☝️ Key Points
- The song is about an unhappy relationship where the person is only tolerated.
- The person puts in great effort to gain the attention and love of their partner, but is only tolerated.
- They accept their partner's mistakes and slip-ups and take them with humor.
- They feel trapped and long for meaning and appreciation.
- The song ends with the desire for liberation and the pursuit of their own happiness.
Interpretation
"Tolerate it" by
Taylor Swift is a song about someone who is in an unhappy relationship and is only tolerated by their partner. The lyrics express the feeling that the person does everything to gain the attention and love of their partner, but instead only receives tolerance.
The song begins with the person watching their partner read and breathe. They notice everything they do or don't do and feel like a child eagerly waiting to be noticed by their partner. They put in great effort to maintain the relationship, using their best colors to paint a portrait and setting the table with the finest china. But instead of receiving love and appreciation, they are only tolerated.
The person even accepts their partner's mistakes and missteps and takes them with humor. They listen and fulfill their tasks to please. But despite it all, they are only tolerated.
In the later part of the song, the person's frustration becomes more evident. They wonder where their partner was when they were building other worlds. They have made them a priority in their life, but now yearn for significance. They feel confined and take up a lot of space, but doubt that their partner even notices how they feel.
The song ends with a touch of rebellion, as the person contemplates breaking free from the relationship and finding their own happiness. They recognize that they are strong enough to free themselves from the burden of the relationship and that they deserve to be loved and celebrated instead of just tolerated.
Overall, "Tolerate it" is about the frustration and pain of being in a relationship where one feels insignificant and unloved. The lyrics express the desire for appreciation and love and encourage standing up for one's own happiness.