"Ivy" is a song by Taylor Swift from her 2020 album Evermore. It was released on December 11, 2020, through Republic Records and is the tenth track on the songwriter's ninth studio album.
The song was written by Taylor, Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff and is a folk track. It's set over a ticked arrangement, featuring banjo and trumpets and features Justin Vernon on harmonies.
ivy means "life-filled" and is also used to mean "to flourish." This makes sense since Taylor uses multiple metaphors throughout the song, including ivy vines growing over a stone house that represents her deep-rooted affection with her lover.
"Ivy" starts with the lyrics: “How’s one to know / I’d meet you where the spirit meets the bone?” This line refers to Miller Williams’ 1997 poem “Compassion” that reads, “You do not know what wars are going on / Down there where the spirit meets the bones.” The narrator compares her newfound love to ivy growing on a stone house, implying a deeply-rooted bond.
Her husband is also mentioned in the chorus, suggesting that her relationship with her lover is not always pure. The narrator wonders why she is so weak in the presence of her lover and longs for his touch, like "ivy growing on a stone house."
Ivy is one of several tracks from Evermore that depicts marriages gone awry. It's also one of the most ambiguous songs on the album, with a range of interpretations.
