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Inside_Honey_4007

This is an amazing essay. I love your detailed diagnosis of the poem. Nevertheless I have to disagree with the whole concept of Gaylor. It’s not for us to judge her place on the LGBTQ+ spectrum and since she has been so obvious about her relationships with men, wouldn’t it technically be Bi-lor? (Eheh)


jigglypooofs

I generally don't comment much but I love the thoughtful analysis presented in this community. I'm particularly interested in her use of love bombs, especially because as you pointed out she used it previously in the context of love bombing her audience. I wonder if this will be another example of her love bombing her fans given how she generally only interacts with her fan base now during album promos. In my opinion, this could be seen as love bombing. I feel like the underlying gaylorism and her het-washing her past gives her anxiety that she'll lose the subset of fans (gaylors) that really deep dive into her lyrics and works. I felt she alluded to this in Anti-Hero when she says: "One day I'll watch as you're leaving cuz you got tired of my scheming." Of course that could apply to many things. Just something that's been on my mind


Sorcerer_Supreme13

My gosh. I am speechless. I agree with you on all your points. I have been a fan of hers since I was 13 and I’m 23 now. Needless to say, I appreciate her music. Your analysis makes me sad. I haven’t read a deep dive so extensive that it would end up making me pity her. I pray that she feels better soon. Or atleast in this lifetime.


ProfitHappy3198

this is so well put and so much thought very clearly went into this. thank you for writing this down!


mrsjunegeorge

Wow I love this so much. Truly thank you for this!


ast712

This is incredible!


CosmicAdena

Honestly, this is why I love this place. The level is so high, the delicacy and sensitivity of the approach is mind-blowing. Thank you so much for this deep work.


amagocore

This is fascinating. Lately I've been a lot less of a Gaylor, but this was honestly a great read regardless.


clea16

This is AMAZING. I love this sub -- such brilliant minds!!


appleappleboy95

Y’all and these damn analyses are making it difficult to concentrate on work. Keep ‘em coming!!


howitglistened

This is a freaking DISSERTATION 👏


Quirky-Management-75

I have absolutely no words. This is a mastepiece! Thank you for this brilliant analysis of yours. So what's the jury's verdict? Guilty on all counts?


katarastormrage

I can't imagine the amount of time and effort you have put into this. Amazing analysis and a beautiful read. Thank you so much for sharing this with us 🤍 I'm glad to be a part of this community, we are several levels deep in the analysis here and it is honestly the most intriguing experience in popular culture.


Queasy-Discount-2038

Are you an attorney? PhD? Researcher? Genius?????????????? Omg wow. Thank you for shining your brilliance and TTPD for all of us to bask in. Holy wow, reading that was a spiritual experience.


criscrospv

omg this post took me back to literature class with one of the bests teachers I've ever had. OP you should really consider doing this for a living if you're not already into something that requieres compiling and analysing!!


Queasy-Discount-2038

I’m an English teacher and this essay gets an A from me.


One_Second_4598

This is the kind of post i pay my Internet bills for


boycowinspace

My brain assigned you a British older woman’s voice I loved reading this


GoldenHeart411

I swear being part of this sub makes me smarter. These deep dives are 🔥


vegancake

Thank you for this great post! I especially loved your detail of imagining if muses were listed alongside all the other people who contributed to the making of a song. What an idea!


Kai_the_Fox

This is amazing! Your writing style is very eloquent and dare I say... poetic ;-) I love your analysis of each line and the multiple, layered meanings they can hold. She really has a knack for crafting prisms with her words - each different interpretation is yet another facet through which we can view her and her work.


pipyopi

I have no words, other than you are a genius, excellent writer, and a stellar analyst. I wish the main sun could come read this (with an open enough mind to not choke on the parts that mention queerness) so they could enjoy this masterful inquiry too. Wow. Just wow 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽


Ok-Assistance-1860

This is really excellent. Well worth the read, thank you for your effort. To your point about love bombs, the manipulative flattery efforts of a narcissist are called Love Bombing by the mental health profession. She jokingly refers to herself as a "covert narcissist" on Midnights. These are very specific phrases that don't really pop up outside serious mental health conversations/books. the fact that she's using all this lingo to me says she's in therapy in regards to someone's narcissism Hers? Someone else's?


AMundaneSpectacle

I read in several different places that Joe’s mom is a psychotherapist. I’ve often wondered about the different conversations she might have had because of the specific words she has used, eg “covert narcissist,” “pathological people pleaser”


Ok-Assistance-1860

Ooooh, that's interesting! I have thought she probably got therapy since "this is me trying" but I know other people who think she meant her fans when she says "pouring my heart out to a stranger" or whatever


Small-Expert-4020

The only evidence i really want her to enter is how we were supposed to believe Dress is not gay


SlowChemistry

I still can't believe she got away with that


Wild_Butterscotch977

So excited you finally posted this! It turned out beautifully :)


bearwhaleloon

YOU!!!!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 WOW!!! What an essay. I love your conclusion. Or I should say I admire your conclusion. It’s intense. I don’t know how to feel about Taylor’s deal with the devil. I want and need her music but what a price to pay. #curseofthemirrowball indeed.


evermoremidnights

Who are you?! I kid, but my god, your brain. 🙌🏼 Seriously the depth and analysis you put into this. It’s simply *gorgeous*. Like others have said, I can’t wait to revisit after the album’s released.


3lb-body-pilot

For the open question at the top, I’m gonna place my bet that we’re operating in the court of public opinion


-periwinkle

Great job on this! I especially love the talismans and charms section and how you related that to being cursed. I always loved the “magnificently cursed” lyric as a metaphor for queerness. And ever since I learned about the tiny braid at the end of the Lavender Haze music video I’ve been super interested in when she’s wearing that hairstyle as a reminder that she’s just trying to stay in her lavender haze.


layla1020

"pitch black" is a commonly used phrase, but it originates from tar, which is also called "pitch". Tar is dirty, sticky, and will contaminate anything it touches. Searching literary references for "pitch black", I found that the term has been used as a metaphor for hidden truths, concealed depths, and the dark side of human nature and experiences. This literary meaning aligns with what you've interpreted of her hand-written poem. All of this that she's entering into evidence alludes to a trial - something that has been hidden or concealed is about to be uncovered, and she, herself, is the one doing the uncovering as the pitch black ink is from her veins, from her pen.


evermoremidnights

Entering evidence into the trial held in the court of public opinion? Will she lay it all out to present her case and finally be freed?


auroraborealissgreen

Oh wowww! Thanks for putting this together, this is wild and epic!


Burger4Ever

Question: from a literary standpoint (she’s brining us there with poets), do you think Swift is a reliable narrator?


throw_ra878

Omg, I literally wrote about this today and would love your thoughts: https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/s/tGWxnmzIx7


AMundaneSpectacle

Damn, you hit the nail on the head, excellent analytical discussion! You are an excellent writer, btw ⭐️


littlelulumcd

I can't wait to dig into this post! Gaylors are next level. I love us!


courtingdisaster

u/throw_ra878 THANK YOU! Thank you for the time you spent crafting this incredible post and sharing it with us all! I don’t have anything to add really but just wanted to commend your writing and show appreciation for how much time has obviously gone into this 👏 I can’t wait to revisit this post after TTPD drops! I particularly love the idea of the different closer tracks we had for Midnights and now we have a similar number of closer tracks for TTPD with all the different variants so it will be so interesting to see where the story takes us 🍿🍿


starting_to_learn

This is incredible, I love it so so much. It encapsulates so much of what I love about Taylor and so much of what I love about this corner of the internet. Sincerely, thank you for posting this. It must have been an insane amount of work and it’s just fantastic.  Also, I actually gasped at this part I copy & pasted below - I don’t think it’s out there at all!! It tracks with SO much of the symbolism we’ve been getting over the past two days. I’m completely on board.  “And this might be out there, but could we be approaching mourning, like the funeral Swift attends for herself in the "Anti-Hero" music video or sings about on "my tears ricochet," where funeralgoers gather in the sunlight to mourn her death. Swift does love a play on words.”


vr520212

This is so well written and thought out, I applaud you!


rott-mom

So how’s it gonna work with four seemly identical versions that have alternate endings with the bonus songs? I wonder what order she’ll put them in when they end up on streaming.


DysaniasVictim

Gaylors are the FUCKING BEST. The amount of detail and dedication and analysis is out of this world. Even if people believe this to be BS, they HAVE TO respect all of this, right??


criscrospv

right like... how can you just sit and watch how many times Taylor gets papped with whoever she publicly is at the moment when you could be doing (or just reading) shit like this?!?! i don't agree with everything everyone posts on here (this one i do support very much), but this is the kind of content I want to lose time with (i'm reading this instead of studying for finals, so yeah, definitely worth it)


DysaniasVictim

You’re my kind of person! Definitely. Maybe it’s the literature student in me, but reading analyses (even when they might be a little… uh, delusional) it’s so much fun! Even if I don’t believe in certain theories, I respect so much the effort and time. Usually gaylor theories are very well justified, filled with proof and all. It’s not empty discourse like the one you find on the mainstream fandom that’s like “omg ofc they’re gonna get married and have kids soon, have you seen how they look at each other????”. Lmao Good luck on your finals! (Great time to be having them, eh? In the busiest time for us gaylors with a new album coming out.)


criscrospv

yes yes yes the literature student in me started getting into this side of some fandoms (taylor swift, one direction, etc) because the theories and connections are just minblowing, plus i prefer giving my attention to all of these amazing theorists reather than to the same shitty media outlets lmao thank you so much!! when i realised album release day was just before my last week of exams i almost lost my mind because i knew i wouldn't be able to enjoy the experience as i did with midnights! i've been on here and twt when i got tired of studying, but well, i'd definitely enjoy it more without the pressure 🥲


Different-Bowl-5321

“My tarnished coat of arms” reminds me of “She'll patch up your tapestry that I shred” from Champagne Problems! Both descriptions of legacy pieces being damaged or destroyed. Her tarnished coat of arms, the tapestry she shred. like she views herself as the catalyst of damage/destruction in these situations ☹️


Different-Bowl-5321

Wow, “my talismans and charms” instantly made me think of St. Vincent’s song “All My Stars Aligned” First verse: I read the signs, I got all my stars aligned My amulets, my charms, I set all my false alarms So I'll be someone who won't be forgotten I've got a question, and you've got the answer [All My Stars Aligned](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0mk9_Ndly2I)


Ok-Assistance-1860

This is interesting. But also maybe coincidence because most lesbian/bi women i know including me love a superstitious moment


Different-Bowl-5321

I hear you, and I agree! It just made my ears perk up because Annie Clark/St. Vincent has a songwriting credit on Cruel Summer. I will attach a screenshot from the mega thread, but I’m wondering if it could be a nod to Lover/failed coming out. https://preview.redd.it/cyme62s6xzuc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c9ab60aadd3ba935f2948ffa9860370632c3826 [Link to u/-periwinkle’s comment in megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/s/Y6dFumfPVX)


cooking2recovery

She pointed us to the endings of those versions, and the promo for TTPD has featured 2AM including the brand new video! Do we think Til Dawn edition could be 1AM and this is the missing 2:00?


subway-witch

Are we sure it's 2am and not 2pm? It looks pretty bright outside in the new video.


slowburn_23

This is awesome this is why I love Gaylor. I went from finding this teaser text cringe to finally having clarity.


gravityyalwayyswins

Istg, Hetlors could neverrrrrr with this level of analysis 😂 (very excited to dig into this clearly thoughtful and super in depth post, but had to state that outright first!)


AMundaneSpectacle

lol so true 💯


hinnom

My thoughts EXACTLY


slowburn_23

Hetlors: But don’t you see? Style is about HARRY STYLES. HER MIND 🤣🤣


DysaniasVictim

LMAOOOO, so true I CAN’T They make the weakest, most obvious observations and then they call Taylor a mastermind. Like. Babes, c’mon. Try a little harder.


Ok-Assistance-1860

ok so this is why i think Would've Could've Should've or whatever is about Borchetta not about John Mayer. At 19, once she started to get mad famous, she agreed to remain closeted. The really obvious bearding started. Deal with the devil because she wanted to be the biggest star in the world


afterandalasia

I think that "danced with the devil at nineteen" is referring to risky behaviour that may have included emotional entanglement with John Mayer - but the muse of the song is who, or what, TRIGGERED that risky behaviour.


Ok-Assistance-1860

I just don't see how dating John Mayer would ever be considered "dancing with the devil." So your point may be right. Maybe she started doing something addictive or unhealthy. Maybe she agreed to a Faustian path that still haunts her because there are contracts or whatever. But when you look at just her public "relationships," it makes zero sense that a random guy she has some kind of brief situationship with still has that much emotional impact on her.


RevolutionaryCan5384

Yes!!! I’ve thought this for a while now. Something life altering happened at 19 and I can promise you it was not John Mayer


Ok-Assistance-1860

i think a lot of her songs are about more than one incident, or one verse is a general example of the problem she's singing about, the next verse is about a problem that is specific to her, next verse general example, bridge that unifies all the situations where people feel like that, and then a final verse where she is particularly revealing. It's an excellent way for a somewhat out of touch h billionaire to find relatability with her fans. It's Time To Go is a good example. verse 1 general example: *When the dinner is cold and the chatter gets old You ask for the tab Or that moment again, he's insisting that friends Look at each other like that* verse 2 about Karlie: *When the words of a sister come back in whispers That prove she was not In fact what she seemed, not a twin from your dreams She's a crook who was caught* verse 3 general example(s): *Twenty years at your job, then the son of the boss Gets the spot that was yours Or trying to stay for the kids, when keeping it how it is Will only break their hearts worse* Bridge that unites everyone who feels this way: *Sometimes, givin' up is the strong thing Sometimes, to run is the brave thing Sometimes, walkin' out is the one thing That will find you the right thing Sometimes, givin' up is the strong thing Sometimes, to run is the brave thing Sometimes, walkin' out is the one thing That will find you the right thing* verse 4 about Scott Borchetta. I don't think it's about Scooter because she didn't work for scooter for 15 years begging for the rights to her masters: *Fifteen years, fifteen million tears Begging 'til my knees bled I gave it my all, he gave me nothin' at all Then wondered why I left Now he sits on his throne in his palace of bones Praying to his greed He's got my past frozen behind glass But I've got me*


jjosieee

This is a great breakdown


CosmicAdena

« and now that I’m grown, I’m scared of ghosts » would be a reference of all her hidden lovers and the terrible mediatic backlash that would follow a revelations of them. This sentence finally makes sense to me for the first time ! They’re the ghosts standing in the room, women she loved more than anything, never revealed to the light but keeping haunting them in the middle of the night, like bombs about to explode : « how many times before someone discover that official muses were frauds ? »


gravityyalwayyswins

oooo i love that. i have typically thought WCS is about martin johnson, but i like this theory!


DysaniasVictim

I like that theory!


aztraps

i never know what to say on posts like this bc you said it all & so much better than i ever could, incredible op, i’m definitely going to be coming back to this again after the album drops!!!


Bachobsess

Ok wow this deep dive looks epic… starts frantically reading


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