Taylor Swift’s “Cleveland!” Lyrics Are A Cheeky Ode To Travis Kelce

Before Taylor Swift officially announced her deluxe album (surprise!) The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, subdued promotional materials made fans wonder if she’d be taking a trip back to, say, The Tortured Poets Department. And indeed, some of The Encore’s songs do concern the torturous work of navigating a breakup. But in the “Cleveland!” lyrics, fans find a sweet and totally Showgirl-y ode to the musician’s husband, Travis Kelce.

The track (which arrived with three other new songs on Sept. 25) begins with Swift appearing to acknowledge critical comments in third person, from not being a “girl’s girl” to “stumbling clumsily” when she tries to dance.

Instead of firing back at the haters, Swift takes a different tack — playfully agreeing with them and saying: “I can see what you mean.”

What’s all this have to do with Kelce? Well, the hook of “Cleveland!” is that the football player clearly isn’t swayed by any negative buzz. As Swift sings, “My baby likes what he likes. He already took me to Cleveland and showed me The Heights.” Kelce was, indeed, born in the Cleveland area, and his New Heights podcast is a nod to the city of Cleveland Heights.

“Cleveland!” joins several newer songs in Swift’s catalog that combine her and Kelce’s love story with a kiss-off to critics. In “Wi$h Li$t,” she envisions a dream life of kids, a basketball hoop in her driveway, and a fantasy: “We tell the world to leave us the f*ck alone and they do.”

And in “Honey” (also from the original Showgirl album), Swift recalls the sting of being called “honey” by passive-aggressive strangers. But she tells her beau: “You give it different meaning.”

Of course, “Cleveland!” is Swift’s most overtly Kelce-coded song by far. Its specificity makes sense, as the song comes nearly three months after the pair said “I do” at their star-studded Madison Square Garden wedding. “Now I’m wearing white, so hate all you like, this is the love of my life,” she sings in the track’s final chorus — a gleeful wink at her bridal era.

Taylor Swift’s “Cleveland!” Lyrics

Read the full lyrics to Swift’s new song below.

She’s not as hot as she was

But she was only a four

She was never a girl’s girl, she was just a —

And with all of that money, why’s she dressed like trash?

When she smiles, it’s annoying and have you seen her

Stumbling clumsily

Would you even call that dancing?

I can see what you mean

And now I guess there’s

Something we all can agree on

But my baby likes what he likes

He already took me to Cleveland

And showed me The Heights

So hate all you like

This is the love of my life

Hey! Hey! Hey!

The taste of me is acquired, but it’s his favorite dish

He says I look like an angel, they say, “I hate that —”

There, that house with the porch is where he lived as a kid

He’s been saying “forever,” must not have read that —

Scathing take ‘bout how I’m fake

And he could find someone younger

I can see what they mean

And now I guess there’s

Something we all can agree on

But my baby likes what he likes

He already took me to Cleveland

And he showed me The Heights

So hate all you like

This is the love of my life

Hey! Hey! Hey!

He likes what he likes, what he likes and he likes me

He likes what he likes, what he likes and he likes me

You only need to find one person in this entire world

Who doesn’t find you completely insufferable

And I have an important announcement to make:

I found mine

Well, I found mine

Hey! Hey! Hey!

Yeah, I found mine

Something we all can agree on (I guess we agree)

But my baby likes what he likes

He already took me to Cleveland (to Cleveland)

Now I’m wearing white

So hate all you like

This is the love of my life

Hey! Hey! Hey!