What does The Story Of Us mean?

Taylor Swift: The Story Of Us Meaning

Album cover for The Story Of Us album cover

Song Released: 2011


Get "The Story Of Us" on MP3: Get MP3 from iTunes

The Story Of Us Lyrics

I used to think one day we'd tell the story of us,
How we met
And the sparks flew instantly
And people would say we're the lucky ones

I used to know my place was the spot next to you,
Now I'm searching the room for an empty seat
Cause...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 12th 2011 !⃝

    It's about a messy break up, she's still completely in love with 'this boy/man/thing' and she thinks he doesn't care and it's only affected her. she thought they'd last forever. She brings across that she's trying to show him that she doesn't need him but inside it's killing her.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    lovelaughsing24
    click a star to vote
    Nov 23rd 2010 !⃝

    The Story of Us is sort of a "tragedy", as Taylor puts it. She has admitted that she frequently runs into exes, and it is very awkward and sometimes painful. This song in particular tells of one time when Taylor ran into an ex at an awards show (only Taylor Swift can do that :D). At the beginning of the second verse, she states "how'd we end up this way, see me nervously pulling at my clothes and trying to look busy" meaning she tries to pretend she's having a wonderful time without him and is not missing him at all, while in the meantime her ex is "doing your best to avoid me". But secretly, she sort of misses him. ("I'd tell you I miss you, but I don't know how")

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 10th 2011 !⃝

    It is about Joe Jonas. She thought that they would be together but it turned out badly. During an awards show she was a couple seats away from Joe Jonas, in the song she says "Now I'm standing alone in a crowded room
    And we're not speaking
    And I'm dying to know
    Is it killing you
    Like it's killing me?"
    She also tries to look perfectly fine without Joe Jonas.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 17th 2019 !⃝

    For me this song means a lot of things... I'm just going to put it into my perspective and say that when you love someone and they don't speak to you anymore that really hurts.. The depiction of this song is how Taylor had run into someone who she once and still does have feelings for, but he doesn't feel the same way about her. Because of this, she is very hurt and refrains from telling him the truth about how she feels in fear that the memories of the messy breakup will come back to haunt her again. She feels as if she is stuck in a fantasy world where she thought that in another life they could have been more than what they turned out to be. Because she knows that this will never happen, she feels alone even though she is obviously in a crowd full of people. She tries to find ways to distract herself so maybe he will see that she doesn't care and she is happy without him but deep down inside she is still broken.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 15th 2016 !⃝

    I think this song is about trying to act like you're ok without someone you love when all you want is him/her by your side.

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 26th 2013 !⃝

    I always walk through both memory and fantasy lane listening to this song...

    But for me, I'd say this song is about the awkwardness and complexities of love, yet also something like a phase.

    And yes, the song's situation DOES look like a tragedy. It might be, but it's a tragedy for one category of your brain. If brought as a whole, it's a memory. Remember, it looks like a tragedy. And seems 99.9999999999% like one.

    However it only LOOKS like one for your emotions. My point is, I believe this song is like a depiction of one different part of life. Because relationships are technically a part of life. And while it hurts real bad, and it's awkward and you want to cry in the shower... It gives lessons. Lessons that eventually you have to move on. Like how a book ends, but not always the story.

    But meanwhile, it also shows one of the many dynamics involved in relationships. And sometimes it is crazy nervous and weird.

    As for the song, it seems to demonstrate what it's like for a couple after they break up. From Taylor's point of view, it is a dreadful feeling. No one wants to see their ex after a probably bad breakup. And inside she misses him dearly, but can't bring herself to do so. And she hopes the guy can have the courage.

    Yet again, even he can't.

    Story of Us shows what it means to have a relationship that you thought would last, but instead ends quickly with no words and only anxiety and awkwardnesss. That you have to speak up and learn to have pride in your decisions, not your arguments.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 14th 2012 !⃝

    This song is about the awkwardness of seeing an ex. She thought that they would last forever, but something went wrong. Now, seeing each other is super awkward, and neither of them know how to act, both trying to look busy without the other.

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 26th 2012 !⃝

    The person who said that this song is about two friends... this is how i've interpreted this song, because that has exactly happened to me

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 10th 2012 !⃝

    This is a song about a girl who is not sure what is going to happen with him and her.
    She likes him a lot. And one day, he says, I love you to her.
    but she is not sure if that was for real or for joke. her friends say that they think that he likes her but...the truth is unknown.
    she can't be sad and be heart broken because... nothing real has happened.
    she is afraid to know his real feelings for her, and cannot say anything because in the high school world, she was in a low rank status.
    all the walls she had to face.
    i dont kno how this story will end. but right now, that boy is going out with a popular and pretty girl in the school.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 5th 2012 !⃝

    Well its about how she and he boyfriend weren't speaking at a party or something and in the part were shes like "I've never heard silence quite this loud" it means that she and her boyfriend haven't been speaking. I should know how she feels in this song cuz of my BF. We barley speak:(

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 24th 2012 !⃝

    Its about love pain and break up. The story before and aftermath...

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 2nd 2012 !⃝

    In this song Taylor swift is talking about her best friend, at the least, (or as some interpreted as her ex). At first they were really really close, but hearing the lyrics, "so many things that I wish you knew" gave me the impression that she was to late to tell him and eventually someone more open with their feelings got to tell him first.

    P.S. I know it's not like other interpretations so I know its probably off...

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 13th 2011 !⃝

    Ok nobody cares about the person it's about they want to know the meaning of the song.
    Ir's about somebody who believed a relationship would last forever and people wold look at them as the 'Lucky Ones' but those daydreams came crashing down when they broke up. I think they haven't seen each other for a while but now they've bumped into one another again and it's awkward. She wants to put down the awkwardness and be friends again (or maybe even something more...?)

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 3rd 2011 !⃝

    In the first verse, it meant that she thought everything was going so well when they were together that everyone would envy them.

    In the second verse, it meant that she thought
    only she was the only person who is meant to be with him. However, nowadays, he's drifting further and further that she doesn't understand him anymore.

    Then,she said, because of something they did or said had created an awkward situation which lead them to misunderstanding each other. She wished he knew how she really felt.

    Now, she's all alone and they're not speaking. She wants to talk to him but she doesn't know how he feels about it. So now, she regrets because they can't turn back to how they used to be anymore.

    Now, she's thinking about why she needs to pretend that she's better off without him and why he's avoiding her.

    She wished that one day she could tell him how she felt and how keeping everything to herself is killing her and how he avoids her is hurting her. She doesn't know what to do because she thinks this is fate's doing.

    She can't imagine how they'd end and she hopes that she can stop pretending that she's okay and she wants to tell him how she really feels about it all.

    She thinks this is like a game where they see who can hold their pride longer. But she said, if there's a choice, she's rather surrender to the silent war first if he'd say he loves her too. She thinks he must have things he wants from her but she thinks it's not possible anymore.

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 31st 2011 !⃝

    Well, this song is about when a boy and a girl are friends. Really good friends. The girl even has semi-romantic feelings for the boy. And then, all of a sudden, they stop talking and sitting with each other and just being friends. The girl misses him--a lot--and wonders if he misses her. The silence seems so loud, because she can't bear to not be around him. But pride is keeping these two people apart, even if they really do miss each other.

    Or maybe this is just how my life fits into this.

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 30th 2011 !⃝

    wait, wait, wait!
    what was the part when a girl and guy were making out?? and the professor was guarding them???

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  17. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 18th 2011 !⃝

    This is about her and her ex/ boyfriend and Taylor seeing their relationship ending. She uses book metaphors like next chapter to explain that she wants to move on to the part of the story where the problem is resolved. It's probably a singer, because the encoded message in the lyrics is 'CMT AWARDS'. It would have to be someone who attended the 2009 CMT awards. It would be hard to tell exactly who because it could've been...someone she dated/experienced a break up around June 17th? Anyways, the main idea is Taylor's fantasy colliding with reality and realizing that some things that happen in books and fairy tales won't happen in real life.

  18. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 10th 2011 !⃝

    In the beginning of the song Taylor tells that she thought that their relationship will last forever but one complication is been enough to end it.She is now confused because she doesn't now how to live without him.
    In the second part of the song she tells that their are to proud to overcome there fight.
    At the end she is ready to surrender if he recognize that he love her but unfortunately he doesn't say nothing and their love is ended.
    Ivana

‹ prev 12



More Taylor Swift songs »


 


Latest Articles

 


Submit Your Interpretation

[ want a different song? ]




Just Posted

Steve's Going to London anonymous
Yes I'm A Mess anonymous
Droppin' Plates anonymous
Rat anonymous
Cry for the Moon anonymous
And the Snakes Start to Sing anonymous
Gingerbread Man anonymous
Not Like the Movies anonymous
This Masquerade anonymous
Birthday Suit anonymous
Dollhouse anonymous
Death anonymous
Copy Cat anonymous
I Hate Jimmy Page anonymous
I Hate Jimmy Page anonymous

(We won't give out your email)