Taylor Swift’s “Holy Ground” Lyrics Meaning

According to the internet, Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers was the first of many celebrities whom Taylor Swift has dated. This occurred during 2008, and officially the union only last for a few months. However all indications, according to Swifties at least, is that it was quite an impactful one. For not only is “Holy Ground” deemed to be based on Swift’s recollections on that relationship, but also are a few other tracks she dropped prior to this one.

Clues “Holy Ground” is about Joe Jonas

Outside of Swift herself noting that this song is in fact based on a real-life relationship she was in, there’s a couple of prominent clues which listeners learned in her personal history point to prove that it is in fact about Joe Jonas. First is Taylor’s reference to “New York time” in the first verse. That has led some to believe that she is talking about a dude she dated from New York, which (up until that time) only included Jonas and Hollywood actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

But the more blatant clue – for those who are really into Taylor Swift research – is considered to be in the liner notes of the album Red, upon which this song is featured. And there, in relation to “Holy Ground”, Swift dedicates this song to someone who ‘came to her show in SD’. Analysts have interpreted “SD” to be an acronym for the city of San Diego. And even though Jonas is not on record as having attended a Swift show in San Diego proper, in 2011 he did show support for his ex by attending two of her performances in other parts of California.

Moreover, there seems to be yet another clue in the second verse, when the singer insinuates that the relationship she is singing about marks the first time she had been in love. For as alluded to earlier, Joe marks the first entry on her relationship timeline.

What Swift is saying about the Relationship

So with the above being established, now we can get to what the songstress is actually saying about the romance itself. And the sentiment being put forth is that whereas it may not have lasted, “it was good” while it did. And such is what the title, in an indirect way, metaphorically stands for – the two of them having had something special. Or stated otherwise, her memories of their union are joyful ones. Moreover she lets it be known that she still thinks about said ex on a regular basis.

And going back to Taylor’s own explanation of the lyrics, she said they center on a sentiment of eventual appreciation for a failed romance. In other words, when her relationship with the addressee ended, logically she may not have been happy about it.  But as time progressed, she came to realize that their time together was a pleasant experience. Perhaps it was Jonas’s continued support of her in the aftermath of the breakup which helped her come to this realization.

But either way this is definitely a deviation from some of Swift’s other broken relationship songs, as well as tracks about exes in general. For unlike others that tend to fall into this category, the singer is actually able to look back with gratitude on a romance that did not develop as idealized.

Facts about “Holly Ground”

This track’s production was helmed by one of the more-renowned producers in the music industry, Jeff Bhasker. And Tay Tay wrote the song herself.

“Holy Ground” is the 11^th entry on the playlist of Taylor Swift’s 4^th studio album, which is entitled Red. Said album was released on 22 October 2012 by the singer’s former label, Big Machine Records.

Concerning Taylor Swift songs that came out prior to this one which are also considered to be about Joe Jonas, they are as follows:

• “Forever and Always” (2008)
• “Better Then Revenge” (2010)
• “Last Kiss” (2010)/