Bonds of Battle: “The Great War” Lyrics Meaning, Explained

Taylor Swift’s epic song The Great War describes one of the biggest battles of her life, but what’s the fight for?

The central metaphor likens this conflict to WWI, comparing the loss of her lover to a soldier killed in battle. But what’s really going on inside this war epic narrative?

Here’s my complete analysis of The Great War lyrics meaning, line by line.

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

The Great War by Taylor Swift

  • Title: The Great War
  • Written by: Taylor Swift, Aaron Dessner
  • Track: Bonus Track: 14, Midnights 3am Edition
  • Pen: Quill
  • Lyrics from Genius

The Great War Analysis: Narrative Summary

  • Setting: Looking back on a tumultuous time. 
  • Characters: Narrator (Taylor), subject (more than one: lover and enemy, both addressed as “you”) 
  • Mood: Devastated, reflective, solemn. 
  • Conflict: A “great war”: a big conflict in her life. 
  • Inciting Incident: “Bloodshed”: a conflict akin to war. 
  • Quest: Reflect on how far they’ve come, and how it bonded them tighter. 
  • Symbols & Metaphors: “the great war,” “knuckles bruised like violets,” “sucker punching walls,” “cursed you as I sleep-talked,” “spineless in my tomb of silence,” “banners,” “battle underground,” “egos,” “her,” “battle,” “bloodshed, crimson clover,” “sweet dream,” “my hand,” “always remember,” “tears on the letter,” “vowed,” “good faith treaties,” “drew curtains closed,” “drank my poison all alone,” “diesel is desire, you were playing with fire,” “past that’s talking,” “screaming from the crypt,” “bombs,” “burning embers,” “haze,” “betrayed,” “hairpin trigger,” “soldier down,” “icy ground,” “honor and truth,” “called off the troops,” “lost you,” “memory garden,” “poppy,” “morning glory,” “burned for the better,” “vow I will always be yours.”  
  • Lesson: If someone sticks by you in your darkest hour, they’re worth keeping around. 

What is The Great War About? 

The Great War compares a tumultuous time in Taylor’s life to WWI. The lyrics describe this metaphorical internal and external battle, and how it affected her relationship. 

Who is The Great War About? 

Taylor has never revealed if The Great War was inspired by any real people in her life. 

Many fans theorize that the love interest in the song is Joe Alwyn, and that the lyrics describe a fight or a breakup between them. 

My interpretation is that “the great war” represents either the master’s heist or her 2016 “cancellation,” and her inner turmoil during that period leaves her relationship on shaky ground. 

The Great War Lyrics Meaning: Line by Line

Annotated lyrics of Taylor Swift's "The Great War" song, dissecting hidden meanings, alternate interpretations, and analyzing her use of literary devices.
The first verse reads: "My knuckles were bruised like violets

Sucker punching walls, cursed you as I sleep-talked

Spineless in my tomb of silence

Tore your banners down, took the battle underground

And maybe it was egos swinging

Maybe it was her

Flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur"

The first verse describes Taylor’s inner turmoil during a very hard time in her life. 

“My knuckles were bruised like violets,” she says, from “sucker punching walls.” She’s metaphorically bruised her hands, taking her aggression out on a wall. She’ll only hurt herself doing this, but she does it anyway. 

Here’s where the flower and plant motif comes in, and it will weave throughout the lyrics. Violets were a popular flower in the British Victorian period – not long before WWI.

In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a purple violet represents loss and grief, which I think is how Taylor uses it here to describe the color of a bruise. 

She “cursed you as I sleep-talked,” tossing and turning, her unconscious mind as angry in sleep as she is in her waking hours. But who is she cursing?

The one who started the war, and it’s not necessarily her lover. I think it ties into “cursing my name” from my tears ricochet, which is likely about the battle for her masters. 

She’s “spineless in my tomb of silence”, meaning she doesn’t have the guts to face this battle yet. She’s hiding instead, in her “tomb” where her name and reputation are metaphorically buried. 

“Tore your banners down,” she says, withdrawing all support from her former ally, and “took the battle underground.” She’s quitting the face-to-face war and withdrawing from public view. 

To take the “battle underground” means she’s taking it with her to her grave (or “tomb”), or moving the battle from an external war to an internal war. She’s punishing herself for entering this war in the first place. 

“And maybe it was egos swinging,” she wonders, but “Maybe it was her.” Maybe it was out of her control, and it all began with a fight for power and clout.

Or maybe it was intentional: maybe “it was her” points to a specific woman, who did this intentionally. 

If this alludes to anyone, I think the most likely candidate is Kim K and the #TaylorSwiftisOverParty that led to Taylor’s withdrawal from the spotlight in 2016. 

But there’s also another unknown woman in the mix who is mentioned in mad woman: 

“Women like hunting witches, too. 

Doing your dirtiest work for you

It’s obvious that wanting me dead

Has really brought you two together” 

-Taylor Swift, mad woman

This could be the culprit Taylor is pointing at, and it’s in the context of her master’s heist. Either her “cancellation” or the master’s heist are – for me – the two most likely “great wars” of Taylor’s career, which she explained directly in her Time Magazine interview.

“Flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur,” she says, describing her PTSD from this traumatic situation. She can’t shake it; it still haunts her. 

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Chorus: “All That Bloodshed, Crimson Clover”

Annotated lyrics of Taylor Swift's "The Great War" song, dissecting hidden meanings, alternate interpretations, and analyzing her use of literary devices.
The chorus reads: "All that bloodshed, crimson clover

Uh-huh, sweet dream was over

My hand was the one you reached for

All throughout the Great War

Always remember

Uh-huh, tears on the lеtter

I vowed not to cry anymore

If wе survived the Great War"

The chorus details what being inside the war was like. 

“All that bloodshed,” she says, describing her battle wounds, “crimson clover.” “Crimson clover” references the classic song “Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James and The Shondells.

In that song, “crimson and clover” represent the red color of love, and how it blooms and blossoms like a lucky clover. Taylor uses it here either to describe how their once-blossoming love died, or to allude to “over and over,” the next line in the tune. The bloodshed kept repeating, or it tore their love apart. 

“Sweet dream was over,” she says, describing how her once perfect life fell apart. But this line, too, could allude to another famous song: “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics. That song describes how dreams of a happy love life are not happy at all in the real world, which could be what Taylor alludes to here. 

“My hand was the one you reached for,” she says of her lover, “All throughout the Great War.” Here’s where it gets tricky: do they reach for her hand out of reflex for comfort, even though they’re fighting? Or are they not really opponents at all, and help each other survive the war together?

It’s open to interpretation, but I propose that they’re not battling each other…yet. They will toward the end, but for now, I think they’re on the same side. “The Great War” is a personal or business feud in Taylor’s life, and her lover helps her get through it. 

“Always remember,” she says, “Uh-huh, tears on the lеtter.” She compares a death notification letter (common in WWI) to some kind of communication received during her war. Is it the same letter described in closure? 

She’s upset at this news, but “I vowed not to cry anymore,” she says, “If wе survived the Great War.”

If they can make it through this with their relationship intact, she’ll have nothing more to worry about. This is their biggest test yet. 

Verse 2: “Drank My Poison All Alone”

Annotated lyrics of Taylor Swift's "The Great War" song, dissecting hidden meanings, alternate interpretations, and analyzing her use of literary devices.
The second verse reads: "You drew up some good faith treaties

I drew curtains closed, drank my poison all alone

You said I have to trust more freely

But diesel is desire, you were playing with fire

And maybe it's the past that's talking

Screaming from the crypt

Telling me to punish you for things you never did

So I justified it"

The second verse describes life inside the war. “You drew up some good faith treaties,” she says to her enemy or her lover. If it’s the lover, they’re trying to help her reach a resolution like a diplomat. 

If it’s her enemy, they’re likely not treaties made in good faith at all; they’re trying to trick her. 

“I drew curtains closed,” she says, hiding away, “drank my poison all alone.” She withdraws from the whole ordeal and goes to metaphorically end it all. Like Juliet in the Shakespearean classic, she thinks she’s lost, so she resigns. 

“You said I have to trust more freely,” she says to her enemy or lover. They’re trying to get her to open up, but she’s been burned so badly in the past that she can’t manage it. 

“But diesel is desire, you were playing with fire,” meaning the desire to keep fighting is strong, and it’s very tempting to keep up the war and not sign the treaty at all. 

“And maybe it’s the past that’s talking,” she says, listening to the voices in her head that warn her of danger ahead. It’s “screaming from the crypt / Telling me to punish you for things you never did.” 

She’s been hurt in the past, and it comes back to haunt her present. She can’t trust anyone anymore, and likely takes it out on her lover. 

“So I justified it,” she says, “all that bloodshed.” She’s in so much pain that she’s lashing out at anyone near her, whether they’re her true enemy or not. 

2nd Chorus: “The Bombs Were Closer”

Annotated lyrics of Taylor Swift's "The Great War" song, dissecting hidden meanings, alternate interpretations, and analyzing her use of literary devices.
The second chorus reads: "All that bloodshed, crimson clover

Uh-huh, the bombs were closer

My hand was the one you reached for

All throughout the Great War

Always remember

Uh-huh, the burning embers

I vowed not to fight anymore

If we survived the Great War"

The second chorus changes “sweet dream was over” to “the bombs were closer.” Danger is closing in, and fast. The war is escalating, either between her and her lover, or between her and her enemy. 

They still reach for her hand, which makes it feel like they’re hiding in a metaphorical bomb shelter together. 

Always remember, she urges, “the burning embers.” The embers represent either fallout from the bombs that have been dropped, or a small flame that is still burning for one another. 

One interpretation recalls the love that was still there, and one interpretation remembers how awful the whole ordeal was. 

Bridge: “Soldier Down on that Icy Ground”

Annotated lyrics of Taylor Swift's "The Great War" song, dissecting hidden meanings, alternate interpretations, and analyzing her use of literary devices.
The bridge reads: "It turned into something bigger

Somewhere in the haze, got a sense I'd been betrayed

Your finger on my hairpin triggers

Soldier down on that icy ground

Looked up at me with honor and truth

Broken and blue, so I called off the troops

That was the night I nearly lost you

I really thought I'd lost you"

In the bridge, the war escalates. “It turned into something bigger,” she says. It’s gone from one battle to many. 

“Somewhere in the haze,” she says, possibly alluding to the lavender haze of early love, she “got a sense I’d been betrayed.” In the process of going toward a resolution between her and her lover or her and her enemy, she suspects foul play. 

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Either she suspects her lover is cheating, or suspects her enemy has gone behind her back. 

“Your finger on my hairpin triggers” means she’s so tightly wound that she can explode at any time. She’s extremely sensitive to everything right now, being in so much pain, that even a “finger” on her trigger – the slightest brush of a sensitive spot – can cause a catastrophic explosion. 

She does explode, and it does her lover in. “Soldier down on that icy ground,” she says, describing how she hurt her lover deeply, and how “icy” she’s been toward them. She’s frozen this person out of her life. 

But the soldier doesn’t surrender quite yet. They “looked up at me with honor and truth / Broken and blue,” defending themselves and telling her honestly what they have and haven’t done. She broke them and saddened them deeply, but they still don’t wave a white flag. 

But Taylor does. “So I called off the troops,” she says, canceling the war altogether. She made the right move, just in time. 

“That was the night I nearly lost you,” she says, scared that her lover was nearly a casualty of war. “I really thought I’d lost you,” she reflects, and she’s grateful she didn’t. 

Here’s another clue that they’re fighting on the same team, and the war is not a metaphor for their breakup: she sees a “soldier down,” and that wasn’t her intention. In a war, it’s always the intention to hurt your enemy. But here, the soldier – her lover – is not her enemy at all. 

They’re on her team, but nearly became a casualty of her involvement in the war. She’s so wrapped up in battle, that she nearly lost someone important to her. 

Verse 3: “Place a Poppy in My Hair”

Annotated lyrics of Taylor Swift's "The Great War" song, dissecting hidden meanings, alternate interpretations, and analyzing her use of literary devices.
The third verse and chorus read: "We can plant a memory garden

Say a solemn prayer, place a poppy in my hair

There's no morning glory, it was war, it wasn't fair

And we will never go back

To that bloodshed, crimson clover

Uh-huh, the worst was over

My hand was the one you reached for

All throughout the Great War"

The third verse described the aftermath, after the war was over. 

“We can plant a memory garden,” she says, continuing the flower and plant theme. They can metaphorically bury the past and put it away, and maybe good things can grow from all the pain. 

“Say a solemn prayer,” she says, memorializing people or things that were lost, and “place a poppy in my hair.” A poppy is a WWI remembrance symbol. She uses it here as a symbol of remembering their past, what they survived, and what they learned together. 

Poppies are also red, which calls back both to Taylor’s early ideas of love (see Red), and her later ideas of love (see Maroon). 

“There’s no morning glory,” she says, which is a clever use of homonyms. Morning glory is an invasive weed vine that flowers white blooms, which ties into the memory garden and flower motif. 

But “mourning” glory is the other interpretation, meaning there is no glory in mourning the dead.  “It was war, it wasn’t fair” means the same thing: there is nothing fair or honorable about mourning the casualties of war. It was just senseless. 

“And we will never go back,” she says. They can mourn what was lost, but they’ll never return to that dark place of bloodshed and tears. 

“The worst was over” means that the war might not be totally over, but it’s much calmer than it used to be, and they’re in a better place than they were. 

Final Chorus: “We’re Burned For the Better”

Annotated lyrics of Taylor Swift's "The Great War" song, dissecting hidden meanings, alternate interpretations, and analyzing her use of literary devices.
The final chorus and outro read: "Always remember

Uh-huh, we're burned for better

I vowed I would always be yours

'Cause we survived the Great War

Uh-huh, uh-huh

I will always be yours

'Cause we survived the Great War

Uh-huh

I vow I will always be yours"

In the final chorus, “I vowed not to fight” and “not to cry” changes to “I vowed I would always be yours.” She’ll dedicate herself to them entirely, because they survived this whole ordeal together. 

There may have been some rocky patches, and the war intruded on every aspect of their life and relationship, but they made it through. They survived, and will be stronger because of it. 

“’Cause we survived the Great War,” she says, “I vow I will always be yours.” The soldier was loyal to their “country”, and will be rewarded with citizenship. They’ve proven themselves worthy of forever, and have her undying loyalty. 

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The Great War Lyrics Meaning: Final Thoughts

Whether you believe this song is about the master’s heist, the KimYe fraud, or Taylor and Joe breaking up, it’s still about way more than that. 

It’s about all the battles we have to fight in our lives, and who is with us when we’re backed into a corner. When you go through a traumatic ordeal, you learn who your real friends are, and quickly. 

If you lash out at them in your darkest moments, but they stick with you when you’re at your worst, that’s a keeper. And even if you don’t make it through, you’ve still learned something, just like Taylor has. 

We all have our “great wars” in our lives, and though we’ll never come through totally unscathed, we’ll be much more prepared for the next one. 

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