Music
Taylor Swift & Gracie Abrams’ “Us.” Lyrics Explore An Ill-Fated Relationship
The duo’s first collaboration was created during a fire.
People say to never meet your heroes, but it worked out quite well for Gracie Abrams. On the singer-songwriter’s sophomore album The Secret of Us, she collaborates with her idol Taylor Swift on the title track “Us.,” landing a rare feature from the Grammy winner.
Abrams has been open about Swift’s influence on her career and artistry, and has proven herself to be an expert on her music. “Every formative memory in my life is paired with a Taylor Swift song that helped me get through,” she told Vanity Fair in July 2023. “My boyfriend the other day did the thing where we shuffled her discography and played a song for one second... I got them all.”
Their friendship formed after Abrams opened for many shows on Swift’s Eras Tour in the summer of 2023, even joining her on stage at one show when her opening set was canceled due to bad weather. Eventually, their growing bond led to their first collab.
What Is “Us.” About?
“Us.” takes a page from the Swiftian playbook in many ways, with production from Swift’s frequent collaborators Aaron Dessner (who helmed the rest of Abrams’ album) and Jack Antonoff.
Like many Swiftian classics, “Us.” tracks the ending of an ill-fated relationship that only spanned a short amount of time. Abrams wonders what could have been and what her former lover thinks about her now.
Much like Lana Del Rey in “Snow on the Beach” (specifically, the first version), Swift primarily serves background vocals, but does take the lead on one of the pre-choruses, almost as if she’s giving Abrams some advice on how to navigate the fallout. “And if history's clear, the flames always end up in ashes,” she sings. “And what seemed like fate, give it ten months and you'll be past it.”
The (Literal) Story Of “Us.”
In an interview with Billboard, Abrams shared that she and Swift co-wrote “Us.” while hanging out on a drunken night at Swift’s New York apartment. As they previewed their new albums to each other, the two got inspired by instrumentals from Dessner.
“Something caught our ear at the same time very hard and fast, so we ran to the piano and started writing this song,” she said. “I used to fantasize about that kind of a thing as a kid.”
While writing, they heard a noise that Swift brushed off as one of her cats walking around, before realizing that a candle fell over and her kitchen island was aflame. Cue Swift to the rescue. “She was such a legend – I don’t know how at this hour or in our state she knew what to do,” she said. “We both had an insane cough from the fire extinguisher fumes for weeks.”
Gracie Abrams & Taylor Swift’s “Us.” Lyrics
Below, read the full lyrics for Abram’s collaboration with Swift.
[Verse 1: Gracie Abrams]
I know you know, it felt just like a joke
I'm sure you don't know we're talkin'
I know your ghost, I see her through the smoke
She'll play her show, and you'll be watchin'
[Pre-Chorus: Gracie Abrams]
And if history's clear, someone always ends up in ruins
And what seemed like fate becomes “What the hell was I doin'?”
Babylon lovers hangin', lifetimes on a vine (Ooh)
Do you miss mine?
[Chorus: Gracie Abrams & Taylor Swift]
Do you miss us? Us?
I felt it, you held it
Do you miss us? Us?
Wonder if you regret the secret of us, us
Us, us, us, us, us, us
[Verse 2: Gracie Abrams, Gracie Abrams & Taylor Swift]
I know you know, it felt like somethin' old
It felt like somethin' holy, likе souls pleadin'
So it felt like what I'vе known, you're 29 years old
So how can you be cold when I open my home?
[Pre-Chorus: Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams & Taylor Swift]
And if history's clear, the flames always end up in ashes
And what seemed like fate, give it ten months and you'll be past it (You'll be past it)
Babylon lovers hanging, missed calls on the line
I gave you mine
[Chorus: Gracie Abrams & Taylor Swift]
Do you mind us? Us?
I felt it, you held it
Do you miss us? Us?
Wonder if you regret the secret of us, us
Us, us, us, us, us, us
[Bridge: Gracie Abrams & Taylor Swift]
That night you were talkin', false prophets and profits
They makin' the margins of poetry sonnets
(Oh)You never read up on it, shame, could've learned something
Robert Bly on my nightstand, gifts from you, how ironic
The curse of a miracle, curse of an oracle, you're incomparable, f*ck you
What's happened to you? (You?), Us, us, me, me, was
[Chorus: Gracie Abrams, Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams & Taylor Swift]
Us, us, us, I felt it, you held it (Ooh-ooh)
Do you miss us? Us?
Wonder if you regret the secret of us, us (Ooh-ooh)
Mistaken for strangers, no way in us, us (Ooh-ooh)
The pain of, the rain of, the fain of us, us (Ooh-ooh)
The outline, well, sometimes
Do you miss us? Us? (Us, us, us)
The best kind, well, sometimes
Do you miss us?
