Did Taylor Swift Steal Lyrics?

Did Taylor Swift plagiarize?

Singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson certainly thinks so. He’s accusing “The Lorax” star and chart-topping singer of taking his words.

“she’s definitely a fan… and now she’s a thief,” Nathanson tweeted.

What’s the reference to? A line from Nathanson’s 2003 album Beneath These Fireworks.

The line, from the song I Saw, goes, “… and I’ll forget about you long enough to forget why I need to.”

Contrast that to Swift’s line from All Too Well: “… and I forget about you long enough to forget why I needed to.”

Um, definitely a similarity there. Swift is also a known Nathanson fan, occasionally appearing on-stage with lyrics from his songs written on her arms (among other singers).

Nathanson received an immediate backlash from Swift fans on his Twitter, defending the young lady. Things only got worse when he re-tweeted a post from another singer, “It would be awesome if Taylor Swift’s next album contained a song called, ‘Oh s--. Maybe it’s ME.”

Nathanson responded to the negativity, saying “so far, my favorite thing about today is the wave of @taylorswift13 fans calling me a prick on twitter for writing ‘i saw’ in 2003.”

So was it an honest mistake? Were the words in the back of Swift’s head when she wrote them down without realizing where they were coming from, or did she intentionally life them from the song because, hey, she liked 'em?

Well, it’s certainly not going to affect her popularity. Intentional or not, Nathanson can be rightly peeved at the steal. Maybe meant as an homage to the writer she admires, it’s still plagiarism (hear that, Internet?) if you take another’s words without permission. And it must sting, especially, to have one of the most popular singers today getting applauded (and paid) for your words… no matter how few.

Will the blonde apologize to Nathanson for the error and tidy this all up nicely with one of those big smiles and a hair toss? Swift has yet to release a statement.