"Just because you're clean, don't mean you don't miss it" One of Taylor's most vulnerable songs, Clean addresses cleansing yourself of a love that turned into an addiction. The song goes through the stages of sobriety. The verses represent the stages of detoxing; The first verse begins with "The drought was the very worst", signifying the first few months without the substance of the addiction. She reflects on the anxiety of going without your drug, bargaining to get it back, and debating whether the sober journey is better than the high of the addiction. Verse two reflects the next stage, loneliness and depression. When you lose the anxiety of not having the addiction, you realize the emptiness in your life and can't quite figure out how to fill it back up. This overwhelming loneliness turns into depression or a flood as represented in the lyrics. The bridge reflects on the journey of becoming sober, and how the sobriety may be worth it, but it doesn't mean you don't miss it. And finally, the choruses repeat the affirmation of finally being clean, reminding Taylor through the song that though the "rain came pouring down... that's when I was finally clean". I think one of the main reasons why Clean is my favorite song off 1989, is that though the song may have been originally written to represent a relationship so toxic that it became an addiction, it can be interpreted as any kind of addiction. Taylor's lyricism doesn't focus on the relationship of the song, but the addiction, so the lyrics can be easily interpreted into other addictions. I grew up in a family that easily struggles with substance abuse. Coming from both my mother's and father's families, I have a double dose of the addiction gene. Both my parents were alcoholics from when I was little well into my teen years. Growing up with substance abuse affected my mental health to the point that it's something that may never be reversed. If you ever listen to sober people talk about addictions, you will often hear them say that the addiction not only affects the addicted, but their loved ones around them too. Their addiction began to worsen as I got older, or maybe it just seemed that way because I gained perspective, but it hit its peak when I was in 7th grade. This is when my parents both made the hard choice to become sober. I cannot express in words how proud I am of my parents for being able to overcome one of lifes biggest battles. My mom is now four years sober and my dad three, and they are the happiest and healthiest that I have ever seen them. However, it was not an easy journey to get to it, as Taylor addresses in her song. When my parents would be under the influence, I often would confide myself in music. The most played being Taylor Swift. Her songs brought me comfort at a time where I didn't feel comfortable in my own home, and this love and intimacy with her music has stuck with me through the journey. Her songs turned from a place to escape to a place to appreciate. Clean holds a special place in my heart, for the journey in the song is the journey I experienced with my family. "I think I am finally clean".