What If Taylor Narrated Your Summer?

It's no secret by now that Taylor Swift is a talented songwriter whose lyrics provide everything from incredible optimism about love to baller tattoo inspiration. As I celebrate warmer weather (and curate my summer playlist), though, I noticed something more: Specifically, that Swift makes more than a few sun-drenched references in her music, even the songs that are slower and sadder.

Sometimes the phrases are pretty straight-forward (hello, “that July 9th”), while other times she employs summery imagery, such as water and sunsets. (I’m looking at you “Mine,” "I'm Only Me When I'm With You” and “Starlight.”) The result is a hazy compilation of warm weather-images that are the makings of anyone’s “wildest dreams.” (Or, at least any Swiftie worth his or her collection of Taylor Swift fragrances.)

What better combination is there than Taylor Swift’s most poignant lyrics coupled with a celebration of summer? Fire up your iTunes, grab your headphones and get ready to break it down to these solstice-ready songs. From her early Taylor Swift works to the brand-new 1989 tracks, it’s always summer in this singer’s world.

And as such, it only seemed fitting that I find the 13 summeriest Taylor Swift lyrics because no list focusing on the singer is complete without a reference to her lucky number. OK, now go forth and get some summer!

"And I was right there beside him all summer long / And then the time we woke up to find that summer gone."

— "Tim McGraw"

When you think "Tim McGraw," I hope you think of its lyrics that capture the conclusion of summer.

"Our song is the slamming screen door / Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window." — "Our Song"

Is there anything that makes you think of childhood summers more than a slamming screen door?

"Friday night beneath the stars / In a field behind your yard / You and I are paintin' pictures in the sky / And sometimes we don't say a thing / Just listen to the crickets sing." — "I'm Only Me When I'm With You"

Crickets + stars = long summer nights.

"I close my eyes and the flashback starts / I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air." — "Love Story"

You can just feel the summer heat from this track.

"I remember how we felt sitting by the water / And every time I look at you, it’s like the first time." — "Mine"

Swift takes a more subtle approach with "Mine," mentioning sitting alongside water. Is anyone else getting Dawson's Creek vibes?

"The story starts when it was hot and it was summer and / I had it all, I had him right there where I wanted him." — "Better Than Revenge"

Nothing captures red-hot revenge quite like a humid summer day.

"Wasn't it easier in your firefly-catchin' days?" — "Innocent"

Fireflies are the perfect accent to this idyllic and summery song.

"That July 9th / The beat of your heart / It jumps through your shirt / I can still feel your arms." — "Last Kiss"

Swift spells it out for us with this one, even giving fans a mid-summer date, July 9, as a reference point.

"Wind in my hair / I was there / I remember it all too well." — "All Too Well "

Driving with the windows down is one of the first signs of warmer weather. We remember it all too well.

"He was trying to skip rocks on the ocean, saying to me / 'Don't you see the starlight, starlight? / Don't you dream impossible things?'" — "Starlight"

OK, pretty much all of "Starlight" is a celebration of summer, but these lyrics, which give a shoutout to the ocean, are especially on theme.

"Say you'll remember me standing in a nice dress / Staring at the sunset." — "Wildest Dreams" 1989

Sunsets? Goodbyes? It's like "Tim McGraw" all over again.

"Clear blue water, high tide came and brought you in / And I could go on and on, on and on, and I will." — "This Love"

Swift is all over the metaphor of repetition with "This Love." What better way to capture it than comparing it to the ocean?

"The drought was the very worst / When the flowers that we'd grown together died of thirst." — "Clean"

Most likely the starkest of her summery lyrics, "Clean" pinpoints that moment in the summery when the temperature spikes and everything wilts.

That does it. Taylor is the queen of summer.

Images: Giphy (13)