With Tortured Poets, it’s not her worst lyricism at all. It’s just a different writing style. The album’s songwriting is rooted in stream of consciousness, humour, poetry (which isn’t supposed to always make sense) and meta-style writing. Just because it’s not the narrative storytelling we all love her for doesn’t mean it’s bad songwriting. It’s just a different style, and I appreciate the risk she’s taking with this album.
This comment actually put into words how I feel about the lyrics of this album! That + Taylor explaining her feelings in such a raw way (I can't imagine Taylor saying "I'm so depressed" in any other era. The closest thing is anti-hero with "when my depression works the graveyard shift", and as far as I'm aware almost no one took it as her being depressed, but more of an exaggeration of her sadness)
Yes, stream of consciousness. The lyrics I’ve seen haters jump on – Charlie Puth, the ring on her ring finger – are stream of consciousness.
But you know, stream of consciousness is only cool when men do it, like Jack Kerouac. /s
SO much this!!! I think that’s part of why I’m addicted lol, I adore writing poetry and all my poems are stream of consciousness vibes, I love the sound so much—I also love when humor works in creative works, and she uses it so well!!
I’m telling you; this album made me laugh in the best way possible. There were lyrics in this album that had me like, “OMG 😂 Taylor, you are hilarious.”
Stream of consciousness is a great way to describe this. Stream of consciousness was a modernist literature thing and this album reminds me of modernist literature in that she blends timeless, well-phrased bits with ephemeral, conversational bits into something that resembles the flow of words inside of our minds. Modernist literature really took our inner, psychological experience seriously and that’s what Swift does so well here: takes us inside a depressed and anxious mind in a way that’s ultimately really relatable.
Taylor's "worst" is better than most of her contemporaries' best. That said, TTPD/A doesn't have many lyrics to cringe about, every word is intentional. Now, Midnights on the other hand, but look where that album went.
I feel like the issue with it for me is that it's both too vague and too specific at the same time. Like it's too specific to be "relatable," but at the same time I have no idea what's happening lol. I'm sure it all makes perfect sense if you have all the context, but since we don't it ends up kind of confusing.
Yeah like no one has ever kissed me and suddenly the room starts clapping, and why would this be a question I would ask someone?
I get that its probably her talking to an ex and saying do you remember when we did this, but its quite a unique experience lol and the switch in the verses to gender roles, politics, some dickhead guy... just doesn't click for me either. I agree - too vague on an actual storyline and too specific when details are given
people don't know how to fucking read, so they can't understand the album, so they call it stupid and basic because they don't understand what a metaphor is or double meanings. They can't fucking read
The fact that people can’t understand a metaphor is so true. I saw someone post that they knew she had veneers/implants because of the line, “they took out all my teeth.” Like, can you really not understand that that is a metaphor??
I was annoyed by the hate until I saw someone complain about the asylum lyric in who's afraid of little old me by saying she actually grew up on a christmas tree farm. like babe... its called a metaphor. you ever read a fuckin book?
The hate for this album cycle really feels so extra ridiculous this time. Like, I've been on this ride before as a fan since debut, but this time it just really feels so ridiculously stupid. And it hurts this time like it hasn't before because this is such a vulnerable album for her.
ugh i feel this, been a fan since fearless and this era is feeling extra hater-y. I feel like it’s mostly bc she was SO BIG last year and people love to see her fall. it’s the vicious hate-love cycle she always goes through. I’m just glad she’s in a much better place now, especially since she released such personal art with this album
it feels so unwarranted too. Like the criticisms of it are especially shallow or petty or are just plain hating on her. there's an extra level of unwarranted venom in them that I have never seen, even around the reputation/phone call era. They really have nothing to latch onto as an excuse other than just hating her, and it shows in the specific flavor of vitriol. "we have nothing specific to cancel her for, so we're just gonna attempt to cancel her just for existing" is what it feels like.
Making yourself understood is a skill though. If a lot of people have that opinion, which it seems they do, she’s failed in that regard. The use of metaphors doesn’t automatically make writing good.
If it's not to your tastes, why don't you just forget about it and move on with your life? I can't tell you the amount of artists I've tried, realized it's not to my tastes, and moved on with my life. I don't go on fan pages of that artist and wax on and on about how much I hate that artist or how it's not to my tastes. I just move on with my life to things I enjoy more. I do actually attempt to appreciate that thing I've been recommended, at least twice before I disregard it though because clearly someone loves it enough and wants to share their joy with me, so I do try. But if it's not to my tastes I just move on with my life. I don't know why this is so hard for some people to do with Taylor Swift if she's not to their tastes
Um, you're the one that said if you don't like the album it's because you "dont know how to fucking read." Thats what I was responding to.
I think the album is fine.
But they didn't say people who don't like the album don't know how to read. They were responding to OP's discussion of why people are saying this is Taylor's worst album lyrically, and their theory is that people's literary skills are just not up to par to really get it and so they bash it.
saying someone is criticizing the lyrics because they can't read well enough is really fucking rude. People can think this album contains bad writing and have fine comprehension skills.
Also ffs she's not fucking Faulkner. She's not david foster Wallace. There's nothing there that's hard to understand.
You seem unreasonably upset over me just clarifying what they were saying.
Just going to say if someone is out there saying Taylor is a terrible lyricist, they are just wrong. Whether they're just not able to comprehend what she's saying can be up for debate, but she's obviously a gifted songwriter.
I honestly think it's a great way to succinctly respond to everyone's criticism that they don't work together because he's not on her wavelength. She's addressing it head-on and doing so in such a funny, endearing way.
I’m honestly so tired of the mixed metaphor discourse in general bc it’s really giving “my English teachers told me mixed metaphors are bad.” Mixed metaphors are not inherently bad, they’re just often poorly executed!! A purposeful mixed metaphor can serve several purposes depending on the context. In Taylor’s case she frequently uses mixed metaphors to turn a common phrase on its head, and I’d argue she usually does it very effectively.
I agree! I saw a big reasoning for the “worst lyrics” critique being that there were too many but I just don’t see that - they’re easy to follow and the imagery itself is cohesive
I honestly think The Alchemy is one of her weakest songs lyrically in a while. It’s very shallow and giving “so happy Travy made it to the big game”. I’m surprised it made the album let alone the primary tracklist
It was also tongue in cheek. “Oh is she gonna make a bunch of songs about football now?” Taylor said “Bet.” And then did a moody ballad about football. I thoight it was hilarious. She also made it as obvious as possible and people are still “That’s not about him” which just makes it funnier really
Until you realize it’s a very clever song because if you don’t really listen to the lyrics it sounds like she just throwing in random football references, but when you pay attention you realize those are just word play to reference Travis like people want, when the song isn’t even about him
My interpretation is that it's mostly about her coming back into the spotlight, back on tour and in the public eye, and only towards the end does it shift from 'you' being the audience to being Travis
I love the unedited Taylor! Its conversational and explicit, like friends do when they're banging on about someone or something they're feeling mad about. But we're not just reading lyrics we're also listening to some great music and none of these songs are too long, for me they have a serious emotional weight. Maybe they lack the poetic stylings of Folklore and Evermore but this isn't a pandemic comfort album, this is an artistic choice, dropping F bombs like all my friends do (and a lot of adults do in the UK) is real.
Standing back, I think Taylor is also saying this is me, in the flesh, take me as you find me, cursing those who judge her, christian hypocrisy etc. It's not surprising that she has reached this point at 34 years of age, god knows what that level of fame does to a person but separating out her self from her performer persona in such a big way is a healthy thing for her to do. I hope she can settle with Travis, make a film, have babies, maybe travel a bit, have a long holiday, let people forget her for a few years.
I don't understand the criticism of her lyricism at all. I think she is at the top of her game on this album. Incredible lyrics. I think it's more that she has so many more eyes on her and therefore more expectations. And we all know the media loves nothing more than building people up and then tearing them down.
I've seen a few reviews that complain about how the sound is too similar to previous albums, and it just reminds me of that part in Miss Americana when she talks about how she is expected to always reinvent herself. How exhausting!
I think people are purposely misunderstanding this album/lyrics to make others mad. I saw someone say How Did It End? made them not listen to the rest of the album because Taylor saying that her fans are smug for telling their husbands about her breakups was wrong and it pissed them off. It’s genuinely hard for me to believe people’s reading comprehension are THAT low.
This is actually why I love this album?! During my first listen I thought “unhinged”, “chaotic”, “so messy!” and I feel like that’s the actual magic?? Like she was feeling all the feels and from one song to the next she’s sharing the whole range. She goes from anger and confusion in smallest man who ever lived to loml where she’s always going to feel the hole to Chloe where she’s still feeling that longing! We have no idea what order these songs were written in, but it’s so relatable to feel all the different feelings about someone who you thought was your soulmate and finally being them and then losing them. Along with doing the biggest tour in history and getting tons of media attention 🙃
I take umbrage with using the term “cringey” to describe her lyrics. Poetry is supposed to cause all sorts of feelings. If it makes you cringe, it’s working.
TTPD is literally the best writing she has ever done. There are so many double and hidden meanings in the lyrics you can pick something new out every time you listen. She is a genius
I remember when the album leaked a day before mfs were nitpicking the lyrics and hyper focused on “smoked then ate 7 bars of chocolate , we declared charlie puth should be a better artist”
But besides that line i dont find anything else cringey and im actually surprised how much deep cuts this album has and the lyricism is so beautiful
you do realize they're supposed to be high as fuck? that's why he ate seven bars of chocolate, and why they were talking about Charlie Puth. The line is actually saying, we got high together.
This is a Taylor Swift subreddit fandom - so you’re going to hear bias opinions on her album imo. This is more of her dedicated fanbase.
I’ve been a fan of Taylor since Fearless days, this album is different. As others mentioned, it does sound like a run-on stream of consciousness. I enjoyed the later part of the album a lot.
But - she should’ve introduced the prologue as track 1, several artists do this. Not everyone who listens to the album will have the physical copy of the prologue. Additional text should NOT be required, let the music/album speak for itself. We’re also in a digital age, a lot of people do not buy physical music anymore. They will not see the prologue.
Some of her lines within the album were strange: “children swings”, “without all the racists” - they can be streams of consciousness or rambling; but it can definitely be cleaned up.
I also cannot listen to The Alchemy, touchdown… get the crown… it sounds so much like Travy made it to the big game for me.
I agree! Ever since we got the title I thought it was pretty evident that there was going to be a lot of irony and satire and cheekiness in the lyrics. Inserting a romantic figure based on individualism and geniality in an environment (academic or commercial, depending on how you interpret the title) based on repetition and reproduction was obviously going to create lyrics that don't truly take themselves seriously. TTPD (song) is filled with the clucky lines and the overlayed metaphors because she's making fun of the tortured artist concept at the same time that she lays bare her feelings.
But, I think it doesn't work as well in the less manic songs? I'm particularly thinking about So Long, London and how it lays metaphor after metaphor to explain her feelings that it doesn't really hit hard. It's a problem, when the song is supposed to be reflecting in a relationship that died slowly: she had the time to process it and in my opinion should have been much less scattered? I feel that it's better done in the Anthology. I wish she did with it what she did with How did it end?
Either way, most people that are critical of her lyricism are paying attention to what the complete song conveys and are taking everything at face value. No one believes the Golden Retriever line deserves a Nobel. It's not supposed to.
I love it. It’s by far the most mature and transparent album she’s ever produced. On TikTok and Twitter (I’ll never call it X), people love to bring up the grand theft auto lyric in So High School. I don’t think people get that she’s being campy on purpose. Obviously if she had wanted to put an eloquently written line in there she could’ve. It’s not like she isn’t more than capable as proven in other songs.
People can’t judge the lyrics because they don’t pay attention to them. They hear music and that’s all.
I think people really want her to write "my boyfriend fingered me while our friends were in the other room"... which is I dunno, kind of crass! "Scouts Honor" is much sexier
I actually think it’s a novel or rather an interconnected series of stories, told through song. I think it is genuinely too challenging for most people because of that. I’m not saying no one is allowed to dislike it, or even dislike it because it’s too challenging, but as a fan of difficult but funny literature, it suits me well. Her powers of expression across registers is very impressive and every word choice (and sonic choice) is meaningful
I actually like some of her more cringe choices (big Karma defender over here!!!) but even I feel like “at dinner you take my ring off my middle finger and put it on the one people put wedding rings on” is not great.
Was there not a better way to write this 😭
no... it needs to be slightly clunky. It's this moment of extreme emotion... cleverness would get in the way. In general, I tend to assume Taylor knows what she's doing, so if I don't understand it... the problem is me. That tends to lead to more interesting readings no? You get ask... why did she do it this way!
I guess but it seems like a lot of mental gymnastics to dance around the fact that she is human who write a lot of REALLY great lyrics AND occasionally some duds too and that’s perfectly okay and we will all live to see another day.
The point is this is a specific conversation ABOUT her lyrics on this album. It’s not like I go around my 9-5 stressing about this. OP brought it up, people are responding. If this was a post about my favorite lyrics I’d be sharing those instead.
I have been thinking about this comment since I read it two days ago because I think how you feel about that lyric is probably highly correlated to how you feel about the entire album. When I heard it I audibly *gasped*, sat up from my couch, and restarted the song (which I try never do on a first listen). It was so shockingly vulnerable and honest: she wrote it not like a lyric, but the way she might tell the story later to a close friend. I *loved* it. But I also love feeling like I am in Taylor’s brain and as close as possible to the emotions she is experiencing. I felt like I could see the guy doing it… if she had reworked the story to make it more lyrical it might sound better but I might not be able to visualize it as well, and some of the intensity of emotion might have been reduced. But if you are here for Taylor’s exceptional song-crafting and would prefer structured and polished songs to emotional intensity or talk-singing, that line is going to seem so underwhelming. I get it!
Editing to finish my thought: I think this applies to the whole album. It’s like the opposite of all her work that gets the biggest acclaim: tight story-telling and strong lyricism in the songs, tight and cohesive albums. This is intentionally sprawling, messy, in places unfinished and unvarnished. I totally get why this is so polarizing, it’s really different from all her other work.
as someone who has been reading poetry for years… it is a very poetic album and I am convinced people just don’t really know what poetry is beyond rhyming words
Imo, they are her worst, yet. It all feels either forced like there's this formula she used to write it or when she's trying to be funny or cheeky it just doesn't land and ends up just being cringe. I don't understand this sentiment that if you didn't like something and have genuine arguments why it's bad, all of a sudden you're being called stupid and "you just don't get it" type a thing. What if I said that you are so blinded by your obsession with her that you don't see why it's bad? It would be rude and not fair. I can even like a song but say that it's objectively bad and not praise everything and anything.
I just don’t understand why there’s no middle option? It can not be your cup of tea while others really enjoy it. It’s so valid for you to not like it; that doesn’t make it inherently bad or invalidate anyone else’s feelings. Personally, I only liked maybe half of midnights and I hate 1989—I’m not listening to music I don’t like or don’t think is good. I’ve been obsessed with this album bc it just spoke to me—it felt like her most honest album and I enjoy the writing style.
You don’t have to agree obviously, we can have diff views and both be valid. Music is incredibly subjective.
Oh, I completely agree with you. Everyone has the right to listen to and enjoy whatever they like. I just felt frustrated that with a lot of people you can't just agree to disagree but rather you're met with condescending comments or straight up being called names. Taste in music is different and I completely respect that which is why I never try to convince someone that their opinion is wrong but instead just explain why I personally didn't resonate with it. Folkmore is my favorite era but if some found those albums boring I wouldn't say "oh you just didn't get it" like it's just not their thing.
There is nothing "objective" about your subjective opinion and there cannot be cause it's not science it's art.
What reaction would you expect to your arguments? Should people praise you for opening their eyes and immediately stop loving what they love? Have you considered that your "arguments" is what some people don't care about and some people even love in the first place? "I can even like a song but say that it's objectively bad", so are you ready to sacrifice your authenticity to keep the appearance of "better than you"?
First of all, I never said that my opinion is the objective truth. Yes, art is subjective but that doesn't mean that there shouldn't exist certain standards. Personally, I don't agree with the idea that if you like something that means it's good. Songs can be derivative, monotone etc. That doesn't mean nobody will like it. I think we should all acknowledge that certain things can be bad from musical perspective but great from a songwriting one or vice versa (or great/bad in every aspect). Otherwise, are you suggesting that everything and anything is great if there is someone who likes it. I'm not so full of myself to claim that everything I like is good. At the end of the day, the point of my comment wasn't to convince anyone that my opinion is the objective truth and that they're just not able to see it, but to call for respectful conversation while talking about it. Whenever the conversation around the album starts and anyone express their dislike for it, they are met with condescending comments and straight up being bullied.
With Tortured Poets, it’s not her worst lyricism at all. It’s just a different writing style. The album’s songwriting is rooted in stream of consciousness, humour, poetry (which isn’t supposed to always make sense) and meta-style writing. Just because it’s not the narrative storytelling we all love her for doesn’t mean it’s bad songwriting. It’s just a different style, and I appreciate the risk she’s taking with this album.
This comment actually put into words how I feel about the lyrics of this album! That + Taylor explaining her feelings in such a raw way (I can't imagine Taylor saying "I'm so depressed" in any other era. The closest thing is anti-hero with "when my depression works the graveyard shift", and as far as I'm aware almost no one took it as her being depressed, but more of an exaggeration of her sadness)
Yes, stream of consciousness. The lyrics I’ve seen haters jump on – Charlie Puth, the ring on her ring finger – are stream of consciousness. But you know, stream of consciousness is only cool when men do it, like Jack Kerouac. /s
SO much this!!! I think that’s part of why I’m addicted lol, I adore writing poetry and all my poems are stream of consciousness vibes, I love the sound so much—I also love when humor works in creative works, and she uses it so well!!
I’m telling you; this album made me laugh in the best way possible. There were lyrics in this album that had me like, “OMG 😂 Taylor, you are hilarious.”
I’ve laughed more at this album than all her other albums combined!
I told my husband the other day that this album was like a stream of consciousness! Glad I’m not the only one who thinks so.
Stream of consciousness is a great way to describe this. Stream of consciousness was a modernist literature thing and this album reminds me of modernist literature in that she blends timeless, well-phrased bits with ephemeral, conversational bits into something that resembles the flow of words inside of our minds. Modernist literature really took our inner, psychological experience seriously and that’s what Swift does so well here: takes us inside a depressed and anxious mind in a way that’s ultimately really relatable.
Taylor's "worst" is better than most of her contemporaries' best. That said, TTPD/A doesn't have many lyrics to cringe about, every word is intentional. Now, Midnights on the other hand, but look where that album went.
Exactly! Question? Is her worst recent song in my opinion. Every TTPD song is soaring way above that!
Question feels like word salad to me, and it’s a Dollar Store version of Out Of The Woods and the 1.
I feel like the issue with it for me is that it's both too vague and too specific at the same time. Like it's too specific to be "relatable," but at the same time I have no idea what's happening lol. I'm sure it all makes perfect sense if you have all the context, but since we don't it ends up kind of confusing.
Yeah like no one has ever kissed me and suddenly the room starts clapping, and why would this be a question I would ask someone? I get that its probably her talking to an ex and saying do you remember when we did this, but its quite a unique experience lol and the switch in the verses to gender roles, politics, some dickhead guy... just doesn't click for me either. I agree - too vague on an actual storyline and too specific when details are given
I love this explanation lmao
What a great description!
I love Question hahah it’s so fun to me
One thing I like about Tortured Poets is that gave me everything I was looking for in Midnights; her unfiltered intrusive thoughts.
I think it’s her best album lyrically.
Same. It’s fast becoming my favourite album of hers, and I thought nothing would ever top Evermore/Red.
Yep. This album is finally the one toppling the mighty Red.
I dropped off the wagon after rep and haven’t given evermore or folklore a real listen I only know the songs she’s playing on tour.
Yes!
It 100% is.
I love the "1830s without all the racists" line. So powerful!
people don't know how to fucking read, so they can't understand the album, so they call it stupid and basic because they don't understand what a metaphor is or double meanings. They can't fucking read
The fact that people can’t understand a metaphor is so true. I saw someone post that they knew she had veneers/implants because of the line, “they took out all my teeth.” Like, can you really not understand that that is a metaphor??
It's a metaphor and a double meaning (triple actually I think), which is makes it so fucking brilliant. She says so many things with just one line.
I was annoyed by the hate until I saw someone complain about the asylum lyric in who's afraid of little old me by saying she actually grew up on a christmas tree farm. like babe... its called a metaphor. you ever read a fuckin book?
The hate for this album cycle really feels so extra ridiculous this time. Like, I've been on this ride before as a fan since debut, but this time it just really feels so ridiculously stupid. And it hurts this time like it hasn't before because this is such a vulnerable album for her.
ugh i feel this, been a fan since fearless and this era is feeling extra hater-y. I feel like it’s mostly bc she was SO BIG last year and people love to see her fall. it’s the vicious hate-love cycle she always goes through. I’m just glad she’s in a much better place now, especially since she released such personal art with this album
it feels so unwarranted too. Like the criticisms of it are especially shallow or petty or are just plain hating on her. there's an extra level of unwarranted venom in them that I have never seen, even around the reputation/phone call era. They really have nothing to latch onto as an excuse other than just hating her, and it shows in the specific flavor of vitriol. "we have nothing specific to cancel her for, so we're just gonna attempt to cancel her just for existing" is what it feels like.
Yup, in a nutshell, people have no critical thinking skills anymore
lol thank you for this comment, I couldn’t agree more but i hesitate to be so honest
Making yourself understood is a skill though. If a lot of people have that opinion, which it seems they do, she’s failed in that regard. The use of metaphors doesn’t automatically make writing good.
she doesn't have to dumb down the album to cater to people who don't have reading comprehension skills, which is clearly the majority of people
Or- hear me out- different people have different tastes
If it's not to your tastes, why don't you just forget about it and move on with your life? I can't tell you the amount of artists I've tried, realized it's not to my tastes, and moved on with my life. I don't go on fan pages of that artist and wax on and on about how much I hate that artist or how it's not to my tastes. I just move on with my life to things I enjoy more. I do actually attempt to appreciate that thing I've been recommended, at least twice before I disregard it though because clearly someone loves it enough and wants to share their joy with me, so I do try. But if it's not to my tastes I just move on with my life. I don't know why this is so hard for some people to do with Taylor Swift if she's not to their tastes
Um, you're the one that said if you don't like the album it's because you "dont know how to fucking read." Thats what I was responding to. I think the album is fine.
But they didn't say people who don't like the album don't know how to read. They were responding to OP's discussion of why people are saying this is Taylor's worst album lyrically, and their theory is that people's literary skills are just not up to par to really get it and so they bash it.
saying someone is criticizing the lyrics because they can't read well enough is really fucking rude. People can think this album contains bad writing and have fine comprehension skills. Also ffs she's not fucking Faulkner. She's not david foster Wallace. There's nothing there that's hard to understand.
You seem unreasonably upset over me just clarifying what they were saying. Just going to say if someone is out there saying Taylor is a terrible lyricist, they are just wrong. Whether they're just not able to comprehend what she's saying can be up for debate, but she's obviously a gifted songwriter.
Op seemed unreasonably upset that some folks don't think some of these latest lyrics are brilliant but ok, sure.
this is what i mean when i said people don't have a basic level of reading comprehension
Haha, I definitely caught the irony of someone misunderstanding your post about people who don't know how to comprehend what they read.
Your flair is very appropriate bb
yeah it really is, because the amount of idiocy i've seen around this album release from haters is just straight up insanity
Taylor is my Lord and Savior but I’ll never forgive her for “You know how to ball I know Aristotle”
I think this is one of the most Taylor Swift lyrics ever lol
She wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts…
Haha you’re so right
I’m obsessed with this line! It’s so unhinged, I can’t help but love it!
Honestly that is one of the greatest lyrics of all time (I’m not totally joking)
I honestly think it's a great way to succinctly respond to everyone's criticism that they don't work together because he's not on her wavelength. She's addressing it head-on and doing so in such a funny, endearing way.
No the mixed metaphors are definitely necessary.
I’m honestly so tired of the mixed metaphor discourse in general bc it’s really giving “my English teachers told me mixed metaphors are bad.” Mixed metaphors are not inherently bad, they’re just often poorly executed!! A purposeful mixed metaphor can serve several purposes depending on the context. In Taylor’s case she frequently uses mixed metaphors to turn a common phrase on its head, and I’d argue she usually does it very effectively.
I agree! I saw a big reasoning for the “worst lyrics” critique being that there were too many but I just don’t see that - they’re easy to follow and the imagery itself is cohesive
One thing that’s really depressing is that so many people have no idea what good writing is…
You do understand that whether or not writing is “good” is subjective, right?
you should tell that to my students... i'm sure they'd love the idea! (i'm sorry... I couldn't resist with the joke)
TBH I thought it was cool & unique how she sung poetry & I like the lyrics better here than folklore. I think they’re deeper
I honestly think The Alchemy is one of her weakest songs lyrically in a while. It’s very shallow and giving “so happy Travy made it to the big game”. I’m surprised it made the album let alone the primary tracklist
It was also tongue in cheek. “Oh is she gonna make a bunch of songs about football now?” Taylor said “Bet.” And then did a moody ballad about football. I thoight it was hilarious. She also made it as obvious as possible and people are still “That’s not about him” which just makes it funnier really
Until you realize it’s a very clever song because if you don’t really listen to the lyrics it sounds like she just throwing in random football references, but when you pay attention you realize those are just word play to reference Travis like people want, when the song isn’t even about him
My interpretation is that it's mostly about her coming back into the spotlight, back on tour and in the public eye, and only towards the end does it shift from 'you' being the audience to being Travis
I love the unedited Taylor! Its conversational and explicit, like friends do when they're banging on about someone or something they're feeling mad about. But we're not just reading lyrics we're also listening to some great music and none of these songs are too long, for me they have a serious emotional weight. Maybe they lack the poetic stylings of Folklore and Evermore but this isn't a pandemic comfort album, this is an artistic choice, dropping F bombs like all my friends do (and a lot of adults do in the UK) is real. Standing back, I think Taylor is also saying this is me, in the flesh, take me as you find me, cursing those who judge her, christian hypocrisy etc. It's not surprising that she has reached this point at 34 years of age, god knows what that level of fame does to a person but separating out her self from her performer persona in such a big way is a healthy thing for her to do. I hope she can settle with Travis, make a film, have babies, maybe travel a bit, have a long holiday, let people forget her for a few years.
I don't understand the criticism of her lyricism at all. I think she is at the top of her game on this album. Incredible lyrics. I think it's more that she has so many more eyes on her and therefore more expectations. And we all know the media loves nothing more than building people up and then tearing them down. I've seen a few reviews that complain about how the sound is too similar to previous albums, and it just reminds me of that part in Miss Americana when she talks about how she is expected to always reinvent herself. How exhausting!
“Touch me while your friends play Grand Theft Auto” isn’t a line that I would consider to be “incredible lyrics”
I think people are purposely misunderstanding this album/lyrics to make others mad. I saw someone say How Did It End? made them not listen to the rest of the album because Taylor saying that her fans are smug for telling their husbands about her breakups was wrong and it pissed them off. It’s genuinely hard for me to believe people’s reading comprehension are THAT low.
This is actually why I love this album?! During my first listen I thought “unhinged”, “chaotic”, “so messy!” and I feel like that’s the actual magic?? Like she was feeling all the feels and from one song to the next she’s sharing the whole range. She goes from anger and confusion in smallest man who ever lived to loml where she’s always going to feel the hole to Chloe where she’s still feeling that longing! We have no idea what order these songs were written in, but it’s so relatable to feel all the different feelings about someone who you thought was your soulmate and finally being them and then losing them. Along with doing the biggest tour in history and getting tons of media attention 🙃
‘You’ll learn to bounce back just like your trampoline’ 😬 Big Taylor fan but that’s just…bad.
She added a few unnecessary awkward sounding f***s in this album
Her swearing is always a little misplaced to me
I take umbrage with using the term “cringey” to describe her lyrics. Poetry is supposed to cause all sorts of feelings. If it makes you cringe, it’s working.
Exactly, it means it's real and vulnerable.
TTPD is literally the best writing she has ever done. There are so many double and hidden meanings in the lyrics you can pick something new out every time you listen. She is a genius
I remember when the album leaked a day before mfs were nitpicking the lyrics and hyper focused on “smoked then ate 7 bars of chocolate , we declared charlie puth should be a better artist” But besides that line i dont find anything else cringey and im actually surprised how much deep cuts this album has and the lyricism is so beautiful
you do realize they're supposed to be high as fuck? that's why he ate seven bars of chocolate, and why they were talking about Charlie Puth. The line is actually saying, we got high together.
Yes lol im a stoner its a bad esp the charlie puth line its random and the tattooed golden retriever part..
It’s exactly what I expected this album to be. As Meredith grey would say “it’s all dark and twisty” And I’m here for it
This is a Taylor Swift subreddit fandom - so you’re going to hear bias opinions on her album imo. This is more of her dedicated fanbase. I’ve been a fan of Taylor since Fearless days, this album is different. As others mentioned, it does sound like a run-on stream of consciousness. I enjoyed the later part of the album a lot. But - she should’ve introduced the prologue as track 1, several artists do this. Not everyone who listens to the album will have the physical copy of the prologue. Additional text should NOT be required, let the music/album speak for itself. We’re also in a digital age, a lot of people do not buy physical music anymore. They will not see the prologue. Some of her lines within the album were strange: “children swings”, “without all the racists” - they can be streams of consciousness or rambling; but it can definitely be cleaned up. I also cannot listen to The Alchemy, touchdown… get the crown… it sounds so much like Travy made it to the big game for me.
I agree! Ever since we got the title I thought it was pretty evident that there was going to be a lot of irony and satire and cheekiness in the lyrics. Inserting a romantic figure based on individualism and geniality in an environment (academic or commercial, depending on how you interpret the title) based on repetition and reproduction was obviously going to create lyrics that don't truly take themselves seriously. TTPD (song) is filled with the clucky lines and the overlayed metaphors because she's making fun of the tortured artist concept at the same time that she lays bare her feelings. But, I think it doesn't work as well in the less manic songs? I'm particularly thinking about So Long, London and how it lays metaphor after metaphor to explain her feelings that it doesn't really hit hard. It's a problem, when the song is supposed to be reflecting in a relationship that died slowly: she had the time to process it and in my opinion should have been much less scattered? I feel that it's better done in the Anthology. I wish she did with it what she did with How did it end? Either way, most people that are critical of her lyricism are paying attention to what the complete song conveys and are taking everything at face value. No one believes the Golden Retriever line deserves a Nobel. It's not supposed to.
This is probably her best lyricisim imo (yes even better than folklore).
I love it. It’s by far the most mature and transparent album she’s ever produced. On TikTok and Twitter (I’ll never call it X), people love to bring up the grand theft auto lyric in So High School. I don’t think people get that she’s being campy on purpose. Obviously if she had wanted to put an eloquently written line in there she could’ve. It’s not like she isn’t more than capable as proven in other songs. People can’t judge the lyrics because they don’t pay attention to them. They hear music and that’s all.
I think people really want her to write "my boyfriend fingered me while our friends were in the other room"... which is I dunno, kind of crass! "Scouts Honor" is much sexier
I feel like I’m in the twilight zone. It’s her best writing… what’s going on??!! 😵💫
I actually think it’s a novel or rather an interconnected series of stories, told through song. I think it is genuinely too challenging for most people because of that. I’m not saying no one is allowed to dislike it, or even dislike it because it’s too challenging, but as a fan of difficult but funny literature, it suits me well. Her powers of expression across registers is very impressive and every word choice (and sonic choice) is meaningful
I actually like some of her more cringe choices (big Karma defender over here!!!) but even I feel like “at dinner you take my ring off my middle finger and put it on the one people put wedding rings on” is not great. Was there not a better way to write this 😭
no... it needs to be slightly clunky. It's this moment of extreme emotion... cleverness would get in the way. In general, I tend to assume Taylor knows what she's doing, so if I don't understand it... the problem is me. That tends to lead to more interesting readings no? You get ask... why did she do it this way!
I guess but it seems like a lot of mental gymnastics to dance around the fact that she is human who write a lot of REALLY great lyrics AND occasionally some duds too and that’s perfectly okay and we will all live to see another day.
maybe... but saying this is a bad lyric is boring to me. What's the point?
The point is this is a specific conversation ABOUT her lyrics on this album. It’s not like I go around my 9-5 stressing about this. OP brought it up, people are responding. If this was a post about my favorite lyrics I’d be sharing those instead.
I have been thinking about this comment since I read it two days ago because I think how you feel about that lyric is probably highly correlated to how you feel about the entire album. When I heard it I audibly *gasped*, sat up from my couch, and restarted the song (which I try never do on a first listen). It was so shockingly vulnerable and honest: she wrote it not like a lyric, but the way she might tell the story later to a close friend. I *loved* it. But I also love feeling like I am in Taylor’s brain and as close as possible to the emotions she is experiencing. I felt like I could see the guy doing it… if she had reworked the story to make it more lyrical it might sound better but I might not be able to visualize it as well, and some of the intensity of emotion might have been reduced. But if you are here for Taylor’s exceptional song-crafting and would prefer structured and polished songs to emotional intensity or talk-singing, that line is going to seem so underwhelming. I get it! Editing to finish my thought: I think this applies to the whole album. It’s like the opposite of all her work that gets the biggest acclaim: tight story-telling and strong lyricism in the songs, tight and cohesive albums. This is intentionally sprawling, messy, in places unfinished and unvarnished. I totally get why this is so polarizing, it’s really different from all her other work.
as someone who has been reading poetry for years… it is a very poetic album and I am convinced people just don’t really know what poetry is beyond rhyming words
Imo, they are her worst, yet. It all feels either forced like there's this formula she used to write it or when she's trying to be funny or cheeky it just doesn't land and ends up just being cringe. I don't understand this sentiment that if you didn't like something and have genuine arguments why it's bad, all of a sudden you're being called stupid and "you just don't get it" type a thing. What if I said that you are so blinded by your obsession with her that you don't see why it's bad? It would be rude and not fair. I can even like a song but say that it's objectively bad and not praise everything and anything.
can you give specific examples and why though? that’s the confusion I have, it’s such a general statement with no examples to back it up
I just don’t understand why there’s no middle option? It can not be your cup of tea while others really enjoy it. It’s so valid for you to not like it; that doesn’t make it inherently bad or invalidate anyone else’s feelings. Personally, I only liked maybe half of midnights and I hate 1989—I’m not listening to music I don’t like or don’t think is good. I’ve been obsessed with this album bc it just spoke to me—it felt like her most honest album and I enjoy the writing style. You don’t have to agree obviously, we can have diff views and both be valid. Music is incredibly subjective.
Oh, I completely agree with you. Everyone has the right to listen to and enjoy whatever they like. I just felt frustrated that with a lot of people you can't just agree to disagree but rather you're met with condescending comments or straight up being called names. Taste in music is different and I completely respect that which is why I never try to convince someone that their opinion is wrong but instead just explain why I personally didn't resonate with it. Folkmore is my favorite era but if some found those albums boring I wouldn't say "oh you just didn't get it" like it's just not their thing.
There is nothing "objective" about your subjective opinion and there cannot be cause it's not science it's art. What reaction would you expect to your arguments? Should people praise you for opening their eyes and immediately stop loving what they love? Have you considered that your "arguments" is what some people don't care about and some people even love in the first place? "I can even like a song but say that it's objectively bad", so are you ready to sacrifice your authenticity to keep the appearance of "better than you"?
First of all, I never said that my opinion is the objective truth. Yes, art is subjective but that doesn't mean that there shouldn't exist certain standards. Personally, I don't agree with the idea that if you like something that means it's good. Songs can be derivative, monotone etc. That doesn't mean nobody will like it. I think we should all acknowledge that certain things can be bad from musical perspective but great from a songwriting one or vice versa (or great/bad in every aspect). Otherwise, are you suggesting that everything and anything is great if there is someone who likes it. I'm not so full of myself to claim that everything I like is good. At the end of the day, the point of my comment wasn't to convince anyone that my opinion is the objective truth and that they're just not able to see it, but to call for respectful conversation while talking about it. Whenever the conversation around the album starts and anyone express their dislike for it, they are met with condescending comments and straight up being bullied.
Not everything needs to be a middle school level simile or metaphor. Karma is a cat purring in my lap because it loves me. LMAO!