First String? Full Analysis Of Taylor’s “End Game” Song Meaning
Taylor Swift’s End Game, featuring Ed Sheeran and Future, is one of the most well-known tracks on reputation. The song is about starting a new relationship and wanting it to last forever.
But if we really look at the End Game lyrics, what’s happening in this song? We know nothing is ever as it seems with Taylor, so let’s interrogate this reputation track and see where it takes us.
Here’s my complete English teacher analysis of Taylor’s End Game song meaning, line-by-line.
End Game, ft. Ed Sheeran & Future
End Game is a catchy blend of pop and rap, featuring other big stars Future and Ed Sheeran, who each wrote their own verses for this tune.
- Title: “End Game”
- Written by: Taylor Swift, Future, Shellback, Max Martin, Ed Sheeran
- Track: 2, Reputation (2017)
- Pen: Fountain (with possibly a tiny bit of glitter gel pen)
- Lyrics from Genius
End Game Narrative Summary
- Setting: No locations mentioned in the song itself, but the music video gives us London, Tokyo, and Miami. The emotional location, however, is the beginning of a relationship.
- Characters: Narrator (Taylor), Narrator (Ed Sheeran), Narrator (Future), subject (“you,” love interest who the song is directed toward and about).
- Mood: Hopeful but anxious about what could go wrong.
- Conflict: Big reputations, people will talk, lovers can leave.
- Inciting Incident: Gossip, and yearning for a forever person.
- Quest: Let him know that he’s her soulmate – that this can last if he gives it a chance.
- Symbols & Metaphors: “reputation”, sports & game metaphors, “bury hatchets” & “maps,” “drinkin on the beach”.
- Theme: Falling in love and worried that it won’t last.
- Imagery: “I hit you like bang,” “your handprints on my soul,” “body is gold,” “eyes are liquor”, “here’s the truth from my red lips.”
- Lesson: Reputation isn’t everything.
Who is End Game About?
Taylor has never revealed who End Game may have been inspired by, but given the timeline of the song, most fans assume the love interest portrayed in the song represents Joe Alwyn.
But End Game isn’t just about a love interest, it’s also about where she was at in this current point in her life. She had just been through a year of self-imposed seclusion after a big scandal, and her reputation had spiraled.
The lyrics describe her yearning for someone who can accept this new Taylor, as well as cope with the emotional baggage she brings to a relationship.
What is End Game About?
It’s about having a new love in your life, and being scared that they don’t know the full extent of how you feel about them. It’s saying ‘hey – I’m your soulmate. This is real. This is forever.’
Or at least that’s what it seems on the surface. More deeply, it’s about Taylor’s fears and insecurities that she’s not a person anyone can stay with in the long run, because of her “big reputation”.
“End Game” vs. “Endgame”
Taylor chose very purposefully to turn one word into two for the title of this song.
“Endgame” is the final stage of a game, when it’s wrapping up and about to be over. In pop culture, it tends to mean the last battle, as in “Avengers Endgame”, a huge movie of 2019.
But why did Taylor specifically use “End Game” instead of “Endgame”? I have a theory.
First off, she wants to emphasize something about this word – or words. If she kept it as plain “Endgame,” it would mean ‘the last battle I ever fight,’ or the ‘final, forever person.’
But turning it into two separate words emphasizes them both. “End” means over. “Game” means playing games.
So what’s she saying? ‘Stop playing games,’ essentially. And she says this later in the song: “I ain’t tryin to play.”
She wants to stop all the romantic drama and scandal and have this one be it – the forever person. No more drama, no more ghosting. Just be together, forever.
But the title also refers to stopping the drama that the rest of the album refers to. It is called reputation, after all, and was written after she essentially went into hiding after some traumatic public scandals.
I think “End Game” can also refer to her general new outlook for this album: she knows people will gossip about her. She knows people have certain ideas about her. She’s no longer going to listen to the constant din of gossip, and just be.
Just “end” the “game,” or – at the very least – change the rules of the game for her benefit.
End Game Song Meaning: Line by Line
“I wanna be your end game,” she says in the very first line. It’s rare that Taylor begins a song with the title, or begins a song with the chorus, so we’re immediately paying attention. To be “endgame,” colloquially, means to last forever.
“I wanna be your first string,” she continues, which gives us context to what “end game” really means: the first one chosen, and the last one chosen. A “first string” is the top tier of players on a team; the ones that play first, and play best.
“I wanna be your A-Team,” she says, yearning to be chosen first. The A-team are the first players out on the pitch, while the B-team sits on the sidelines waiting for their turn. But “A-Team” is likely also a shout-out to End Sheeran’s song of the same name.
In that track, the “A-team” refers to a class-A drug user (narcotics, in the UK), and also implies the height from which the protagonist has fallen from grace. She used to be on the “A-team” in life, but now she’s fallen into class-A drugs.
“I wanna be your end game, end game,” she repeats to close the chorus. She wants to be the subject’s end-all, be-all in life and love. But she also wants all the games to end, and wants to settle down with her forever person.
Refrain: “Big Reputation”
“Big reputation, big reputation,” she says iconically in the first refrain, “Ooh, you and me, we got big reputations, ah.” She’s copping to the fact that she doesn’t have a squeaky-clean image. She’s got a lot of emotional baggage, and there’s a lot of chatter going around about her.
The subject also has a “big reputation.” But we’ll soon learn that their reputations are different.
“And you heard about me, ooh,” she says to him, “I got some big enemies.” Her reputation is more in the context of feuds, which fits into the timeline of the album. Taylor had just re-emerged after a year of seclusion following the Snakegate scandal.
Here, she physically reappears and metaphorically rises from the ashes, admitting – right off the bat – that she knows what’s being said about her. She surmises that he knows, too.
“Big reputation, big reputation,” she repeats, and we can imagine her pointing to herself and then to him. They both have a lot of weight attached to their images, which could drag down their relationship.
“Ooh, you and me would be a big conversation,” she says, implying that if they got together, the rumor mill would churn overtime.
“And I heard about you,” she says, hearing gossip about him through the grapevine, “You like the bad ones too.” Here’s where their reputations diverge: he is notorious for going for the “bad girls,” while Taylor’s reputation is for being a “bad girl.”
Does that make them the perfect match? Possibly.
🐍🐍🐍 Are you ready for the reputation Lyrics Quiz? 🐍🐍🐍
Future, Verse 1: “Reputation, Girl, That Don’t Precede Me”
Future’s verse here is interesting, because it’s essentially a reply to Taylor’s declaration of love. Whether Future is stepping in as the subject/narrator, or whether they’re two narrators talking about different subjects, is unclear.
“You so dope, don’t overdose, I’m so stoked, I need a toast,” he says, “We do the most, I’m in the Ghost like I’m whippin’ a boat.” She’s as addictive as a drug (similar to the metaphors of Don’t Blame Me, also on this album), and he cautions himself – and her – not to “overdose” on this chemistry.
They are so great together (“we do the most”), and they’re rushing into a future together, flying toward one another. Are they moving too fast?
“I got a reputation, girl, that don’t precede me,” he says, in one of the most confusing lines of the entire song. Taylor and Ed’s later verses will say the opposite – reputation does precede them. So what does it mean?
For your reputation to precede you means that people hear about you before they meet you. What Future is saying is that he is so big that he overshadows his reputation. The gossip can’t step out in front of him, because he blocks the way with his massive shadow of influence.
“I’m one call away whenever you need me,” he says, assuring her that he can be her knight in shining armor at any time. He’ll “fly” to wherever she is quickly (in a G5: a gulfstream jet), and collect her to come to “the A-Side.”
“A-side” means essentially the same as “first string” and “A-team,” but it’s also a little musical nod. The A-side of a record is the first side played.
“I got a bad boy persona, that’s what they like,” he says, implying that his “bad boy” image is just an act. He puts on this persona because the public loves it.
“You love it,” he says of his “bad boy” image, implying that she goes for the bad boys, “I love it too ’cause you my type.” He’s a bad boy who goes for bad girls, and she’s a bad girl who goes for bad boys.
“You hold me down and I protect you with my life,” he says, meaning she helps him settle down or keeps him tame. He treasures this quality in their relationship, and vows to protect her from the cruel world, who will undoubtedly have “a big conversation” about their romance.
Pre-Chorus: “I Ain’t Tryna Play”
“I don’t wanna touch you (I don’t wanna be),” Taylor says in the first pre-chorus, “Just another ex-love (You don’t wanna see).”
“I don’t want to touch you” doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to physically touch him. It means she doesn’t want to stain him, or drag down his reputation with hers. She doesn’t want to “touch” him malignantly.
But it could also mean that to simply “touch” him is not enough – she wants to hold him, and hold him forever.
“I don’t wanna miss you,” she says, “Like the other girls do.” She wants to be with him always, so she doesn’t have to miss him. Since the “other girls” have all lost him, she doesn’t want to end up the same way: broken up.
“I don’t wanna hurt you,” she says outright, (I just wanna be) Drinkin’ on the beach with (You all over me).” Like her imaginary island paradise of Ready For It, she wants to embark on a tropical getaway where they can be alone.
In this new, carefree place, they can be free: free from the gossip, free from the judgment, and free to really get to know one another.
“I know what they all say,” she says, nodding to her tarnished reputation as a “maneater,” “But I ain’t tryna play.” She’s not a “player,” though the media and public at large have painted her as such.
She doesn’t want to play with his heart, or her own, and doesn’t want to participate in the rumor mill any longer.
‘I don’t want to play anymore,’ she’s saying here, ‘I just want to be with you.’
Ed Sheeran, Verse 2: “Four Words on the Tip of My Tongue”
Ed Sheeran’s verse is interesting for the different perspective it offers. It’s like he’s Taylor’s backup – being a friend in the song as well as in real life – offering a similar point of view to hers. He’s not the subject; he’s an alternate narrator.
“Knew her when I was young,” he begins, “reconnected when we were a little bit older.” He’s speaking about a third party. It’s not “you” – not directed to Taylor – it’s “her,” though we don’t learn who “she” is in the context of the lyrics.
They were “Both sprung,” he says, but ”I got issues and chips on both of my shoulders.” Just like Taylor, his emotional baggage and grudges could impede the relationship.
“Reputation precedes me,” he says, “in rumors, I’m knee-deep / The truth is, it’s easier to ignore it, believe me.” Like Taylor, people think they know him before they’ve even met him. He ignores all this noise, as he’s learned that’s better for his mental health.
“Even when we’d argue, we’d not do it for long,” he says of his relationship, quickly forgiving and forgetting. This paints them as a perfect match; they understand one another.
“And you understand the good and bad end up in the song,” he says of his life as a songwriter. His partner understands that his emotional life – and love life – is all inspiration for his music. Taylor’s past partners, however, haven’t been this understanding.
“For all your beautiful traits and the way you do it with ease,” he says of her natural grace, “For all my flaws, paranoia and insecurities.” Despite all the baggage he brings to the relationship, she sticks by him, and understands him, in a way no one else has.
“I’ve made mistakes and made some choices, that’s hard to deny,” he says of his past relationships and poor life choices, but “After the storm, somethin’ was born on the 4th of July.”
After a “storm” of scandal or emotional turmoil, something new was birthed on Independence Day. This is likely a nod to Ed’s reconnection with his (now) wife at Taylor’s 4th of July party, where their relationship was reborn.
“I’ve passed days without fun, this end game is the one,” he says, hopeful that this one will last forever, “With four words on the tip of my tongue.” The four words? “Will you marry me.” He’s hopeful that this relationship will go the distance.
He ends his verse with “I’ll never say it,” which doesn’t mean he’ll never ask her to marry him. It’s a lead-in to Taylor’s following pre-chorus, where she continues “I don’t wanna touch you.”
He’ll “never say” that he doesn’t want to be with her, and hold her. He wants her, always.
Taylor’s Verse 3: “I Bury Hatchets, But I Keep Maps of Where I Put ‘Em”
The pre-chorus, chorus, and refrain repeat, then Taylor begins her own solo verse.
“I hit you like bang,” she says, “we tried to forget it, but we just couldn’t.” When they collided, it was explosive, maybe like the “shotgun shot” of Getaway Car?
“And I bury hatchets,” she says of her past grudges, “but I keep maps of where I put ’em.” She’ll forgive, but she’ll never forget. Like she says in Look What You Made Me Do, she’s got “a list of names,” and she may put the list away, but she always knows who is on it.
“Reputation precedes me, they told you I’m crazy,” she says, reflecting on her tarnished image post-Snakegate, as well as her reputation as a “slut” and a “maneater.” Ever since Fearless, Taylor was painted as a crazy ex-girlfriend, who only wrote scathing songs about her past boyfriends.
“I swear I don’t love the drama, it loves me,” she says satirically, nodding to the constant swirl of gossip and feuds surrounding her. She does not – in fact – “love the drama.” But it does always seem to find her (VMAs, Snakegate, etc).
“And I can’t let you go, your handprints on my soul,” she says of his indelible mark on her. He’s already a part of her, and she hopes that all the exterior drama won’t stain what’s on the inside of their relationship.
“It’s like your eyes are liquor,” she says, it’s like your body is gold.” His eyes are soothing and warming to her soul, like a glass of whiskey. His body is precious and rare, gleaming before her eyes.
“You’ve been callin’ my bluff on all my usual tricks,” she says of her attempted games, “So here’s the truth from my red lips.” He sees right through her, and calls her out on her bullshit. He’s not up for game playing, so Taylor reveals her true intentions.
“The truth from my red lips” nods not only to her iconic red lip, but also to what the red lip represents: a Scarlet ‘A.’
In this lyric, she’s hinting at her scandalous reputation for dating a lot of men with the mention of “red lips.” But it’s also implying that he should only listen to her, and not listen to the noise. He should take it ‘from the horse’s mouth’, so to speak.
As she told us in the reputation Prologue, “We think we know someone, but the truth is that we only know the version of them they have chosen to show us.” Here, she’ll show him – and tell him – the truth. Will be believe her, or will he believe the baseless gossip?
🐍🐍🐍 Are you ready for the reputation Lyrics Quiz? 🐍🐍🐍
Final Chorus: “End Game, End Game.”
“Here’s the truth from my red lips,” Taylor ended her verse, then the chorus comes back in with “I wanna be your end game (End game).” This is her truth: she wants this to last, and she wants to be with him forever.
“I wanna be your first string,” she says, then Ed’s voice in the background echoes “Me and you; First string.” They should be on the same team, and not battling one another.
“I wanna be your A-Team,” she says in a game of wordplay. She doesn’t want to “be” his “B-team,” she wants to be at the top of his list of players, and get A+ marks.
“I wanna be your first string” is also another double-meaning, as “first string” is not only the A-team players; it’s also the premier instrumentalists in an orchestra: the ones who sit in the front row.
“I wanna be your end game, end game,” she repeats, closing out the track. She wants to be his end-all, be-all, but she also wants the games to end.
If he joins her “team,” they can stop playing the game altogether. “Baby, let the games” be over, is what she’s saying here.
Will they join forces, and form an A-team relationship together, or continue battling one another, and battling their respective reputations? Only time will tell.
End Game Meaning: Final Thoughts
In every love-as-a-game metaphor Taylor had used up until this point, the lovers were opponents; they were on different teams. In Dear John, she plays the “chess game” against him. In Blank Space, she’s the gamemaster, and he’s her chess piece.
Logically, your lover should be on your side; on your team. In End Game, they start out playing games, but then he calls her bluff. “Me and you, first string” finally invites him over to her side. If they play together, they can possibly win.
This song says and does a lot, and I think it encapsulates the whole of the album and distills all the metaphors and themes into one single track: reputations, showing vs. telling, truth vs. facades, and real love vs. the idea of love.
Including different points of view in the Future and Ed Sheeran verses is a great way to include other perspectives on the same theme: wanting to be with someone forever, but constantly finding obstacles in the way.
Will he end up being her “end game”? Maybe. But one of the larger lessons of reputation is that Taylor’s life – by its very nature – will always be a game, and she’ll always have to play. She’s become so much larger than life, that she will always be the bullseye on a dart board.
Can she find someone who can play on her team, and not play against her? I hope so.
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