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The emotional meaning behind Taylor Swift's 'I Knew It, I Knew You' lyrics explained
5 June 2026, 05:00 | Updated: 5 June 2026, 06:36
What are Taylor Swift's 'I Knew It, I Knew You' lyrics about? Here's what she's said about the Toy Story 5 song.
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It's official. Taylor Swift has written a song for Toy Story 5 but what are her 'I Knew It, I Knew You' lyrics really about?
Following weeks of easter eggs, Taylor Swift finally confirmed on June 1st that she's officially involved in Toy Story 5. Taking to Instagram, she wrote: "My new original song “I Knew It, I Knew You” for Disney and @pixar’s @toystory 5 will be yours on June 5th." Variety later teased that it's a "return to country" co-produced by Jack Antonoff.
With the song now out in the world, here's what Taylor has said about the meaning behind 'I Knew It, I Knew You'.
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I Knew It, I Knew You
What are Taylor Swift's 'I Knew It, I Knew You' lyrics about?
'I Knew It, I Knew You' is a country song in which Taylor sings about reconnecting with someone special who you have lost contact with. The chorus goes: 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.
In the first verse, Taylor reflects on the past: Through the daze of the blades of the grass in summer / Parachutes for the free fall of being younger / I memorised the sound of your bare footsteps / Running wild, it's been a long time / Life has ways of leaving those days behind.
She then goes deeper in the second verse by adding: Therе were times we could fight like brothers / 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".
Who are Taylor Swift's 'I Knew It, I Knew You' lyrics about?
Discussing the song ahead of its release, Taylor posted: "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. I fell instantly in love with Toy Story 5 when I was lucky enough to see it in its early stages. I wrote this song as soon as I got home from the screening."
Then, on June 5th, Taylor took to social media to reveal that 'I Knew It, I Knew You' is about Jessie's story in the film specifically: "Writing this song felt like a musical departure and coming home at the same time. Creating something for Jessie was a new challenge and also felt like second nature all at once."
She added: "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."
Taylor Swift - 'I Knew It, I Knew You' lyrics
VERSE 1
I knew you
Through the daze of the blades of the grass in summer
Parachutes for the free fall of being younger
I memorised 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
CHORUS
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 ya
I knew it, I knew ya
VERSE 2
I knеw you
All your blues like a mood ring changing colors
You did too
Therе were times we could fight like brothers
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"
CHORUS
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)
POST-CHORUS
I knew it, I knew you (I knew, I knew)
I knew it, I knew you (I knew, I knew)
BRIDGE
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
CHORUS
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, oh-oh
Wearing that same smile
Man, it's been a while (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)
POST-CHORUS
I knew it, I knew you
Wearing that same smile (Ooh, I knew you, I knew)
I knew it, I knew ya (Ooh, I knew you, I knew)
I knew it, I knew ya (Ooh, I knew you, I knew)
I knew it
Read more about Taylor Swift here:
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- Taylor Swift reveals her favourite Taylor Swift songs
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