Taylor Swift- Love Story (Learn English with Songs)

Lyrics

We were both young when I first saw you
I close my eyes and the flashback starts:
I'm standing there
On a balcony in summer air

See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns
See you make your way through the crowd
And say, "Hello."
Little did I know

That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet."
And I was crying on the staircase
Begging you, "Please don't go."
And I said

"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting. All there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story. Baby, just say 'Yes'."

So, I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew
So, close your eyes
Escape this town for a little while
Oh, oh

'Cause you were Romeo. I was a scarlet letter
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet."
But you were everything to me
I was begging you, "Please don't go!"
And I said

"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting. All there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story. Baby, just say 'Yes'

Romeo, save me. They're trying to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult but it's real
Don't be afraid. We'll make it out of this mess
It's a love story. Baby, just say 'Yes'."

Oh, oh, oh

I got tired of waiting
Wondering if you were ever coming around
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town
And I said

"Romeo, save me. I've been feeling so alone
I keep waiting for you, but you never come
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think."
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said

"Marry me, Juliet. You'll never have to be alone
I love you, and that's all I really know
I talked to your dad. Go pick out a white dress
It's a love story. Baby, just say 'Yes'."

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

'Cause we were both young when I first saw you

Difficult Phrases and Words

1. flashback

   1. Context: We were both young when I first saw you / I close my eyes / and the flashback starts: / I'm standing there / On a balcony in / summer air

   2. Definition: a past incident recurring vividly in the mind

   3. Additional sentence: I have many flashbacks of my high school football games.

2. ball gowns

   1. Context: See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns

   2. Definition: a dress for a ball (fancy party)

   3. Additional sentence: The princesses looked beautiful in their ball gowns.

3. pebbles

   1. Context: Little did I know / That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles / And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet."

   2. Definition: a small usually rounded stone

   3. Additional sentence: We threw pebbles into the ocean.

4. scarlet letter

   1. Context: 'Cause you were Romeo. I was a scarlet letter

   2. Definition: to be shunned, often because of adultery (It is a reference to a classic American book The Scarlet Letter.)

   3. Additional sentence: Everyone at school shunned me. I felt like I had a scarlet letter on my chest.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think this song is about?

2. Can you relate to anything in this song?

3. Do you have any flashbacks? What are they?

4. Did you wear a ball gown before? Why did you need to dress up in a ball gown? Did you go somewhere where people were dressed up in ball gowns?

5. Taylor Swift references Romeo (in Shakepeare’s play Romeo and Juliet) throwing pebbles at Juliet’s window. Romeo was trying to get Juliet’s attention by throwing pebbles at her window. How did you get the attention of someone you liked?