer,” she says one final time. Like the mirrorball, she lights up the room. She’ll “show you every version of yourself tonight,” just as she was meant to. 

But unlike mirrorball, she’s glued back together instead of broken. He tried to break her and lock her away, but she picked up the pieces, got back to where she belongs, and is out there, “shining just for you.” 

🌌 Are you a Mastermind? Try my Midnights Lyrics Quiz! 🌌

Bejeweled Song Meaning: Final Thoughts 

Taylor has made Cinderella references in a lot of her music, but this is the first time that the metaphor really describes where she was at, and where she’s going. 

Coming out of the pandemic, coming out of the folklorian woods, and coming back into pop after a detour into folk music, she really is out of her rags and into a ball gown. 

But moreover, this track is about not hiding who you really are, and it’s a good reminder that we all need to have a little Cinderella in our bones. Don’t accept basements when you’re made for the penthouse, and don’t tarnish yourself when you’re meant to shine. 

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