All the Easter Eggs in Taylor Swift's 'Willow' Music Video

At the end of the "cardigan" video, Swift slips on the starry knitwear she sings about. As pointed out on Twitter, that transitions directly into the start of the "willow" video, where Swift can be seen in the exact same spot at the piano and in the same ensemble. This signals that the two tracks explore similar terrain for the singer.

Swift has long used the shade of gold to represent her boyfriend of four years, Joe Alwyn. In the song "Daylight," Swift sings, "I once believed love would be (burnin' red)/But it's golden." In "Dress," she sings, "There is an indentation in the shape of you/Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo." And in the folklore song "Invisible String," Swift sings that "one single thread of gold" has "tied me to you." The fact that she finds this golden string again represents the path leading her to Alwyn.

Swift follows that golden string to a majestic forest. While there, she peers into a body of water and sees the reflections of both herself and her mystery man. At the start of "willow," Swift sings, "I'm like the water when your ship rolled in that night/Rough on the surface, but you cut through like a knife." This represents Swift seeing her partner (Alwyn) in herself and his ability to wade through even her roughest of currents.

Miniature versions of Swift and her love interest appear in a fort-like set-up. They play with the golden aura, which represents a sense of destiny or inevitability guiding Swift. This suggests the pair is destined to be together from a young age. This theme is also explored in the folklore track, "invisible string." In that song she sings, "And isn't it just so pretty to think/All along there was someInvisible string/Tying you to me?"

As quickly as the Alwyn-like figure appears, he vanishes, leaving Swift to follow her path solo until a later date.

When Swift first shared a photo of herself in this off-white Zimmerman dress and bridal Jennifer Behr headpiece, many assumed a marriage announcement was coming. But the cage imagery seems to negate any wedded bliss connotations.

Just as gold emerges from the piano at the start of the "willow" video, it also flows from Swift's guitar. This suggests that music guides her life path.

After Swift's PR nightmare of 2016, which involved her being called out by Kim and Kanye, she embraced snake imagery for the reputation era. At this point in the video, Swift is performing in a cage to a circus crowd that's laughing at her. A poster with snakes can be spotted in the background, representing the public mockery of Swift that followed her at this time.

While Swift is stuck in a cage, love seems to find her, although it's still out of her reach. "Life was a willow, and it bent right to your wind/They count me out time and time again," she sings.

When Swift tries to get out of the cage, the only way out is through the bottom. This could represent hitting rock bottom before finding her golden path once more.

When Swift sings, "I come back stronger than a '90s trend," she looks directly into the camera. It's a self-referential nod to her musical and personal redemption story and her first pop record, 1989.

She emerges from the cage in a cloaked ensemble that resembles her outfit in the music video for reputation's song, "...Ready For It?" a Twitter user points out.

Several other hooded characters emerge, gathering in a ceremonial circle to play with the golden energy. Swift has referenced witchcraft in songs before, including "mad woman" and "...Ready For It?" At this point in the video, she sings, "Show me the places where the others gave you scars," which bares resemblance to the "cardigan" lyric, "You drew stars around my scars."

After Swift's golden path is tossed around and scarred by others, she's guided in a new direction.

The golden string leads Swift back to where she started, although she's wearing a new outfit. This represents a journey back to her roots, although she's a changed person because of her life/career experiences.

Swift and her music video man (presumably Alwyn) are reunited after her long journey. "Baby, every bait-and-switch was a work of art," she sings, appreciating the ebbs and flows that brought her to their relationship.

Throughout the entire song, Swift sings, "I'm begging for you to take my hand/Wreck my plans, that's my man," which is exactly what happens at the video's end. The couple walks off into the golden light, holding hands without a set plan for the future. Evidenced by Swift's last two surprise album releases, she's embracing spontaneity herself.