 Feeling inspired by William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" (1597), one her favorite narratives, she self-penned the entire track on her bedroom floor in approximately twenty minutes.She began with the line, "This love is difficult but it's real", which was ultimately placed in the song's second refrain, and altered its conclusion from that of "Romeo and Juliet", giving them a happy ending, a fate she believed her favorite characters deserved.Swift wrote "Hey Stephen" about her hidden feelings for Stephen Barker Liles of Love and Theft, a country band that opened several shows for Swift.