It’s called “Taylor Swift.” But this tear-jerker, sung by award winning country artist Walker Hayes, isn’t so much about the pop star as it is about Hayes’ own daughter.
This sweet song finds Hayes spending a whole lot of money on an experience that his daughter may or may not even remember. But he does so for the memories and the chance to make his little girl feel special.
Hayes details the expense of taking his daughter to a Taylor Swift concert (“Two Taylor Swift concert ticket stubs/Cost me more than my mortgage does/And that was before/T-shirts, Cokes and popcorn”). He knows that financial experts may not be in favor of his decision (“Dave Ramsey wouldn’t like it”), but he believes the experience with his daughter was priceless (“But it was priceless/Watchin’ her watch her hero, singin’ every single word to every song”).
Even if she fell asleep midway through (“She yawned/And, climbed up in my arms, she was gone”), he wouldn’t change his decision for the world, and he hopes that their shared moment will be a forever memory for her (“When she turns 22 and I turn 56/I hope she thinks of me, when she hears Taylor Swift”).
Still, his ultimate desire is that his daughter would know that she is utterly loved by those who are most important (“I just hope that she grows up and always knows that me, her mom and Jesus/Love her even more than she loves Taylor Swift”).
None.
There are a lot of raunchy, terrible songs out there charting on Billboard and other music outlets. This isn’t one of them. And for that, we can all be thankful.
This is a sweet, semi-relatable song written by a dad who spent way too much on a birthday gift for his daughter. A dad who pushed aside buyers’ remorse in favor of creating what he hopes will be a lasting memory with his child.
Sure, you might not agree with his choice to take his daughter to a Taylor Swift concert. As Plugged In has chronicled, not all of her songs are super-clean these days. But the heart of this song is about spending intentional time with your children in hopes that your effort will make a lasting impact.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
