Song
Would've, Could've, Should've
Midnights · 2022 · Track 19
Sole author
Written byTaylor Swift, Aaron Dessner
Produced byTaylor Swift, Aaron Dessner
Mash-ups & Live Pairings
- Would've, Could've, Should've / ivy — Sydney, Night 5, Would've, Could've, Should've / I Know Places — Edinburgh, Night 1
Motifs & symbols
Ghosts
Structural
Supernatural & Gothic
“Now that I'm grown, I'm scared of ghosts”
Fear of ghosts as a marker of lost innocence — childhood was immune to such hauntings; adulthood is not. The lyric implies that ghosts are real consequences of real choices made when too young to understand them. Growing up means accumulating one's own spectres.
Community comment
Uncle Jerry’s Verdict
94.6
- Lyrical Strength
- 95
- Narrative & Structure
- 93
- Production & Atmosphere
- 91
- Lore & Literary References
- 97
- Emotional Impact
- 97
Total Points473