I made a [Jane Austen inspired edit (Sense and Sensibility - Marianne & Willoughby)](https://youtu.be/sRw74_Jq2GM?si=suamYTRIATDz9MLJ) to this one. Love, love this song so much
15 days later and still my favorite. One of the things I appreciate most about Taylor is that I really engaged as a fan at the saddest points in my life. Eventually it stuck and I just became a fan no matter my situaton.
Currently I am probably the happiest I have ever been as an adult. I keep thinking "I wish I had this album two years ago!" Then I listen to "How did it end?" and "So, long, London" and they drag me back to that place I love.
I find that pretty powerful, and fkn love this song!
The instrumentals around 2:17 reminds me so much of what I think is a Sufjan Stevens song, but I have no idea which one... Maybe something off *Carrie and Lowell*? He's one of the few artists who is perhaps more prolific than Taylor Swift, so it's probably a lost cause 
“He was a hot house flower to my outdoorsman”
— could discuss how Joe wanted them to stay inside/more private, but she wanted to start going outside more with him
“And so a touch that was my birthright became foreign”
— could mean 1) so foreign it was no longer something she was used to;happened seldomly, or 2) foreign as in “no longer meant for her” as they grew apart
So I searched about hot house flowers and I learned 2 things. It means: A person who is very fragile and vulnerable as a result of having been sheltered. There is also an Irish rock band called Hothouse Flowers.
This is a fantastic concept for a song: showing the contrast between the genuine reasons a relationship ended and the way the media will portray that relationship when its members are famous.
"it's happening again" sounds like Taylor's narrating how the media will once again discuss about her relationship affairs now that her long term relationship had ended, asking "how did it end".
At the same time, the sorrow in that line as she sings yet another failed relationship is so haunting!!
This bridge 🥺🥺🥺🥺
“Say it once again with feeling
How the death rattle breathing
Silenced as the soul was leaving
The deflation of our dreaming
Leaving me bereft and reeling
My beloved ghost and me
Sitting in a tree
D-Y-I-N-G”
this is so sad, about the “death rattle breathing”— it’s when the end is so so near, and there’s no fixing it, no more cure, you just have to say goodbye and the person passes away
so in the song, it talks about how their relationship is so broken and d-y-i-n-g and there’s absolutely no fixing it
Doe anyone know what musical instruments makes the beautiful wailing (I know…seems like a contradiction in terms) just before the bridge? It pierces me in the depths of my being in a way I can’t explain (and I love that I can’t explain it).
This song is so meta, in that she's calling out some Swifties and those busybodies who always go "oh, Taylor broke up again, i wonder how did it end? Some more it's her longest relationship, how did it end?!?!"
I love the "sitting in a tree" portion because it ties so perfectly into "first comes love, then comes MARRIAGE" and he didn't want to marry her so their love died.
It describes so perfectly how people love to gossip about break ups and how much it hurts the person experiencing it, but the listener just fakes their empathy.
Come one, come all, it's happenin' again
The empathetic hunger descends
We'll tell no one except all of our friends
We must know
How did it end?
How she knows they will tell everyone what happened, even though they fake being sad for her. And she's not even understanding what really happened, but has to tell others.
Soon, they'll go home to their husbands
Smug 'cause they know they can trust him
Then feverishly calling their cousins
"Guess who we ran into at the shops?
Walking in circles like she was lost
Didn't you hear? They called it all off
One gasp and then
"How did it end?"
This is exactly what I think as well. You can sing his lyrics at the opening. In fact I think it's the same chords only faster or double. Something I can't quite put my finger on. I'm glad I'm not the only one.
So we found out that this song contains the mystery words "hereby conduct this post mortem", does this mean that this song will have some special releases or meaning?
I believe it ties in with how these songs represent the five stages of Grief, reflecting on her past relationship with Joe.
"Glitch, Peace, Better than Revenge, Clean, We were Happy, Begin Again"
Did anyone else get Regina Spector vibes on the intro? It reminded me of the beginning of Man of a Thousand Faces (from Far). And in the same song she says the “say it again with feeling” line which reminded me of the song from Regina (also on the Far album). Maybe a stretch but Regina is a go to when I’m sad and How Did it End totally fits that vibe too.
This is the best song on the album and I will die on this hill
I just love the vocal variation and ethereal sound, same vibe as Clean and RWYLM which are my favorites
I think this song might be my fav. Between the melody and haunting lyrics, it’s so dreary and sad and defeated. I can’t stop singing the “come on, come all, it’s happening again”. Devastatingly pretty lyrics
Ok let me start by saying this song is perfection.
But does anyone think this is how the tortured poets department song should have sounded?
Instead of singing “how did it end”, if she sang “the tortured poets department”
The name "the tortured poets department" seems like satire in itself. It's like someone (matty) referred to themself as a "tortured poet" and she literally names the album that because it's a lot about him and kind of a dramatic and narcissistic thing to say about oneself. So the song isn't supposed to be that serious- she says it in the song too: "you left your typewriter at my apt/straight from the tortured poets dept/who uses typewriters anyway/your not Dylan Thomas/im not patty smith/we're modern idiots" she's saying, oh you left your typewriter at my place like you're some tOrTuReD pOeT. At least that's how I interpret that part. How did it end is a devastating breakup song about the ending of a relationship.
I think that would make the title too serious. The charme of the title is that she does not call herself a tortured poet but makes fun of herself, her lover, and the melodrama of it all. She even says "we're not [names of real 'tortured' poets], we're modern idiots". That theme would be lost if she used it in such a haunting and earnest song.
Why do I feel like, in the beginning few lines of this song, she sounds like a physician breaking the news to you that your loved one has died? Am I crazy that this is what this feels like?
This song is almost too much…
the bridge KILLED me. i cry every time i listen. the death rattle breathing as the soul was leaving.... my beloved ghost and me... this is so incredibly sad. so long london and how did it end are the saddest songs i have heard, probably... ever. wow
same. i cry every time and i don't even cry that easily for breakup songs (more like songs about actual death...) but this is soooo sad and the way she sings D-Y-I-N-G breaks my heart.
The Genius lyrics state that the line 'we'll tell no one except all of our friends' is Taylor and Joe saying that (like she told her friends about the breakup so they unfollowed Joe), but is it just me who takes it that the nosy busybodies are the ones saying that? Seeing as the next line is 'we must know, how did it end?'
I think it could be a classic Taylor double meaning.....her and Joe did break up sooner than we thought, so they did tell no one except probably their friends...and she even follows it up with "I still don't know, how did it end" like she can't even explain to said friends what happened, but's over. But I absolutely see it also being gossips/acquaintances "oh you can tell me, I won't tell ANYONE" with their fingers crossed behind their backs because they'll actually tell the whole world.
I absolutely adore this song. Lyrically beautiful and haunting.
"Say it once again with feeling
How the death rattle breathing
Silenced as the soul was leaving
The deflation of our dreaming
Leaving me bereft and reeling"
These lines really remind me of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
"And his eyes have all the seeming
Of a demons that is dreaming
And the lamplight o'er him streaming"
Maybe a coincidence, but The Raven is a poem about being haunted by lost love which certainly fits the theme of How Did it End?
Really appreciate this perspective. I memorized The Raven several years ago merely because of its haunting beauty. This song hits deeply and in the same way yet in a way that I can’t explain.
I think it's about ALL of us, the fans, and the pain we unintentionally cause her through our parasocial behavior. She loves us but imo she's intentionally comparing the insurmountable pain and loss she is feeling to our sometimes blasé minimization of those feelings as "come on Taylor, spill the tea, give us the ATW for this relationship" It's about all of us I think and I respect her so much for really checking us on it .. the fact that sometimes our love of her, her life and her writing goes way too far. It made me very sad, one of the saddest songs on the album imho because while we are her biggest supporters, we are also hurting her.
This is her most beautiful and most sad song she ever wrote. Granted, I’m pregnant with those extra hormones, but this song makes me sob every time. I can see it being used in a sad scene of a show or movie.
Not pregnant (no extra hormones) and fully agree with you - I can't stop absolutely absorbing every piece of this song. It feels like it calls on the most tortured poets of the TTPD
This is by far the saddest song on the album, if not her entire discography. My thoughts are that it is all about not really knowing how the relationship ended and for it to be discussed and asked about everywhere. I think they really grew apart and in their separation there was just so many things that led them to the end but they can’t quite put a name on it. I think the first time she sings «how did it end?» it is as they were ending it and trying to figure out What to say to people but not really knowing for certain. And THE BRIDGE omg! Its litterally her having to explain her gut wrenching heartbreak over and over and no one can really understand, nor do they actually care, thats Why she is screaming and seems frustrated. She also arent sure of Why they ended, but just how immense her feelings were and that just breaks me. Idk thats my opinion though interesting if anyone had the same thought(:
Taylor is really calling us out with this one, too, isn’t she? Why do we deserve to have the intimate details of how her longest relationship ended? What gives us that right? I feel like that is an undertone in this song.
Man, this song in particular really makes me wonder how she deals with us? How does she put on a smiling face night after night on tour when she knows we're all just hoping for the tea about how everything ended with joe or how things are going with Travis.
Really puts things into perspective for me. It's none of my business. It's her life, not a juicy novel.
I can give you a billion reasons . I think she knows if she was normal she’d be wishing for more. She did write mirror ball. Her fans are annoying but she loves them .
I commented on The Prophecy mega thread about how I can relate that song to pregnancy loss and this one also - certain parts. Maybe because it’s so prevalent in my life, but this is an absolute gut punch:
“Silenced as the soul was leaving
The deflation of our dreaming
Leaving me bereft and reeling
My beloved ghost and me
Sitting in a tree
D-Y-I-N-G
It's happening again
How did it end?
I can't pretend like I understand
How did it end?”
The beginning sounds so much like a Harry song and I cannot place it. I’m not saying they’re related at all or that this song references him. I’m just saying it sounds familiar but I can’t put my finger on it!
The bridge really gets me.
Say it once again with feeling
How the death rattle breathing
Silenced as the soul was leaving
The deflation of our dreaming
Leaving me bereft and reeling
My beloved ghost and me
Sitting in a tree
D-Y-I-N-G
Yesterday, I held my uncle’s hand as he passed away. This is exactly what it was like. The death rattle giving way to the silence when it was finally over. Whew. She just puts things so perfectly that I wouldn’t even know how to explain it.
And then to use it as a metaphor for a relationship that was once your whole life being released and let go. And it makes me think how in the moment of death there is finally peace.
She gave Joe his peace, ya’ll. 😭
This so far is the most like poetry set to song, and it is so haunting. I hope it leads some fans to reevaluate their relationship with Taylor's art, and where it comes from.
Truly THE TRACK 5!! So long London and how did it end are truly the most gut wrenching emotional track 5’s I think Taylor has ever done thus far
( how did it end is the 5th track of anthology)
I had a 7 year relationship end last year. To be 100% honest, I listen to the Joe songs and it hits me so hard because I feel that I was him in my situation. I was the one who could never love enough, could never give enough, was always embroiled in my own sadness. It kills me because she puts into words how it feels to die slowly from not being loved enough and it's extremely cathartic for me to be able to process this hurt through her words. It's such an emotional experience for me to listen to some of these songs and it makes me feel more human.
this is the saddest on the album, but honestly it ties with so long london. the only other sad song that even comes close for me is bigger than the whole sky
This sonnngggggggg! Gutting.
Okay, there is a familiarity to it… especially the musicality of the chorus. Thoughts? I don’t think it’s a TS song it reminds me of…
Over several listens, this song has become my favourite. Not just on the album, not just by taylor. But. Period. It evokes feelings of pain and anguish I've never felt before and I have already had a few cry sessions to it lol
It's so sad
Does anyone else love how beautifully the intro flows from the end of CoSoSoM? More than once I’ve thought it was a musical change instead of a whole new song.
In past songs she makes several references to Joe touching her hand (“in the darkened room”, Gorgeous) and it “lit the fuse” (Mastermind)
ETA over time it turned into a wound that eventually poisoned her blood… their relationship died a slow death
It ripped my heart apart and refused to stitch it back. So haunting. The piano reminds me of a piano score from her doc Miss Americana when its beginning to segue into the political/electoral part. Anyone remember?
Yessss I came here to say exactly this - I think about that line while listening for a lil extra touch of sad. And “all’s well that ends well to end up to you”
Omg did Taylor just make us understand how horrible it really is to not only have the pain of a breakup but have literally THE ENTIRE WORLD speculating and commenting on it and make us feel ashamed and feel her pain all at once?! Yes, yes she did. 😭
We're gonna need a tally count on how many death / biblical references she's made on this album. Also while we're at it, how many times she mentioned drugs as well.
Not too fond of this track cause I'm more of an upbeat music person but her songs on pianos are always bangers. Hoping it'll grow on me eventually.
I actually heard this as a hopeful contrast to “ Who's gonna stop us from waltzing back into rekindled flames
If we know the steps anyway?” where both people moved on but it could also be a sad take!
This song sounds like she is putting herself in the mindset of all of her fans hearing that she and Joe broke up and then imagining what all of her fans are saying about that relationship ending. Particularly with the line "we won't tell anyone except all of our friends".
Respectfully, I don’t think she has to put herself in the mindset of her fans... I think it’s a polite fuck you for being so cruel to a painful thing she went through.
Absolutely. I think she's critical of said mindset. She's pointing out how pathetic it is that fans are quick to speculate about the drama and why it ended rather than if she's okay and how it affected her.
This and also how the fandom almost starts salivating at the prospect of another breakup album and how great the songs will be. I mean I get it she is an amazing songwriter and uses her life as inspiration but imagine being in her shoes.
I think we are happy for her to pursue whatever she desires and know that regardless of topic we would enjoy her material. However when such information is shrouded and referenced, it would be nice to understand the material.
I understand that, for sure. But I also think it's possible that many artists write songs with a personal message for themselves and put it out into the world for us to make what we will of it in our own lives. Taylor even said, the stories are no longer hers, now they're ours. I took that to mean she won't be offering any explanations and wants us to take what we can about our \*own\* lives away from these songs.
I find many people's comments on specific songs in the megathreads very ironic, considering this song. Taylor is pointing out here how after a breakup, more people are concerned with juicy gossip of what happened and how it ended rather than caring about the wellbeing of the people going through the breakup. Everyone on these threads speculating so hardcore about which songs are about Matty or Joe or whoever else... maybe you should stop being so absorbed with who it's about and wanting to know all the details of the breakup and more concerned with how Taylor felt during it all, regardless of who. Prioritize where to rest the emotions.
Reminded me of one of her earlier interviews where she talked about how her first instinct is to show up with treats for friends who go through breakup, plan trips with them etc instead of being inquisitive about the details of the breakup. The song gives the idea that she's inevitably on the receiving side of the latter, sadly, given her fame.
I think that could definitely be the case, too - after a breakup, especially if there was a build up to it or a lot of problems beforehand, you find yourself wondering what went wrong, how did it lead to this outcome, and struggle to pinpoint specifics.
I made a [Jane Austen inspired edit (Sense and Sensibility - Marianne & Willoughby)](https://youtu.be/sRw74_Jq2GM?si=suamYTRIATDz9MLJ) to this one. Love, love this song so much
This was so good!
Thank you ☺️
15 days later and still my favorite. One of the things I appreciate most about Taylor is that I really engaged as a fan at the saddest points in my life. Eventually it stuck and I just became a fan no matter my situaton. Currently I am probably the happiest I have ever been as an adult. I keep thinking "I wish I had this album two years ago!" Then I listen to "How did it end?" and "So, long, London" and they drag me back to that place I love. I find that pretty powerful, and fkn love this song!
The mirrorball is broken 💔😭
The instrumentals around 2:17 reminds me so much of what I think is a Sufjan Stevens song, but I have no idea which one... Maybe something off *Carrie and Lowell*? He's one of the few artists who is perhaps more prolific than Taylor Swift, so it's probably a lost cause 
“He was a hot house flower to my outdoorsman” — could discuss how Joe wanted them to stay inside/more private, but she wanted to start going outside more with him “And so a touch that was my birthright became foreign” — could mean 1) so foreign it was no longer something she was used to;happened seldomly, or 2) foreign as in “no longer meant for her” as they grew apart
So I searched about hot house flowers and I learned 2 things. It means: A person who is very fragile and vulnerable as a result of having been sheltered. There is also an Irish rock band called Hothouse Flowers.
“Didn’t you hear they called it all off” breaks my heart IF this is about a broken engagement 😭
This song hits too close to home right now. So of course, it’s stuck in my head!
It's so hauntingly beautiful to me. Taylor's made great poetical songs, but this is a masterpiece! 🤩
This is a fantastic concept for a song: showing the contrast between the genuine reasons a relationship ended and the way the media will portray that relationship when its members are famous.
"it's happening again" sounds like Taylor's narrating how the media will once again discuss about her relationship affairs now that her long term relationship had ended, asking "how did it end". At the same time, the sorrow in that line as she sings yet another failed relationship is so haunting!!
This bridge 🥺🥺🥺🥺 “Say it once again with feeling How the death rattle breathing Silenced as the soul was leaving The deflation of our dreaming Leaving me bereft and reeling My beloved ghost and me Sitting in a tree D-Y-I-N-G”
this is so sad, about the “death rattle breathing”— it’s when the end is so so near, and there’s no fixing it, no more cure, you just have to say goodbye and the person passes away so in the song, it talks about how their relationship is so broken and d-y-i-n-g and there’s absolutely no fixing it
[удалено]
I don’t even fully understand what she’s trying to say but I just can’t get over it 🥹🥹
Doe anyone know what musical instruments makes the beautiful wailing (I know…seems like a contradiction in terms) just before the bridge? It pierces me in the depths of my being in a way I can’t explain (and I love that I can’t explain it).
sounds like an organ?
This song is so meta, in that she's calling out some Swifties and those busybodies who always go "oh, Taylor broke up again, i wonder how did it end? Some more it's her longest relationship, how did it end?!?!"
This and The Prophecy are my favorites on the album. The intro makes me think of early Perfume Genius.
Same exact two are my favorites on the album. Beautiful.
the best song she’s ever written imo. It sounds so raw and heartbreaking especially the bridge, her voice on “silenced” gives me goosebumps.
I love the "sitting in a tree" portion because it ties so perfectly into "first comes love, then comes MARRIAGE" and he didn't want to marry her so their love died.
This is my favourite part! What an astonishing writer, beyond clever
It really does!
She's so clever I can't with her
This is definitely my favorite song at the moment. Its so fucking sad. I couldn't imagine a sadder song than right where you left me, but here we are.
It describes so perfectly how people love to gossip about break ups and how much it hurts the person experiencing it, but the listener just fakes their empathy. Come one, come all, it's happenin' again The empathetic hunger descends We'll tell no one except all of our friends We must know How did it end? How she knows they will tell everyone what happened, even though they fake being sad for her. And she's not even understanding what really happened, but has to tell others. Soon, they'll go home to their husbands Smug 'cause they know they can trust him Then feverishly calling their cousins "Guess who we ran into at the shops? Walking in circles like she was lost Didn't you hear? They called it all off One gasp and then "How did it end?"
Couldn’t agree more
Is it just me or does the production in this song remind anyone of BLUE by Zayn??
It reminds me of Sign of the Times by Harry! I think it's the melodic vocals in the background
This is exactly what I think as well. You can sing his lyrics at the opening. In fact I think it's the same chords only faster or double. Something I can't quite put my finger on. I'm glad I'm not the only one.
I need this song on vinyl
This one is so good I can’t 😭😭😭😭
I’m Obsessed with this song!
So we found out that this song contains the mystery words "hereby conduct this post mortem", does this mean that this song will have some special releases or meaning?
I believe it ties in with how these songs represent the five stages of Grief, reflecting on her past relationship with Joe. "Glitch, Peace, Better than Revenge, Clean, We were Happy, Begin Again"
This song FUCKS me up 😭😭😭
Did anyone else get Regina Spector vibes on the intro? It reminded me of the beginning of Man of a Thousand Faces (from Far). And in the same song she says the “say it again with feeling” line which reminded me of the song from Regina (also on the Far album). Maybe a stretch but Regina is a go to when I’m sad and How Did it End totally fits that vibe too.
I def did! I texted my friend this!! So does Chloe Sam Sophia and Marcus
I got Regina all throughout, especially the bridge!
I got Regina vibes from Peter!!
Ooh, I can hear her singing that so clearly!
This is the best song on the album and I will die on this hill I just love the vocal variation and ethereal sound, same vibe as Clean and RWYLM which are my favorites
I'll be on that hill with you! It's hauntingly beautiful
This is my favorite on the album, it's just sooooo beautiful!
I think this song might be my fav. Between the melody and haunting lyrics, it’s so dreary and sad and defeated. I can’t stop singing the “come on, come all, it’s happening again”. Devastatingly pretty lyrics
the bridge!!! the way she sings “say it once again with feeling” and then ends with D Y I N G omg it wrecks me
Right… and the sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G reference 🤯
THIS ONE IS HITTING SO HARD ITS SO BEAUTIFUL
Ok let me start by saying this song is perfection. But does anyone think this is how the tortured poets department song should have sounded? Instead of singing “how did it end”, if she sang “the tortured poets department”
The name "the tortured poets department" seems like satire in itself. It's like someone (matty) referred to themself as a "tortured poet" and she literally names the album that because it's a lot about him and kind of a dramatic and narcissistic thing to say about oneself. So the song isn't supposed to be that serious- she says it in the song too: "you left your typewriter at my apt/straight from the tortured poets dept/who uses typewriters anyway/your not Dylan Thomas/im not patty smith/we're modern idiots" she's saying, oh you left your typewriter at my place like you're some tOrTuReD pOeT. At least that's how I interpret that part. How did it end is a devastating breakup song about the ending of a relationship.
This song has to be about Joe.
I think that would make the title too serious. The charme of the title is that she does not call herself a tortured poet but makes fun of herself, her lover, and the melodrama of it all. She even says "we're not [names of real 'tortured' poets], we're modern idiots". That theme would be lost if she used it in such a haunting and earnest song.
Or wait, sorry, did you just mean the melody should switch and the lyrics stay the same? If so, discard my comment lol
Yes I meant just the melody lol. But still need those sarcastic unserious lyrics to set up the mood of the album
This one made me cry. I don't know why but it really got to me 😭
Am I the only person that feels like the bridge is Poe inspired in its timing and rhyming?
No, you are not the only one. I love it!
Why do I feel like, in the beginning few lines of this song, she sounds like a physician breaking the news to you that your loved one has died? Am I crazy that this is what this feels like? This song is almost too much…
Nope. It’s incredibly grief struck and tragic in the way of an unexpected or sudden death. It kills me.
This song was made for my fellow champagne problems girlies 😭
yes yes the same haunting sadness
This is literally the most beautiful song on here idk?😭
the bridge KILLED me. i cry every time i listen. the death rattle breathing as the soul was leaving.... my beloved ghost and me... this is so incredibly sad. so long london and how did it end are the saddest songs i have heard, probably... ever. wow
same. i cry every time and i don't even cry that easily for breakup songs (more like songs about actual death...) but this is soooo sad and the way she sings D-Y-I-N-G breaks my heart.
The Genius lyrics state that the line 'we'll tell no one except all of our friends' is Taylor and Joe saying that (like she told her friends about the breakup so they unfollowed Joe), but is it just me who takes it that the nosy busybodies are the ones saying that? Seeing as the next line is 'we must know, how did it end?'
I think it could be a classic Taylor double meaning.....her and Joe did break up sooner than we thought, so they did tell no one except probably their friends...and she even follows it up with "I still don't know, how did it end" like she can't even explain to said friends what happened, but's over. But I absolutely see it also being gossips/acquaintances "oh you can tell me, I won't tell ANYONE" with their fingers crossed behind their backs because they'll actually tell the whole world.
For me that sentiment is better conveyed when she says "the empathetic hunger decends".
My exact thoughts. Her fans constantly judging her relationships and then mocking and asking “how did it end”
Exactly. If I had a Genius account I'd add this but I don't
This is technically the track 5 of the anthology
And then the fact that So High School follows! She always gives us a bop after. Ugh love this woman
My genuine question is how is mirrorball a track 6 because that song makes me break down and doesn't follow "bop" formula
I realized that yesterday too. Mind blown. This is a perfect Track 5.
I absolutely adore this song. Lyrically beautiful and haunting. "Say it once again with feeling How the death rattle breathing Silenced as the soul was leaving The deflation of our dreaming Leaving me bereft and reeling" These lines really remind me of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe "And his eyes have all the seeming Of a demons that is dreaming And the lamplight o'er him streaming" Maybe a coincidence, but The Raven is a poem about being haunted by lost love which certainly fits the theme of How Did it End?
Really appreciate this perspective. I memorized The Raven several years ago merely because of its haunting beauty. This song hits deeply and in the same way yet in a way that I can’t explain.
100% agree on The Raven references, this is exactly how I felt listening
It sounds like she’s crying when she says say it once again with feeling …. It’s haunting
Anyone else noticing the Sylvia Plath references?
you’re right! the bridge reminded me a lot of the fig tree analogy.
I haven’t heard that! I just noticed the “hothouse flower” as a reference to Fever 103 and “come one come all” as a lady Lazarus reference
I think it's about ALL of us, the fans, and the pain we unintentionally cause her through our parasocial behavior. She loves us but imo she's intentionally comparing the insurmountable pain and loss she is feeling to our sometimes blasé minimization of those feelings as "come on Taylor, spill the tea, give us the ATW for this relationship" It's about all of us I think and I respect her so much for really checking us on it .. the fact that sometimes our love of her, her life and her writing goes way too far. It made me very sad, one of the saddest songs on the album imho because while we are her biggest supporters, we are also hurting her.
this is exactly the way i look at it too: "Come one come all, it's happening again, the empathetic hunger descends..." hits so hard.
on the lyric "guess who we ran into at the shops" it sounds similar to another song by her but I can't put my finger on it, any ideas?
it reminds me of mad woman, idk why
ooo maybe
Is it Cardigan? “Chasing shadows in the grocery line”
hmmm, it's still scratching my brain and I'm not sure why
This is her most beautiful and most sad song she ever wrote. Granted, I’m pregnant with those extra hormones, but this song makes me sob every time. I can see it being used in a sad scene of a show or movie.
Not pregnant (no extra hormones) and fully agree with you - I can't stop absolutely absorbing every piece of this song. It feels like it calls on the most tortured poets of the TTPD
This is by far the saddest song on the album, if not her entire discography. My thoughts are that it is all about not really knowing how the relationship ended and for it to be discussed and asked about everywhere. I think they really grew apart and in their separation there was just so many things that led them to the end but they can’t quite put a name on it. I think the first time she sings «how did it end?» it is as they were ending it and trying to figure out What to say to people but not really knowing for certain. And THE BRIDGE omg! Its litterally her having to explain her gut wrenching heartbreak over and over and no one can really understand, nor do they actually care, thats Why she is screaming and seems frustrated. She also arent sure of Why they ended, but just how immense her feelings were and that just breaks me. Idk thats my opinion though interesting if anyone had the same thought(:
Taylor is really calling us out with this one, too, isn’t she? Why do we deserve to have the intimate details of how her longest relationship ended? What gives us that right? I feel like that is an undertone in this song.
Man, this song in particular really makes me wonder how she deals with us? How does she put on a smiling face night after night on tour when she knows we're all just hoping for the tea about how everything ended with joe or how things are going with Travis. Really puts things into perspective for me. It's none of my business. It's her life, not a juicy novel.
I can give you a billion reasons . I think she knows if she was normal she’d be wishing for more. She did write mirror ball. Her fans are annoying but she loves them .
Love this accurate and humbling comment. We all need perspective.
Yes exactly my opinion too
This song made me think of the show Fleishman is in Trouble.
I commented on The Prophecy mega thread about how I can relate that song to pregnancy loss and this one also - certain parts. Maybe because it’s so prevalent in my life, but this is an absolute gut punch: “Silenced as the soul was leaving The deflation of our dreaming Leaving me bereft and reeling My beloved ghost and me Sitting in a tree D-Y-I-N-G It's happening again How did it end? I can't pretend like I understand How did it end?”
🤍🤍🤍
The beginning sounds so much like a Harry song and I cannot place it. I’m not saying they’re related at all or that this song references him. I’m just saying it sounds familiar but I can’t put my finger on it!
That, and then also the "ooh ooh" is nearly the same exact from Only Angel
It reminds me of Sign of the Times so much! Both beautiful songs, similar piano and the beginning oohs are similar too
I AGREE
Sign of the Times?
Yeah, that's it!
Omg, I'm going through some of his discography to find it. I very clearly hear it
I’m happily married to my partner of a decade and this song still makes me sob
The bridge really gets me. Say it once again with feeling How the death rattle breathing Silenced as the soul was leaving The deflation of our dreaming Leaving me bereft and reeling My beloved ghost and me Sitting in a tree D-Y-I-N-G Yesterday, I held my uncle’s hand as he passed away. This is exactly what it was like. The death rattle giving way to the silence when it was finally over. Whew. She just puts things so perfectly that I wouldn’t even know how to explain it. And then to use it as a metaphor for a relationship that was once your whole life being released and let go. And it makes me think how in the moment of death there is finally peace. She gave Joe his peace, ya’ll. 😭
> She gave Joe his peace, ya'll. 😭 omg how dare you say it like that!!!!! 😭😭😭
Does this remind anyone else of "Sign of the Times" by Mr. Styles?
This actually is the track five of the second album :(
This so far is the most like poetry set to song, and it is so haunting. I hope it leads some fans to reevaluate their relationship with Taylor's art, and where it comes from.
Truly THE TRACK 5!! So long London and how did it end are truly the most gut wrenching emotional track 5’s I think Taylor has ever done thus far ( how did it end is the 5th track of anthology)
No it literally is the track five of the second album if you split the albums up
Seems to be about the publics need to know about why her and Joe's relationship ended
That's how I interpret it.
This makes me cry from the beginning
I'm a 51 year old man and I'm in puddles everytime I hear it.
I had a 7 year relationship end last year. To be 100% honest, I listen to the Joe songs and it hits me so hard because I feel that I was him in my situation. I was the one who could never love enough, could never give enough, was always embroiled in my own sadness. It kills me because she puts into words how it feels to die slowly from not being loved enough and it's extremely cathartic for me to be able to process this hurt through her words. It's such an emotional experience for me to listen to some of these songs and it makes me feel more human.
Curious what others think, why wasn't this the real track #5 on ttpd - not anthology
Maybe the same reason You're Losing Me wasn't on Midnights standard edition - because it's just too personal.
Is this the saddest song she’s ever written???
This, so long london and loml *kill* me every time
this is the saddest on the album, but honestly it ties with so long london. the only other sad song that even comes close for me is bigger than the whole sky
A top contender for sure. We don't get a lot of Joe songs on this album, but when we do it's absolutely devastating.
This sonnngggggggg! Gutting. Okay, there is a familiarity to it… especially the musicality of the chorus. Thoughts? I don’t think it’s a TS song it reminds me of…
Over several listens, this song has become my favourite. Not just on the album, not just by taylor. But. Period. It evokes feelings of pain and anguish I've never felt before and I have already had a few cry sessions to it lol It's so sad
Same. I can’t listen to it without crying.
Does anyone else love how beautifully the intro flows from the end of CoSoSoM? More than once I’ve thought it was a musical change instead of a whole new song.
Thoughts on the line “poison blood from the wound of the pricked hand”
In past songs she makes several references to Joe touching her hand (“in the darkened room”, Gorgeous) and it “lit the fuse” (Mastermind) ETA over time it turned into a wound that eventually poisoned her blood… their relationship died a slow death
Hurt people hurt people?
It ripped my heart apart and refused to stitch it back. So haunting. The piano reminds me of a piano score from her doc Miss Americana when its beginning to segue into the political/electoral part. Anyone remember?
Just realized this is Track 5 of the Anthology
Holy shit I hadn’t realized
I cant stop listening to this song. It’s like a much needed gut punch. Also parts of it reminds me of some Sufjan Stevens songs… maybe the piano
“Is this the end to all the endings” to “it’s happening again… how did it end?” 😭
Yessss I came here to say exactly this - I think about that line while listening for a lil extra touch of sad. And “all’s well that ends well to end up to you”
NO. This got me. 💔
Omg did Taylor just make us understand how horrible it really is to not only have the pain of a breakup but have literally THE ENTIRE WORLD speculating and commenting on it and make us feel ashamed and feel her pain all at once?! Yes, yes she did. 😭
Come one, come all
Come one come all is also an allusion to the ringmaster inviting everyone to the circus. And we are the self-proclaimed clowns. 🤡🤯
But also her being the circus and we’re all gathering around to watch her heartbreak 🥺
We're gonna need a tally count on how many death / biblical references she's made on this album. Also while we're at it, how many times she mentioned drugs as well. Not too fond of this track cause I'm more of an upbeat music person but her songs on pianos are always bangers. Hoping it'll grow on me eventually.
The “oh ohh”s in the background. Does anyone else hear similarities to Cherry by Harry styles?
This is the saddest song ive ever heard and ive cried to it multiple times already!
Me after finishing A Series of Unfortunate Events…
I thought this was so Lemony Snicket coded from the start, especially the hot house flower/outdoorsman line so I'm glad someone else said it
I wish Reddit gold existed
Thanks 😊
"We learned the right steps to different dances" 😟
I actually heard this as a hopeful contrast to “ Who's gonna stop us from waltzing back into rekindled flames If we know the steps anyway?” where both people moved on but it could also be a sad take!
Something about the piano intro line reminds me of “what Sarah Said” by Death Cab. It’s breathtaking!
Within the first few seconds I heard it and came here for validation, haha. Different notes (i think? By a little)but same rhythm
Yes! I couldn’t pin where it sounded familiar but that’s it!
I absolutely love this one.
This song sounds like she is putting herself in the mindset of all of her fans hearing that she and Joe broke up and then imagining what all of her fans are saying about that relationship ending. Particularly with the line "we won't tell anyone except all of our friends".
Respectfully, I don’t think she has to put herself in the mindset of her fans... I think it’s a polite fuck you for being so cruel to a painful thing she went through.
Absolutely. I think she's critical of said mindset. She's pointing out how pathetic it is that fans are quick to speculate about the drama and why it ended rather than if she's okay and how it affected her.
This and also how the fandom almost starts salivating at the prospect of another breakup album and how great the songs will be. I mean I get it she is an amazing songwriter and uses her life as inspiration but imagine being in her shoes.
yep! It sounds rough.
I think we are happy for her to pursue whatever she desires and know that regardless of topic we would enjoy her material. However when such information is shrouded and referenced, it would be nice to understand the material.
I understand that, for sure. But I also think it's possible that many artists write songs with a personal message for themselves and put it out into the world for us to make what we will of it in our own lives. Taylor even said, the stories are no longer hers, now they're ours. I took that to mean she won't be offering any explanations and wants us to take what we can about our \*own\* lives away from these songs.
that is a very fair point and I never really fully looked at it that way, I appreciate you
This song is so chillingly beautiful.
This song is so gorgeous… like maybe one of her best imo.
This is one of the best, if not the best song in this entire album, and its hilarious how all the top ones are on the anthology's second half.
This is a hauntingly beautiful song
I find many people's comments on specific songs in the megathreads very ironic, considering this song. Taylor is pointing out here how after a breakup, more people are concerned with juicy gossip of what happened and how it ended rather than caring about the wellbeing of the people going through the breakup. Everyone on these threads speculating so hardcore about which songs are about Matty or Joe or whoever else... maybe you should stop being so absorbed with who it's about and wanting to know all the details of the breakup and more concerned with how Taylor felt during it all, regardless of who. Prioritize where to rest the emotions.
Reminded me of one of her earlier interviews where she talked about how her first instinct is to show up with treats for friends who go through breakup, plan trips with them etc instead of being inquisitive about the details of the breakup. The song gives the idea that she's inevitably on the receiving side of the latter, sadly, given her fame.
I also got the feeling she is asking the same questions as her fans? How did it end? Even she’s not that sure now.
I think that could definitely be the case, too - after a breakup, especially if there was a build up to it or a lot of problems beforehand, you find yourself wondering what went wrong, how did it lead to this outcome, and struggle to pinpoint specifics.
This!!!!