She sees the dude as her home. Or she could be wanting to go back to a time where she did not meet the dude.

She wants to be back to a place where she belongs.

Despite all of the things he did she still wants to date this dude.

She repeats this line again, emphasizing the fact that this dude is not a good person.

She's lying with this line, seeing as how she claimed to be a girl with good faith earlier.

If he can't stop thinking about her then why did he cheat? A hypocrite he is.

Whenever a person uses "but" in a sentence they are usually going to contradict the former statement.

She knows the rumors surrounding this dude and she knows that he's slept around. It might be why she should have told the dude to leave.

Night time symbolizes fear of the unknown and danger, so she s about to make a very big mistake.

He can't focus on their relationship while she is trying to settle down.

Another contrast, she says has "good girl faith" but wears a "tight little skirt" which shows that she is not really true to her faith.

Contrast between the slick black hair and white t shirt. He's a snake disguised as an angel.

This represents how the girl feels about their relationship, in that it will never end or "go out of style" Which is not true since clothes fall in and out of style all the time.

They've been through bad scenarios but were able to make it out alive. They commit bad deeds together is what I'm getting.

Red in literature means danger so the dude likes girls who are dangerous or rebellious like him.

James Dean is an actor who has acted as troubled student/. So this could mean that he was planning something bad.

She's watching herself repeat the same cycle of meeting a bad dude, not rejecting the dude, falling in love, and leaving broken hearted.

Shows that she has had past relationship experience before and has been in this type of relationship before. It does not seem like she has learned from the past.

She knows that the dude is a bad influence on her but she doesn't want him to go away. Like she's bringing her own downfall.

The dude could be ignoring the girl on purpose.

This meeting is one of their first meetings after a while. Maybe they had to separate due to external forces.

She is remembering this relationship, it seems that it often comes to her mind. Like a past regret.

The relationship she is in could end up burning her for life or it could be her own fairy tale like romance.

Their relationship is secret since he is picking up her up discreetly. In night there is danger and fear of the unknown so the dude probably is not a very good dude.

A person will never truly know themselves until they lose that version of their self. A person will not know what they have lost until they have lost it.

She realizes the dude never loved anyone, he just played with whatever interested him at that time.

The realization she dreads sneaks up on her, that he never loved her.

Her own feelings and his actions have fooled her into believing the relationship was a sincere one.

The version of the dude she thought she met was never his true self but rather one made in her mind.

She realizes that the dude had no lingering feelings for her and that she was in fact the only one who took it seriously.

She was just a girl he had fun with.

She hears the rumors that the dude has since moved on to a new relationship.

The relationship she is in brings her harm, to the point in which she can't really break out of it yet.

The dude knows he is a problem but gaslights the girl into forgiveness making her believe she is the problem.

Whenever she's in a difficult or emotional state the dude leaves her to his own devices. He does not believe he is at fault for the things he has done.

Represents the frustrations she had with her past self due to the obvious signs she choose to ignore.

This relationship left her at the worst point in her life, while the dude was able to leave quite in tact in his life.

That is until he got bored of her, and he left her for something new or more fun.

This dude helped her to experience the many joys of a relationship.

Which led to the situation she is in now, a state of regret due to bad choices.

She knew straight up that the dude was not good but she ignored that fact.

She blames herself for messing up the relationship she could have had. Self blame due to low self esteem.

When she remembers the dude she imagines him next to her but in reality he is already gone and had moved on.

He's distancing himself from her, perhaps due to social stigma.

When she started investing in their relationship the dude started to lose interest a lot.

The dude didn't have a thing for her really, which the girl found attractive for some reason. Maybe due to personal issues. She might believe that she can reform the dude in some way?

The wording makes it seem like the dude is her savior because he "founde" her.

This dude found her when she was vulnerable. With no one looking after her.

Sets the song in the past. The relationship was a blunder in her life but not a major one.

She does not regret the boyfriend but rather the fact that she lost sight of her true self due to the relationship. Like how people change to fit their partner's view of them.

The dude wasn't even the most important thing in the relationship but rather it was what she experienced from the relationship.

This relationship made her lose her sense of self. She lost sight of what she was or who she was.

The man knew that she would be his downfall or she would lead him into a path of troubles.

Lack of self confidence. She questions how she can get a man who looks like an angel towards her.

She feels the divide in their status or lifestyles. Her life is more calmed down while his is more lively and fast paced. A love that is incapable of coming to fruition.

She doesn't know if she should even fall in love again due to the relationship she was in.

The relationship that they had which was based on uncertainty has led to the girl being untrusting in love.

She had doubts of the relationship since the beginning, however she ignored those warning signs as evidenced by the title.

She's shifting the blame not to the man but to something else.

She had this sort of gut feeling that this man would not be good to her but she didn't listen to the feeling.

The good and bad of the relationship are all within Swift's mind, the man does not. Perhaps she was the only one who was serious in the relationship and the dude was just playing around.

It's a mix of different memories which she sees. The memories might start getting mixed up which could show how her mind was slow in seeing the problems in the relationship.

The memories of the good and bad in the relationship come to her like a flash. It seems as if she is sort of regretful in the ending of the relationship.

She is reflecting on the relationship in the past. The "I think" also reflects insecurity, she is not sure in what she is thinking. She is not even sure if it will end.

She stopped her whole life for this dude. Or she's spent lots of time in love with the city just admiring it.

She stopped to grab the dude flowers, for love.

Gloomy sunrise, or sad sunrise.

She is taking things slow in life.

SHe doesn't want her lover to be sad about the past.

She does have romance but it is not the main focus of this poem.

A rough area in San Francisco. She can walk through these rough areas because it is another thing that brings her joy.

One of the small things that she enjoys in SF.

References the small things in life which bring joy. They are short but do bring happiness.

Wherewithal= money ability to buy things. IT talks about how in this new place immigrants could have developed talents, courage, and be able to get money.

How they could have had a new life in a new world or place.

It could represent how some people feel out of place in a new place.

How people who come to the U.S. or people who visit other places need to be vaccinated.

The road to freedom or stability is one that a person can not predict.

It is complicated process to move through. It is hard to go to and from places for immigrants.

The Golden Mountains are a mountain range that is connected to Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. In this case the Golden Mountains might symbolize what immigrants thought of as a heaven.

All areas where there are many Asians and Asian immigrants. The author was born in HK so perhaps she might miss being there. Or she longs to see her homeland.

The Yangtze and the Pearl are rivers in China from which Chinese civilization originated from. She is most likely asking Asian Americans immigrants where they truly come from.

Where did your culture come from, where is your true self, etc.

Refers to the past emperors of China. So where is their (immigrants) homeland?

Could reference how Japanese Americans were locked up during WWII in the U.S. due to them being Japanese.

How people change and wear different masks over time/how they act differently over time.

Acting gentle or non violently can't help a person survive or protect them from injustice.

Could represent how the poor people in the cities also contain the life of the city. Also how they are sort of hidden behind the success of others.

The Gingko is a plant that can live in garbage and pollution, in literature it symbolizes longevity.

Night in literature does not typically represent comfort rather it symbolizes mystery and fear of the unknown. The people residing in the U.S. are letting their guard down forgetting things that have happened.

She's telling people to not lose sight of their culture in favor of something new.

So the people pay their taxes for things like roads, public restrooms, and just infrastructure in general.

Alliteration with arrange and amenities. Represents how immigrants settled down with new things that they might not have ad previously.

Simile comparing the aged Asian community in the cities, to old ladies. Like how they were the ones to start up the community and now they just watch over it.

Could represent how immigrants settled in to the U.S.

Could represent how when people, in this case Asians, don't give up their culture while living in America. They still remember their culture and where they came from in different ways.

Bamboo originated from Asia, maybe the people building the apartment used bamboo to remind the residents of home?

A love poem based in the city. Cities are generally busy and move quickly. Maybe it represents a small and quick relationship?

It is better for the both of them to imagine their relationship and all of its good times. Just so their is proof of their relationship.

Even if they visit in a dream, it is better then nothing.

Another condition in their relationship, the only thing she wants the dude to do is remember her and all the good things they shared.

These memories they made will follow both the dude and girl their whole lives reminding them of the bittersweet relationship they had.

She's cursing him to remember all these times he spent with her.

She still has the idea of a breakup in her mind. Like she has been hurt by past relationships which are similar to her new one.

Could represent how she is burning away all memories she had with him. Like she's forsaking him for ending their relationship.

Represents the passionate nights they had together that might fade away from his memory.

She's saying that he should've had known this relationship was going to fail.

This is her last wish from the dude so it represents them breaking up under one condition.

Foreshadows their deaths? When someone says "last" it seems as if the person is going to die so they are saying their final wishes.

She's had experience before with relationships but she believes this one can last because it is getting good now.

They are in the middle of their relationship, the beginning of the song might represent the end or start of their relationship by it happening with running away.

Well, they've done that. So there is no going back now for those two, whatever happens they have to stick together.

She wants to keep their relationship secret, maybe she is doing something bad, like cheating with him. Or she's trying to hide the relationship due to family issues.

Even if it is just in his imagination she still wants to remembered by the dude. She seems really attached to the dude for some reason.

No matter how impossible their relationship is she wants him to still hold on, despite the circumstances that try to keep them apart.

She wants the man's reassurance that he will remember her. Honestly this really sounds like a song before her passing. Or a suicide note.

She wants him to remember the better or living version of herself and not the version in which she is dead.

Could be that the girl is close to dying and she wants her boyfriend to remember her after her death.

She wants to be remembered by the dude, which could be her way of living beyond death. A person truly dies when there are no things left from which to remember them by.

Deal with a devil? It seems like she is giving up something to exchange for something else.

Paradox? Maybe she means that she can see how this relationship will lead to her and her boyfriend's demise.

The dude/boyfriend could represent the desires that people succumb to. She knows it's bad for her but does it anyway because it feels good.

The family might know this dude is a bad person but the girl doesn't know and doesn't believe him so she runs away. Since she compares his handsomeness to hell, which is a bad place.

The girl knows that this relationship is not going to last but she wants to make it last by having it be her last relationship, maybe the end of it will lead to her death.

She knows that she she is doing is bad or illegal but she might as well do it since there is no way to be redeemed.

The dude wants leave the city but why? Maybe someone is jealous of his relationship or his family members don't approve which could be a warning sign.

Shows that this song is based on a person's dream that they want to happen.

This couple is escaping from something or someone in the town, maybe teens running away?

Symbolizes the end of the author's grief over his friend's death.

A person looking back at the past or a person seeing the results of their actions.

A direct reference to Turner's love for basketball. It held a very important place in his heart, and it also helped to develop the friendship between him and the author.

How a person crashes after a devastating event, like the dead of a loved one.

This could represent how even if a person has planned out everything in life there will always be something to tear them down.

Could represent how things don't always go as planned even if you follow the script.

He is again preparing for the shot he is going to make. All the preparation was done for this moment.

Represents how the person had to make the decision with care by their self.

The speaker is grabbing hold of their choice.

The choice he is making comes out quickly and happens instantly which contrasts with how long it took to make the decision/shot.

The obstacle chooses the wrong side of the person to attack.

Another obstacle pops up but it is not the obstacle within the speaker but rather outside forces.

The person has steeled both sides of their self to make this important decision.

These two are the same person with one doing the action and the other being the thinker behind the process.

The obstacle turns out to be a helpful person to the speaker. They have some sort of bond that is close, which affects the others decision.

The speaker's choices affect others' decisions in their lives.

Reference how both the speaker and obstacle are determined in their choices and are going ahead with it.

The speaker and obstacle are fighting against each other, trying to stop the other from succeeding.

The coach's drawings represent the different choices the speaker has to choose.

This person's choice they choose to follow through with is happening so slowly that they can see it in action.

In the grand scheme of things, players just people who are being watched for entertainment.

These obstacles in the speaker's life is trying to get ahold of him and take him down but he shows no signs of stopping. A sign of determination.

The obstacle thinks that what they have from the past will be able to affect the player/speaker but it doesn't.

The obstacle, maybe a person is shocked that the speaker is not stopping or hesitating because of them.

The person is avoiding the obstacles in their life.

Could represent how some people's lives are based on passing from person to person.

The basket is preparing for the ball to enter. It could represent the player preparing the things around him in the decision.

He is preparing to make this huge decision in his life.

This one move he makes will change his life for better or for worse.

The literal meaning is that he is grabbing the ball. A hidden meaning could be that he is gathering himself up to do something big in life.

The shooter gets over his obstacles and is ready to make his shot. Could be a person getting over obstacles in life ready to start a new.

The person is actually thinking and planning out the move he is planning to do, which is something that he rarely does as implied by the "for once".

The thing is on the edge but it does not fall, or move. Maybe a person who doesn't give up even though the end is inevitable?

Hook shot= move in basketball where hand over reaches the basket. Something is on the edge.

She shifts the responsibility to the man. Saying that he knew she was a trap but he willingly entered the trap anyway so he has only himself to blame.

Swift considers love a game in which men can only enjoy if it's pain. In her eyes love without pain will not keep a man entertained enough and it will only end up hurting the one who loves.

She pushes the responsibility to the man to end the relationship. Thereby showing that she doesn't care enough to end it, but he can.

She is a trap, wearing a sweet shell on the outside with horrors hidden within. She's a bunch of crazy acting innocent.

She manipulated the man in a way where he will always come back to Swift, perhaps because he likes the game of pain. Or maybe Swift threatened to kill the new girl.

She gets quite angry when someone else has his attention, she is controlling for sure.

The man's response to Swift in the crazed form, he was previously used to the more docile Swift which she faked to get closer to him.

A reference to how she flipped her switch, and became a different person making him question his love choices.

Reference to how love is filled with pain and beauty. If you pluck a rose you have to be careful of thorns, similarly in love you have to be careful with who you choose or you'll be hurt deeply.

She is switching the dynamic between the two, with her being the aggressor and him just taking it. Could be because he's so surprised to see such a shift in personality.

She is the perfect storm and is unleashing her fury.

She plans on doing even worse to the man, which might signify the revenge hurting her in the process.

At this point she is pretending to be naïve and submissive while in reality she is just planning revenge.

She starts a plan of revenge after getting cheated on, where she'll play the man's ideal girl with the intention to catch him off guard.

In chess the Queen is the strongest piece while the King is one of the weaker pieces since losing it means game over. It could be that she is willing to sacrifice herself to protect the relationship.

Could be a reference to how the man has cheated with some other girl and how he lies to Swift by saying she stole his kisses.

Represents the calm before the storm? The red lipstick could foreshadow her breakdown outside.

She is willing to play this game of love with the rich boy with the potential to gain an actual lover or just another fling. She still doesn't take the relationships seriously.

Swift has a list of potential relationships or love games that she is ready to look over.

It can also hurt someone so badly to the point that it will leave a scar which will remind them of when they loved.

Love can leave a person breathless in awe.

Young people don't know that every relationship is not serious. They'll be hurt and disappointed because they expected the relationship to last long and to be forever.

This could be a reference to how young teens often make mistakes in love such as changing oneself to fit their lovers standards.

Another reference to "Men love love that is pain". She's saying that men love the game of painful love. So, regular love doesn't work with men but instead crazy painful love will is what she is saying.

She did love the or felt some emotion to the people she was dating.

A reference to the media who paints Swift as this lady who can't keep a relationship.

This quote again proves that she has had past experiences in this love game. This could also be a direct reference to the fact that Swift is known for having many boyfriends in the past. People mock her for that and claim that all her songs are based on individual breakups with them.

She is saying if it was worth it to be in love even though it hurts and is painful. Maybe a hidden message that love is not really worth it because it only ends up hurting you and the other party.

She gives the authority to the man on ending the relationship, so if the relationship doesn't end then it's his own problem that he chose to keep. Maybe she is shifting the blame.

The other possibility of the relationship is it ending in a dumpster fire. Both people will be ruined from the relationship, or Swift will appear to be ruined from the relationship.

The relationship might be a successful one, that will last through marriage. It's a possibility she thinks will happen even though she is just toying with the man.

She has the talent or skills to change someone into a completely different version of themselves, but only for a short amount of time. Could be a reference to how people change their self for love.

She is keeping the man bound because a person can not really travel out of the country without a passport.

She has been through this type of love game before, and the differing outcomes of those games always entertain her.

Could be a battle of wills between the new rich guy and the well known lady.

She is notorious for catching and playing with men and then abandoning them. Another role reversal because it is more common to hear men doing this then women.

This shows directly that Swift knows the jokes about her having many boyfriends, the song could be a sort of rebuttal to the people who coitize her for having many relationships but not criticizing men who do the same thing.

Swift can play men easily, which is a reversal of traditional male and female roles. Typically a man is considered the player and can read/get women easily but this time Swift, a women, can read men, get them, and play with them like it's a game.