“I’ve never ever discussed this publicly before,” said Taylor Swift, teasing the viewers as she accepted a honor in Nashville night, leading at least some of the attendees to be on the edge of their seats tuesday. And they stayed there, even when the secret to be revealed turned out to have to with classifications of different types of lyrics she has kept in her head for years.(* because it was an audience mostly of songwriters,)
She continued to express that “it’s dorky. But we have, within my brain, secretly, founded genres groups for words we compose. Three of these, become precise: they truly are affectionately entitled Quill Lyrics, Fountain Pen Lyrics and Glitter Gel Pen Lyrics. … we created these groups predicated on exactly what tool that is writing imagine having in my hand when I scribbled it down — figuratively. I don’t actually have a quill. anymore. I broke it once when I was mad.” (Read the text that is full of message, under.)
The message was presented with through the Nashville that is annual Songwriter, held at Nashville’s storied Ryman Auditorium, where Swift had been honored with all the Songwriter-Artist of this Decade prize. She had been celebrated by the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) on her work with the 2010s.
Swift additionally performed during the ceremony, doing a rendition of a track that is associated with 2010s but also really associated with the 2020s, you might say few if any other people are: “All Too Well (10-Minute Variation).” Before performing the epic-sized form of the tune associated with her classical guitar, Swift stated, that that song would be resurfacing 10 years later or that I’d be about to play it for you tonight“ I never could’ve imagined when we wrote it. But a song can defy time or logic. A song that is good you to your truest feelings and translates those feelings for you. A song that is good with you even though individuals or emotions do not.”
Swift had a punchline that is great her speech, although it was one that was “written” by the songwriting sibling team the Warren Brothers. “Part of my re-recording process has included songs that are adding never made the first records, but tracks we hated to keep behind,” she noted. “’Fearless,’ my variation, arrived on the scene a year ago and for it, I came across one I’d written with the Warren Brothers when I was 14. … When I called the Warrens up to tell them I was cutting our song 17 years after we’d written it, I’ll never forget the first thing they said: ‘Well, I think that’s the longest hold we’ve ever had.’”(* as I was choosing songs)
The singer-songwriter-superstar didn’t keep anybody guessing about what exactly she meant by different forms of writing-instrument-based groups she had been exposing. A “quill track,” she explained, is “if my lyrics appear to be a letter published by Emily Dickinson’s great grandmother while sewing a lace curtain” — and she quoted a snippet from “Ivy,” from her 2020 record album “Evermore,” as an illustration.
“Glitter Gel Pen lyrics,” she said, “are the drunk woman during the celebration whom informs you off” was the illustration that you look like an Angel in the bathroom” — and “Shake it. As for “fountain pen style,” that’s “trying to paint a vivid picture of a situation, down to the paint that is chipped the doorway framework and also the incense dirt regarding the vinyl rack” — which fans could all too easily imagine meant “All Too Well.”
Fan-shot of Swift doing the track has emerged, even though it’s never an easy task to make her voice out over exactly what seems to be practically the complete Ryman audience performing along side every line for pretty much ten minutes.

The total text of Swift’s message during the (* that is ryman
Well, hi.[/embed]
I want to express many thanks to Bart (Herbison, the NSAI’s executive manager) for launching me personally such a way that is generous i want to say thank you to the NSAI for getting us all together for this event. For me, tonight feels brimming with a camaraderie that is genuine a bunch of men and women whom simply love making material. Whom love the art. Whom reside for that unusual, pure minute whenever a magical cloud floats down right prior to you by means of a concept for a song, and all sorts of you need to do is grab it. Then contour it like clay. Prune it like a garden. Then want on every star that is lucky pray to whatever power you believe in that it might find its way out into the world and make someone feel seen, feel understood, feel joined in their grief or heartbreak or joy for just a moment.
I’ve learned by being in the entertainment industry for an extended period of time that this business operates with a very new, new, new, next, next, next mentality. For every artist or songwriter, we’re all just hoping to have one year that is great. One album cycle that is great. One run that is great radio. And these full days, one song that goes viral on TikTok. One moment that is glorious the sunlight. Because on your own next task you will most probably need certainly to invent a thing that is new be. Think of all things that are new state, and fresh techniques to state them. You shall have to entertain people. And the fact is that what entertains us is either seeing new artists emerge or established artists showing us a side that is new by themselves. Whenever we are, extremely fortunate, life shall say to us ‘your song is great’. The thing that is next will state is ‘What else are you able to do?’
I say all this because I’m up right here getting this stunning prize for ten years of work, and I also can not perhaps explain just how good that feels. A culmination of moments because the way I see it, this is an award that celebrates. Challenges. Gauntlets laid down. Albums I’m proud of. Triumph Strokes of misfortune or luck. Loud, embarrassing mistakes therefore the recovery that is subsequent those mistakes, and the lessons learned from all of it. This award celebrates my family and my co-writers and my team. My friends and my fans that are fiercest my harshest detractors and every person whom joined my entire life or left it. Since when it comes down to my songwriting and my entire life, these are typically one in identical. Once the Nora that is great Ephron said, “Everything is copy.”
Twenty years ago I wrote my first song. I used to dream about one day getting to bounce around the different musical worlds of my various sonic influences, and change the production up of my records. We hoped that certain time, the mixing of genres would not be such a deal that is big. There’s so discussion that is much genre plus it constantly often leads back once again to a conversation about melody and manufacturing. But that departs down perhaps my part that is favorite of: lyricism.
And I’ve never talked about this publicly before, because, well, it’s dorky. But I also have, in my mind, secretly, established genres categories for lyrics I write. Three of them, to be exact. They are affectionately titled Quill Lyrics, Fountain Pen Lyrics, and Glitter Gel Pen Lyrics.
I know this sounds confusing but I’ll try to explain. I came up with these categories based on what tool that is writing imagine having within my hand once I scribbled it straight down, figuratively. I do not have a quill. any longer. We broke it as soon as once I had been angry.
I categorize particular tracks of mine within the ‘Quill’ design in the event that terms and phrasings are antiquated, after reading Charlotte Brontë or after watching a movie where everyone is wearing poet shirts and corsets if I was inspired to write it. If my lyrics sound like a letter written by Emily Dickinson’s great grandmother while sewing a lace curtain, that’s me writing in the Quill genre. I shall offer you an illustration from a single of my tracks We’d categorize as Quill.
“How’s someone to understand
I’d fulfill you in which the character satisfies the bones
In a faith forgotten land
In from the snowfall, your touch brought forth an glow( that is incandescent but so grand”
Moving on to Lyricism category #2: Fountain Pen style. I’d say most of my lyrics fall into this category. Fountain pen style means a modern storyline or references, with a twist that is poetic. Using a phrase that is common flipping its meaning. Trying to paint a vivid picture of a situation, down to the paint that is chipped the doorway framework therefore the incense dirt regarding the plastic rack. Putting your self and whoever is paying attention immediately within the available room where it all happened. The love, the loss, everything. The songs I categorize in this style sound like confessions sealed and scribbled in an envelope, but too savagely truthful to ever deliver.
For Example:
“Cause there we’re once more in the center of the night time
We’re dancing around the kitchen area within the ice box light
Down the stairs, I became there
I keep in mind all of it too well
And there we have been once more whenever no one had to learn
You kept me personally like a secret but I kept you want an oath( prayer that is*)Sacred and we’d swear to remember it all too well “
The third category is called Glitter Gel Pen and it lives up to its name in every way. Frivolous, carefree, bouncy, syncopated perfectly to the beat. Glitter Gel Pen lyrics don’t care because they don’t take themselves seriously if you don’t take them seriously. Glitter Gel Pen words would be the girl that is drunk the party who tells you that you look like an Angel in the bathroom. It’s what we need every once in a while in these times that are fraught which we reside.
Example:
“my ex man brought their brand new gf; she’s like ‘oh my god’ but we’m simply gonna shake and also to the fella over here aided by the hella hair that is good won’t you come on over baby we can shake, shake, shake.”
Why Did these categories are made by me, you ask? We are fortunate enough to call a job because I love doing this thing. Writing songs is my life’s work and my hobby and my never-ending thrill. I am moved beyond words in this way for work I’d still be doing if I had never been recognized for it.
Lately that you, my peers, decided to honor me i am on a joyride down memory lane. I have been re-recording my very first six records. I wrote when I was 13, 14, and 15, that path leads me right to music row when I go through the process of meticulously recreating each element of my past and revisiting songs. How my mom would pick me up from school and drive me to dozens of writers to my co-writing sessions (plus some of you’re in this very space tonight) whom 15 years back chose to provide me personally their time, their knowledge, their belief before anybody thought composing beside me had been a productive utilization of time. I shall always remember you, every last certainly one of you.
Part of my re-recording procedure has included songs that are adding never made the original albums, but songs I hated to leave behind. I’ve gone back and recorded a bunch of them for my version of my albums. “Fearless,” my version, came out last year and for it, I came across one I’d written with the Warren Brothers when I was 14 as I was choosing songs. I made the decision to record it as a duet with all the Keith Urban . Them i was cutting our song 17 years after we’d written it, I’ll never forget the first thing they said when I called the Warrens up to tell. “Well, I think that’s the longest hold we’ve ever had.”
In 2011, just over ten years ago, my trusted collaborator and confidant Liz Rose came over to my apartment and I showed her a song I’d been working on. I was going through a time that is roughbecause could be the normal state to be 21) and had scribbled down verse after verse after verse, a song which was a long time to put up an album. It’s clocked in at around ten minutes. We put down modifying, cutting, eliminating sections that are big it was a reasonable 5 minutes and 30 seconds. It was called “All Too Well.” Last year when I re-recorded my 2012 album “Red,” I included this 10 minute version with its original verses and bridges that are extra. We never ever could’ve thought as soon as we penned it that that track is resurfacing 10 years later on or that We’d be planning to play it for you tonight.
But a song can defy logic or time. A song that is good you to your truest feelings and translates those feelings for you. A song that is good with you even though individuals or emotions do not. Composing tracks is a calling and having to phone it your job allows you to extremely fortunate. You should be grateful every for it, and all the people who thought your words might be worth listening to day. This town is the educational college that taught me personally that.
To be honored by you means a lot more than any genre of my words could say.
Thank ever you.
!function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {
if (f.fbq) return;
n = f.fbq = function() {
n.callMethod ?
n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments);
};
if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n;
n.push = n;
n.loaded = !0;
n.version = ‘2.0’;
n.queue = [];
t = b.createElement(e);
t.async = !0;
t.src = v;
s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s);
}(window, document, ‘script’,
‘
fbq(‘init’, ‘586935388485447’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘315552255725686’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings