What is 'Back to December' Trying to Tell Us?

Back to December is first and foremost an apology from Taylor Swift to her ex-boyfriend. Taylor tells us how she fell in love with him. She tells us how they were good friends in the summer and how she realized she loved him in the fall. She says that she started having doubts when winter came. This leads to her rebuffing his love when he confesses to her.

The beginning of the song looks like she’s meeting her ex after their break-up. She remembers that the last time they met, he gave her roses and she left them there to die, symbolizing how she broke his heart. She sings about how she swallows her pride and sets aside her ego as she apologizes to him. She tells him that she has done nothing but miss him and wishes she realized what she had when they were together.

She said that she couldn’t sleep because of how much she missed him. She kept replaying their break-up in her mind. She regrets not calling him on his birthday. This is where she inserts the story of how she fell in love with him.

“I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile

So good to me, so right

And how you held me in your arms that September night

The first time you saw me cry

Maybe this is wishful thinking

Probably mindless dreamin’

But if we loved again, I swear I’d love you right

I’d go back in time and change it, but I can’t

So if the chain is on your door, I understand”

This bridge is where the apology becomes a plea. Taylor wants to go back to the relationship. She realizes that this probably won't happen. She talks about how she wants to rewind time and fix her mistakes, but she knows it’s impossible. She understands that he is hurt, but still hopes he will take her back.

Back to December is one of my favourite Taylor Swift songs and the bridge makes me cry every time I listen to it. Taylor’s voice has the power to put you in her shoes. You can feel the heartbreak she was going through