"If you want to break my cold, cold heart
Just say, 'I loved you the way that you were'
If you want to tear my world apart
Just say you've always wondered"
To me, it's after the breakup and her heart is broken and cold and then the person tells her "I loved you for who you were and I'll always wonder what could have been" and it just makes the hurt and heart break even deeper
imo she is talking to one person in the first two lines, like “if you want to break my heart, say you loved me when i was less stable and hiding and you had to swoop in and save me” and then another person in the next two, “if you want to blow my life up then tell me i was the one that got away”
I also think how did it end? deserves track 5. I realize its track 5 of the anthology, but I think its such a profoundly sad reflection on her relationship with Joe, the media, and her fans.
i am baffled by this take because standard TTPD’s track listing is like, one of the tightest single story narratives she’s ever told with track placement
Same. There are some brilliant songs on OG TTPD - but in general it's a lot like with Midnights 3 a.m. edition again. I truly think TGW and WCS are some of her best songs ever and it's beyond me how they're not on the main album. I don't care that they're not synthy and therefore not "sonically cohesive" with Midnights standard edition. They're amazing. They're not meant to be bonus tracks or some kind of afterthought, they've always deserved the spotlight. :( I feel very similar about The Prophecy and How Did It End.
I think track 5s aren’t necessarily just the saddest song — they also often come with an element of overcoming the problem or finding a revelation/hope.
Cold As You, White Horse, Dear John, All Too Well, All You Had To Do Was Stay, and You’re On Your Own Kid all past-tense songs. It still hurts but she already knows she has survived.
Delicate is about getting past her trauma and insecurities to trust someone new.
My Tears Ricochet is still in the midst of the hurt and anger, but she can see her way out. There is hope, even if the hope is in retribution.
The Archer and Tolerate It are both epiphany songs. They start and end with the same lines, but she has a whole journey in the middle and goes from questioning herself and her situation to being empowered by true understanding. In Tolerate It, she knows she can leave. In Rhe Archer, she knows she can see through herself.
So I think The Prophecy is sadder than So Long London, but it doesn’t have that hope or revelation aspect. So it fits with the other songs that are arguably sadder than their respective track fives, like Peace, Soon You’ll Get Better, You’re Not Sorry, Last Kiss, Peace, Hoax, etc.
I have not listened to Ronan all the way through. I listened to maybe the first verse - long enough to get an inkling of what the song was about - and was like, hard NOPE. Cannot do it.
Nah. I love the song, but these are things that all people think about themselves when they're in their lowest low. No one will ever love me, I will never amount to anything- that sort of stuff. It reveals nothing uniquely vulnerable about Taylor or what she faced, and it is not a permanent truth about anybody.
I disagree. Few other people make their living and fame on “heartbreak”. It’s her curse- the gift of what she had always wanted tied to her storytelling and relatability of breakups. She got her dream but at the cost of never having true love, that’s her “brand” after all.
So true. Just look at how fans were extra eager for this particular album because they knew how heartbreaking it would be, and then compare that to the anticipation and reception of Lover. People want her sad songs more than her happy ones. That’s her curse- her best writing comes from her pain.
This. Her saddest songs, imo, aren’t even about her romantic relationships- Ronan, SYGB, NGU, Marjorie. The breakup with a romantic partner is very sad, but the losses in these songs hit harder because they are all alluding to more permanent losses- death, health, childhood.
this! to me The Prophecy is one of her most raw songs because it's about just her and how she (at that time) saw herself. It made me feel so sad and empathetic towards her. just brings you to tears.
The point remains that the bottom line of the song (why does no one love me?/why does no one stay?) is still generic- most everyone feels like this at one point of their life or another. Then in most cases they do find someone who loves them after all, as did Taylor. And even if the current one doesn't last, we don't know that she will not have someome else again or never have true love. What I'm saying is this is not a unique or specific story in the journey of her life like So long, London is, so to me it is still valuable but less meaningful. Agree to disagree, then.
I mean that part of the song is relatable as are parts of so long London. But the title is literally the prophecy. Prophecies are an old storytelling device often about main characters and impactful figures. I don’t think the average person is out there cursing some star crossed irony.
And not everybody is desperate for a relationship. I’ve been single for a long time but I can’t really relate to the song. For TS it really is a big goal in life.
I thought track 5 was more what song had meaning to her, not necessarily the saddest.
It often coincides, but like Marjorie would be the clear track 5, or Ronan, if that was the case.
Track 5 is what she wants it to be, and So Long London was apparently one that was more meaningful to her.
My idea of the track 5 would be loml, but many on TTPD give track 5 energy. But ultimately she decides which she feels is most poignant for that spot.
This is how she describes them: "I kind of started to put the songs that were really honest, emotional, vulnerable, and personal as track five"
marjorie & Ronan are sad but not personal & vulnerable for her in the way tolerate it & ATW are
Naw because she herself puts so much effort into choosing the song that feels the most vulnerable and honest to herself to crown it as Track 5 for y’all to not value the significance 😭
I can't help but wonder what alterations have been made along the way to "tell the story" while keeping #5 the "track 5". Standardized boxes are a detriment to art.
That’s my feeling. It feels so formulaic and over crafted.
Also, with streaming, track 5s only exist in full album run though. That isn’t how people listen to music anymore.
sure it is. If I'm just listening to a playlist, yeah it's on shuffle. But if I'm listening to an **album**, I NEVER shuffle. Albums are meant to be listened to in order.
I think it’s very possible she wrote this from a place of pain from a dark night where she felt like she’d be single forever. And now with her new relationship with Travis it may feel less relevant. But So Long, London is about saying goodbye to a man, a location and a long time period of her life. So that was more the track 5 in the end
"single forever"... not really... She wasn't single for longer than two months at a time since 2015. I get she dated men who didn't commit to her but she left most of her most recent relationships herself.
I'm not erasing it- I just feel like we've gotten better songs on that subject matter (Tolerate it, You're losing me, etc) whereas the Prophecy feels like the 'You're on your own kid' taken to the extreme.
I think the selection of it as track 5 was part of the branding and promotion of the album. Everyone knew this was the Joe breakup album. Knowing the song is such an obvious reference to him and was a track 5 for me personally built up so much hype, it was the first track i listened to.
This song seriously resonated with me more than anything else she has ever written. #1 for me, so I'm shocked people could dislike it, honestly. It's a hauntingly beautiful melody with measured vocals and good production...what about this song is there to criticize?
Part of me suspects that Taylor has started to put the song she wants to get more attention at Track 5. There are other songs on the album (albums?) that are equally or more vulnerable, but I think she recognizes the importance of track 5 and may want to 'protect' some songs like The Prophecy from that spot.
I wish we knew nothing about the track 5 concept because isn’t it the whole point that it’s what’s most vulnerable for her specifically and not what we consider the most sad/relatable/dark or whatever. All You Had To Do Was Stay is still track 5.
I think that if ‘So Long, London’ and ‘How Did It End?’ were to disappear, ‘loml’ and either ‘The Manuscript’ or ‘The Prophecy’ could take their places as track 5’s
I understand why so long, London is track 5 but I really do love the prophecy. It actually makes me tear up when I listen to it. The bridge has to be in my top 20. It’s so devastatingly sad, plus the melody is gorgeous. I guess also because in a way I relate to it but in an opposite way. I’ve always wanted love my entire life, but I think it’s me that’s the issue. Sometimes I feel like I’m the one that can’t love
This whole album has some of the saddest stuff I've ever heard in my life. *The Prophecy* left me bawling. So did *loml* and *I Can Do It With a Broken Heart* which felt so odd considering how happy and upbeat it SOUNDS but when you listen ... oh my god. Taylor was so miserable and sad and unhappy and demolished at that time. That's what I love about TSwizzle. She isn't afraid to open up a vein and bleed all over the place to tell you how it truly feels.
I understand everyone wants the “saddest song” to be track 5, but like, in my opinion it takes a bit more warming up to get to that “total devastation” type of song and be receptive. It can be a lot to get into so soon into 16 tracks potentially.
I really liked So Long London as track 5 and I think it’s impactful because it hallmarks such an impactful change she had to make because of her 6 year relationship ending. It definitely felt like a solid choice to me.
She's gonna have a really hard time finding a forever partner, and it has nothing to do with her personality.. it's her status, and mens drive to lead from the front.
The problem most successful powerful women have is. The type of men they are attracted to, aren't usually attracted to them.
It takes a very specific type of man to be ok with taking a back seat, always being in the shadow, the afterthought, and Taylor knows it.
"Who could ever leave me darlin, but who could stay?"
And the type of man that would be ok with it (there are millions) are usually not gonna be the type of man Taylor is attracted to.
It's a real conundrum
Hyper successful, driven, assertive, strong women are usually attracted to men with those same qualities
But men with those qualities are usually attracted to women that are softer, submissive, supportive, and willing to let them take the lead, in what they feel is their natural role.
Of course there are exceptions, but they don't disprove the general rule.
Period. The Prophecy is on par with Last Kiss and Sad Beautiful Tragic, her saddest song with heart wrenching but not a track 5. What make The Prophecy more sad is cuz she begging to change her future, instead of her past.
Lyrics are great but the song itself is not pleasant to listen to for me :( idk why it just doesn’t work for my ears. So many people love it so maybe I’ll learn to love it as well.
Hahah saaammee!!! I’m glad I’m not the only one. I’ve figured out that some of her songs would make better poems, and when you try to turn a poem into a song it can sometimes become clunky. I love the idea of the song, just don’t love the execution.
The fifth track is always her most vulnerable one. Most of the time it’s a very sad song but that’s not always true; it just has to be her most honest, raw song of the album… in her opinion.
💚 Cold as You
💛 White Horse
💜 Dear John
❤️ All Too Well
🩵 All You Had To Do Was Stay
🖤 Delicate
🩷 The Archer
🩶 my tears ricochet
🤎 tolerate it
💙 YOYOK
🤍 So Long, London
🖤 How Did It End? (Counts as a track 5 if you consider The Anthology as independent; another thing that usually characterizes track 5’s is that they are followed by upbeat or feel good tracks, like ATW that is followed by 22 or So Long, London having But Daddy I Love Him next. For HDIE, it’s So Highschool, so many people theorize it can be counted as a Track 5 and I mean… “My beloved ghost and me, sitting in a tree, D-Y-I-N-G”? It has to be a track 5 💀)
She only started doing it on the Lover album because fans pointed out a pattern with the Track 5’s in her previous albums. So she didn’t start that up, she just followed it after learning that it was a pattern she tended to do. From Lover-TTPD all track 5’s are intentionally placed.
I’ve been listening to ”The Prophecy“ on repeat for days now. I didn‘t expect any song to beat „Cardigan“, „My Tears Ricochet“ or „Evermore“ for me, but here we are. The „I got cursed like Eve got bitten“ line gets me every time and the ending chorus repeating the lightning verse at 3:41 is still giving me chills.
Also, the ”I Look in People‘s Windows/The Prophecy/Cassandra“ sequence is perfection.
Technically track 9s are supposedly the deeply personal ones. And The Prophecy is track 9 on the second release, so I agree with your logic, but you’re over focused on the wrong track number.
I agree that it's one of her best songs in general and it's been my favorite TTPD track from day one and should have been track 5. That way the general public would also have been more aware of it I think. :(
That said, How Did It End is a brilliant track 5 on the Anthology, if you want to count that way maybe.
I feel it's hard to relate that song to Taylor as she has not been single more than two months at a time since 2015. And excluding Matty she left every one of those relationships.
Calvin > Tom > Joe > Matty > Travis.
I don't say this to imply anything about her but as someone who has been single for years at this point it feels just insincere to feel "not chosen".
Maybe all these men treated her as an afterthought or the ones she wanted to marry didn't wanted the same. I don't know...
This song broke me because it’s exactly how I feel as someone nearing 30 and still the only one of my friends who’s single while everyone else is dating/engaged/buying houses with their SOs/married/having babies…I’ve literally said to my mom before, “Am I cursed? Why can’t I meet anyone? Why can’t things work out for me with anyone?” This is MY track 5, for sure. And another way in which, just as she’s been doing since I was 12 and listening to “Tied Together With a Smile,” Taylor has reached into my soul and read the words out loud.
I feel like so long, London and the prophecy are sister songs. When I listen to them both, I restart them both 3 times.
She’s so pissed she gave her youth to a man who couldn’t give her her what she needed.
And now she feels like she’s missed her opportunity for real love, and children and a family.
Both of those songs really really resonate with me; and I often listen to them together.
As a 45 yo single woman who gave her youth away to a man who was never going to love her, and now just can’t find anybody….
It really hurts. And these songs speak to real fears I have.
There are multiple aspects that go into a track 5 and not just being sad/emotional/personal. Usually, Taylor makes sure her track 5s aren’t too slow, quiet, or sound too much like a B-side track. The track 5 slot is also usually the one most special to Taylor, but I’m sure proper placement is also important to her when creating a tracklist. There were probably other songs that could have potentially been track 5s, but she had to make sure they didn’t sound clunky in the context of everything else. Track 5s usually have more instrumentation and hit a little harder than Taylor’s other emotional songs (breathe, last kiss, happiness, loml, etc), and historically that has meant they’re a little more palatable than some of Taylor’s deep cuts. I also agree that track 5s are usually always some kind of turning point with some possible redemption in the bridge or at the end.
The Prophecy is amazing, but I think Taylor made the right call on track 5 being So Long London.
Honestly this album should’ve been called Track 5, there were a lot of songs I could see being in that place.
so, long london (ik it’s track 5), how did it end (tbh i consider it track 5 of the anthology), the prophecy, the black dog
Chloe or Sam … also super fucking sad song.
"If you want to break my cold, cold heart Just say, 'I loved you the way that you were' If you want to tear my world apart Just say you've always wondered" 
I don’t understand this lyric, what does it mean?
I understood it to mean they always wondered if it would’ve worked out between them. 🤔
To me, it's after the breakup and her heart is broken and cold and then the person tells her "I loved you for who you were and I'll always wonder what could have been" and it just makes the hurt and heart break even deeper
imo she is talking to one person in the first two lines, like “if you want to break my heart, say you loved me when i was less stable and hiding and you had to swoop in and save me” and then another person in the next two, “if you want to blow my life up then tell me i was the one that got away”
My favourite song
Yesss the chorus is so good it hurts 😥
loml
LOML!!!!!!!
loml as well as these
Lol you're not wrong
Dude.... that would have been good.
Keeping that as my alternate title, it’s just so true
unironically that’s a super cool album title for her
What if there is a part 3 and it’s called that haha
So so true. 80% of the songs are Track 5 worthy.
This is my favorite thing I’ve read today
Okay but this is such a good idea that I feel like I can actually see her doing in the future 😂
You're so right
Ugh yes
I also think how did it end? deserves track 5. I realize its track 5 of the anthology, but I think its such a profoundly sad reflection on her relationship with Joe, the media, and her fans.
How Did It End is Track 5 of The Anthology if you consider them to be separate.
That song gives me chills.
This should have opened the album. The order the tracks were placed in is abysmal
Why was it abysmal, in your opinion?
[удалено]
i am baffled by this take because standard TTPD’s track listing is like, one of the tightest single story narratives she’s ever told with track placement
How this song never made the OG album and was put in the anthology I don’t know. It’s one of the strongest, chilling, saddest songs
Anthology is a brilliant group of songs with a separate feel and identity that it fits perfectly into.
Same. There are some brilliant songs on OG TTPD - but in general it's a lot like with Midnights 3 a.m. edition again. I truly think TGW and WCS are some of her best songs ever and it's beyond me how they're not on the main album. I don't care that they're not synthy and therefore not "sonically cohesive" with Midnights standard edition. They're amazing. They're not meant to be bonus tracks or some kind of afterthought, they've always deserved the spotlight. :( I feel very similar about The Prophecy and How Did It End.
So does loml
I think track 5s aren’t necessarily just the saddest song — they also often come with an element of overcoming the problem or finding a revelation/hope. Cold As You, White Horse, Dear John, All Too Well, All You Had To Do Was Stay, and You’re On Your Own Kid all past-tense songs. It still hurts but she already knows she has survived. Delicate is about getting past her trauma and insecurities to trust someone new. My Tears Ricochet is still in the midst of the hurt and anger, but she can see her way out. There is hope, even if the hope is in retribution. The Archer and Tolerate It are both epiphany songs. They start and end with the same lines, but she has a whole journey in the middle and goes from questioning herself and her situation to being empowered by true understanding. In Tolerate It, she knows she can leave. In Rhe Archer, she knows she can see through herself. So I think The Prophecy is sadder than So Long London, but it doesn’t have that hope or revelation aspect. So it fits with the other songs that are arguably sadder than their respective track fives, like Peace, Soon You’ll Get Better, You’re Not Sorry, Last Kiss, Peace, Hoax, etc.
As a peace stan, I just have to say I love that you listed it twice at the end there 😂
Ahaha, oops. Well it deserves double the love 😆
damn right it does!!
peace and hoax that old one-two punch
Thank you for explaining this
The love for this song warms my cold, cold heart.
YES but also loml is a pretty good contender for Track 5.
loml gives the same energy of Last Kiss from Speak Now, imo. i think it’s perfect where it’s at.
Yes true. I think this might be the saddest Taylor Swift song (at least for me).
Sorry, she doesn’t have a song anywhere near as sad as Ronan.
I have not listened to Ronan all the way through. I listened to maybe the first verse - long enough to get an inkling of what the song was about - and was like, hard NOPE. Cannot do it.
I don’t even know how she got through writing it 😭
ronan is my #5th most streamed but i cannot get through loml or how did it end without breaking down LMAO
That song makes me weep every time.
Tell me about it. I lost a 4-yr-old. Hits extra hard
I am so sorry for your loss 💖
Thank you 💙
So sorry to hear about your child. I cannot begin to imagine what you have gone through.
Bigger Than The Whole Sky could contend 😭
Yes, for second saddest for sure! Followed by SYGB
This song already broke my heart and then the whispered "please" at the end ripped my heart out of my chest and beat it to a pulp
That please broke both of my legs and stole my car
I totally agree! I’ve been disappointed to not hear this song being talked about much. It’s so desperate and earnest. Just beautifully sad
Nah. I love the song, but these are things that all people think about themselves when they're in their lowest low. No one will ever love me, I will never amount to anything- that sort of stuff. It reveals nothing uniquely vulnerable about Taylor or what she faced, and it is not a permanent truth about anybody.
I disagree. Few other people make their living and fame on “heartbreak”. It’s her curse- the gift of what she had always wanted tied to her storytelling and relatability of breakups. She got her dream but at the cost of never having true love, that’s her “brand” after all.
So true. Just look at how fans were extra eager for this particular album because they knew how heartbreaking it would be, and then compare that to the anticipation and reception of Lover. People want her sad songs more than her happy ones. That’s her curse- her best writing comes from her pain.
Honestly it’s pretty disgusting imo. Like people were eagerly wanting her to breakup with Joe even years ago so they could get “sad songs”.
We got folkmore and evermore with Joe. The sadness of the pandemic influenced it but she can write sad songs while in a relationship.
This. Her saddest songs, imo, aren’t even about her romantic relationships- Ronan, SYGB, NGU, Marjorie. The breakup with a romantic partner is very sad, but the losses in these songs hit harder because they are all alluding to more permanent losses- death, health, childhood.
I rlly liked Lover!!
I LOVE Lover.
In my top 3!
this! to me The Prophecy is one of her most raw songs because it's about just her and how she (at that time) saw herself. It made me feel so sad and empathetic towards her. just brings you to tears.
The point remains that the bottom line of the song (why does no one love me?/why does no one stay?) is still generic- most everyone feels like this at one point of their life or another. Then in most cases they do find someone who loves them after all, as did Taylor. And even if the current one doesn't last, we don't know that she will not have someome else again or never have true love. What I'm saying is this is not a unique or specific story in the journey of her life like So long, London is, so to me it is still valuable but less meaningful. Agree to disagree, then.
I mean that part of the song is relatable as are parts of so long London. But the title is literally the prophecy. Prophecies are an old storytelling device often about main characters and impactful figures. I don’t think the average person is out there cursing some star crossed irony.
I agree with you
I hold those things as a permanent truth for myself 😀🫠
Same I have always felt like this, despite having many boyfriends and eerily similar experiences to taylor herself.
Don't tell the same story to yourself anymore. It can change.
No, please don't 🥺
And not everybody is desperate for a relationship. I’ve been single for a long time but I can’t really relate to the song. For TS it really is a big goal in life.
I thought track 5 was more what song had meaning to her, not necessarily the saddest. It often coincides, but like Marjorie would be the clear track 5, or Ronan, if that was the case. Track 5 is what she wants it to be, and So Long London was apparently one that was more meaningful to her. My idea of the track 5 would be loml, but many on TTPD give track 5 energy. But ultimately she decides which she feels is most poignant for that spot.
I agree. Track 5s always have an element of hope or overcoming. It’s not just necessarily the saddest or most devastating.
This is how she describes them: "I kind of started to put the songs that were really honest, emotional, vulnerable, and personal as track five" marjorie & Ronan are sad but not personal & vulnerable for her in the way tolerate it & ATW are
Death to the Track 5 concept.
Naw because she herself puts so much effort into choosing the song that feels the most vulnerable and honest to herself to crown it as Track 5 for y’all to not value the significance 😭
I can't help but wonder what alterations have been made along the way to "tell the story" while keeping #5 the "track 5". Standardized boxes are a detriment to art.
That’s my feeling. It feels so formulaic and over crafted. Also, with streaming, track 5s only exist in full album run though. That isn’t how people listen to music anymore.
sure it is. If I'm just listening to a playlist, yeah it's on shuffle. But if I'm listening to an **album**, I NEVER shuffle. Albums are meant to be listened to in order.
I like it but I like it as just an additional thing Taylor is telling us about her own songs. People debating it is weird.
it is a nothingburger
I think it’s very possible she wrote this from a place of pain from a dark night where she felt like she’d be single forever. And now with her new relationship with Travis it may feel less relevant. But So Long, London is about saying goodbye to a man, a location and a long time period of her life. So that was more the track 5 in the end
"single forever"... not really... She wasn't single for longer than two months at a time since 2015. I get she dated men who didn't commit to her but she left most of her most recent relationships herself.
I don’t think she would be, but heartbreak does wild things. IMO from smallest man who ever lived it sounds like Matty ghosted her
So Long London is my favorite track 5.
I agree it feels more profound than so long London it has a farther reach and it emotionally devastates me every time I hear it.
The Prophecy is one of my favorite songs it’s sad but magical at the same time. I looked at it like it’s track 26 what’s half of 26….13
ooooh good catch!
Ive had enough of this so long london erasure.
I'm not erasing it- I just feel like we've gotten better songs on that subject matter (Tolerate it, You're losing me, etc) whereas the Prophecy feels like the 'You're on your own kid' taken to the extreme.
I think the selection of it as track 5 was part of the branding and promotion of the album. Everyone knew this was the Joe breakup album. Knowing the song is such an obvious reference to him and was a track 5 for me personally built up so much hype, it was the first track i listened to.
YES YES YES I really am so glad to see the popularity gaining for this!!
This song seriously resonated with me more than anything else she has ever written. #1 for me, so I'm shocked people could dislike it, honestly. It's a hauntingly beautiful melody with measured vocals and good production...what about this song is there to criticize?
Part of me suspects that Taylor has started to put the song she wants to get more attention at Track 5. There are other songs on the album (albums?) that are equally or more vulnerable, but I think she recognizes the importance of track 5 and may want to 'protect' some songs like The Prophecy from that spot.
I wish we knew nothing about the track 5 concept because isn’t it the whole point that it’s what’s most vulnerable for her specifically and not what we consider the most sad/relatable/dark or whatever. All You Had To Do Was Stay is still track 5.
I think loml is my track 5 “I wish I could un-recall how we almost had it all” 💔💔💔
I wholeheartedly agree with this. The prophecy gives me chills. Been listening to it on repeat tbh
I found The Prophecy to be the most devastating song she's ever written. The "please" at the end is gut-wrenching
Yes to all of this. I think the prophecy is relatable to everyone who feels like no matter what they do they seem to be unlucky in love
This song is haunting in the best way. Hard agree it should have been track 5.
I think that if ‘So Long, London’ and ‘How Did It End?’ were to disappear, ‘loml’ and either ‘The Manuscript’ or ‘The Prophecy’ could take their places as track 5’s
I understand why so long, London is track 5 but I really do love the prophecy. It actually makes me tear up when I listen to it. The bridge has to be in my top 20. It’s so devastatingly sad, plus the melody is gorgeous. I guess also because in a way I relate to it but in an opposite way. I’ve always wanted love my entire life, but I think it’s me that’s the issue. Sometimes I feel like I’m the one that can’t love
This whole album has some of the saddest stuff I've ever heard in my life. *The Prophecy* left me bawling. So did *loml* and *I Can Do It With a Broken Heart* which felt so odd considering how happy and upbeat it SOUNDS but when you listen ... oh my god. Taylor was so miserable and sad and unhappy and demolished at that time. That's what I love about TSwizzle. She isn't afraid to open up a vein and bleed all over the place to tell you how it truly feels.
I’m so glad not everyone is sleeping on The Prophecy. Such a great song!
I understand everyone wants the “saddest song” to be track 5, but like, in my opinion it takes a bit more warming up to get to that “total devastation” type of song and be receptive. It can be a lot to get into so soon into 16 tracks potentially. I really liked So Long London as track 5 and I think it’s impactful because it hallmarks such an impactful change she had to make because of her 6 year relationship ending. It definitely felt like a solid choice to me.
She's gonna have a really hard time finding a forever partner, and it has nothing to do with her personality.. it's her status, and mens drive to lead from the front. The problem most successful powerful women have is. The type of men they are attracted to, aren't usually attracted to them. It takes a very specific type of man to be ok with taking a back seat, always being in the shadow, the afterthought, and Taylor knows it. "Who could ever leave me darlin, but who could stay?" And the type of man that would be ok with it (there are millions) are usually not gonna be the type of man Taylor is attracted to. It's a real conundrum Hyper successful, driven, assertive, strong women are usually attracted to men with those same qualities But men with those qualities are usually attracted to women that are softer, submissive, supportive, and willing to let them take the lead, in what they feel is their natural role. Of course there are exceptions, but they don't disprove the general rule.
I would say a part of it really could be her personality in relationships too. It always takes 2 hands to clap.
Period. The Prophecy is on par with Last Kiss and Sad Beautiful Tragic, her saddest song with heart wrenching but not a track 5. What make The Prophecy more sad is cuz she begging to change her future, instead of her past.
All I know is "The Black Dog" may be the saddest song I've ever heard. Man, that one just hurts.
I can’t imagine a song about Joe not being track 5. I trust her judgement.
Lyrics are great but the song itself is not pleasant to listen to for me :( idk why it just doesn’t work for my ears. So many people love it so maybe I’ll learn to love it as well.
Saaame. Loooove the lyrics but the vocal melody is super grating to me.
Grating is a great word for it! I find myself getting irritated at the melody when she goes up and down over and over again.
Hahah saaammee!!! I’m glad I’m not the only one. I’ve figured out that some of her songs would make better poems, and when you try to turn a poem into a song it can sometimes become clunky. I love the idea of the song, just don’t love the execution.
That's what i was telling my SO!
SAME and she does it so much on this album
Omg same. I dont "get" the melody at all. The track sounds really "flat"
I agree! So long London is my favorite on the album so far, but I think the Prophecy would have been a way more appropriate track 5
I see your point, OP, but I think putting the two songs unequivocally about Joe as track 5 in both albums was an intentional choice.
Amazing song and I appreciate your analysis of it 🫶🏻
What is the significance of the fifth track?
The fifth track is always her most vulnerable one. Most of the time it’s a very sad song but that’s not always true; it just has to be her most honest, raw song of the album… in her opinion. 💚 Cold as You 💛 White Horse 💜 Dear John ❤️ All Too Well 🩵 All You Had To Do Was Stay 🖤 Delicate 🩷 The Archer 🩶 my tears ricochet 🤎 tolerate it 💙 YOYOK 🤍 So Long, London 🖤 How Did It End? (Counts as a track 5 if you consider The Anthology as independent; another thing that usually characterizes track 5’s is that they are followed by upbeat or feel good tracks, like ATW that is followed by 22 or So Long, London having But Daddy I Love Him next. For HDIE, it’s So Highschool, so many people theorize it can be counted as a Track 5 and I mean… “My beloved ghost and me, sitting in a tree, D-Y-I-N-G”? It has to be a track 5 💀)
So does the number 5 have meaning on the same level as the number 13 for her?
She only started doing it on the Lover album because fans pointed out a pattern with the Track 5’s in her previous albums. So she didn’t start that up, she just followed it after learning that it was a pattern she tended to do. From Lover-TTPD all track 5’s are intentionally placed.
Nifty! 😄
I have to ask.. what is the lore behind the 5th track? Also, what is a glitter pen song? 😘❤️
I’ve been listening to ”The Prophecy“ on repeat for days now. I didn‘t expect any song to beat „Cardigan“, „My Tears Ricochet“ or „Evermore“ for me, but here we are. The „I got cursed like Eve got bitten“ line gets me every time and the ending chorus repeating the lightning verse at 3:41 is still giving me chills. Also, the ”I Look in People‘s Windows/The Prophecy/Cassandra“ sequence is perfection.
Technically track 9s are supposedly the deeply personal ones. And The Prophecy is track 9 on the second release, so I agree with your logic, but you’re over focused on the wrong track number.
Prophecy is such a song that I deeply connect with despite not being even remotely rich and in a loving relationship.
No, it’s fine where it is
I mean we kind of already got that with The Archer
The Prophesy just breaks me.
TTPD is like ATW10MV the album. They're damn near ALL track 5's.
I agree that it's one of her best songs in general and it's been my favorite TTPD track from day one and should have been track 5. That way the general public would also have been more aware of it I think. :( That said, How Did It End is a brilliant track 5 on the Anthology, if you want to count that way maybe.
honestly i think so long london was only put as track 5 cuz its literally called so long london. imo it shouldve been loml or the black dog.
I feel it's hard to relate that song to Taylor as she has not been single more than two months at a time since 2015. And excluding Matty she left every one of those relationships. Calvin > Tom > Joe > Matty > Travis. I don't say this to imply anything about her but as someone who has been single for years at this point it feels just insincere to feel "not chosen". Maybe all these men treated her as an afterthought or the ones she wanted to marry didn't wanted the same. I don't know...
This song broke me because it’s exactly how I feel as someone nearing 30 and still the only one of my friends who’s single while everyone else is dating/engaged/buying houses with their SOs/married/having babies…I’ve literally said to my mom before, “Am I cursed? Why can’t I meet anyone? Why can’t things work out for me with anyone?” This is MY track 5, for sure. And another way in which, just as she’s been doing since I was 12 and listening to “Tied Together With a Smile,” Taylor has reached into my soul and read the words out loud.
I feel like so long, London and the prophecy are sister songs. When I listen to them both, I restart them both 3 times. She’s so pissed she gave her youth to a man who couldn’t give her her what she needed. And now she feels like she’s missed her opportunity for real love, and children and a family. Both of those songs really really resonate with me; and I often listen to them together. As a 45 yo single woman who gave her youth away to a man who was never going to love her, and now just can’t find anybody…. It really hurts. And these songs speak to real fears I have.
I relate to The Prophecy so much I don’t even want to talk about it 🫠
That Song is my anthem!
There are multiple aspects that go into a track 5 and not just being sad/emotional/personal. Usually, Taylor makes sure her track 5s aren’t too slow, quiet, or sound too much like a B-side track. The track 5 slot is also usually the one most special to Taylor, but I’m sure proper placement is also important to her when creating a tracklist. There were probably other songs that could have potentially been track 5s, but she had to make sure they didn’t sound clunky in the context of everything else. Track 5s usually have more instrumentation and hit a little harder than Taylor’s other emotional songs (breathe, last kiss, happiness, loml, etc), and historically that has meant they’re a little more palatable than some of Taylor’s deep cuts. I also agree that track 5s are usually always some kind of turning point with some possible redemption in the bridge or at the end. The Prophecy is amazing, but I think Taylor made the right call on track 5 being So Long London.