I shouldn’t be nodding along while binging two 1hr-long video essays analyzing lyrical references, air quotes over megaphones, and the deliberate media attention between Taylor and Matty. But man, this creator deserves massive credit for the compelling analyses.
As an OG Swiftie (since 2010??) who practically listened to her exclusively before college (mostly “to focus on studies”), I’d once feared internet conspiracies and fan theories had gone way too far since the Joe breakup. I barely had the energy to decipher the coded lyrics, dabbling only in short-form videos, and mainly just tried to appreciate the lyrics and tones as a whole, if that makes sense ¹.
Ever since folklore (2020), it’s like Taylor wanted us to learn an entirely new literary vernacular just to understand her music. Easter eggs used to be fun promos for future releases, but now they feel retroactively engineered to keep us distracted. Most times, the eggs don’t even hatch as if the placement is there to mock the fans having lack of context and reading way too deeply. It was the double and triple meanings ² underlying the lyrics that had me lost in the latter albums. I’m not so much a poetry person, but a literary fiction girl. But even I was like, who are “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus”?? Why weren’t there introductions to these characters.
Take Midnights (2022), for example. It threw me completely for a loop because I had no clue she was signaling her breakup with Joe. I thought it was her feeling drained from a long relationship that bore no fruit (like we all do?!), second-guessing herself, but still willing to be hopeful. The tracks gave off a mellow Reputation (2017) vibe, as if she were trying to reclaim a lost time (Covid??) and narrative with her current love (we fools). Looking back, the album was basically the slow decay of love intertwined with a potential rekindling with some guy I’d never even heard of until then.
Then came her next albums, The Tortured Poets Department (2024) and The Life of a Showgirl (2025), which swung from one extreme of the literary spectrum to the other. The former really resonated with me at the time, as I was struggling through my new role at work, dealing with a depressive figure at home, and preparing for my first triathlon. At one point, I considered dropping everything, scream f yall, which was probably the reason I booked a flight to Paris, of all places to be, right out of the slammer.
I’ll always remember listening to the latter album for the first time on Orchard Road, a day after my first F1 race, as I was too distracted to care for this out of the blue album. On the surface, I was convinced she was living out her “You Belong with Me” love story with Travis, the recurring lyrical themes tell a totally different story after watching this video essay.
TBH, nothing makes sense from Taylor!! I want to be happy for her happily-ever-after, but (a) we haven’t seen a single tease of her as a bride, (b) the staged Ralph Lauren photo shoot still felt unreal, and (c) Taylor with a meathead? I’m sorry, Travis does seem genuine and funny, but we all know Taylor’s type, and this just cannot be real.
At the end of the day, even if all this was a hoax by Taylor to revenge her fans for her forbidden love with Matty, I wouldn’t be mad. How can I?? I worship her brains, her lyrics and style. Taylor gives us drama in the most entertaining and timeless ways. I will always enjoy her confessional songs.
Can’t you see that I’m the one who understands you?
Been here all along, so why can’t you see?
You belong with me
Footnotes
- I lack in musical profoundness. Failed each 3 years of piano, choir, and recorder. And still get nightmares of Mom playing piano while I struggled to find the notes smh. Seriously though, Taylor has gotten hyper specific in her lyrics, they become hard to follow, sing and at times loose that pop catchiness. Mom once asked me if I was listening to scriptures when playing TTPD.
- Example: "I hate it here so I will go to secret gardens in my mind / People need a key to get to, the only one is mine." from "I Hate It Here" The "key" references are apparently strongly linked to Matty since Reputation (2014 when they first met), when she wore a jacket with a bedazzled key+75. Most recently, the Opalite MV was found set in Aug. 13, 1993 when The Secret Garden premiered. The key to Taylor's secret garden, her soul, is the key only Matty holds.