coney island

(featuring The National)

Written By: Aaron Dessner, Taylor Swift, Bryce Dessner & William Bowery

Produced By: Bryce Dessner & Aaron Dessner

“coney island” marks Swift’s first collaboration with The National after working heavily with band member Aaron Dessner on both the writing and production of evermore and folklore.

Like much of The National’s extensive catalogue, the track is subdued and melancholic sonically. Through the use of back-and-forth conversational lyrics littered with imagery that is rich with bygone experiences, it evokes a heavy feeling of loss and nostalgia for a past relationship where effort was not equal from both sides.

The lyrics contrast with the title location itself–Coney Island–a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York that is famous as a tourist destination for its lively carnival park setting. Additionally, the community district is Brooklyn 13, a number that is particularly special to Swift.

Lyrics

[Verse 1: Taylor Swift]

Break my soul in two looking for you

But you're right here

If I can't relate to you anymore

Then who am I related to?

And if this is the long haul

How'd we get here so soon?

Did I close my fist around something delicate?

Did I shatter you?

[Pre-Chorus: Taylor Swift]

And I'm sitting on a bench in Coney Island

Wondering where did my baby go?

The fast times, the bright lights, the merry go

Sorry for not making you my centerfold

[Chorus: Taylor Swift]

Over and over

Lost again with no surprises

Disappointments, close your eyes

And it gets colder and colder

When the sun goes down

[Verse 2: Matt Berninger with Taylor Swift]

The question pounds my head

What's a lifetime of achievement

If I pushed you to the edge?

But you were too polite to leave me

And do you miss the rogue

Who coaxed you into paradise and left you there?

Will you forgive my soul

When you're too wise to trust me and too old to care?

[Pre-Chorus: Taylor Swift with Matt Berninger]

'Cause we were like the mall before the internet

It was the one place to be

The mischief, the gift-wrapped suburban dreams

Sorry for not winning you an arcade ring

[Chorus: Taylor Swift & Matt Berninger]

Over and over

Lost again with no surprises

Disappointments, close your eyes

And it gets colder and colder

When the sun goes down

[Bridge: Taylor Swift, Matt Berninger, Both]

Were you waiting at our old spot

In the tree line

By the gold clock

Did I leave you hanging every single day?

Were you standing in the hallway

With a big cake, happy birthday

Did I paint your bluest skies the darkest grey?

A universe away

And when I got into the accident

The sight that flashed before me was your face

But when I walked up to the podium, I think that I forgot to say your name

[Pre-Chorus: Taylor Swift & Matt Berninger]

I'm on a bench in Coney Island

Wondering where did my baby go?

The fast times, the bright lights, the merry go

Sorry for not making you my centerfold

[Chorus: Taylor Swift & Matt Berninger]

Over and over

Lost again with no surprises

Disappointments, close your eyes

And it gets colder and colder

When the sun goes down

[Outro: Taylor Swift & Matt Berninger]

When the sun goes down

The sight that flashed before me was your face

When the sun goes down

But I think that I forgot to say your name

Over and over

Sorry for not making you my, making you my

Making you my centerfold

deeper meanings

Co-writer, co-producer, and The National member Aaron Dessner explained to Rolling Stone:

I had been working on a bunch of music with my brother [Bryce Dessner], some of which we were sending to Taylor also. At that stage, ‘coney island’ was all the music except the drums. And as I was writing it, I don’t think I was ever thinking, ‘This sounds like The National or this sounds like Big Red Machine or this sounds like something totally different.’ But Taylor and [Joe Alwyn] wrote this incredible song, and we first recorded it with just her vocals. It has this really beautiful arc to the story, and I think it’s one of the strongest, lyrically and musically. But listening to the words, we all collectively realized that this does feel like the most related to the National — it almost feels like a story Matt [Berninger] might tell, or I could hear Bryan [Devendorf] playing the drum part.

So we started talking about how it would be cool to get the band, and I called Matt and he was excited for it. We got Bryan to play drums and we got Scott [Devendorf] to play bass and a pocket piano, and Bryce helped produce it. It’s weird, because it does really feel like Taylor, obviously, since she and [Joe Alwyn] wrote all the words, but it also feels like a National song in a good way. I love how Matt and Taylor sound together.