Seems the only one who doesn't see your beauty
Is the face in the mirror looking back at you
You walk around here thinking you're not pretty
But that's not true
'Cause I know you
[Chorus]
Hold on, baby, you're losing it
The water's high, you're jumping into it and letting go
And no one knows
That you cry, but you don't tell anyone
That you might not be the golden one
And you're tied together with a smile
But you're coming undone, oh
[Verse 2]
I guess it's true that love was all you wanted
'Cause you're giving it away like it's extra change
Hoping it will end up in his pocket (Pocket)
But he leaves you out like a penny in the rain
Oh, 'cause it's not his price to pay
It's not his price to pay
[Chorus]
Hold on, baby, you're losing it
The water's high, you're jumping into it and letting go
And no one knows
That you cry, but you don't tell anyone
That you might not be the golden one
And you're tied together with a smile
But you're coming undone, oh
Oh, oh
Hold on, baby, you're losing it
The water's high, you're jumping into it and letting go
And no one knows
That you cry but you don't tell anyone
That you might not be the golden one
And you're tied together with a smile
But you're coming undone, oh
[Outro]
You're tied together with a smile
But you're coming undone, oh, oh-oh
Goodbye, baby
With a smile, baby, baby
Oh
About
“Tied Together with a Smile” is a song about a friend of Taylor’s with an eating disorder. She talked about it in an interview with Entertainment Weekly:
I wrote [“Tied Together with a Smile”] about one of my friends, who is this beauty queen, pageant princess — a gorgeous, popular girl in high school. Every guy wanted to be with her, every girl wanted to be her. I wrote that song the day I found out she had an eating disorder. There are a couple songs on the album like that, that are just watching other people and making observations. But most of the songs on the album are about actual people that have been in my life. I tend to be kind of blatantly obvious, and with my songs, I’ll even mention names a lot of times.
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder in which sufferers binge eat then get rid of the food by making themselves throw up or other methods of purging. The disorder can disrupt homeostasis and harm the digestive system. Only 6% of sufferers seek help, despite the possible health consequences.
If you or a loved one are suffering an eating disorder, do not hesitate to get help. Visit a website such as nationaleatingdisorders.org and call the hotline phone number listed.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Swift told Entertainment Weekly:
There’s one on the album called ‘Tied Together With a Smile’ that I wrote about one of my friends, who is this beauty queen, pageant princess — a gorgeous, popular girl in high school. Every guy wanted to be with her, every girl wanted to be her. I wrote that song the day I found out she had an eating disorder. There are a couple songs on the album like that, that are just watching other people and making observations.
As documented by a fan, she also said:
[The song] is about a girl I knew my freshman year. She was absolutely Miss Popular, a pageant girl, and she looked perfect every day! Always had the cutest outfits, always looked the best at prom. But sometimes when you get a little closer to people who look that perfect, you realize that they don’t feel perfect. They feel like they’re ugly. And that’s what happened with this girl — I became closer friends with her, and one day she confessed that she was bulimic. It was really hard for me to take, but I never want to make someone feel horrible. I try to reason with them and be calm about it. After a while, I was just like, ‘you don’t need to do that anymore.’ So I played that song for her, and I said, ‘who do you think that’s about?’ And honestly, I don’t think she ever did it after that.
- 5.Cold as You
- 9.Never Mind
- 10.Tied Together with a Smile
- 11.Need You Now
