Taylor Swift’s ‘Honey’ Lyrics Reveal How Travis Kelce Redefined Pet Names for Her

THE RUNDOWN

• On Taylor Swift’s song “Honey,” she reclaims the pet name that was once used against her.
• The track alludes to her fiancé, Travis Kelce, as she highlights the sincerity of a partner who lovingly calls her “honey.”
• It’s one of multiple tributes to Kelce that are featured on Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl.

On her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift pulls back the curtain on her relationship with fiancé Travis Kelce. Some songs are more risqué than others (looking at you, “Wood”), but they all trace intimacy in different forms. Case in point: On her track “Honey,” she finds solace in the pet name, which once felt like a conduit for condescension.

In her Official Release Party of a Showgirl film, Swift said the track made her and her team say “this is a whole new album” because it’s so different.

“Turns out it’s awesome [when someone calls you honey] sincerely,” she added, as it repurposes “cynical and cold and mean” words and turns them into sweet ones.

That sentiment comes out throughout the song, as Swift contrasts the way words like “honey” and “sweetheart” were previously used against her with how they’re redefined in a loving relationship. The chorus lays it out bluntly: “When anyone called me ‘sweetheart’ / It was passive-aggressive at the bar / And the bitch was tellin’ me to back off / ’Cause her man had looked at me wrong.” She recalls how casual nicknames once carried mockery, like being told in a bathroom that her “skirt don’t fit.”

But the song turns on a moment of tenderness. In the post-chorus, Swift sings: “But you touched my face / Redefined all of those blues / When you say ‘Honey.’” Here, the word is disarmed and transforms into an actual term of endearment. Swift emphasizes the sincerity behind it, saying, “You give it different meaning, ’cause you mean it when you talk.”

The verses lean into playful devotion as she imagines, “Honey, I’m home, we could play house / We can bed down, pick me up / Who’s the baddest in the land? What’s the plan?” And she’s in it for the long haul, declaring, “You could be my forever night stand.”

In the bridge, Swift calls out how other nicknames have been cheapened by dishonesty: “When anyone called me late night / He was screwin’ around with my mind,” adding, “And when anyone called me ‘lovely’ / They were findin’ ways not to praise me.” Once again, she distinguishes between her negative experiences in the past with her current romance, singing, “But you say it like you’re in awe of me / And you stay until the morning.”

With “Honey,” Swift delivers a song about the interplay between love and language. A word that once stung now soothes as a sweet sound to her ears. Read the full lyrics to “Honey” and listen to the song below:

RefrainYou can call me “honey” if you want, because I’m the one you want

Mm-mm

ChorusWhen anyone called me “sweetheart”It was passive-aggressive at the barAnd the bitch was tellin’ me to back off’Cause her man had looked at me wrongIf anyone called me “honey”It was standin’ in the bathroom, white teethThey were sayin’ that skirt don’t fit me

And I cried the whole way home

Post-ChorusBut you touched my faceRedefined all of those blues

When you say “Honey”

Verse 1Summertime spritz, pink skiesYou can call me “honey” if you want, because I’m the one you wantWintergreen kiss, all mineGave it a different meaning ’cause you mean it when you talkHoney, I’m home, we could play houseWe can bed down, pick me upWho’s the baddest in the land? What’s the plan? (What’s the plan?)You could be my forever night stand

Honey

ChorusWhen anyone called me “sweetheart”It was passive-aggressive at the barAnd the bitch was tellin’ me to back off’Cause her man had looked at me wrongIf anyone called me “honey”It was standin’ in the bathroom, white teethThey were sayin’ that skirt don’t fit me

And I cried the whole way home

Post-ChorusBut you touched my faceRedefined all of those blues

When you say

Verse 2You can call me “honey” if you want, because I’m the one you wantI’m the one you wantYou give it different meaning, ’cause you mean it when you talkSweetie, it’s yours, kicking in doorsTake it to the floor, give me moreBuy the paint in the color of your eyes (Of your eyes)And graffiti my whole damn life

Honey

Bridge

When anyone called me late nightHe was screwin’ around with my mindAskin’, “What are you wearin’?”Too high to remember in the morningAnd when anyone called me “lovely”They were findin’ ways not to praise meBut you say it like you’re in awe of meAnd you stay until the morning

Honey

ChorusWhen anyone called me “sweetheart”It was passive-aggressive at the barAnd the bitch was tellin’ me to back off (Back off)’Cause her man had looked at me wrong (He looked at me wrong)If anyone called me “honey” (Ooh)It was standin’ in the bathroom (Yeah), white teethThey were sayin’ that skirt don’t fit me

And I cried the whole way home (Cried the whole way home)

OutroBut you can call me “honey” if you want