#Begin Again (Taylor's Version)

[mmemirrorball]

the fall album kitties are defrosting ♥️🍁

[gaveyouigaveyoui]

@tolerateit EDITING PROMPT OF THE MONTH: Beginnings Taylor Swift - Begin Again (Live from New York City)

[gigipinissoli]

Missing 2012/Red era Taylor Swift extra hard today

[sarrf]

To 2025 :

[andichoseyou]

The Eras Tour surprise songs parallels

May 12, 2024—Paris, France: Begin Again / Paris (mashup)

[placingdaydreamss]

And for the first time, what's past is past...

[terr4hockey]

Begin Again - Kozume Kenma

A/N: After months of reading amazing Haikyuu oneshots, fics, and other fanworks, I decided to finally write my own.

Of course, because it’s me, it had to be Taylor Swift-inspired. So, I had to start with a song from my favorite album of all time.

Hope you enjoy it !!

Title: Begin Again

The soft hum of the city buzzed around you as you stepped into the small café, the comforting warmth of the place a sharp contrast to the cold air outside. You were still adjusting to being alone, still getting used to the emptiness of not having someone by your side. It had been a while since the breakup—long enough that the sting had dulled, but not enough for it to feel truly gone.

You hadn’t expected to find comfort in a place like this, but it was here, sitting in the dimly lit corner, that you felt a sense of quiet relief.

“Took a deep breath in the mirror,

He didn’t like it when I wore high heels,

But I do.”

The thought of him came and went quickly—your ex. He’d always disapproved of the small things you liked, the shoes you wore as well as the music you played. He never understood you, never saw you for who you were. The breakup had left a mark, but it was fading. You no longer let the weight of his words linger.

Your mind wandered, but before you could lose yourself in it, the door of the café opened with a soft chime, and you looked up. There, standing by the entrance, was someone you hadn’t seen in years.

Kenma.

His familiar, soft gaze locked onto yours and for a moment, neither of you moved. Time seemed to stretch between you, the past and present colliding in this random, unexpected moment.

“Kenma?” you asked, your voice betraying the slight shock you felt.

“Y/N,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips. It was small but warm, the kind of smile that made you feel like you were seeing an old friend again, even if it had been a while. “I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

You blinked, still surprised. You had lost touch after high school, but seeing him here felt strangely natural. “I didn’t expect it either,” you admitted. “I didn’t know you came here.”

Kenma shrugged, stepping closer to the table. “I’ve been coming here for a while. Mind if I join you?”

“Of course not,” you said, gesturing to the seat across from you. “It’s been a while.”

Before he sat down he crosses over and pulls out your chair, then sits down across from you, pulling his phone out for a moment before setting it aside. You both settled into a quiet, comfortable silence, neither of you in any rush to fill it with words. It felt like a peaceful moment in time, a small oasis of calm.

You looked at him, really looked at him for the first time in a long while. He had changed in subtle ways—more confident, maybe, or at least more at ease with himself—but the underlying Kenma was still there, the one you remembered from high school.

“Walked in expecting you’d be late,

But you got here early and you stand and wave,

I walk to you.

You pull my chair out and help me in,

And you don’t know how nice that is,

But I do.”

You smiled, remembering the small things that made him who he was. Back in school, Kenma had always been the quiet one, the one who didn’t talk much but still made you feel seen. He would hold open doors, offer a rare, knowing smile, and sometimes, he’d say something that made you feel like you weren’t as invisible as you often felt.

The moment was different now, but it was the same in a lot of ways. Kenma’s presence was soothing, grounding. You felt comfortable with him, even though so much had changed since the last time you saw him.

“So, what have you been up to?” you asked, trying to fill the silence with something. Anything.

“Streaming. Mostly gaming. It’s been good.” He shrugged, his voice still the same quiet, no-nonsense tone you remembered. “What about you?”

“I’ve been… figuring things out.” You chuckled softly, not sure how much to say about your life since high school. “Still trying to get back to normal.”

Kenma nodded, then glanced around the café. His usual calm, almost withdrawn demeanor was still there, but there was something in his eyes, a curiosity, a warmth that made you feel like maybe this conversation was more than just an exchange of pleasantries.

You took a deep breath, trying to relax into the moment. As you spoke, you felt the weight of your past slowly begin to lift, like a long-forgotten burden you didn’t even realize you were carrying.

“And you throw your head back laughing

Like a little kid.

I think it’s strange that you think I’m funny, ‘cause

He never did.”

You smiled at something Kenma said, something that made you laugh for the first time in what felt like forever. You were surprised by how genuine it felt. Kenma had always had this quiet, dry sense of humor, but it was different now. There was something about the way he looked at you, like he saw through all the layers you had built up.

“He never got my sense of humor either,” you said, your voice a little softer than usual.

Kenma raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a small smirk. “He doesn’t sound like he was the right guy for you.”

You laughed, surprised by his honesty. “Yeah, maybe not.”

You both fell into an easy conversation, reminiscing about high school—about the team, the classes, the small moments that had shaped who you were then. It was a strange feeling, talking to him like this, like no time had passed.

You talked about the people you remembered fondly, and laughed about some of the crazier moments from your school days.

“Remember when Shoyo used to bounce around all over the place like an excited puppy?” you asked, grinning.

Kenma nodded. “Yeah, he was always… a lot. But it has been fun watching him grow.”

You chuckled softly, feeling the warmth of the memories seep into the present. It felt good to be here, to be with someone who didn’t expect you to be anything other than who you were. No pretenses, no judgment.

“I’ve been spending the last eight months,

Thinking all love ever does

Is break and burn, and end.

But on a Wednesday in a café..

You didn’t know when it happened. Maybe it was the laughter, maybe it was the quiet way Kenma listened to you. But there was something about this moment, about being here, with him, that made you feel like you were starting fresh. Like things didn’t have to end, even if your past had burned and broken in ways you couldn’t change.

It was strange, the way life worked. One minute, you were drowning in the aftermath of a broken relationship, and the next, you were sitting in a café, talking to someone who had always understood you, even when you didn’t fully understand yourself.

Kenma stood up as the conversation wound down, grabbing his phone from the table. He looked at you with that familiar, soft gaze, and you felt a spark of something. Not quite nostalgia, but something close—something like hope, something like possibility.

“Well,” he said, “I should get going. But… it was good seeing you, Y/N.”

You stood up, smiling. “Yeah, it was. Let’s not wait so long to do this again.”

Kenma nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah. Next time, maybe we can talk about something other than high school.”

You laughed, feeling the weight of the past begin to fade further into the distance. “Deal.”

As he walked out of the café, you felt something you hadn’t felt in a long time—like the world was full of possibilities again. You didn’t know what would happen next, but for the first time in a while, you were excited to find out.

I watched it begin again”

[foxes-that-run]

Begin Again

I have had this in my drafts for 16 months. Regardless of writing it is an important song in Haylor lore and one I love so it took time. Taylor has said she started Begin Again in March 2011, that takes out every public theory for who the 'nice guy is'. Personally I hear it as Harry, but granted it is started long before they were seen at the Kids Choice.

The music video

I'll start by saying the video is directed by the same person as Everything Has Changed (released later 6 June 2013), which has footage of Paris in the classroom scene. For any other Taylor ship, especially if she was dating the guy at the time, I could say so they are about about the same person. The end. But the rules are different for Haylor so settle in for 1000+ more words.

The Begin Again video was shot in Paris on 30 September 2012 and released 23 October 2012 - that is a crazy turn around for a Taylor video. Taylor's schedule (see 2012) was packed for Red's release too, she had a fan event in Nashville on the 29th and press in London on the 5th October. But she still crammed in this video for a slow song as a second lead single. Harry randomly appeared in LA on the 1st October then both in London. The first photo of them together was on the 7th October. So just as Haylor started dating begin again became what seemed a late decision single.

On the video, the black version of Harry's car in 2012 is in it:

Harry shoot Falling in Paris wearing a similar dress:

And the Begin Again & Willow similarity:

Paris

Paris is special to both Harry and Taylor. Taylor has this weird quote from Pop Crush where it reads like she didn't finish a sentence, "it's just the city...???"

“Like, a love letter to Paris. ’Cause it’s just the city and this story line of somebody moving on and finding yourself again. … I think we’ve all had that day where we just decide to wander around and think about things.”

In 2022 the video Director said it was set in Paris because his wife was due to have their baby. OK... but why that director if the video was shot in a 4 day weekend gap for release in 4 weeks time.

And Taylor has made Paris the whole aesthetic of the song, she performed it in Paris, at the CMA awards she also gave it a French intro and set and it is the taymoji set, except for "I Can Fly!" A reference to CBBH and of course a later Harry 1D song. Again, this is enough for other ships.

When was it written

To People Country in December 2012 Taylor said:

The first inspiration came in the European leg of the Speak Now tour (that’s March 2011)

She picked it up and put it down several times, it took a long time to write, and

The muse is a composite character.

The European leg of Speak Now was short:

March 6 - 12, 2011 Belgium, Netherlands, Oslo and Germany

March 15, 2011 Milan Italy (she wrote a song)

On 16 March she visited Neuschwanstein Castle which later appeared in the Bejewelled Music Video. She wrote about this and said "my life is so beautiful right now" arriving in Paris in the Lover Journal.

March 17, 2011 Paris France, the first time she played the Soul Sister mash up.

March 19, 2011 Madrid Spain, and

March 22 - 30, 2011 England & Ireland. This included Wednesday 23 March when she wore a white dress and high heels, later that day she played a Radio 2 concert at Abbey Rd which included the mash up of Soul Sister with Fearless. Harry was also in London.

Said she wrote songs in Milan and Ireland. 8 months before March 2011 is when she broke up with John Mayer. She dated Jake for 7 weeks ending in December, only 3 months before she started Begin Again.

Taylor has spoken about Begin Again a few times, on 17 October 2012 at the VH1 Story Tellers event she said it is about being yourself after a break up. She is incredibly hesitant talking about it in the Red Track by Track (11 mins below) she says it is about a first date after a bad break up and being open to being OK:

However she has also said she put the song down and picked it up several times. It is about recovering from a relationship with someone who is withholding and makes her feel less than. In the lead up to Red's release Taylor Nation shared this throw back of Taylor recording in Bluebird Studios Nashville, which is where Begin Again, Red & Starlight were recorded. It is generally though she is playing Begin Again here because she is playing Cadd9 chord which features in Begin Again. With her fringe cut and being in Nashville means this was likely taken around her birthday when she posted this photo of red shoes. As we know it was started 9 months sooner this was recording or work on it (and Red). Red and Begin Again also have the same credits.

March 2011

Harry was in England when the Speak Now Tour was in Europe. Taylor also started playing Harry's X-factor audition song in the Paris show onward. They also both played the O2 the same week. I'll leave this there, but have a post on that.

Lyrics

Took a deep breath in the mirror He didn't like it when I wore high heels But I do

Taylor highlighted the high heels in the People Country post and told a story of going to meet friends and deciding to wear heels. The heels may be literal, Jake is short, however I think real or not they are a metaphor for feeling she is allowed to not make herself smaller. After dating older guys who put her down she’s standing tall.

Turn the lock and put my headphones on He always said he didn't get this song But I do, I do

I love the put my headphones on, it continues the story of getting to walk out to see friends on her own, and the metaphor holds for shutting out her ex’s negative thoughts. Love. A nice call back to WANGBT’s line about indie record.

Walked in expecting you'd be late But you got here early and you stand and swave I walk to you

This line reminds me of Harry, he’s known for his manners. Her expectations have been lowered by previous disappointments, she expects tardiness or indifference. But the new person surprises her by being present and kind. It’s a soft, healing contrast.

You pull my chair out and help me in And you don't know how nice that is But I do

Simple gestures chivalrous, thoughtful take on deep meaning because they were absent in the past. The line “you don’t know how nice that is” reminds me of the dinner scene in the ATW10MV

And you throw your head back laughing Like a little kid I think it's strange that you think I'm funny, 'cause He never did

This laugh line also brings Harry to mind. This moment is disarming and tender. Laughter, especially childlike laughter, represents trust and ease. She’s startled by the idea that someone might genuinely enjoy her company. There’s a quiet mourning in the comparison, but also awe.

I've been spending the last eight months Thinking all love ever does Is break and burn, and end But on a Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again

8 months before March 2011 is June 2010, the guy that broke and burned love is John Mayer.

This chorus is the emotional heart of the song. The phrase “break and burn, and end” is weary, rhythmic, almost ritualistic, like she’s repeated it to herself many times. The final line simple and small marks a shift. Love doesn’t return in fanfare, but in quiet moments over coffee. It begins again with stillness and care.

You said you never met one girl who had As many James Taylor records as you But I do

Now they’re finding shared ground music again, this time not a point of tension, but connection. James Taylor is gentle, classic, nostalgic perfectly fitting the tone of new beginnings.

Harry likes James Taylor too, in 2015 he tweeted James Taylor Lyrics to Mexico:

We tell stories and you don't know why I'm coming off a little shy But I do

I feel like the Two Ghosts line “Telling those stories we already told” is a call back to this.

She’s emotionally guarded, and he doesn’t yet realize why. This verse suggests she hasn’t told him about the heartbreak but she carries it. “But I do” is now tinged with quiet sadness and vulnerability.

And we walked down the block, to my car And I almost brought him up

This part of the video has Harry’s car in white, and..

But you start to talk about the movies That your family watches every single Christmas And I want to talk about that

This part also makes me think of Harry, she recorded part of the song on her birthday just before Christmas.

And for the first time What's past is past

The song is not really about getting over the not nice guy more than the nice guy, the end is finally being OK with moving on.

[taylor-swift-bracket]

Which song do you prefer—Lead Single, Track 1, Track 5, or the Closing Track?

*not including alternate versions of songs

[mmemirrorball]

I made this playlist cover for my fall taylor playlist!! feel free to use for your own playlist or save my playlist below :)

[gaveyouigaveyoui]

on a wednesday, in a café... i watched it begin again

[hromantics]

BEGIN AGAIN ANNIVERSARY // September 30th, 2012

[imgonnagetyoubackk]

“you know this is our 87th show”.....proceeds to play THE ALCHEMY x treacherous and then begin again x paris….. SHES SO IN LOVE IM IN TEARS OH MY GODDDD IM SO HAPPY FOR HER

[andichoseyou]

eras tour surprise songs parallels

4/23/23—Houston, Texas: Begin Again / Cold as You

[placingdaydreamss]

But on a Wednesday in a café I watched it begin again...

[berrycobbler]

all things end, hozier // begin again, taylor swift