Taylor Swift - Treacherous (Taylor's Version)

‘Treacherous’ is the third track on Taylor Swift’s “emotional rollercoaster” album, Red (Taylor’s version). The song describes falling in love as dangerous and erratic, but so tempting that you decide to jump in anyway.

Something that is treacherous is something harmful and possibly deceptive — Taylor uses this word to describe a relationship that might not be the best one for her. The song contains strong sensual undertones and while at no point references directly anything explicitly sexual, some of the lyrics can nonetheless be interpreted as a metaphor for sex. Looking at the song through this lens, it can be seen as Taylor realizing that this relationship is moving extremely fast and might be unhealthy.

There are various rumored subjects of the song including John Mayer and Jake Gyllenhaal. The secret message for “Treacherous” featured in the Red album booklet is “won’t stop ‘til it’s over”, a lyric featured on The Temper Trap song – “Sweet Disposition.”. This song is referenced on “All Too Well” – another song thought to be about Jake.

However, the song is most likely about Harry Styles. Taylor confirmed to USA Today that “Treacherous” and “I Knew You Were Trouble” are about the same person, and hints in “I Knew You Were Trouble” point to Harry being the inspiration.

The biggest hint however lies in the songs hidden clue. The hidden message – “won’t stop ‘til it’s over” – is from the track “Sweet Disposition”. This song also contains the lyrics: "Won’t stop to surrender". Harry had a rendition of this tattooed on his arm in April 2012, around the time he was dating Taylor.

Taylor admitted to mocking Harry on his erroneous tattoo and The Temper Trap even recounted in an interview of a time Taylor ran into them:

She was like “Hey”, you know, “I’m a big fan” blah, blah, blah. And she goes “Ah, it’s my boyfriend’s birthday soon I wanna give him a present – here’s a piece of paper, can you please write down the lyrics to "Sweet Disposition”, sign it, I wanna give it to him. So I had this dilemma in my mind at that point – do I write the wrong lyrics? Do I write the right lyrics? I kept it real, I wrote the right lyrics man… And they broke up soon after.

This seemed to be Harry’s favorite track at the time he dated Taylor (around April 2012) as he tweeted lyrics to the song on multiple occasions.

Written By: Taylor Swift & Dan Wilson

Produced By: Dan Wilson

[Verse 1]

Put your lips close to mine

As long as they don't touch

Out of focus, eye to eye

'Til the gravity's too much

And I'll do anything you say

If you say it with your hands

And I'd be smart to walk away

But you're quicksand

[Chorus]

This slope is treacherous

This path is reckless

This slope is treacherous

And I-I-I like it

[Verse 2]

I can't decide if it's a choice

Getting swept away

I hear the sound of my own voice

Asking you to stay

All we are is skin and bone

Trained to get along

Forever going with the flow

But you're friction

[Chorus]

This slope is treacherous

This path is reckless

This slope is treacherous

I-I-I like it

[Bridge]

Two headlights shine through the sleepless night

And I will get you a— get you alone

Your name has echoed through my mind

And I just think you should— think you should know

That nothing safe is worth the drive

And I would follow you, follow you home

I'll follow you, follow you home

[Chorus]

This hope is treacherous

This daydream is dangerous

This hope is treacherous

I-I-I, I-I-I, I-I-I—

[Bridge]

Two headlights shine through the sleepless night

And I will get you a— get you alone

Your name has echoed through my mind

And I just think you should— think you should know

That nothing safe is worth the drive

And I will follow you, follow you home

I'll follow you, follow you home

[Outro]

This slope is treacherous

I-I-I like it

Written By: Taylor Swift & Dan Wilson

Produced By: Dan Wilson

[Verse 1]

Put your lips close to mine

As long as they don't touch

Out of focus, eye to eye

'Til the gravity's too much

And I'll do anything you say

If you say it with your hands

And I'd be smart to walk away

But you're quicksand

[Chorus]

This slope is treacherous

This path is reckless

This slope is treacherous

And I-I-I like it

[Verse 2]

I can't decide if it's a choice

Getting swept away

I hear the sound of my own voice

Asking you to stay

And all we are is skin and bone

Trained to get along

Forever going with the flow

But you're friction

[Chorus]

This slope is treacherous

This path is reckless

This slope is treacherous

I, I, I like it

[Bridge]

Two headlights shine through the sleepless night

And I will get you, get you alone

Your name has echoed through my mind

And I just think you should, think you should know

That nothing safe is worth the drive

And I would follow you, follow you home

I'll follow you, follow you home

[Chorus]

This hope is treacherous

This daydream is dangerous

This hope is treacherous

I-I-I, I-I-I, I-I-I

[Bridge]

Two headlights shine through the sleepless night

And I will get you, get you alone

Your name has echoed through my mind

And I just think you should, think you should know

That nothing safe is worth the drive

And I would follow you, follow you home

I'll follow you, follow you home

[Outro]

This slope is treacherous

I-I-I like it

“Treacherous” is a song that I wrote with Dan Wilson. I brought in this idea because I wanted to explore the idea that something could be dangerous and enticing at the same time, the positive side of that, like, “I believe this can work”. It’s got this big bridge at the end of it that kind of sounds like a second chorus, it’s got all these vocals in the background and it says “Nothing safe is worth the drive” and, to me, that says so much about this album, because I really do feel that, even if something really hurt you, if it made you feel something, it was worth it.

— Swift via a Red (Track by Track) YouTube video.

Taylor told Taste of Country:

I wrote ‘Treacherous’ with Dan Wilson, and we came up with a way to say, you know, ‘This is dangerous and I realize that I might get hurt if I go through with this, if I move forward with you. But… but I want to.’ You know? It’s like that kind of conflicted feeling of it being a risk every time you fall in love — especially with certain types of people. [Laughs] That was a song that I’m really proud of, because it’s got this bridge that sounds like a second chorus. It’s got all these big vocals, and it’s kind of the intensity of that moment when you’re deciding to let yourself fall in love with someone.

The Meaning Behind The Song: Treacherous by Taylor Swift - Old Time MusicThe Meaning Behind The Song: Treacherous by Taylor Swift Taylor Swift is known for her ability to capture raw and honest emotions in her songwriting, and “Treacherous” is no exception. Released in 2012 as part of her album “Red,” the song explores the complexities of love and relationships. With heartfelt lyrics and a haunting melody, … The Meaning Behind The Song: Treacherous by Taylor Swift Read More »

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