Did Taylor Swift Write a Sexy Song About Ed Sheeran?

In case you somehow missed it, Taylor Swift dropped her highly anticipated sixth studio album reputation on Friday. With every new Swift album comes a slew of hidden clues and meanings in her dear-diary-tell-all lyrics, revealing important details about her high profile romances and superstar feuds. After a tumultuous few years for Swift, fans eagerly anticipated what the 27-year-old singer would have to say about her dramatic falling out with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian on reputation. Swift certainly addressed Snakegate with biting tracks like "This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" and "Look What You Made Me Do," but it wasn't any of the Kanye inspired songs that really got fans talking after reputation dropped. Instead Swifties turned their attention to the twelfth track on the album because they believe the sexy song is actually about Swift's BFF Ed Sheeran. 

I know what you're thinking: there's no way Swift would write "Dress," which features some of Swift's sexiest lyrics to date, about her platonic bestie. We would have thought the same thing, but the evidence Buzzfeed first reported has us scratching our heads. While the most heartwarming, romantic lyrics on the album are definitely about Swift's current paramour, British actor Joe Alwyn, some Swifties think "Dress" is about somebody else entirely. And that somebody is none other than Sheeran. 

Let's review all the lyrical evidence, shall we? The first clue that "Dress" could really be about Sheeran is in the first verse:

Our secret moments in your crowded room/ They've got no idea about me and you/ There is an indentation in the shape of you/ Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo

You see that, right? Swift uses the phrase "shape of you" in her lyrics, which is hard to ignore. Sheeran's comeback single last year, as we all know, was "Shape of You." It's pretty suspicious, if you ask me. Not to mention the nod to a tattoo. As we all know, Sheeran is pretty much covered in multi-colored tattoos. 

The second item we'd like to enter into evidence:

All of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting/ My hands are shaking from holding back from all this

While this section has a less explicit (possible) reference to Sheeran, it highlights a very particular kind of stress. When two people have been close friends for years and are realizing they might want to shift the relationship into new territory, there's always some hesitation to take things to the next level. As Swift points out, her hands are literally shaking from holding back from the subject of this song. 

Last but certainly not least, we have this reference:

Carve your name into my bedpost'/ Cause I don't want you like a best friend/Only bought this dress so you could take it off/ Take it off (ha, ha, ha, ha)

Swift directly references a best friend in this line. While she could be saying she doesn't want to be friends with somebody she's just meeting, it could also mean she wants to take an already established relationship to a more romantic level. 

What do you think, Swifties? Is "Dress" really about everybody's favorite British red head? While both Sheeran and Swift are in happy relationships now, it's interesting to think that these two had a moment where they almost fell for each other. We can't be mad that they didn't, though, because we totally love them as best friends. 

Swifties, are you ready for it? iHeartRadio’s newest station, Taylor Swift reputation Radio, is playing every track from T-Swift’s new album along with her greatest hits. We’re talking about "Look What You Made Me Do," "...Ready For It?" "Gorgeous," and "Call It What You Want." It also features exclusive audio from iHeartRadio’s reputation Album Release Party, featuring never-before-heard snippets from Taylor Swift's Secret Session.