These Taylor Swift Lyrics Perfectly Represent Anakin Skywalker’s Arc as Darth Vader
One might not think about Taylor Swift and Darth Vader having any similarities. However, it turns out it’s possible to apply Swift’s songs to any situation if you try hard enough. Without further ado, here is Anakin Skywalker’s arc as Darth Vader, told through Swift’s lyrics.
‘I was enchanted to meet you/ Please don’t be in love with someone else/ Please don’t have somebody waiting on you’
This one is kind of obvious. When Anakin (Jake Lloyd) meets Queen Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, he is immediately smitten.
Song: “Enchanted”
‘And they’ll tell you now, you’re the lucky one/ Yeah, they’ll tell you now, you’re the lucky one/ But can you tell me now you’re the lucky one?’
Anakin’s entire arc revolves around him being the “Chosen One.” While this allows him to leave Tatooine to be trained as a Jedi, Anakin is forced to leave his mother (Pernilla August) behind.
The Phantom Menace sets off a chain of events one could argue leads to Anakin’s fall to the dark side, most notably the death of Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson).
Song: “The Lucky One”
‘And the coastal town/ We wandered ’round had never/ Seen a love as pure as it’
In Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Anakin (Hayden Christensen) is assigned to protect Padmé on Naboo. Despite the Jedi Code forbidding attachments, Anakin and Padmé fall in love during this time away together.
Song: “Gold Rush”
‘I should’ve asked you questions/ I should’ve asked you how to be/ Asked you to write it down for me’
In Attack of the Clones, Anakin’s mother Shmi is killed by Tusken Raiders. After his mother dies in his arms, Anakin briefly gives into the dark side and kills the entire village of Tusken Raiders, marking a major turning point in his relationship with the Force.
Song: “marjorie“
‘Baby, I know places we won’t be found and/ They’ll be chasing their tails trying to track us down/ ‘Cause I, I know places we can hide’
By the end of Attack of the Clones, Anakin and Padmé have given up trying to resist their feelings for one another, and they marry in secret.
Song: “I Know Places”
‘Long live all the mountains we moved/ I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you’
At the start of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) are fighting side-by-side. Dream team. Brothers for life. Nothing could break this eternal friendship apart.
Song: “Long Live”
‘Don’t blame me, love made me crazy/ If it doesn’t, you ain’t doin’ it right’
Thanks to years of manipulation by Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), a growing distrust and resentment of the Jedi, and a fear of Padmé dying in childbirth, Anakin falls to the dark side and officially takes on the title of Darth Vader.
Song: “Don’t Blame Me”
‘What did you think I’d say to that?/ Does a scorpion sting when fighting back?/ They strike to kill and you know I will’
Anakin obviously is very rational at this point, and he takes it personally that Padmé and Obi-Wan do not like this new side of him. What happens next is the best lightsaber duel in Star Wars, followed by one of the saddest moments in Star Wars.
Song: “mad woman”
‘This ain’t for the best/ My reputation’s never been worse, so’
At the end of Revenge of the Sith, Padmé is dead, the Jedi are dismantled, and Darth Vader has no idea his twin children even exist. He has nothing left besides the dark side.
Song: “Delicate”
‘Did you think we’d be fine?/ Still got scars on my back from your knife/ So don’t think it’s in the past/ These kind of wounds they last and they last’
Shockingly, Darth Vader still holds a grudge against Obi-Wan about what happened on Mustafar. When they finally meet again 10 years later in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, Darth Vader tries to exact his revenge on Obi-Wan.
Song: “Bad Blood”
‘I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace/ And you’re the hero flying around, saving face/ And if I’m dead to you, why are you at the wake?/ Cursing my name, wishing I stayed/ Look at how my tears ricochet’
In the season finale of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader and Obi-Wan battle it out once again. It’s somehow even more emotional than all of their other angst-filled moments.
Even though Obi-Wan accepts that Anakin is gone, he can’t bring himself to kill Darth Vader. At the same time, Darth Vader finds himself absolving Obi-Wan of his guilt despite claiming to hate him.
Song: “my tears ricochet“
”Cause all of my enemies started out friends/ Help me hold onto you/ I’ve been the archer/ I’ve been the prey/ Who could ever leave me, darling?/ But who could stay?’
In the original trilogy, Darth Vader finds the smallest glimmer of light by discovering his son Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) exists. Still fueled by the dark side, Darth Vader attempts to convince Luke to join him so they can overthrow the Emperor together.
Song: “The Archer”
‘If you have children some day/ When they point to the pictures/ Please tell ’em my name’
Unable to watch the Emperor kill his son, Darth Vader turns away from the dark side and kills the Emperor in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. He is mortally wounded in the process. As he dies, he asks Luke to tell his daughter and Luke’s twin sister Leia (Carrie Fisher) that Luke was right; there was good in him all along.
Song: “Long Live”
