Tim McGraw: Story

"This song means so much to me, that's why we wanted it to be the first track on the album. The idea for this song came to me in math class. I just started singing to myself 'When you think Tim McGraw.' The concept for this song hit me, because I was dating a guy who moved away, and it was going to be over for us. So I started thinking of things that I knew would remind him of me. The first thing that came to mind was that my favorite song is by Tim McGraw. After school, I went downtown, sat down at the piano, and wrote this with Liz Rose in fifteen minutes. It may be the best fifteen minutes I've ever experienced."

Tim McGraw: Lyrics

He said the way my blue eyes shinedPut those Georgia stars to shame that nightI said: "That's a lie."Just a boy in a Chevy truckThat had a tendency of gettin' stuckOn backroads at nightAnd I was right there beside him all summer longAnd then the time we woke up to find that summer gone

But when you think Tim McGrawI hope you think my favorite songThe one we danced to all night longThe moon like a spotlight on the lakeWhen you think happinessI hope you think that little black dressThink of my head on your chestAnd my old faded blue jeansWhen you think Tim McGrawI hope you think of me

September saw a month of tearsAnd thankin' God that you weren't hereTo see me like thatBut in a box beneath my bedIs a letter that you never readFrom three summers backIt's hard not to find it all a little bitter sweetAnd lookin' back on all of that, it's nice to believe

When you think Tim McGrawI hope you think my favorite songThe one we danced to all night longThe moon like a spotlight on the lake

When you think happinessI hope you think that little black dressThink of my head on your chestAnd my old faded blue jeansWhen you think Tim McGrawI hope you think of me

And I'm back for the first time since thenI'm standin' on your streetAnd there's a letter left on your doorstepAnd the first thing that you'll read is:

When you think Tim McGrawI hope you think my favorite songSomeday you'll turn your radio onI hope it takes you back to that placeWhen you think happinessI hope you think that little black dressThink of my head on your chestAnd my old faded blue jeansWhen you think Tim McGrawI hope you think of me

Oh, think of meMmmm

He said the way my blue eyes shinePut those Georgia stars to shame that nightI said: "That's a lie"

Picture To Burn: Story

"Before I sing this song, I always try to tell the audience that I really do try to be a nice person… but if you break my heart, hurt my feelings, or are really mean to me, I'm going to write a song about you. Haha. This song is the perfect example."

Picture To Burn: Lyrics

State the obvious, I didn't get my perfect fantasyI realize you love yourself more than you could ever love meSo go and tell your friends that I'm obsessive and crazyThat's fine I'll tell mine you're gayAnd by the way...

I hate that stupid old pickup truckYou never let me driveYou're a redneck heartbreakWho's really bad at lyingSo watch me strike a matchOn all my wasted timeAs far as I'm concerned you'reJust another picture to burn

There's no time for tears,I'm just sitting here planning my revengeThere's nothing stopping meFrom going out with all of your best friendsAnd if you come around saying sorry to meMy daddy's gonna show you how sorry you'll be

If you're missing me,You'd better keep it to yourselfCause coming back around hereWould be bad for your health...

I hate that stupid old pickup truckYou never let me driveYou're a redneck heartbreakWho's really bad at lyingSo watch me strike a matchOn all my wasted timeIn case you haven't heard,I really really hate that..

Burn, burn, burn, baby, burnYou're just another picture to burnBaby, burn...Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't seeThat I want and I'm needing everything that we should beI'll bet she's beautiful, that girl he talks aboutAnd she's got everything that I have to live without

Teardrops On My Guitar: Story

"I used to have a huge crush on this guy, who would sit there every day talking to me about...another girl: how beautiful she was, how nice and smart and perfect she was. And

I sat there and listened, never meaning it any of the times I said 'Oh, I'm so happy for you.' I guess this is a good example of how I let my feelings out in songs, and sometimes no other way. And I've never been afraid of using names. I love this song because of its honesty and vulnerability. To this day, they are still together and he has no idea about this song."

Teardrops On My Guitar: Lyrics

Drew talks to me, I laugh cause it's just so funnyThat I can't even see anyone when he's with meHe says he's so in love, he's finally got it right,I wonder if he knows he's all I think about at night

[Chorus:]

He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitarThe only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing starHe's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do

Drew walks by me, can he tell that I can't breathe?And there he goes, so perfectly,The kind of flawless I wish I could beShe'd better hold him tight, give him all her loveLook in those beautiful eyes and know she's lucky cause

[Repeat Chorus]

So I drive home alone, as I turn out the lightI'll put his picture down and maybeGet some sleep tonight

He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitarThe only one who's got enough of me to break my heartHe's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I doHe's the time taken up, but there's never enoughAnd he's all that I need to fall into..

Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see.

A Place In This World: Story

"I wrote this song when I was thirteen and had just moved to Nashville. It was tough trying to find out how I was going to get where I wanted to go. I knew where I wanted to

be, but I just didn't know how to get there. I'm really happy this is on the album, because I feel like I finally figured it out."

A Place In This World: Lyrics

I don't know what I want, so don't ask meCause I'm still trying to figure it outDon't know what's down this road, I'm just walkingTrying to see through the rain coming downEven though I'm not the only oneWho feels the way I do

I'm alone, on my own, and that's all I knowI'll be strong, I'll be wrong, oh but life goes onI'm just a girl, trying to find a place inThis world

Got the radio on, my old blue jeansAnd I'm wearing my heart on my sleeveFeeling lucky today, got the sunshineCould you tell me what more do I needAnd tomorrow's just a mystery, oh yeahBut that's ok

Maybe I'm just a girl on a missionBut I'm ready to fly

Cold As You: Story

"I wrote this song with Liz, and I think the lyrics to this song are some of the best we've ever written. It's about that moment where you realize someone isn't at all who you thought they were, and that you've been trying to make excuses for someone who doesn't deserve them. And that some people are just never going to love you. We were halfway through writing this when I started singing 'And now that I'm sitting here thinking it through, I've never been anywhere cold as you'."

Cold As You: Lyrics

You have a way of coming easily to meAnd when you take, you take the very best of meSo I start a fight cause I need to feel somethingAnd you do what you want cause I'm not what you wanted

Oh what a shame, what a rainy ending given to a perfect dayJust walk away, no use defending words that you will never sayAnd now that I'm sitting here thinking it throughI've never been anywhere cold as you

You put up walls and paint them all a shade of grayAnd I stood there loving you and wished them all awayAnd you come away with a great little storyOf a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore youYou never did give a damn thing honey but I cried, cried for youAnd I know you wouldn't have told nobody if I died, died for you

Oh what a shame, what a rainy ending given to a perfect dayEvery smile you fake is so condescendingCounting all the scars you madeAnd now that I'm sitting here thinking it throughI've never been anywhere cold as you

The Outside: Story

"This is one of the first songs I ever wrote, and it talks about the very reason I ever started to write songs. It was when I was twelve years old, and a complete outcast at school. I was a lot different than all the other kids, and I never really knew why. I was taller, and sang country music at karaoke bars and festivals on weekends while other girls went to sleepovers. Some days I woke up not knowing if anyone was going to talk to me that day. I think every person comes to a point in their life when you have a long string of bad days. You can choose to let it drag you down, or you can find ways to rise above it. I came to the conclusion that even though people hadn't always been there for me, music had. It's strange to think how different my life would be right now if I had been one of the cool kids."

The Outside: Lyrics

I didn't know what I would findWhen I went looking for a reason, I knowI didn't read between the linesAnd, baby, I've got nowhere to goI tried to take the road less traveled byBut nothing seems to work the first few timesAm I right?

So how can I ever try to be better?Nobody ever lets me in

I can still see you, this ain't the best viewOn the outside looking inI've been a lot of lonely placesI've never been on the outside

You saw me there, but never knewI would give it all up to beA part of this, a part of youAnd now it's all too late so you seeYou could've helped if you had wanted toBut no one notices until it's tooLate to do anything

So how can I ever try to be better?Nobody ever lets me inI can still see you, this ain't the best viewOn the outside looking inI've been a lot of lonely placesI've never been on the outside

Tied Together With A Smile: Story

"One of my best friends is absolutely beautiful. She goes to beauty pageants and wins everything. Girls want to be her and guys want to be with her. I wrote this song the day I found out about her eating disorder. It completely blew my mind, and this one was tough to write, because I wasn't just telling some sad story. This was real. This song is basically about the girls I know, and the difficult things I saw them go through. I've never seen this song as a lecture. It's really about how no matter what my friends go through, I'm always going to love them."

Tied Together With A Smile: Lyrics

Seems the only one who doesn't see your beautyIs the face in the mirror looking back at youYou walk around here thinking you're not prettyBut that's not true, cause I know you...

Hold on, baby, you're losing itThe water's high, you're jumping into itAnd letting go... and no one knowsThat you cry, but you don't tell anyoneThat you might not be the golden oneAnd you're tied together with a smile

But you're coming undone

I guess it's true that love was all you wantedCause you're giving it away like it's extra changeHoping it will end up in his pocketBut he leaves you out like a penny in the rainOh, cause it's not his price to payNot his price to pay...

You're tied together with a smileBut you're coming undone... ohGoodbye, babyGoodbye, babyWith a smile, baby, baby

Stay Beautiful: Story

"After hearing my songs, a lot of people ask me, 'How many boyfriends have you HAD?' And I always tell them that more of my songs come from observation than actual experience. In other words, you don't have to date someone to write a song about them. This is a song I wrote about a guy I never dated! Wow, right? Haha. This song is about a guy I thought was cute, and never really talked to him much. But something about him inspired this song, just watching him."

Stay Beautiful: Lyrics

Cory's eyes are like a jungleHe smiles, it's like the radioHe whispers songs into my windowIn words nobody knowsThere's pretty girls on every cornerThat watch him as he's walking homeSaying, does he knowWill you ever knowYou're beautifulEvery little piece love, don't you knowYou're really gonna be someone, ask anyoneWhen you find everything you looked forI hope your life leads you back to my doorOh but if it don't, stay beautiful

Cory finds another way to beThe highlight of my day

I'm taking pictures in my mindSo I can save them for a rainy dayIt's hard to make conversationWhen he's taking my breath awayI should say, hey by the wayIf you and I are a storyThat never gets toldIf what you are is a daydreamI'll never get to hold, at least you'll know

You're beautiful every little piece love,and don't you know your really gonna be someone ask anyone.and when you find everything you looked for,I hope your life leads you back to my front door.oh but if it don't will you staybeautiful beautiful beautifulbeautiful beautiful beautifulla la laOh, oh oh oh,oh but if it don't,stay beautifulstay beautifulNa na na na na

Should've Said No: Story

"Just being a human being, I've realized that before every big problem you create for yourself, before every huge mess you have to clean up, there was a crucial moment where you could've just said no. This is a song I wrote about a guy who never should have cheated on me."

Should've Said No: Lyrics

It's strange to think the songs we used to singThe smiles, the flowers, everything: is goneYesterday I found out about youEven now just looking at you: feels wrongYou say that you'd take it all back, given one chanceIt was a moment of weakness and you said yes...

You should've said no, you should've gone homeYou should've thought twice before you let it all goYou should've know that word, bout what you did with her

Would get back to me...And I should've been there, in the back of your mindI shouldn't be asking myself whyYou shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet...You should've said no, baby and you might still have me

You can see that I've been cryingAnd baby you know all the right things: to sayBut do you honestly expect me to believeWe could ever be the same...You say that the past is the past, you need one chanceIt was a moment of weakness and you said yes...

I can't resist... before you go, tell me thisWas it worth it...Was she worth this...

No... no no no...

Mary's Song: Story

"I wrote this song about a couple who lived next door to us. They'd been married forever and they came over one night for dinner, and were just so cute. They were talking about how they fell in love and got married, and how they met when they were just little kids. I thought it was so sweet, because you can go to the grocery store and read the tabloids, and see who's breaking up and cheating on each other (or just listen to some of my songs, haha). But it was really comforting to know that all I had to do was go home and look next door to see a perfect example of forever."

Mary's Song: Lyrics

She said, I was seven and you were nineI looked at you like the stars that shinedIn the sky, the pretty lightsAnd our daddies used to joke about the two of usGrowing up and falling in love and our mamas smiledAnd rolled their eyes and said oh my my my

Take me back to the house in the backyard treeSaid you'd beat me up, you were bigger than meYou never did, you never didTake me back when our world was one block wideI dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried

Just two kids, you and I...Oh my my my my

Well, I was sixteen when suddenlyI wasn't that little girl you used to seeBut your eyes still shined like pretty lightsAnd our daddies used to joke about the two of usThey never believed we'd really fall in loveAnd our mamas smiled and rolled their eyesAnd said oh my my my...

Take me back to the creek beds we turned upTwo A.M. riding in your truck and all I need is you next to meTake me back to the time we had our very first fightThe slamming of doors instead of kissing goodnightYou stayed outside till the morning lightOh my my my myA few years had gone and come aroundWe were sitting at our favorite spot in townAnd you looked at me, got down on one knee

Take me back to the time when we walked down the aisleOur whole town came and our mamas criedYou said I do and I did tooTake me home where we met so many years beforeWe'll rock our babies on that very front porchAfter all this time, you and I

I'll be eighty-seven; you'll be eighty-nineI'll still look at you like the stars that shineIn the sky, oh my my my...

Our Song: Story

I just sat down one day with my guitar and got in a groove, and went with it. I like to write about how music affects people, and this was fun to write because it's about a couple who DOESN'T have a song. I like the banjo and you really can't go wrong with banjo. I wanted it to be last on the album, because the last line of the chorus is 'play it again'. Let's hope people take it as a hint to go ahead and play the album again. Haha!"

Our Song: Lyrics

I was riding shotgun with my hair undone in the front seat of his carHe's got a one-hand feel on the steering wheelThe other on my heartI look around, turn the radio downHe says baby is something wrong?I say nothing I was just thinking how we don't have a songAnd he says...

Our song is the slamming screen doors,Sneakin' out late, tapping on your windowWhen we're on the phone and you talk real slow'cause it's late and your mama don't knowOur song is the way you laughThe first date "man, I didn't kiss her, and I should have"And when I got home ... before I said amenAsking God if he could play it again

I was walking up the front porch steps after everything that dayHad gone all wrong and been trampled onAnd lost and thrown awayGot to the hallway, well on my way to my lovin' bedI almost didn't notice all the rosesAnd the note that said...

I've heard every album, listened to the radioWaited for something to come alongThat was as good as our song...

I was riding shotgun with my hair undoneIn the front seat of his carI grabbed a pen and an old napkinAnd I wrote down our song

FEARLESS

Fearless: Story

This is a song about the fearlessness of falling in love. No matter how many break up songs you write, no matter how many times you get hurt, you will always fall in love

again.  When I wrote "Fearless," I wasn't dating anyone.  I wasn't even in the beginning stages of dating anybody.  I really was all by myself out on tour and I got this idea for a song about the best first date.  I think sometimes when you're writing love songs, you don't write them about what you're going through at the moment, you write about what you wish you had. So, this song is about the best first date I haven't had yet.

Fearless: Lyrics

There's somethin' 'bout the wayThe street looks when it's just rainedThere's a glow off the pavementWalk me to the carAnd you know I wanna ask you to dance right thereIn the middle of the parking lotYeahOh yeah

We're drivin' down the roadI wonder if you knowI'm tryin' so hard not to get caught up nowBut you're just so coolRun your hands through your hairAbsent mindedly makin' me want you

And I don't know how it gets better than thisYou take my hand and drag me head firstFearlessAnd I don't know why but with you I'd dance in a storm in my best dressFearless

So baby drive slow'til we run out of road in this one horse townI wanna stay right here in this passenger's seatYou put your eyes on meIn this moment now capture it, remember it

Cause I don't know how it gets better than thisYou take my hand and drag me head firstFearlessAnd I don't know why but with you I'd dance in a storm in my best dressFearless

Well you stood there with me in the doorwayMy hands shakeI'm not usually this way butYou pull me in and I'm a little more brave

It's the first kiss,It's flawless,Really something,It's fearless.

Oh yeahAnd I don't know how it gets better than thisYou take my hand and drag me head firstFearlessAnd I don't know why but with you I'd dance in a storm in my best dressFearless

YeahI don't know howOh yeah yeah

Fifteen: Story

I wrote this around the story line of my best friend from high school, Abigail.  I started everything with the line "Abigail gave everything she had to a boy who changed his mind" and wrote everything else from that point, almost backwards. I just decided I really wanted to tell that story about our first year of high school because I felt in my freshman year, I grew up more than any year in my life so far.

Fifteen: Lyrics

You take a deep breath and you walk through the doorsIt's the morning of your very first dayYou say "Hi" to your friends you ain't seen in a whileTry and stay out of everybody's wayIt's your freshman year and you're gonna be hereFor the next four years in this townHoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say"You know I haven't seen you around, before"

'cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love youYou're gonna believe themAnd when you're fifteenFeeling like there nothing to figure outWell count to ten, take it inThis is life before who you're gonna beFifteen

You sit in class next to a redhead named AbigailAnd soon enough you're best friendsLaughing at the other girls who think they're so coolWell be out of here as soon as we canAnd then you're on your very first date and hes got a carAnd you're feeling like flyingAnd you're mommas waiting up and you think hes the oneAnd you're dancing round your room when the night endWhen the night ends

'cause when you're fifteen and somebody tell you they love youYou're gonna believe themWhen you're fifteen and your first kissMakes your head spin round butIn your life you'll do things greater than dating the boy of the football teamBut I didn't know it at fifteen

When all you wanted was to be wantedWish you could go back and tell yourself what you know nowBack then I swore I was gonna marry him somedayBut I realized some bigger dreams of mineAnd Abigail gave everything she had to a boyWho changed his mind and we both cried'cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love youYou're gonna believe themAnd when you're fifteen, don't forget to look before you fallIve found that time can heal most anythingAnd you just might find who you're supposed to beI didn't know who I was supposed to be at fifteen

La la la la la .. la la la la la .. La la la la la

Your very first dayTake a deep breath girlTake a deep breath as you walk through those doors.

Love Story: Story

This is a song I wrote when I was dating a guy who wasn't exactly the popular choice. His situation was a little complicated, but I didn't care. I started this song with the line "This love is difficult, but it's real." When I wrote the ending to this song, I felt like it was the ending every girl wants to go with her love story. It's the ending that I want.  You want a guy who doesn't care what anyone thinks, what anyone says.  He just says, "Marry me, Juliet, I love you, and that's all I really know." It's sort of told in a character kind of thing, where it's Romeo and Juliet, and it's not me saying that I'm getting married or anything...but I think it's fun to write about it.

Love Story: 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.

I see the lights; see the party, the ball gowns.I see you make your way through the crowd-You 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, because 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.

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 dressIt's a love story, baby just say... yes.Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh.

'cause we were both young when I first saw you

Hey Stephen: Story

We were recording at John McBride's (Martina McBride's husband) studio and he was like, 'My kids are dying to meet you.  Do you think that you could say hi to them?'  I said, 'Sure, have them come and hang out while we're recording.'  So his daughters and their friends from school – there were about ten of them there – they all came into the studio when we were recording "Hey Stephen" and they loved it.  They were singing along with it by the end of it.

Hey Stephen: Lyrics

Hey Stephen, I know looks can be deceiving but I know I saw a light in youAs we walked we were talking and I didn't say half the things I wanted toOf all the girls tossing rocks at your windowI'll be the one waiting there even when it's coldHey Stephen, boy you might have me believing I don't always have to be alone.

'cause I can't help it if you look like an angelCan't help I if I wanna kiss you in the rain soCome feel this magic I've been feeling since I met youCan't help it if there's no one elseI can't help myself

Hey Stephen, I've been holding back this feelingSo I've got some things to say to youI seen it all so I thought but I never seen nobody shine the way you doThe way you walk, way you talk, way you say my nameIt's beautiful, wonderful, don't you ever changeHey Stephen, why are people always leavingI think you and I should stay the same

They're dimming the street lightsYou're perfect for me why aren't you here tonight?I'm waiting alone now so come on and come out and pull me nearShine, shine, shine

Hey Stephen I could give you fifty reasons why I should be the one you chooseAll those other girls, well they're beautiful but would they write a song for you

Myself, can't help myselfI can't help myself.

White Horse: Story

I actually wasn't going to put this song on the album.  I was going to wait for the third album because I really felt like we had the "sadness" represented on this record. Then my agency out in LA set up a meeting with executive producers Betsy Beers and Shonda Rhimes at Grey's Anatomy because that's my favorite show.  It would just be a dream come true to have a song on it.  So, I played them "White Horse."  It was just me and my guitar and they freaked out.  They loved it.  They said, "We'll get back to you as soon as possible."  For a while, we didn't know if we were going to put it on the record because if it wasn't going to be on the show, then we weren't going to put it on the album.  Then they called and said they were very interested in the song.  We recorded it right away, sent it off to them, and they put it in!

  To me, "White Horse" is about what, in my opinion, is the most heart-breaking part of a break-up – that moment when you realize that all the dreams you had, all those visions you had of being with this person, all that disappears. Everything after that moment is moving on.. But that initial moment of "Wow, it's over" is what I wrote "White Horse" about.

White Horse: Lyrics

Say you're sorryThat face of an angelComes out just when you need it toAs I paced back and forth all this timeCause I honestly believed in youHolding onThe days drag onStupid girl,I should have known, I should have known

I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy taleI'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet,Lead her up the stairwell

This ain't Hollywood, this is a small town,I was a dreamer before you went and let me downNow it's too late for youAnd your white horse, to come around

Baby I was naive,Got lost in your eyesAnd never really had a chanceMy mistake, I didn't know to be in loveYou had to fight to have the upper handI had so many dreamsAbout you and meHappy endingsNow I know

I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy taleI'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet,Lead her up the stairwellThis ain't Hollywood, this is a small town,I was a dreamer before you went and let me downNow it's too late for youAnd your white horse, to come around

And there you are on your knees,Begging for forgiveness, begging for meJust like I always wanted but I'm so sorry

Cause I'm not your princess, this ain't a fairytaleI'm gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me wellThis is a big world, that was a small townThere in my rearview mirror disappearing nowAnd its too late for you and your white horseNow its too late for you and your white horse, to catch me now

Oh, whoa, whoa, whoaTry and catch me nowOh, it's too lateTo catch me now

You Belong With Me: Story

I came into the writing session with Liz Rose and said...I've got this idea.  I had overheard a friend of mine talking to his girlfriend and he was completely on the defensive saying, "No, baby...I had to get off the phone really quickly...I tried to call you right back...Of course I love you.  More than anything!  Baby, I'm so sorry."  She was just yelling at him!  I felt so bad for him at that moment. So I came up with the first line

"You're on the phone with your girlfriend, she's upset, going off about something that you said," and I ran that into the story line that I'm in love with him and he should be with me instead of her.  It just became this whole picture.  It was really fun for us to write the line, "She wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts."

You Belong With Me: Lyrics

You're on the phoneWith your girlfriendShe's upsetShe's going off aboutSomething that you said'cause she doesn't get your humorLike I doI'm in the roomIt's a typical Tuesday nightI'm listening to the kind of musicShe doesn't likeShe'll never know your storyLike I do

But she wears short skirtsI wear t-shirtsShe's cheer captainAnd I'm on the bleachersDreaming about the dayWhen you wake up and findThat what you're looking forHas been here the whole timeIf you could seeThat I'm the oneWho understands youBeen here all alongSo why can't youSee you belong with meYou belong with me.Walking the streetsWith you and your worn out jeansI can't help thinkingThis is how it ought to beLaughing on a park benchThinking to myselfHey, isn't this easy?And you've got a smileThat could light up this whole townI haven't seen it in awhile

Since she brought you downYou say you're fineI know you better than thatHey what you doingWith a girl like thatShe wears high heelsI wear sneakersShe's cheer captainI'm on the bleachersDreaming about the dayWhen you wake up and findThat what you're looking forHas been here the whole time

If you could seeThat I'm the oneWho understands youBeen here all alongSo why can't youSee you belong with meStanding by andWaiting at your backdoorAll this timeHow could you not knowBabyYou belong with meYou belong with me.

Oh, I rememberYou driving to my houseIn the middle of the nightI'm the one who makes you laughWhen you know you're about to cryAnd I know your favorite songsAnd you tell me about your dreamsThink I know where you belongThink I know it's with me

Can't you seeThat I'm the oneWho understandsBeen here all alongSo why can't you see?You belong with me.

Have you ever thought

Just maybeYou belong with me?

Breathe: Story

It's a song about having to say goodbye to somebody, but it never blames anybody. Sometimes that's the most difficult part.  When it's nobody's fault. I was a huge fan of Colbie's record.  When it came out, I fell in love with the way that she makes music.  I contacted her management right away and I asked if I could write with her and, sure enough, Colbie had a date coming up in Nashville where she was going to be playing a show and she had the day off.  I think she sounds beautiful on it.  I'm so excited to have her voice on my album.

Breathe: Lyrics

I see your face in my mind as I drive away'Cause none of us thought it was gonna end that wayPeople are people and sometimes we change our mindsBut it's killing me to see you go after all this time

Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmmMmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm

Music starts playin' like the end of a sad movieIt's the kinda ending you don't really wanna see'Cause it's tragedy and it'll only bring you downNow I don't know what to be without you around

And we know it's never simple, never easyNever a clean break, no one here to save meYou're the only thing I know like the back of my hand

And I can't breatheWithout you, but I have toBreatheWithout you, but I have to

Never wanted this, never want to see you hurtEvery little bump in the road I tried to swervePeople are people and sometimes it doesn't work outNothing we say is gonna save us from the fall out

And we know it's never simple, never easyNever a clean break, no one here to save meYou're the only thing I know like the back of my hand

And I can't breatheWithout you, but I have toBreatheWithout you, but I have to

It's two a.m., feelin' like I just lost a friendHope you know it's not easy, easy for meIt's two a.m., feelin' like I just lost a friendHope you know this ain't easy, easy for me

And we know it's never simple, never easyNever a clean break, no one here to save me, oh

I can't breatheWithout you, but I have toBreatheWithout you, but I have toBreatheWithout you, but I have to

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorryI'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry

Tell Me Why: Story

I'd been talking to a guy I've never "officially" dated. Sometimes it's the hardest thing when you have all these dreams of dating them, and you're getting close, but it doesn't work out.   He would say things that would make me go, "Did you just say that?" It bothered me so much because he would say one thing and do another, do one thing and say another.  Because he didn't know what he wanted, he would just play all these mind games.

So I went over to write with Liz and was just ranting and raving about how this guy is such a flake and such a jerk sometimes, and so cool other times.  I was like, "Liz, I don't know what's up with this guy!"  So I just started playing the beginning, "I took a chance, I took a shot.  And you might think I'm bulletproof, but I'm not."

Tell Me Why: Lyrics

I took a chance, I took a shotAnd you might think i'm bulletproof, but i'm notYou took a swing, I took it hardAnd down here from the ground I see who you are

I'm sick and tired of your attitudeI'm feeling like I don't know you

You tell me that you love me then you cut me downAnd I need you like a heartbeatBut you know you got a mean streakMakes me run for cover when you're aroundAnd here's to you and your temperYes, I remember what you said last nightAnd I know that you see what you're doing to meTell me why..

You could write a book on how to ruin someone's perfect dayWell I get so confused and frustratedForget what i'm trying to say, oh

I'm sick and tired of your reasonsI got no one to believe inYou tell me that you want me, then push me aroundAnd I need you like a heartbeatBut you know you got a mean streakMakes me run for cover when you're aroundHere's to you and your temperYes, I remember what you said last nightAnd I know that you see what you're doing to meTell me why..

Why..do you have to make me feel smallSo you can feel whole insideWhy..do you have to put down my dreamsSo you're the only thing on my mind

I'm sick and tired of your attitudeI'm feeling like I don't know youYou tell me that you want me then cut me downI'm sick and tired of your reasonsI've got no one to believe inYou ask me for my love then you push me aroundHere's to you and your temperYes, I remember what you said last nightAnd I know that you see what you're doing to meTell me whyWhy, tell me why

I take a step back, let you goI told you i'm not bulletproofNow you know

You're Not Sorry: Story

It is about this guy who turned out to not be who I thought I was. He came across as prince charming. Well, it turned out prince charming had a lot of secrets that he didn't tell me about.  And one by one, I would figure them out.  I would find out who he really was. I wrote this when I was at the breaking point of, "You know what?  Don't even think that you can keep on hurting me." It was to a point where I had to walk away.

You're Not Sorry: Lyrics

All this time I was wasting,Hoping you would come aroundI've been giving out chances every timeAnd all you do is let me downAnd it's taking me this longBaby but I figured you outAnd you're thinking we'll be fine again,But not this time around

You don't have to call anymoreI won't pick up the phoneThis is the last strawDon't wanna hurt anymoreAnd you can tell me that you're sorryBut I don't believe you babyLike I did - beforeYou're not sorry, no no oh

Looking so innocent,I might believe you if I didn't knowCould've loved you all my lifeIf you hadn't left me waiting in the coldAnd you got your share of secretsAnd I'm tired of being last to knowAnd now you're asking me to listenCause it's worked each time before

But you don't have to call anymoreI won't pick up the phoneThis is the last strawDon't wanna hurt anymoreAnd you can tell me that you're sorryBut I don't believe you babyLike I did - beforeYou're not sorry, no no, oh

You're not sorry no no oh

You had me crawling for you honeyAnd it never would've gone away, noYou used to shine so brightBut I watched all of it fade

So you don't have to call anymoreI won't pick up the phoneThis is the last strawThere's nothing left to beg forAnd you can tell me that you're sorryBut I don't believe you babyLike I did - beforeYou're not sorry, no no oh

You're not sorry, no no oh

The Way I Loved You: Story

I got this idea for a song about being in a relationship with a nice guy who is punctual and opens up the door for you and brings you flowers...but you feel nothing.  The whole time you're with him, you're thinking about the guy who was complicated and messy and frustrating.

So I brought that idea, the title and where I thought the song should go to John. He was able to relate to it because he is that complicated, frustrating messy guy in his relationships.  We came at the song from different angles.  It was just so cool to get in a room and write with him because he really is an incredible writer.

The Way I Loved You: Lyrics

He is sensible and so incredibleAnd all my single friends are jealousHe says everything I need to hear and it's likeI couldn't ask for anything betterHe opens up my door and I get into his carAnd he says you look beautiful tonightAnd I feel perfectly fine

But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rainAnd it's 2am and I'm cursing your nameYou're so in love that you act insaneAnd that's the way I loved youBreakin' down and coming undoneIt's a roller coaster kinda rushAnd I never knew I could feel that muchAnd that's the way I loved you

He respects my spaceAnd never makes me waitAnd he calls exactly when he says he willHe's close to my motherTalks business with my fatherHe's charming and endearingAnd I'm comfortable

But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rainAnd it's 2am and I'm cursing your nameYou're so in love that you act insaneAnd that's the way I loved youBreakin' down and coming undoneIt's a roller coaster kinda rushAnd I never knew I could feel that muchAnd that's the way I loved you

He can't see the smile I'm fakingAnd my heart's not breakingCause I'm not feeling anything at allAnd you were wild and crazyJust so frustrating intoxicatingComplicated, got away by some mistake and now

I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rainIt's 2am and I'm cursing your nameI'm so in love that I acted insaneAnd that's the way I loved youBreaking down and coming undoneIt's a roller coaster kinda rushAnd I never knew I could feel that muchAnd that's the way I loved you oh, ohAnd that's the way I loved you oh, ohNever knew I could feel that muchAnd that's the way I loved you

Forever & Always: Story

"Forever & Always" is about when I was in a relationship with someone and I was just watching him slowly slip away.  I didn't know why, because I wasn't doing anything different. I didn't do anything wrong. He was just fading.  It's about the confusion and frustration of wondering why?  What changed? When did it change?  What did I do wrong? In this case, the guy I wrote it about ended up breaking up with me for another girl. Guess I know why he was fading...

Forever & Always: Lyrics

Once upon a time, I believe it was a Tuesday when I caught your eyeAnd we caught onto somethingI hold onto the night, you looked me in the eye and told me you loved me

Were you just kidding?'cause it seems to me, this thing is breaking downWe almost never speakI don't feel welcome anymoreBaby what happened, please tell me?

'cause one second it was perfect, now you're halfway out the door

And I stare at the phone, he still hasn't calledAnd then you feel so low you cant feel nothing at allAnd you flashback to when he said forever and alwaysOh, and it rains in your bedroomEverything is wrongIt rains when you're here and it rains when you're goneCause I was there when you said forever and always

Was I out of line?Did I say something way too honest, made you run and hideLike a scared little boyI looked into your eyesThought I knew you for a minute, now I'm not so sureSo here's everything coming down to nothingHere's to silence that cuts me to the coreWhere is this going? Thought I knew for a minute, but I don't anymore

And I stare at the phone, he still hasn't calledAnd then you feel so low you cant feel nothing at allAnd you flashback to when he said forever and alwaysOh, and it rains in your bedroomEverything is wrongIt rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone'cause I was there when you said forever and alwaysYou didn't mean it baby, I don't think so

Back up, baby, back upDid you forget everythingBack up, baby, back upDid you forget everything

'cause it rains in your bedroom

Everything is wrongIt rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone'cause I was there when you said forever and alwaysOh, I stare at the phone, he still hasn't calledAnd then you feel so low you cant feel nothing at allAnd you flashback to when we said forever and always

And it rains in your bedroomEverything is wrongIt rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone'cause I was there when you said forever and alwaysYou didn't mean it baby, you said forever and always I don't think so yeah

The Best Day: Story

I wrote this song on the road and didn't tell my mom about it. I decided that I was going to keep it a secret and give it to her as a surprise for Christmas.  I wrote it in the summer and then recorded it secretly with the band in the studio.  After it was done, I synched the song up to all these home videos of her, and my family.

She didn't even realize it was me singing until halfway through the song!  She didn't have any idea that I could possibly write and record a song without her knowing about it. When she finally got it, she just started bawling her eyes out.

The Best Day: Lyrics

I'm five years oldIt's getting coldI've got my big coat onI hear your laughAnd look up smiling at youI run and run

Past the pumpkin patchAnd the tractor ridesLook now -- the sky is goldI hug your legs and fall asleepOn the way home

I don't know why all the trees change in the fallI know you're not scared of anything at allDon't know if Snow White's house is near or far awayBut I know I had the best dayWith you todayI'm thirteen nowAnd don't know how my friends

Could be so mean

I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keysAnd we drive and driveUntil we've found a townFar enough away

And we talk and window-shopUntil I've forgotten all their names

I don't know who I'm gonna talk toNow at schoolI know I'm laughing on the car ride home with youDon't know how long it's gonna take to feel okayBut I know I had the best dayWith you today

I have an excellent fatherHis strength is making me strongerGod smiles on my little brotherInside and outHe's better than I am

I grew up in a pretty houseAnd I had space to runAnd I had the best days with you

There is a videoI found from back when I was threeYou set up a paint set in the kitchenAnd you're talking to me

It's the age of princesses and pirate shipsAnd the seven dwarfsDaddy's smartAnd you're the prettiest lady in the whole wide world

Now I know why all the trees change in the fallI know you were on my sideEven when I was wrongAnd I love you for giving me your eyesStaying back and watching me shine

And I didn't know if you knewSo I'm taking this chance to say

That I had the best dayWith you today

Change: Story

At one point, I began to understand that it would be harder for me on a smaller record label to get to the places and accomplish the things that artists were accomplishing on bigger record labels.  I realized that I wouldn't get favors pulled for me because there weren't any other artists on the label to pull favors from.  It was going to be an uphill climb and all that I had to encourage me was the hope that someday things would change. That things would be different. After so many times of just saying that to myself over and over, I finally wrote it down in a song.

Change: Lyrics

And it's a sad picture, the final blow hits youSomebody else gets what you wanted again andYou know it's all the same, another time and placeRepeating history and you're getting sick of itBut I believe in whatever you doAnd I'll do anything to see it through

Because these things will changeCan you feel it now?These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall downThis revolution, the time will comeFor us to finally winAnd we'll sing hallelujah, we'll sing hallelujahSo we've been outnumberedRaided and now corneredIt's hard to fight when the fight ain't fairWe're getting stronger nowFind things they never foundThey might be biggerBut we're faster and never scaredYou can walk away, say we don't need thisBut there's something in your eyesSays we can beat this

Because these things will changeCan you feel it now?These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall downThis revolution, the time will comeFor us to finally winAnd we'll sing hallelujah, well sing hallelujah

Tonight we stand, get off our kneesFight for what we've worked for all these yearsAnd the battle was long, it's the fight of our livesBut we'll stand up champions tonight

It was the night things changedCan you see it now?These walls that they put up to hold us back fell downIt's a revolution, throw your hands upCause we never gave inAnd we sang hallelujah, we sang hallelujahHallelujah

SPEAK NOW

Mine: Story

Lately I've had this bad habit of running away from love. Kind of getting to the place where it's about to commit, and then you just, like, run in the opposite direction. "Mine" is about the idea that I could find someone who would be the exception to that, someone who would be so sturdy and so much of a sure thing that I wouldn't run from it. Sometimes I look back on a lot of examples that I've seen of love, long term, and a lot of times it doesn't work out. There are goodbyes and people get really hurt, so I tend to be a little 'run-awayish.' But I'm never past hoping that at some point that could change.

This song is the first single because it has this…there was this moment between Nathan and I, my producer, when I brought this song in and when we made this demo in one day in his basement and we just kinda looked at each other and we were like, "This is it. This is the one. All of the times that I've had "The Moment" with songs of "This is the one," it's been a good call, so I'm hoping for the best on this one. Wish me luck.

Mine: Lyrics

You were in college working part time waiting tablesLeft a small town never looked backI was a flight risk with a fear of fallingWondering why we bother with love if it never lastsI say can you believe it?As we're lying on the couch

The moment I could see itYes, yes I can see it now

  Do you remember we were sitting there by the water?You put your arm around me for the first timeYou made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughterYou are the best thing that's ever been mine

  Flash forward and we're taking on the world togetherAnd there's a drawer of my things at your placeYou learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guardedYou say we'll never make my parents' mistakesBut we got bills to pay, we got nothing figured outWhen it was hard to takeYes, yes, this is what I thought about

  Do you remember we were sitting there by the water?You put your arm around me for the first timeYou made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughterYou are the best thing that's ever been mineDo you remember all the city lights on the water?You saw me start to believe for the first timeYou made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughterYou are the best thing that's ever been mine

  And I remember that fight, 2:30 amAs everything was slipping right out of our handsI ran out crying and you followed me out into the streetBraced myself for the goodbyeCause that's all I've ever knownThen you took me by surpriseYou said I'll never leave you alone

  You said I remember how we felt sitting by the waterAnd every time I look at you, it's like the first timeI fell in love with a careless man's careful daughterShe is the best thing that's ever been mineHold on, make it lastHold on, never turn backYou made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughterYou are the best thing that's ever been mineYes, yes do you believe it?Yes, yes we're gonna make it nowYes, yes I can see itI can see it now

Sparks Fly: Story

"Sparks Fly" is about falling for someone who you maybe shouldn't fall for, but you can't stop yourself because there's such a connection and chemistry. This is a song I wrote a few years ago and I have been working on it ever since. It's been awesome to see it change over the years. The fans have heard it before in concert, but there have been some really cool changes that I am very proud of and can't wait for them to hear.

Sparks Fly: Lyrics

The way you move is like a full-on rainstormAnd I'm a house of cardsYou're the kind of reckless that shouldSend me running butI kinda know that I won't get farAnd you stood there in front of meJust close enough to touchClose enough to hope you couldn't see what I was thinking of

ChorusDrop everything nowMeet me in the pouring rainKiss me on the sidewalkTake away the painCause I see sparks flyWhenever you smileGet me with those green eyes babyAs the lights go downGive me something that'll haunt me when you're not aroundCause I see sparks flyWhenever you smile

My mind forgets to remind meYou're a bad ideaYou touch me once and it's really somethingYou find I'm even better thanYou imagined I would beI'm on my guard for the rest of the world, but with youI know it's no goodAnd I could wait patientlyBut I really wish you would

Repeat Chorus

I'll run my fingers through your hairAnd watch the lights go wild

Just keep on keeping your eyes on meIt's just wrong enough to make it feel rightAnd lead me up the staircaseWon't you whisper soft and slowI'm captivated by you baby like a fireworks show

Repeat Chorus

Sparks fly, oh baby smileAnd the sparks fly

Back To December: Story

"Back to December" addresses a first for me, in that I've never apologized to someone in a song before. In the good, or bad, or the apology, the person I wrote the song for deserves this. This is about somebody who was incredible to me, just perfect to me in a relationship, and I was really careless with him, so these are the words that I would say to him -- that he deserves to hear.

Back To December: Lyrics

I'm so glad you made time to see meHow's life, tell me how's your familyI haven't seen them in a whileYou've been good, busier than everWe small talk, work and the weatherYour guard is up, and I know whyBecause the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mindYou gave me roses and I left them there to die

So this is me swallowing my prideStanding in front of you saying I'm sorry for that nightAnd I go back to December all the timeIt turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing youWishing I'd realized what I had when you were mineI go back to December, turn around and make it alrightI go back to December all the time

These days I haven't been sleepingStaying up playing back myself leavingWhen your birthday passed and I didn't callThen I think about summer, all the beautiful timesI watched you laughing from the passenger sideAnd realized I loved you in the fallAnd then the cold came, the dark days when fear crept into my mindYou gave me all your love and all I gave you was goodbye

So this is me swallowing my prideStanding in front of you saying I'm sorry for that nightAnd I go back to December all the timeIt turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing youWishing I'd realized what I had when you were mineI go back to December, turn around and change my own mindI go back to December all the time

I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile, so good to me, so rightAnd how you held me in your arms that September nightThe first time you ever saw me cryMaybe this is wishful thinkingProbably mindless dreamingBut if we loved again, I swear I'd love you rightI'd go back in time and change it, but I can'tSo if the chain is on your door I understand

But this is me swallowing my prideStanding in front of you saying I'm sorry for that nightAnd I go back to DecemberIt turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing youWishing I'd realized what I had when you were mineI go back to December turn around and make it alrightI go back to December, turn around and change my own mindI go back to December all the timeAll the time

Speak Now: Story

This song was inspired by one of my friends who was telling me about her childhood sweetheart, crush guy. They were kind of together in high school and went their separate ways, and it was kind of understood that they were gonna get back together. Then, she one day comes in and tells me he's getting married. He had met this girl who was just this mean person who made him completely stop talking to all of his friends, cut off his family, had him like so completely isolated. And I just, kind of randomly, was like, "So, you gonna speak now?" She was like, "What do you mean?" And I was like "Oh, you know, like storm the church, speak now or forever hold your peace? I'll go with you. I'll play guitar. It would be great." She was just kind of laughing, and later on I just was wrapping my mind around that idea of how tragic it would be if someone you loved was marrying somebody else.

Later I had a dream about one of my ex-boyfriends getting married, and it just all came together that I needed to write this song about interrupting a wedding. For me, I like to think of it as good versus evil, and this girl is so completely painted as the evil one. So this is "Speak Now."

Speak Now: Lyrics

I am not the kind of girl who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasionBut you are not the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girlI sneak in and see your friends and her snotty little family all dressed in pastelAnd she is yelling at a bridesmaidSomewhere back inside a room wearing a gown shaped like a pastry

This is surely not what you thought it would beI lose myself in a daydream where I stand and say

Don't say yes, run away nowI'll meet you when you're out of the church at the back doorDon't wait or say a single vowYou need to hear me outAnd they said speak now

Fond gestures are exchangedAnd the organ starts to play a song that sounds like a death marchAnd I am hiding in the curtainsIt seems that I was uninvited by your lovely bride-to-beShe floats down the aisle like a pageant queenBut I know you wish it was meYou wish it was me, don't you

Don't say yes, run away nowI'll meet you when you're out of the church at the back doorDon't wait or say a single vowYou need to hear me outAnd they said speak nowDon't say yes, run away nowI'll meet you when you're out of the church at the back doorDon't wait or say a single vowYour time is running outAnd they said speak now

Oh, la, oh

I hear the preacher say speak now or forever hold your peaceThere's the silence, there's my last chanceI stand up with shaky handsAll eyes on meHorrified looks from everyone in the roomBut I'm only looking at you

I am not the kind of girl who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion

But you are not the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girlSo don't say yes, run away nowI'll meet you when you're out of the church at the back doorDon't wait or say a single vowYou need to hear me outThey said speak nowAnd you say let's run away nowI'll meet you when I'm out of my tux at the back doorBaby, I didn't say my vowsSo glad you were aroundWhen they said speak now

Dear John: Story

The song "Dear John" is sort of like the last email you would ever send to someone that you used to be in a relationship with. Usually people write this venting last email to someone and they say everything that they want to say to that person, and then they usually don't send it. I guess by putting this song on the album I am pushing send.

Dear John: Lyrics

Long were the nights when my days once revolved around youCounting my footsteps praying the floor won't fall through againAnd my mother accused me of losing my mindBut I swore I was fine

You paint me a blue sky and go back and turn it to rainAnd I lived in your chess gameBut you changed the rules everydayWondering which version of you I might get on the phoneTonightWell I stopped picking up and this song is to let you know why

Dear John, I see it all now that you're goneDon't you think I was too young to be messed withThe girl in the dress cried the whole way homeI should've known

Well maybe it's me and my blind optimism to blameOr maybe it's you and your sick need to give love then take it awayAnd you'll add my name to your long list of traitors who don't understandAnd I'll look back and regret how I ignored when they saidRun as fast as you can

Dear John, I see it all now that you're goneDon't you think I was too young to be messed withThe girl in the dress cried the whole way homeDear John, I see it all now it was wrongDon't you think 19's too young to be played byYour dark twisted games when I loved you soI should've known

You are an expert at sorryAnd keeping lines blurryNever impressed by me acing your testsAll the girls that you've run dryHave tired, lifeless eyesCause you burned them outBut I took your matches before fire could catch meSo don't look nowI'm shining like fireworksOver your sad empty town

Dear John, I see it all now that you're goneDon't you think I was too young to be messed withThe girl in the dress cried the whole way homeI see it all now that you're goneDon't you think I was too young to be messed withThe girl in the dress wrote you a songYou should've knownYou should've knownDon't you think I was too youngYou should've known

Mean: Story

The song "Mean" is about, well, when you do what I do, which is you put yourself out there for a lot of people to say whatever they want about it, there are a million different opinions from a million different people.

I get it that not everyone is going to like everything that you do, and I get that no matter what, you're going to be criticized for something. But I also get that there are different kinds of ways to criticize someone. There is constructive criticism. There's professional criticism. And then, there's just being mean. There's a line that you cross when you just start to attack everything about a person, and there's one guy who just crossed the line over and over again. Just being mean, and saying things that would ruin my day.

This happens... no matter what you do, no matter how old you are, no matter what your job is, no matter what your place is in life. There's always going to be someone who's just

mean to you. Dealing with that is all you can control about that situation, how you handle it. "Mean" is about how I handle it, and sort of my mind set about this whole situation

Mean: Lyrics

You, with your words like knives and swords and weapons that you use against meYou have knocked me off my feet again, got me feeling like a nothingYou, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard calling me out when I'm woundedYou, picking on the weaker man

Well you can take me down with just one single blowBut you don't know what you don't know

Chorus

Someday I'll be living in a big ole cityAnd all you're ever gonna be is meanSomeday I'll be big enough so you can't hit meAnd all you're ever gonna be is meanWhy you gotta be so mean

You, with your switching sides and your wildfire lies and your humiliationYou have pointed out my flaws again, as if I don't already see themI walk with my head down trying to block you out cause I'll never impress youI just wanna feel okay againI bet you got pushed aroundSomebody made you coldBut the cycle ends right now cause you can't lead me down that roadAnd you don't know what you don't know

Repeat Chorus

And I can see you years from now in a barTalking over a football gameWith that same big loud opinionBut nobody's listeningWashed up and ranting about the same old bitter thingsDrunk and grumbling on about how I can't singBut all you are is meanAll you are is meanAnd a liar and pathetic and alone in lifeAnd mean, and mean, and mean

But someday I'll be living in a big ole cityAnd all you're ever gonna be is mean, yeahSomeday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me

And all you're ever gonna be is meanWhy you gotta be so meanSomeday I'll be living in a big ole cityAnd all you're ever gonna be is meanWhy you gotta be so meanSomeday I'll be big enough so you can't hit meAnd all you're ever gonna be is meanWhy you gotta be so mean

The Story Of Us: Story

The "Story of Us" is a song that I wrote about an awkward situation where, well… Let me just preface by saying that I have happened to run into exes in strange places lately. This is about one of those situations where the strange place that I ran into him was an awards show.

I was seated a couple of seats away from him and there was so much that needed to be said, and neither one of us was willing to say it. We were both acting like we were engaged in conversations with people that we don't even know. It was just miserable. I was telling my Mom about it later, and I said I felt like I was standing alone in a crowded room. And then I was like, "Gotta go. Bye!" And my Mom is used to that at this point so, that's what this song is about.

The Story Of Us: Lyrics

I used to think one day we'd tell the story of usHow we met and the sparks flew instantlyAnd people would say they're the lucky onesI used to know my place was the spot next to youNow I'm searching the room for an empty seatCause lately I don't even know what page you're onOh, a simple complication, miscommunications lead to fall outSo many things that I wish you knewSo many walls up I can't break through

Now I'm standing alone in a crowded roomAnd we're not speakingAnd I'm dying to know is it killing you like its killing me, yeahI don't know what to say since the twist of fate when it all broke downAnd the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy nowNext chapter

How'd we end up this waySee me nervously pulling at my clothes and trying to look busy

And you're doing your best to avoid meI'm starting to think one day I'll tell the story of usHow I was losing my mind when I saw you hereBut you held your pride like you should've held meOh, I'm scared to see the ending, why are we pretending this is nothingI'd tell you I miss you, but I don't know howI've never heard silence quite this loud

Now I'm standing alone in a crowded roomAnd we're not speakingAnd I'm dying to know is it killing you like its killing me, yeahI don't know what to say since the twist of fate when it all broke downAnd the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now

This is looking like a contest of who can act like they care lessBut I liked it better when you were on my sideThe battles in your hands nowBut I would lay my armor down if you said you'd rather love than fight

So many things that you wish I knewBut the story of us might be ending soon

Now I'm standing alone in a crowded roomAnd we're not speakingAnd I'm dying to know is it killing you like its killing me, yeahI don't know what to say since the twist of fate when it all broke downThe story of us looks a lot like a tragedy nowNow, nowAnd we're not speakingAnd I'm dying to know is it killing you like its killing me, yeahI don't know what to say since the twist of fate cause we're goin' downAnd the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy nowThe end

Never Grow Up: Story

"Never Grow Up" is a song about the fact that I don't quite know how I feel about growing up. It's tricky. Growing up happens without you knowing it. Growing up is such a crazy concept because a lot of times when you were younger you wish you were older. I look out into a crowd every night and I see a lot of girls that are my age and going through exactly the same things as I'm going through. Every once in a while I look down and I see a little girl who is seven or eight, and I wish I could tell her all of this. There she is becoming who she is going to be and forming her thoughts and dreams and opinions. I wrote this song for those little girls.

Never Grow Up: Lyrics

I used to think one day we'd tell the story of usHow we met and the sparks flew instantlyAnd people would say they're the lucky onesI used to know my place was the spot next to youNow I'm searching the room for an empty seatCause lately I don't even know what page you're onOh, a simple complication, miscommunications lead to fall outSo many things that I wish you knewSo many walls up I can't break through

Now I'm standing alone in a crowded roomAnd we're not speakingAnd I'm dying to know is it killing you like its killing me, yeahI don't know what to say since the twist of fate when it all broke downAnd the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy nowNext chapter

How'd we end up this waySee me nervously pulling at my clothes and trying to look busyAnd you're doing your best to avoid meI'm starting to think one day I'll tell the story of usHow I was losing my mind when I saw you hereBut you held your pride like you should've held meOh, I'm scared to see the ending, why are we pretending this is nothingI'd tell you I miss you, but I don't know howI've never heard silence quite this loud

Now I'm standing alone in a crowded roomAnd we're not speakingAnd I'm dying to know is it killing you like its killing me, yeahI don't know what to say since the twist of fate when it all broke downAnd the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now

This is looking like a contest of who can act like they care lessBut I liked it better when you were on my sideThe battles in your hands nowBut I would lay my armor down if you said you'd rather love than fight

So many things that you wish I knewBut the story of us might be ending soon

Now I'm standing alone in a crowded roomAnd we're not speakingAnd I'm dying to know is it killing you like its killing me, yeah

I don't know what to say since the twist of fate when it all broke downThe story of us looks a lot like a tragedy nowNow, nowAnd we're not speakingAnd I'm dying to know is it killing you like its killing me, yeahI don't know what to say since the twist of fate cause we're goin' downAnd the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy nowThe end

Enchanted: Story

I wrote "Enchanted" about a guy who I was enchanted to meet, obviously. He was somebody that I had talked to a couple of times on email, and then I was in New York and went to meet him.

I remember just the whole way home thinking, "I hope he's not in love with somebody." It was just wonderful, that feeling. Like, "Oh my gosh. Who's he with? Does he like me? Does he like somebody else? What does it mean?" I got home and he had emailed me and said something like, "Sorry I was so quiet. I was just wonderstruck meeting you." And so I incorporated the word wonderstruck, into the song as a, "Hey this one's sorta for you."

Enchanted: Lyrics

There I was again tonightForcing laughter, faking smilesSame old tired, lonely placeWalls of insincerityShifting eyes and vacancyVanished when I saw your faceAll I can say is it was enchanting to meet youYour eyes whispered "Have we met?"Across the room, your silhouetteStarts to make its way to meThe playful conversation startsCounter all your quick remarksLike passing notes in secrecyAnd it was enchanting to meet youAll I can say is I was enchanted to meet youChorus

This night is sparkling, don't you let it goI'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way homeI'll spend forever wondering if you knew

I was enchanted to meet you

The lingering question kept me up2 am, who do you love?I wonder 'til I'm wide awakeNow I'm pacing back and forthWishing you were at my doorI'd open up and you would sayIt was enchanting to meet youAll I know is I was enchanted to meet you

Chorus

This night is sparkling, don't you let it goI'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way homeI'll spend forever wondering if you knewThis night is flawless, don't you let it goI'm wonderstruck, dancing around all aloneI'll spend forever wondering if you knewI was enchanted to meet you

This is me praying thatThis was the very first pageNot where the story line endsMy thoughts will echo your nameUntil I see you againThese are the words I held backAs I was leaving too soonI was enchanted to meet you

Please don't be in love with someone elsePlease don't have somebody waiting on youPlease don't be in love with someone elsePlease don't have somebody waiting on you

Chorus

This night is sparkling, don't you let it goI'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way homeI'll spend forever wondering if you knewThis night is flawless, don't you let it goI'm wonderstruck, dancing around all aloneI'll spend forever wondering if you knewI was enchanted to meet you

Please don't be in love with someone elsePlease don't have somebody waiting on you

Better Than Revenge: Story

The song "Better Than Revenge" is about a girl, who a few years ago, stole my boyfriend. I think she probably thought I forgot about it, but I didn't.

Better Than Revenge: Lyrics

Now go stand in the corner and think about what you did

The story starts when it was hot and it was summer andI had it all, I had him right there where I wanted himShe came along, got him alone, and let's hear the applauseShe took him faster than you could say sabotageI never saw it coming, wouldn't have suspected itI underestimated just who I was dealing withShe had to know the pain was beating on me like a drumShe underestimated just who she was from stealing from

ChorusShe's not a saint, and she's not what you thinkShe's an actress, whoaBut she's better known for the things that she does on the mattressWhoaSoon she's gonna find stealing other peoples' toys on the playground won't make you many friendsShe should keep in mindShe should keep in mindThere is nothing I do better than revengeShe looks at life like it's a party and she's on the listShe looks at me like I'm a trend and she's so over itI think her ever-present frown is a little troublingShe thinks I'm psycho cause I like to rhyme her name with thingsBut sophistication isn't what you wear or who you knowOr pushing people down to get you where you wanna goThey didn't teach you that in prep school so it's up to meThat no amount of vintage dresses gives you dignityRepeat Chorus

I'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at honeyYou might have him but haven't you heardI'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at honey

You might have him but I always get the last wordWhoaRepeat Chorus

Do you still feel like you know what you're doingCause I don't think you doOh, do you still feel like you know what you're doingI don't think you do, I don't think you doLet's hear the applauseCome on show me how much better you areSee you deserve some applauseCause you're so much better

She took him faster than you could say sabotage

Innocent: Story

The song "Innocent" is about something that really intensely affected me emotionally. It took a while to write this one. I was fortunate enough to get a chance to perform this song on the VMAs, and that's the first time that anyone ever heard it. Putting out an album called Speak Now where you're supposed to say what you feel when you know how you feel, I felt that performing that song on that particular award show was appropriate. I hope everybody likes this one.

Innocent: Lyrics

Guess you really did it this timeLeft yourself in your war pathLost your balance on a tightropeLost your mind trying to get it backWasn't it easier in your lunchbox daysAlways a bigger bed to crawl intoWasn't it beautiful when you believed in everythingAnd everybody believed in you

It's alright just wait and see, your string of lights are still bright to meOh, who you are is not where you've beenYou're still an innocentStill an innocent

Did some things you can't speak ofBut at night you live it all againYou wouldn't be shattered on the floor nowIf only you had seen what you know now then

Wasn't it easier in your firefly catching daysWhen everything out of reach someone bigger brought down to youWasn't it beautiful running wild till you fell asleepBefore the monsters caught up to you

It's alright just wait and see, your string of lights are still bright to meOh who you are is not where you've beenYou're still an innocentIt's okay, life is a tough crowd32 and still growing up nowWho you are is not what you didYou're still an innocent

Time turns flames to embersYou'll have new SeptembersEvery one of us has messed up tooMinds change like the weatherI hope you rememberToday is never too late toBe brand new

It's alright just wait and see, your string of lights are still bright to meOh, who you are is not where you've beenYou're still an innocentIt's okay, life is a tough crowd32 and still growing up nowWho you are is not what you didYou're still an innocentYou're still an innocent

Lost your balance on the tight ropeIt's never too late to get it back

Haunted: Story

"Haunted" is about the moment that you realize the person you're in love with is drifting and fading fast. And you don't know what to do, but in that period of time, in that phase of love, where it's fading out, time moves so slowly. Everything hinges on what that last text message said, and you're realizing that he's kind of falling out of love. That's a really heartbreaking and tragic thing to go through, because the whole time you're trying to tell yourself it's not happening. I went through this, and I ended up waking up in the middle of the night writing this song about it.

I wanted the music and the orchestration to reflect the intensity of the emotion the song is

about, so we recorded strings with Paul Buckmaster at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. It was an amazing experience - recording this entire big, live string section that I think in the end really captured the intense, chaotic feeling of confusion I was looking for.

Haunted: Lyrics

You and I walk a fragile lineI have known it all this timeBut I never thought I'd live to see it breakIt's getting dark and it's all so quiet and I can't trust anything nowAnd it's coming over you like it's all a big mistake

Oh, holding my breathWon't lose you againSomething's made your eyes go cold

Come on, come on, don't leave me like thisI thought I had you figured outSomething's gone terribly wrongYou're all I wantedCome on, come on, don't leave me like thisI thought I had you figured outCan't breathe whenever you're goneCan't turn back nowI'm haunted

Stood there and watched you walk away from everything we hadBut I still mean every word I said to youHe will try to take away my pain and he just might make me smileBut the whole time I'm wishing he was you instead

Oh, holding my breathWon't see you againSomething keeps me holding onto nothing

Come on, come on, don't leave me like thisI thought I had you figured outSomething's gone terribly wrongYou're all I wantedCome on, come on, don't leave me like thisI thought I had you figured outCan't breathe whenever you're goneCan't turn back nowI'm hauntedI know, I knowI just know

You're not goneYou can't be goneNoCome on, come on, don't leave me like thisI thought I had you figured outSomething's gone terribly wrongWon't finish what you startedCome on, come on, don't leave me like thisI thought I had you figured outCan't breathe whenever you're goneI can't go backI'm hauntedYou and I walk a fragile lineI have known it all this timeBut I never thought I'd see it breakNever thought I'd see it

Last Kiss: Story

The song "Last Kiss" is sort of like a letter to somebody. You say all of these desperate, hopeless feelings that you have after a breakup. Going through a breakup you feel all of these different things. You feel anger, and you feel confusion, and frustration. Then there is the absolute sadness. The sadness of losing this person, losing all the memories, and the hopes you had for the future. There are times when you have this moment of truth where you just admit to yourself that you miss all these things. When I was in one of those moments I wrote this song.

Last Kiss: Lyrics

I still remember the look on your faceLit through the darkness at 1:58The words that you whispered for just us to knowYou told me you loved meSo why did you go awayAway

I do recall now, the smell of the rainFresh on the pavementI ran off the planeThat July ninth, the beat of your heartIt jumps through your shirtI can still feel your armsBut now I'll go, sit on the floor

Wearing your clothesAll that I know is I don't knowHow to be something you missI never thought we'd have a last kissNever imagined we'd end like thisYour name, forever the name on my lips

I do remember the swing of your stepThe life of the party, you're showing off againAnd I'd roll my eyes and then you'd pull me inI'm not much for dancing, but for you I didBecause I love your handshake, meeting my fatherI love how you walk with your hands in your pocketsHow you'd kiss me when I was in the middle of saying somethingThere's not a day I don't miss those rude interruptions

And I'll go sit on the floorWearing your clothesAll that I know is I don't knowHow to be something you missI never thought we'd have a last kissNever imagined we'd end like thisYour name, forever the name on my lips

So I'll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleepAnd I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breatheAnd I'll keep up with our old friendsJust to ask them how you areHope it's nice where you are

And I hope the sun shines and it's a beautiful dayAnd something reminds you you wish you had stayedYou can plan for a change in the weather and timeBut I never planned on you changing your mind

So I'll go, sit on the floor wearing your clothesAll that I know is I don't know how to be something you missI never thought we'd have a last kissNever imagined we'd end like thisYour name, forever the name on my lipsJust like our last kissForever the name on my lipsForever the name on my lipsJust like our last

Long Live: Story

"Long Live," (in parentheses "We Will Be Remembered"), is the first song where I've ever had parentheses in the title. Besides that, though, this song is about my band, and my producer, and all the people who have helped us build this brick by brick. The fans, the people who I feel that we are all in this together, this song talks about the triumphant moments that we've had in the last two years. We've had times where we just jump up and down, and dance like we don't care how we're dancing, and just scream at the top of our lungs, "How is this happening?" And, I feel very lucky to even have had one of those moments, nonetheless all the ones that I got to have.

"Long Live" is about how I feel reflecting on it. This song for me is like looking at a photo album of all the award shows, and all the stadium shows, and all the hands in the air in the crowd. It's sort of the first love song that I've written to my team.

Long Live: Lyrics

I said remember this momentIn the back of my mindThe time we stood with our shaking handsThe crowds in stands went wildWe were the kings and the queensAnd they read off our namesThe night you danced like you knew our lives would never be the sameYou held your head like a hero on a history book pageIt was the end of a decadeBut the start of an ageLong live the walls we crashed throughHow the kingdom lights shined just for me and youI was screaming long live all the magic we madeAnd bring on all the pretendersOne day we will be remembered

I said remember this feelingI pass the pictures aroundOf all the years that we stood there on the sidelinesWishing for right nowWe are the kings and the queensYou traded your baseball cap for a crownWhen they gave us our trophiesAnd we held them up for our townAnd the cynics were outragedScreaming this is absurdCause for a moment a band of thieves in ripped up jeans got to rule the world

Long live the walls we crashed throughHow the kingdom lights shined just for me and youI was screaming long live all the magic we madeAnd bring on all the pretendersI'm not afraidLong live all the mountains we movedI had the time of my life fighting dragons with youI was screaming long live that look on your faceAnd bring on all the pretendersOne day we will be remembered

Hold on to spinning aroundConfetti falls to the groundMay these memories break our fall

Will you take a moment, promise me thisThat you'll stand by me foreverBut if God forbid fate should step inAnd force us into a goodbyeIf you have children somedayWhen they point to the picturesPlease tell them my nameTell them how the crowds went wildTell them how I hope they shine

Long live the walls we crashed throughI had the time of my life with you

Long long live the walls we crashed throughHow the kingdom lights shined just for me and youAnd I was screaming long liveAll the magic we madeAnd bring on all the pretenders, I'm not afraidSinging long live all the mountains we movedI had the time of my life fighting dragons with youAnd long long live the look on your faceAnd bring on all the pretendersOne day we will be remembered