Taylor Swift's “I Knew It, I Knew You” Lyrics Take You Down Memory Lane

When Sheriff Woody said, “you’ve got a friend in me,” he definitely meant Taylor Swift. On June 5, the singer released “I Knew It, I Knew You,” her new original song for Disney and Pixar’s long-awaited sequel Toy Story 5. Swift unveiled the song after a whole week of teasing, putting Toy Story-esque Easter eggs across billboards, streaming playlists, and even her own album covers.

Inspired by “rootin’ tootin’ cowgirl” Jessie’s journey in the new film, Swift goes back to her country roots on “I Knew It, I Knew You,” which she worked on with her frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff. Over harmonicas and her signature guitar, the singer reflects on an unexpected reunion with a former loved one, questioning herself before the memories come flooding back.

“I remembered I loved you, came back when it mattered,” she sings on the chorus. “I saw you, standing there in the light of the window, wearing that same smile / Man, it’s been a while, but I knew it, I knew you.”

On the release day, Swift shared a throwback video of her young cowgirl self on social media. “Writing this song felt like a musical departure and coming home at the same time,” she wrote. “Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once. And being a @toystory kid from the age of 5 til now... is an adventure I plan to be on, to infinity and beyond.”

She went on to thank Toy Story 5 writer-director Andrew Stanton and “incomparable” composer Randy Newman for his “gorgeous sonic tapestry” of songs and scores for the films. “You created the Toy Story musical world, and we are lucky to get to live in it,” she wrote. “By we, I mean myself and my pal @jackantonoff. We wrote this with so much adoration for these characters that made us laugh and helped us learn lessons and think outside the backyard all throughout our childhoods.”

In her June 1 announcement, Swift said working with the Toy Story team was a childhood fantasy come true, and she was immediately inspired after watching the latest sequel.

“I’ve always dreamed of getting to write for these characters who I’ve adored since I was a 5-year-old kid watching the first Toy Story movie,” she explained. “I fell instantly in love with Toy Story 5 when I was lucky enough to see it in its early stages, and I wrote this song as soon as I got home from the screening. Sometimes you just know, right?”

Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You” Lyrics

Read the lyrics to Swift’s new song below.

I knew you

Through the daze of the blades of the grass in summer

Parachutes for the freefall of being younger

I memorized the sound of your bare footsteps

Running wild, it’s been a long time

Life has ways of leaving those days behind

But seeing you tonight

I remembered I loved you

Came back when it mattered

I saw you, standing there in the light of the window

Wearing that same smile

Man, it’s been a while

But I knew it, I knew you

I knew it, I knew you

I knеw you

All your blues like a mood ring changing colors

You did too, therе were times we could fight like brothers (Oh)

I watched you drive around the bend

For what I thought would be the last time I saw my friend

But love has ways of bringing things back to life

All you said was, “Hi”

And I remembered I loved you

Came back when it mattered

I saw you, standing there in the light of the window

Wearing that same smile

Man, it’s been a while

But I knew it, I knew you (I knew, I knew)

I knew it, I knew you (I knew, I knew)

I knew it, I knew you (I knew, I knew)

Oh, the rivers I cried when we said goodbye

Wondering if I’d made it up in my mind

But now you look me in the eye

And you told me I loved you

Came back when it mattered

I saw you, standing there in the light of the window

Wearing that same smile

Yeah, it's been a while (Ohh)

Wearing that same smile

Man, it’s been a while

Wearing that same smile

Man, it’s been a while

But I knew it, I knew you (Ooh, I knew you)

I knew it, I knew you (Ooh, I knew you)

Wearing that same smile (Ooh, I knew you)

I knew it, I knew you (Ooh, I knew you)

I knew it, I knew you (Ooh, I knew you)

I knew it