Dancing in a Storm: Rain as a Metaphor in Taylor Swift's Lyrics
This week's episode explores weather metaphors in "Fearless," "Midnight Rain," and "Florida!!!"
All of me changed like midnight rain. We know Taylor loves to revisit metaphors, so this week we chose to explore one she’s been using since the beginning: rain 🌧️. From the romance of “Fearless” to the contrasts in “Midnight Rain” and then the absolute chaos of “Florida!!!” Taylor’s metaphors are as varied as the weather itself!
🎧 Listen above and ⬇️ scroll below to read Jenn’s extra credit about Taylor’s varied uses of rain as a metaphor in the album Fearless.
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📜 This Week’s Extra Credit by Jenn
In this week's episode, we explored how Taylor uses weather, specifically types of rain, as a metaphor across her albums. At one point, I realized that, as a symbol, rain and the color red have some similarities. By that I mean that they are both symbols that have versatile and sometimes contradictory meanings. Perhaps that’s why Taylor has revisited both of those symbols so many times. She is able to really get some mileage out of them!
In preparing for this week’s episode, I knew I wanted to do an earlier song to see how Taylor started out using rain as a metaphor, but I quickly realized she uses rain a LOT in Fearless. I ultimate chose the title track, but thankfully we have this Substack, so I have a spot where I can dive deeper into all the rain metaphors in this album. Across multiple tracks on this album, Taylor mentions rain, but the what the rain means in each song differs wildly.
Let's explore how rain transforms throughout the album, from romantic spontaneity to emotional volatility, from isolation to longing for connection.
Rain as Romantic Abandon
And I don't know why
But with you I'd dance in a storm
In my best dress
Fearless
As I mentioned in this week’s episode, the song “Fearless” uses rain to represent romance and a chance to abandon societal norms. In our conversation, we connected this use of rain to the Romantic literary traditions that prioritize emotional truth over rationality. Just as Romantic poets rejected Enlightenment-era emphasis on reason, the protagonist of "Fearless” rejects conventional wisdom (why would anyone voluntarily get their best clothing soaked?) in favor of emotional liberation.
For more analysis on the rain in this song, check out the full episode linked above! But also, before we get into some of the other uses of rain in this album, I want to note that, in this song, the protagonist positions herself as an active participant in this weather event rather than a passive observer. She doesn't just endure the rain; she dances in it, claiming agency over how she experiences this natural force. Let’s see if that holds true in these other songs!
Rain as Emotional Volatility
But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain
And It's 2 a.m. and I'm cursing your name
You're so in love that you act insane
And that's the way I loved you
Rain takes on whole new meaning in "The Way I Loved You." Now rain is the backdrop for emotional turbulence rather than romantic whimsy. This song juxtaposes a sensible, stable relationship with a passionate but volatile one, using weather as the distinguishing metaphor. If you want more analysis of this song in particular, we actually did a deep dive last fall!
However, the comparison of “Fearless” and “The Way I Loved You” shows two wildly different situations. In "Fearless," rain catalyzes joyful spontaneity, but in "The Way I Loved You," it frames a relationship defined by extremes: screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain.
The rain in the context of this song represents the emotional intensity of the relationship. Like weather, the relationship was unpredictable, overwhelming, simultaneously exhilarating and potentially destructive. Taylor questions whether emotional turbulence, despite its difficulties, might sometimes be preferable to calm, but boring, consistency.
Rain as Inescapable Memory
Oh, and it rains in your bedroom
Everything is wrong
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone
'Cause I was there when you said, "Forever and always"
In "Forever & Always," rain transforms again, becoming a symbol of emotional inescapability. The repeated refrain, It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone, presents rain not as a temporary event but as a persistent condition. It’s a weather pattern that follows the speaker regardless of the relationship's status.
This persistence reflects the inescapable nature of the memory that haunts the song's protagonist. Rain becomes the externalization of an internal emotional state, a pathetic fallacy (as Maansi defined in the podcast) where natural conditions mirror psychological states.
Unlike the rain in "Fearless" which creates magical transformation, or the rain in "The Way I Loved You" which intensifies emotional drama, this rain represents emotional stagnation. Our speaker is unable to move forward when memories persist regardless of physical presence or absence.
Also worth noting is that our speaker has no agency here. While she was able to embrace the rain in “Fearless” and miss the rain in “The Way I Loved You,” now in “Forever & Always,” the rain is happening to her, whether she likes it or not.
Rain as Anticipation and Hope
I'll leave my window open
'Cause I'm too tired at night to call your name
Just know I'm right here hoping
That you'll come in with the rain
One of Taylor’s more under-the-radar songs, "Come In With The Rain," uses yet another variation on the rain metaphor. In this song, rain is emblematic of potential reconnection and hope. She’s keeping the window open at night just in case the other person will come back.
This rain serves multiple symbolic functions simultaneously. It represents timing beyond human control (you can't schedule rain, just as you can't schedule when someone might be ready to return). It also embodies natural forces of cleansing and renewal, the possibility that what was damaged might be washed clean and given another chance.
Love is Complicated, so is Rain
After looking at rain across the Fearless album, we find a unifying thread beyond the obvious weather imagery. Rain, in its various manifestations, is representing different elements of love and heartbreak here.
In "Fearless," rain creates conditions where the protagonist abandons concern for appearance (the potentially ruined "best dress") in favor of an authentic, romantic experience. In "The Way I Loved You," rain frames moments of passion as both exciting but also holding the possibility of danger (is a storm coming?). In "Forever & Always," rain is uncontrollable, just like the process of healing from heartbreak. In "Come In With The Rain," rain presents hope of the future that has no guarantee (and also reminds me of the famous A Cinderella Story line, “waiting for you is like waiting for rain in this drought, useless and disappointing.”)
Like the Romantics before her, Taylor recognizes that emotional weather often proves more significant than physical weather. After going through all of these different rain metaphors, I feel like my takeaway is that fighting rain is useless, so we may as well embrace it when we can. Taylor certainly modeled that well on her tours. I mean… who doesn’t wish they were at a rain show of the Era Tour literally right now??
