What are the lyrics to Taylor Swift's Babylon? Grammy winner releases new song from Encore version of The Life of a Showgirl

Taylor Swift released Babylon as one of four new songs on The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore on September 25, 2026. The track revisits imagery Taylor Swift first used in Cowboy Like Me from her 2020 album Evermore, framing a doomed romance through the myth of the ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon, according to Bustle and Marie Claire.

The song follows a person who leaves a small hometown chasing wealth and status, only to realize too late what they left behind. Taylor Swift has referenced Babylon's gardens before, including in a 2024 collaboration with Gracie Abrams called "us.," Marie Claire reported.

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taylor swift is adding four more songs to ‘the life of a showgirl’✨​the deluxe edition, ‘the life of a showgirl: the encore,’ will feature:​▪️ “patient zero”▪️ “cleveland!”▪️ “pink clouding”▪️ “babylon”​drops this friday.

The full lyrics to Taylor Swift's Babylon as provided by Genius are as follows:

(Verse 1)

The casino doesn't like

When you run the tables

And though the box is wrapped up nice, it's just a cage to you

Those electric fences buzz

The stallion flees the stable

And that small town's even smaller now, in your rear view

You ran with all the wild things

A liberated libertine, who then longed for home

(Pre-Chorus)

'Cause it's where you're from

Aunt Virginia with a church dress on

No elbows on the table

And the neighbor's lawn always looked better

Your hand-me-down sweater should've been from the mall

(Chorus)

And you hate this song

But you wake up on the train with your headphones gone

Then that melody is all you want

You never knew that it was Babylon

'Til it was gone

(Verse 2)

Give the people what they want, then you keep it movin'

Make your plans and friends, a stranger's makeup on your tie

Twenty watches in the safe, 'cause your time is money

Love is ice upon the ladder that you need to climb

She captured your attention, so free of all pretension

It stopped you cold

(Pre-Chorus)

Because she loved you so

Pretty as a picture that you didn't post

Lookin' at you like you're made of solid gold

Never official

You mention you're single to the girls at the bar

(Chorus)

And you hate this song

But you wake up on the train with your headphones gone

Then that melody is all you want

You never knew that it was Babylon

'Til it was gone

(Bridge)

You're using nostalgia as a weapon to hurt yourself

But darling, you end up hurting everybody else

The self-harm of never being where you are

It's bedtime, but you're sitting in your car

You're missin' all the best parts

(Pre-Chorus)

And they're all at home

She's hangin' Christmas lights with your son

Sneak into the bathroom to call her mom

And say, "It's not workin', it's just not worth it, if we're not what he wants"

(Chorus)

But you love this song

But you wake up on the train with your headphones gone

Then that melody is all you want

You never knew that it was Babylon

And now, it's almost gone

(Pre-Chorus)

Aunt Virginia with a church dress on

No elbows on the table (It's almost gone)

And the neighbor's lawn always looked better

Your hand-me-down sweater should've been from the mall

(Chorus)

But you love this song

You wake up on the train, and you're all alone

Then that memory is all you want

You never knew that it was Babylon

'Til it was gone

More about the meaning behind Taylor Swift's Babylon

Bustle suggested Babylon could be a sequel to Cowboy Like Me from Taylor Swift's 2020 track, Evermore. According to Bustle, Babylon imagines the same couple years later after their relationship ultimately fell apart.

Taylor Swift referenced the Gardens of Babylon on that 2020 track as a metaphor for an elusive romance, Bustle noted. She returned to the imagery again in 2024 on Gracie Abrams' song us, which Swift co-wrote and appeared on, according to Marie Claire. That track similarly used Babylon to describe lovers whose relationship was destined to end poorly.

More about the Encore release

Taylor Swift surprised fans by releasing The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore on September 25, 2026, adding four songs to her October 2025 album, E! News reported. The new tracks are Patient Zero, Pink Clouding, Babylon, and Cleveland.

Taylor Swift said the songs came together during a celebratory trip to Sweden with producers Max Martin and Shellback after her original album broke first-week sales records, according to a September 23, 2026, Instagram post cited by E! News. She described the new material as born out of gratitude rather than any single narrative arc.

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Babylon closes The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore as its sixteenth and final track, E! News reported. Bustle described the track as a folk-leaning ballad. Taylor Swift has used similar folk instrumentation before, but Bustle noted Babylon carries a sound closer to her 2020 albums than to the rest of Showgirl.

E! News also reported that Swift's Patient Zero music video, featuring actors Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, is set to premiere at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 27, 2026. Taylor Swift has not announced a music video for Babylon.

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