The gentle simplicity of Taylor Swift’s “Sweet Nothing,” the penultimate track on her 13-song Midnights album, might be divisive amongst fans for its quiet approach. But it seems well-equipped to capture the dynamic between Swift and the song’s co-writer: Swift’s partner of six years, Joe Alwyn.
Under his pseudonym William Bowery, Alwyn is listed in songwriting credits for “Sweet Nothing,” with fans speculating he composed the track’s catchy piano riff (given his previous ivory-tickling contributions on Swift albums folklore and evermore). The lyrics also allude to Swift’s tumultuous life in the spotlight, and the ways in which her relationship with Alwyn has provided shelter. One Reddit user called the song a “safe space with your person epitomized,” with another adding, “How lovely it is to be so comfortably in love like this.”
Swift sings, “I found myself running home to your sweet nothings / I’ll take their pushin’, shovin’ / You’re in the kitchen humming / All that you ever wanted from me was nothing,” capturing “things being so crazy but being able to go home and just exist and be able to be vulnerable with someone you trust,” as one fan put it.
The track also hints at a sweet exchange between the lovers, with Alwyn apparently praising Swift’s creative genius “all the time.” Although the actor told ELLE in April that he had no intention of writing further songs with his girlfriend, it would seem he can’t say no when it comes to Swift’s mind. Cue the waterworks.
Read the full lyrics to “Sweet Nothing” below.
I spy with my little tired eye
Tiny as a firefly, a pebble that we picked up last July
Down deep inside your pocket
We almost forgot it
Does it ever miss sometimes?Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
They said the end is comin’
Everyone’s up to something
I found myself running home to your sweet nothings
I’ll take their pushin’, shovin’
You’re in the kitchen humming
All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothingOn the way home
I wrote a poem
You say what a mind
This happens all the timeOoh, ooh-ooh-ooh
Cause they said the end is comin’
Everyone’s up to something
I found myself running home to your sweet nothings
I’ll take their pushin’, shovin’
You’re in the kitchen humming
All that you ever wanted from me was nothingIndustry disruptors and soul deconstructors
And smooth-talking hucksters out-glad-handing each other
And the voices that implore, you should be doing more
To you I can’t admit, that I’m just too soft for all of itOoh, ooh-ooh-ooh
They said the end is comin’
Everyone’s up to something
I found myself running home to your sweet nothings
I’ll take their pushin’, shovin’
You’re in the kitchen humming
All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothingThey said the end is comin’, ooh-ooh
They said the end is comin’
Everyone’s up to something
Everyone’s up to something
I found myself running home to your sweet nothings
I found myself running onto your sweet nothings
I’ll take their pushin’, shovin’, ooh-ooh
I’ll take their pushin’, shovin’
You’re in the kitchen humming
You’re in the kitchen humming
All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing
Lauren Puckett-Pope is an associate editor at ELLE, where she covers film, TV, books and fashion.
