Album: Taylor Swift (2006)

License This Song 

• I didn't know what I would find
  When I went lookin' for a reason I know
  I didn't read between the lines
  And, baby, I've got nowhere to go
  I tried to take the road less traveled by
  But nothin' seems to work the first few times
  Am I right?
  
  So how can I ever try to be better?
  Nobody ever lets me in
  And I can still see you, this ain't the best view
  On the outside, lookin' in
  I've been a lot of lonely places
  I've never been on the outside
  
  You saw me there, but never knew
  That I would give it all up to be
  A part of this, a part of you
  And now it's all too late, so you see
  You could have helped if you had wanted to
  But no one notices until it's too late to do anything
  
  How could I ever try to be better?
  Nobody ever lets me in
  And I can still see you, this ain't the best view
  On the outside, lookin' in
  I've been a lot of lonely places
  I've never been on the outside
  
  Oh, yeah
  
  How can I ever try to be better?
  Nobody ever lets me in
  And I can still see you, this ain't the best view
  On the outside, lookin' in
  I've been a lot of lonely places
  I've never been on the outside
  
  Oh, oh
  Oh, oh,
  Oh, oh
  Oh, oh
  Oh, oh Writer/s: Taylor Alison Swift
  Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 5

• Just Me from UsaI love this song a lot, and I'm actually trying to write my own music. I really relate to this song, anyway. I say dumb things a lot to get people to laugh (And it does work, just sayin') and a ton of people in a few of my classes are entertained by it. But I have no actual close friends anymore (I moved two or so years ago) and all my new "friends" think I'm stupid. And when I say something that ISN'T meant to be funny and just plain serious, nobody listens. So I'm without an actual best friend. Woo.
• Ronny from London, United Kingdomthe part that says " how can i ever try to be better, nobody ever lets me in" really makes me think about all the stupid things ive done and when nobody wants to hear the appology. you feel lonely.
  love the message in this song <3
• Anita from Citrus Heights, Camy stories a lot like Bethaniis. . .i learned i just need to b myself, and who ever likes that, is worth it. if ppl dnt except me 4 who i am, thats there fault. its not worth trying to fit in, and being fake.(:
  im not tyring to say being popular is bad, if thats the kind of person u r, and u think the popular ppl fit ur personality, go for it :D
• Stephie from Portland, Orgood for 12 years old!!! looooove her song "lucky you", not released yet. look it up on youtube. she was 12 or 13.
• Bethanii from Okc, Okthis song is soo true.
  people are so mean and cruel. and they may not mean to be but they definately are.
  and i hate feeling like im on the outside. i used to do soo much to try and fit in. but eventually u get tired of trying. thats wen things get bad.. u either start doing bad stuff or u realize its not worth it.
  well thank god i finally realized it. i was so tired of trying to keep up with all the pretty popular girls. so i just gave up for a while. and after going thru a horrible depression i finally realized God is the only person i need to try to impress.
  i mean of course theres always people that u want to impress but no one is worth hurting urself to try to impress.

More Songfacts:

TeardropMassive Attack

"Teardrop" by Massive Attack has vocals by Elizabeth Fraser of The Cocteau Twins, who wrote the lyric after learning that Jeff Buckley had died.

MickeyToni Basil

"Mickey" by Toni Basil was originally a song called "Kitty" by a male group. She picked the new name after Micky Dolenz of The Monkees.

The WeightThe Band

In The Band song "The Weight," Nazareth ("Went down to Nazareth") refers to a town in Pennsylvania where the Martin Guitar company was located.

You're BeautifulJames Blunt

The James Blunt song "You're Beautiful" is not romantic: it's a about a creepy subway encounter with an ex.

1901Phoenix

The Phoenix song "1901" is about Paris. Their lead singer Thomas Mars said: "Paris in 1901 was better than it is now. So the song is a fantasy about Paris."

Cake By The OceanDNCE

The song title "Cake By The Ocean" originated from DNCE's Swedish producers using the wrong name for the drink "Sex on the Beach."

Editor's Picks

Early Days of MTVFact or Fiction

If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Country Song TitlesFact or Fiction

Country songs with titles so bizarre they can't possibly be real... or can they?

Def Leppard QuizMusic Quiz

Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.