Taylor Swift’s Midnights 3 A.M. Edition tracks may be among the album’s most brutal lyrically, but none express regret quite as strongly as “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve.” Fans were quick to identify the song’s likely subject, John Mayer, and the song exploring Swift’s feelings about his relationship with her when she was just 19. Mayer was 32 at the time, and the two had collaborated on his single “Half of My Heart.” The tweets about Mayer were brutal, with one pointing out Swift made the song the 19th track on purpose:
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i cant stop laughing taylor really said actually i don’t want to wait for speak now taylors version to be released to drag john mayer i need him to suffer NOW
— cheerguard attorney (fan account)(gone wild) (@rippedpromdress) October 21, 2022
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Taylor really put Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve, a song directly about her relationship with John Mayer when she was just 19, as TRACK 19 ON THE ALBUM. SHOTS WERE FIRED
— mr. perfectly chaotic (@moftherosa) October 21, 2022
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everyone listening to would’ve, could’ve, should’ve and being like “omg forget jake gyllenhaal, john mayer is the REAL enemy” like besties taylor literally told us this ten years ago pic.twitter.com/tAgGpMSaiR
— anna 🪩 (@annaccork) October 21, 2022
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John Mayer: “I’m safe until she releases speak now… and who knows when that is”
Taylor Swift: *Releases: Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve* “are you sure about that John?”#MidnightsTaylorSwift
— Gabs(She/Her) (@osogorgeousi2i) October 21, 2022
Swift’s first big Mayer breakup song, “Dear John,” also hit at him dating her when she was a teen, with its telltale lyric, “Dear John, I see it all, now it was wrong / Don’t you think nineteen is too young / To be played by your dark twisted games, when I loved you so? / I should’ve known.”
Swift brought back her teenage self in the lyrics of “Could’ve, Would’ve, Should’ve,” singing, “At nineteen, and the god’s honest truth is that the pain was heaven / And now that I’m grown, I’m scared of ghosts / Memories feel like weapons / And now that I know / I wish you’d left me wondering / God rest my soul / I miss who I used to be.” She also referenced him taking away her innocence, saying, “Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first.”
John Mayer and Taylor Swift at Z100s Jingle Ball 2009
Theo Wargo//Getty Images
Here, the lyrics to take in. You can listen to the song below, too.
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If you would’ve blinked, then I would’ve
Looked away at the first glance
If you tasted poison you could’ve
Spit me out at the first chance
If I was some paint, did it splatter
On a promising grown man?
And if I was a child, did it matter
If you got to wash your hands?
Oh, all I used to do was pray
Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve
If you’d never looked my wayI would’ve stayed on my knees
And I damn sure never would’ve danced with the devil
At nineteen, and the god’s honest truth is that the pain was heaven
And now that I’m grown, I’m scared of ghosts
Memories feel like weapons
And now that I know
I wish you’d left me wonderingIf you never touched me I would’ve
Gone along with the righteous
If I never blushed then they could’ve
Never whispered about this
And if you never saved me from boredom
I could’ve gone on as I was
But, lord, you made me feel important
And then you tried to erase us
Oh, you’re a crisis of my faith
Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve
If I’d only played it safeI would’ve stayed on my knees
And I damn sure never would’ve danced with the devil
At nineteen, and the god’s honest truth is that the pain was heaven
And now that I’m grown, I’m scared of ghosts
Memories feel like weapons
And now that I know
I wish you’d left me wonderingGod rest my soul
I miss who I used to be
The tomb won’t close
Stained glass windows in my mind
I regret you all the time
I can’t let this go
I fight with you in my sleep
The wound won’t close
I keep on waiting for a sign
I regret you all the timeIf clarity’s in death, then why won’t this die?
Years of tearing down our banners, you and I
Living for the thrill of hitting you where it hurts
Give me back my girlhood, it was mine firstAnd I damn sure never would’ve danced with the devil
At nineteen, and the god’s honest truth is that the pain was heaven
And now that I’m grown, I’m scared of ghosts
Memories feel like weapons
And now that I know
I wish you’d left me wonderingGod rest my soul
I miss who I used to be
The tomb won’t close
Stained glass windows in my mind
I regret you all the time
I can’t let this go
I fight with you in my sleep
The wound won’t close
I keep on waiting for a sign
I regret you all the timeOh, god rest my soul
I miss who I used to be
The tomb won’t close
Stained glass windows in my mind
I regret you all the time
I can’t let this go
I fight with you in my sleep
The wound won’t close
I keep on waiting for a sign
I regret you all the time
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
