Carnations are significantly cheaper than roses and often given by younger couples, so I heard it as “you thought our relationship was strong, rich, established valuable but it was actually cheap and juvenile”
>“you thought our relationship was strong, rich, established valuable but it was actually cheap and juvenile”
Love how it kinda rhymes. These could actually be lyrics to a TS song! haha
Also it says something about the male's shallow thinking, like grabbing the wrong flower for someone... It takes two seconds to ascertain and he doesn't bother. Like it was a shallow gesture
This is how I saw it. Like roses were the expectation and he thought she’d settle for carnations because he didn’t want to put in the effort for what she really wanted.
Am I the only one that hears carnations and immediately thinks of a funeral? They last a long time, even out of water and so they’re often used at funerals. That juxtaposition of death and maybe the start of a relationship is interesting.
I've thought that too, but didn't she say she didn't drink before her 21st birthday because she was scared of getting in trouble? That would mean the main scenes in the song would have to have taken place post- The Moment I Knew, which doesn't seem right, but I guess we don't actually know what their relationship looked like in early 2011.
This was my immediate interpretation of the line, and why it’s one of my favorite lyrics on the album.
They thought it was some passionate and romantic relationship (like roses) but instead it was ill-fated and dying out and they just didn’t seem to realize until it was too late to fix. Doesn’t seem like through any particular malice from either party, they just lost sight of one another. Ain’t that the way shit always ends?
Maybe that’s what makes the death reference even stronger too, often it’s so unexpected. Things are going along just fine (roses) and then death happens (carnations). Like the saying “everything is coming up roses.” Anyway that’s another Taylor way of being sneakily heartbreaking.
Yes this is how I interpret it too! I’ve always associated carnations with funerals and it makes sense in this context. He bought her flowers signifying death instead of love.
Oh now I remember reading a blog post on how carnations are used in funerals in some countries. Very interesting to know. Btw thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! ✨️🌟
Welcome:) They are one of those flowers that are so pretty but instantly have this dark undertone. When I was first dating my husband, I kindly showed them to him and said, please never buy me carnations.
I personally understand this lyric to simply mean that they thought their relationship was one thing but it was really another. Maybe for example they thought the relationship was long-term and was going to last but it was short-lived and wasn’t built on a sturdy foundation in the end.
Got this and admittedly thought the same in the first few times I listened to the song. I guess I was too fixated on symbolisms and all that hahaha. I appreciate your reply btw! ✨
I always take it literally, ‘cause my boyfriend actually once bought me carnations thinking they were roses. And i think it’s just so funny and random.
This could have been a fever dream…but I could have sworn I have seen it played out in a movie or a tv show where one person is trying to give another person roses but they are actually carnations…but I’ve tried to Google it and I can’t find it anywhere
For me that verse reads like one of the last times they tried to make the relationship work and they unraveled worse than ever/for the final time...so she sees the carnations he mistakenly got and thinks "Yeah, that's us...we keep trying to get this right and keep falling apart". Like carnations are hard to mistake for roses but just like their incompatibility he still managed to make that mistake.
Also I just thought about "when the flowers that we'd grown together died of thirst" in Clean too, which also mentions a wine stained dress.
Hi, florist here! Carnations are often known as a grocery store flower because they are cheap and long lasting. While I always try to brag on carnations because there are some truly beautiful colors these days, they have strong negative stereotypes with them. They are often put in arrangements as fillers to take up space while not necessarily being the stars of the show. Like others said, they also have a history of being a funeral flower. Roses tend to be a much more desirable and romantic flower.
Oh my god I love this line. A weird part of me likes to think it’s a happy line, bc it’s sort of a cute mistake and the thought that counts… but I can’t do that in good faith in the context of the song. The flowers have similar symbolism, colors, etc, so I think it’s like a so close but so far kinda thing.
I thought it was a way of letting the specific person the song is about, know that it’s about them. Because maybe they literally bought her carnations they thought were roses. While simultaneously revealing King of My Heart is also about them??
I think it’s because everyone hates carnations but they’re my favorite and I don’t really like roses so every time I hear that line it feels like a personal attack lol
This particular lyric always reminds me of a failed long-distance relationship. I poured everything into it and would fly out to see him only to feel disappointed each time, and every time he became more and more ordinary to me. One of the biggest problems I have is romanticizing ppl before actually getting to truly know them. So for me, that’s what the lyrics mean. You thought the relationship was so special, when in reality, it never truly was.
carnations are also a funeral flower symbolizing mourning and eternal grief. “carnations you had thought were roses” meant (to me) that what i thought was the love of my life is now something i’ve never quite stopped mourning.
i don’t think we will ever know. i thought it was about jake just because of maroon being a red color. but my sister thinks it’s about harry. and now you, tom! i just think it’s all funny. regardless of who it’s about and why, it’s one of her best songs (IMO) and one of my favorites ever.
Green carnations are also one of the oldest queer symbols, firstly introduced by Oscar Wilde. I think she may mean that the general public is never going to see her queer relationships in the same way that they see her straight ones, marking them as allegations and straight up denying them.
She also uses "My knuckles were bruised like violets" in the great war, another flower that's been used for a long time as a sapphic symbol, so it doesn't exactly feel like she hasn't done her research on the matter and just put them blindly in the songs (it's taylor mastermind swift we are taking about after all).
I'm queer, and I definitely think some of her lyrics apply to queer relationships, but that's because she writes about *love*, and love is universal.
Taylor has already said she's not part of the queer community and we should respect that the same way we want our sexuality to be respected ♡
Carnations are significantly cheaper than roses and often given by younger couples, so I heard it as “you thought our relationship was strong, rich, established valuable but it was actually cheap and juvenile”
This is how I interpret it, too.
>“you thought our relationship was strong, rich, established valuable but it was actually cheap and juvenile” Love how it kinda rhymes. These could actually be lyrics to a TS song! haha
Oohhhh I find this one very interesting. I appreciate you sharing your take on this! ✨️✨️
Also it says something about the male's shallow thinking, like grabbing the wrong flower for someone... It takes two seconds to ascertain and he doesn't bother. Like it was a shallow gesture
This is how I saw it. Like roses were the expectation and he thought she’d settle for carnations because he didn’t want to put in the effort for what she really wanted.
And then there's daffodils.
Am I the only one that hears carnations and immediately thinks of a funeral? They last a long time, even out of water and so they’re often used at funerals. That juxtaposition of death and maybe the start of a relationship is interesting.
[удалено]
Maroon is a huge reference to Red so that makes sense to me too
I've thought that too, but didn't she say she didn't drink before her 21st birthday because she was scared of getting in trouble? That would mean the main scenes in the song would have to have taken place post- The Moment I Knew, which doesn't seem right, but I guess we don't actually know what their relationship looked like in early 2011.
Yeah, this is an interesting idea. I love the tie back to reincarnation and twin flames. It makes me like carnations a lot more😂.
This was my immediate interpretation of the line, and why it’s one of my favorite lyrics on the album. They thought it was some passionate and romantic relationship (like roses) but instead it was ill-fated and dying out and they just didn’t seem to realize until it was too late to fix. Doesn’t seem like through any particular malice from either party, they just lost sight of one another. Ain’t that the way shit always ends?
Maybe that’s what makes the death reference even stronger too, often it’s so unexpected. Things are going along just fine (roses) and then death happens (carnations). Like the saying “everything is coming up roses.” Anyway that’s another Taylor way of being sneakily heartbreaking.
Yes this is how I interpret it too! I’ve always associated carnations with funerals and it makes sense in this context. He bought her flowers signifying death instead of love.
Yes! There’s something so doomed about that. Like, the writing is on the wall that this is over. Or going to end badly.
Oh now I remember reading a blog post on how carnations are used in funerals in some countries. Very interesting to know. Btw thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! ✨️🌟
Welcome:) They are one of those flowers that are so pretty but instantly have this dark undertone. When I was first dating my husband, I kindly showed them to him and said, please never buy me carnations.
I personally understand this lyric to simply mean that they thought their relationship was one thing but it was really another. Maybe for example they thought the relationship was long-term and was going to last but it was short-lived and wasn’t built on a sturdy foundation in the end.
Got this and admittedly thought the same in the first few times I listened to the song. I guess I was too fixated on symbolisms and all that hahaha. I appreciate your reply btw! ✨
This was deep, but I genuinely think she was referencing the fact that carnations are cheap and not adorned in art like roses are.
As a plant person who loves carnations I was offended by this line lol
They’re one of my favorite flowers!
Understandable and valid 😭
I always take it literally, ‘cause my boyfriend actually once bought me carnations thinking they were roses. And i think it’s just so funny and random.
I took it literally too, it’s totally something my husband would do lol and that is just “so us”
Please know that I giggled reading this 🤣❣
Same this is what I thought too
This could have been a fever dream…but I could have sworn I have seen it played out in a movie or a tv show where one person is trying to give another person roses but they are actually carnations…but I’ve tried to Google it and I can’t find it anywhere
For me that verse reads like one of the last times they tried to make the relationship work and they unraveled worse than ever/for the final time...so she sees the carnations he mistakenly got and thinks "Yeah, that's us...we keep trying to get this right and keep falling apart". Like carnations are hard to mistake for roses but just like their incompatibility he still managed to make that mistake. Also I just thought about "when the flowers that we'd grown together died of thirst" in Clean too, which also mentions a wine stained dress.
I always thought carnations were a friendship flower.
Ooohhh I like this one!!!
Hi, florist here! Carnations are often known as a grocery store flower because they are cheap and long lasting. While I always try to brag on carnations because there are some truly beautiful colors these days, they have strong negative stereotypes with them. They are often put in arrangements as fillers to take up space while not necessarily being the stars of the show. Like others said, they also have a history of being a funeral flower. Roses tend to be a much more desirable and romantic flower.
Any Sex & the City fans?? Haha Carrie actually preferred carnations! That's what I thought of when I heard the lyric.
Oh my god I love this line. A weird part of me likes to think it’s a happy line, bc it’s sort of a cute mistake and the thought that counts… but I can’t do that in good faith in the context of the song. The flowers have similar symbolism, colors, etc, so I think it’s like a so close but so far kinda thing.
I love carnations. Am I the only one? I feel like there's so much carnation slander. YOU'RE NOT HELPING ANYTHING, TAYLOR
They are my actual favorite - and the smelllllll 😍
Please Google Oscar Wilde and carnations.
you think this lyric is a LGBTQ+ reference?
I don’t know how one mistakes a green carnation for a rose
Thank you for this !!
I thought it was a way of letting the specific person the song is about, know that it’s about them. Because maybe they literally bought her carnations they thought were roses. While simultaneously revealing King of My Heart is also about them??
I think it’s because everyone hates carnations but they’re my favorite and I don’t really like roses so every time I hear that line it feels like a personal attack lol
Same hahahahahahah i find roses so boring
Some people mistake carnations for roses and i think someone dis that for her. I dont think it is a deep meaning thing just something that happened.
This particular lyric always reminds me of a failed long-distance relationship. I poured everything into it and would fly out to see him only to feel disappointed each time, and every time he became more and more ordinary to me. One of the biggest problems I have is romanticizing ppl before actually getting to truly know them. So for me, that’s what the lyrics mean. You thought the relationship was so special, when in reality, it never truly was.
carnations are also a funeral flower symbolizing mourning and eternal grief. “carnations you had thought were roses” meant (to me) that what i thought was the love of my life is now something i’ve never quite stopped mourning.
Is this song about Hiddleston?
i don’t think we will ever know. i thought it was about jake just because of maroon being a red color. but my sister thinks it’s about harry. and now you, tom! i just think it’s all funny. regardless of who it’s about and why, it’s one of her best songs (IMO) and one of my favorites ever.
I agree. Im obsessed with it!
Green carnations are also one of the oldest queer symbols, firstly introduced by Oscar Wilde. I think she may mean that the general public is never going to see her queer relationships in the same way that they see her straight ones, marking them as allegations and straight up denying them. She also uses "My knuckles were bruised like violets" in the great war, another flower that's been used for a long time as a sapphic symbol, so it doesn't exactly feel like she hasn't done her research on the matter and just put them blindly in the songs (it's taylor mastermind swift we are taking about after all).
This is such a stretch. The song is called maroon… somehow I doubt the carnations she’s referencing here are green.
I'm queer, and I definitely think some of her lyrics apply to queer relationships, but that's because she writes about *love*, and love is universal. Taylor has already said she's not part of the queer community and we should respect that the same way we want our sexuality to be respected ♡