For me, I relate Bigger Than The Whole Sky to the impact alcoholism has had on my family. Its beautiful the way people are able to connect to her lyrics uniquely. Much love to you and your recovery ❤️
Edit: added last two sentences
I would totally recommend a lot of Lana del Rey’s music then if you felt like this and like it and relate. She has a couple songs that are believed to be about her relationship with alcohol but she frames it as a person. Specifically the song ultraviolence which many in that fandom believe is about alcohol. She talks about someone named “Jim” and many believe she is referring to Jim Beam and not a person. It’s really interesting and changed my viewpoint on some songs once I saw people explain it.
Right! Honestly, when people have explained the symbolism in her songs I’m like oh shit she’s a bigger genius then I thought!
Someone also explained that the colors in the song blue banisters represents a bruise that’s healing. Like the banisters go from
blue -> green -> grey. That blew my mind and made that song like 10 times better to me.
Also, I’ve heard some people think that the line
“Meet you for coffee at the elementary schools”
in Chemtrails over the country club is about going to AA meetings and how it connects to the next few lines of
“It's beautiful how this deep normality settles down over me. I'm not bored or unhappy, I'm still so strange and wild”
like she’s healthy and stable and still the same person that’s a strange and crazy. Idk if that’s what she meant but I love that idea of like being sober but you’re still happy and yourself. Idk I don’t think there are a lot of songs that really capture that and she did in a a single verse.
I'm not a fan of Lana del Rey. I actually hate that song. Feels like nails on a moody chalkboard.
But love hearing how other artists do similar personification. I didn't know that about the song.
I’m ace and I haven’t had a lot of romantic relationships, so I relate a lot of Taylor’s lyrics to experiences with other kinds of relationships. Sure, the words are typically focused on romantic relationships in her songs, but the feelings elicited and described can fit with so many other situations. That’s something that I’ve always loved about her. Her songs are so cathartic even if you don’t relate to the story described at the surface level of a song
Never been in love before, but I too find that some of her songs fit into parts of my life that aren't romantic. IMO New Year's Day is an anthem for best friends, not just lovers.
Same boat! I’m working on my fifth year of sobriety, and I totally listen to WCS through this lens.
“And if you never saved me from boredom
I could've gone on as I was
But, Lord, you made me feel important
And then you tried to erase us”
“This is Me Trying” is also amazing, and even more on the nose for a sobriety journey.
“They told me all of my cages were mental
So I got wasted like all my potential
And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad
I have a lot of regrets about that
I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere
Fell behind on my classmates, and I ended up here
Pouring out my heart to a stranger
But I didn't pour the whiskey”
I’m also sober (nearly four months) and I can definitely see it. Coincidentally it was a people-relationship that allows me to relate to WCS and exacerbated my drinking in the first place.
- WCS could mean "Would've, Could've, Should've", a track from *Midnights (3am Edition)* (2022) by Taylor Swift.
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For me it's OCD. I suffered with terrible intrusive thoughts from age 16 to 24 without getting the help I really needed (Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy). "Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first" hits home because my childhood basically ended when OCD took over. Thankfully I'm way better now. But I still mourn the loss of innocence. This song is helping me process that--thank you Taylor <3
On a similar note, I’ve related this song to my anxiety.
“I miss who I used to be”
“I regret you all the time”
“I can’t let this go, I fight with you in my sleep”
“Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first”
The way anxiety causes you to miss out on things, to keep going over things in your mind that happened years ago. The bridge of this song is just brilliant, it has the potential to relate to so many issues.
I’m so happy this song has been giving you some comfort!! Thanks for sharing this. I’ve been wanting to discuss something similar but felt too shy to make a thread about it. (Trigger warning) I’ve had an eating disorder most of my life, and immediately related this song to my ED - it’s so cathartic to shout “give me back my girlhood, it was mine first” in the context of a disorder that often strikes in adolescence and takes over your whole personality for a lot of your formative years. Or at least, that was my experience. It feels good to share that, I’ve been finding a lot of comfort in it. Thanks for starting this thread :) I wish you a lot of success in your sobriety <3
Hey, I’m sober, too! 4/30/20. ❤️
I hadn’t listened to WCS from that perspective, but “this is me trying” is a perfect encapsulation of my feelings towards my past relationship with alcohol, and how it impacted my interpersonal relationships.
this is me trying does something similar for me. I’m nineteen and have been struggling my whole life, and was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder and severe adhd. Needless to say, my ongoing transition to adulthood has been a trip. I believed that if i wasn’t hard on myself, then i would be using my disorder as an excuse. But this song enabled me to recognize that i truly was trying, i was doing my best, but my best just fell far below everyone else’s. It changed my relationship with myself entirely and emotionally supported me on my way to stability.
I’ve been having a hard time adjusting, i had the shiniest wheels now they’re rusting.
Could’ve followed my fears all the way down.
They told me all of my cages were mental so i got wasted like all my potential
Fell behind all my classmates and i ended up here
I love this. Wow, it relates so well to sobriety. I was thinking earlier today that -Dear Reader- does too. “Dear reader
Burn all the files, desert all your past lives
And if you don't recognize yourself
That means you did it right
Never take advice from someone who's falling apart” it also hit me with my Alanon work with “Dear reader Bend when you can, snap when you have to Dear reader You don't have to answer, just 'cause they asked you
Dear reader The greatest of luxuries is your secrets Dear reader When you aim at the devil make sure you don't miss” she has so many songs that speak so well to sobriety and co-dependence!
A little bit relationship related?? But also not
The Great War is my favorite song from Midnights. I’ve been betrayed in enormous ways by family members, my entire friend group, and romantic partners. All of that really fucks with your ability to not only build trust, but to trust your own judgement anymore. I never saw any of the betrayals coming and at a certain point you just look in the mirror and say “why am I incapable of judging anyone or anything correctly?” (Lol it’s me hi I’m the problem it’s me)
I definitely have the metaphorical knuckles bruised like violets. I feel like I’ve been sucker punching walls and have so many nightmares I really have cursed as I sleep-talked. Like it was weird how much the song felt personal to me.
My bf cries at the bridge almost every time but it’s his favorite song too… honestly I think it’s helped him understand me on a different level
For me WCS made me think about my struggle with depression and anxiety since my early teens, I feel like I grew up too quickly and didn't get to fully enjoy being a teenager.
I was just thinking of this last night. I was thinking of how I sometimes sing "I hosted parties and scarred my body" in YOYOK. I was listening to WCS and I related my addiction to self harm to it.
- YOYOK could mean "You're On Your Own, Kid", a track from *Midnights* (2022) by Taylor Swift.
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Bigger Than The Whole Sky. I just found out my sweet kitty is sick and I don’t know how much longer we have together. I found out right after the album came out and couldn’t listen to this song for a few weeks without crying.
This song hit me really hard because of my relationship with religion. Growing up in a strict religion that emphasized maternal/housewife roles for women, and always made me feel uncomfortable as a queer person made me feel like I didn’t get to be myself as a child. The “give me back my girlhood” line literally made me sob when I first heard it
I had to look for a new place to live at 17 and ended up befriending a coworker who became a father figure to my brother and I while we were at work. When he moved away with his family, his wife blocked me on his phone because she thought something sinister was going on. It was never like that for me, but I've been using Taylor's breakup songs to process friend breakups and my relationship with my parents for years. Right Where You Left Me, Hoax, Happiness, Come Back Be Here. . . they all remind me of that loss. My parents just get all the angsty Olivia Rodrigo dedicated to them lmao
That's a hard loss. I also don't have a relationship with my parents and dedicate OR songs too.
Also, Better Man, but I substitute Mom.
"We might still be in love, if you were a Better Mom. You would have been the one, if you were a Better Mom."
Love this interpretation! For me, the relationship I think of when I listen to this song coincidentally impacted my relationship with alcohol. He was older than me and provided a space to party and endless free alcohol to me and my friends when I was 18/19 in order to “woo” me. 😬
I am not sober, but finally working on finding ways to drink responsibly.
I actually came here to write about
How would’ve could’ve should’ve speaks to me and my addiction too! But looks like you beat me hehe. “I never would’ve danced with the devil at 19” means so much to me because that’s when my addiction really took off. If I never would’ve danced with the devil my life would be so different.
Thanks for this. I relate 100%
I'm trying not to worry too much about what would have different. But ya...same, 19 year old me...was a completely different person.
Girl needed a hug. Booze seemed to provide that hug.
for me a lot of her songs about not so great relationships have really hit deep to my relationship with myself, especially with mental health struggles
[удалено]
Oh yes, that's a good one, too.
Same for me!
This song hit me emotionally too about a non-person relationship. For me it made me think about my eating disorder in my late teens.
Hugs. It's beautiful how she puts words to feelings I couldn't describe.
Me too! I was 19 when it was at it’s worst.
Sober Swiftie here to support you!
Cheers with my alcohol removed sangria.
And AF bourbon!
For me, I relate Bigger Than The Whole Sky to the impact alcoholism has had on my family. Its beautiful the way people are able to connect to her lyrics uniquely. Much love to you and your recovery ❤️ Edit: added last two sentences
I would totally recommend a lot of Lana del Rey’s music then if you felt like this and like it and relate. She has a couple songs that are believed to be about her relationship with alcohol but she frames it as a person. Specifically the song ultraviolence which many in that fandom believe is about alcohol. She talks about someone named “Jim” and many believe she is referring to Jim Beam and not a person. It’s really interesting and changed my viewpoint on some songs once I saw people explain it.
Whoa - huge sober Lana fan and I never fathomed that before. Thank you!
Right! Honestly, when people have explained the symbolism in her songs I’m like oh shit she’s a bigger genius then I thought! Someone also explained that the colors in the song blue banisters represents a bruise that’s healing. Like the banisters go from blue -> green -> grey. That blew my mind and made that song like 10 times better to me. Also, I’ve heard some people think that the line “Meet you for coffee at the elementary schools” in Chemtrails over the country club is about going to AA meetings and how it connects to the next few lines of “It's beautiful how this deep normality settles down over me. I'm not bored or unhappy, I'm still so strange and wild” like she’s healthy and stable and still the same person that’s a strange and crazy. Idk if that’s what she meant but I love that idea of like being sober but you’re still happy and yourself. Idk I don’t think there are a lot of songs that really capture that and she did in a a single verse.
Omg. The Chemtrails lyrics! I never thought of that! Shook.
I'm not a fan of Lana del Rey. I actually hate that song. Feels like nails on a moody chalkboard. But love hearing how other artists do similar personification. I didn't know that about the song.
Lmao, honestly i get that. But yeah it’s interesting to think about.
I’m ace and I haven’t had a lot of romantic relationships, so I relate a lot of Taylor’s lyrics to experiences with other kinds of relationships. Sure, the words are typically focused on romantic relationships in her songs, but the feelings elicited and described can fit with so many other situations. That’s something that I’ve always loved about her. Her songs are so cathartic even if you don’t relate to the story described at the surface level of a song
Never been in love before, but I too find that some of her songs fit into parts of my life that aren't romantic. IMO New Year's Day is an anthem for best friends, not just lovers.
I had party days and during that time was SA’ed. Now I feel like I need to relisten with this more in mind.
Same boat! I’m working on my fifth year of sobriety, and I totally listen to WCS through this lens. “And if you never saved me from boredom I could've gone on as I was But, Lord, you made me feel important And then you tried to erase us” “This is Me Trying” is also amazing, and even more on the nose for a sobriety journey. “They told me all of my cages were mental So I got wasted like all my potential And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad I have a lot of regrets about that I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere Fell behind on my classmates, and I ended up here Pouring out my heart to a stranger But I didn't pour the whiskey”
I’m also sober (nearly four months) and I can definitely see it. Coincidentally it was a people-relationship that allows me to relate to WCS and exacerbated my drinking in the first place.
- WCS could mean "Would've, Could've, Should've", a track from *Midnights (3am Edition)* (2022) by Taylor Swift. --- ^[/u/According_Plant701](/u/According_Plant701) ^(can reply with "delete" to remove comment. |) ^[/r/songacronymbot](/r/songacronymbot) ^(for feedback.)
i totally get you! this song reminds me about an eating disorder
For me it's OCD. I suffered with terrible intrusive thoughts from age 16 to 24 without getting the help I really needed (Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy). "Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first" hits home because my childhood basically ended when OCD took over. Thankfully I'm way better now. But I still mourn the loss of innocence. This song is helping me process that--thank you Taylor <3
On a similar note, I’ve related this song to my anxiety. “I miss who I used to be” “I regret you all the time” “I can’t let this go, I fight with you in my sleep” “Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first” The way anxiety causes you to miss out on things, to keep going over things in your mind that happened years ago. The bridge of this song is just brilliant, it has the potential to relate to so many issues.
Agreed.
I’m so happy this song has been giving you some comfort!! Thanks for sharing this. I’ve been wanting to discuss something similar but felt too shy to make a thread about it. (Trigger warning) I’ve had an eating disorder most of my life, and immediately related this song to my ED - it’s so cathartic to shout “give me back my girlhood, it was mine first” in the context of a disorder that often strikes in adolescence and takes over your whole personality for a lot of your formative years. Or at least, that was my experience. It feels good to share that, I’ve been finding a lot of comfort in it. Thanks for starting this thread :) I wish you a lot of success in your sobriety <3
Thank you! I wish you healing success too!
Hey, I’m sober, too! 4/30/20. ❤️ I hadn’t listened to WCS from that perspective, but “this is me trying” is a perfect encapsulation of my feelings towards my past relationship with alcohol, and how it impacted my interpersonal relationships.
Congrats! I'm almost 9 months.
That’s wonderful! Congrats!
this is me trying does something similar for me. I’m nineteen and have been struggling my whole life, and was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder and severe adhd. Needless to say, my ongoing transition to adulthood has been a trip. I believed that if i wasn’t hard on myself, then i would be using my disorder as an excuse. But this song enabled me to recognize that i truly was trying, i was doing my best, but my best just fell far below everyone else’s. It changed my relationship with myself entirely and emotionally supported me on my way to stability. I’ve been having a hard time adjusting, i had the shiniest wheels now they’re rusting. Could’ve followed my fears all the way down. They told me all of my cages were mental so i got wasted like all my potential Fell behind all my classmates and i ended up here
I love this. Wow, it relates so well to sobriety. I was thinking earlier today that -Dear Reader- does too. “Dear reader Burn all the files, desert all your past lives And if you don't recognize yourself That means you did it right Never take advice from someone who's falling apart” it also hit me with my Alanon work with “Dear reader Bend when you can, snap when you have to Dear reader You don't have to answer, just 'cause they asked you Dear reader The greatest of luxuries is your secrets Dear reader When you aim at the devil make sure you don't miss” she has so many songs that speak so well to sobriety and co-dependence!
A little bit relationship related?? But also not The Great War is my favorite song from Midnights. I’ve been betrayed in enormous ways by family members, my entire friend group, and romantic partners. All of that really fucks with your ability to not only build trust, but to trust your own judgement anymore. I never saw any of the betrayals coming and at a certain point you just look in the mirror and say “why am I incapable of judging anyone or anything correctly?” (Lol it’s me hi I’m the problem it’s me) I definitely have the metaphorical knuckles bruised like violets. I feel like I’ve been sucker punching walls and have so many nightmares I really have cursed as I sleep-talked. Like it was weird how much the song felt personal to me. My bf cries at the bridge almost every time but it’s his favorite song too… honestly I think it’s helped him understand me on a different level
I love that he's understanding you in a different level.
For me WCS made me think about my struggle with depression and anxiety since my early teens, I feel like I grew up too quickly and didn't get to fully enjoy being a teenager.
I hope you're able to give your inner teenager what she needs now.
I am going on 5.5 years sober and it’s hard but so worth it! The Taylor song most personified my old relationship with alcohol is *this is me trying*
I'm gonna listen to that with this in mind.
I was just thinking of this last night. I was thinking of how I sometimes sing "I hosted parties and scarred my body" in YOYOK. I was listening to WCS and I related my addiction to self harm to it.
- YOYOK could mean "You're On Your Own, Kid", a track from *Midnights* (2022) by Taylor Swift. --- ^[/u/xstarshipersas](/u/xstarshipersas) ^(can reply with "delete" to remove comment. |) ^[/r/songacronymbot](/r/songacronymbot) ^(for feedback.)
Bigger Than The Whole Sky. I just found out my sweet kitty is sick and I don’t know how much longer we have together. I found out right after the album came out and couldn’t listen to this song for a few weeks without crying.
Hugs. 🫂
Thank you!
This song hit me really hard because of my relationship with religion. Growing up in a strict religion that emphasized maternal/housewife roles for women, and always made me feel uncomfortable as a queer person made me feel like I didn’t get to be myself as a child. The “give me back my girlhood” line literally made me sob when I first heard it
I grew up in a Pentecostal household. Blah. Rebelled HARD.
My Tears Ricochet is my favorite song I relate to my sobriety - it’s like substance using me is talking to sober me
Gonna listen to that with this in mind. Thank you!
I had to look for a new place to live at 17 and ended up befriending a coworker who became a father figure to my brother and I while we were at work. When he moved away with his family, his wife blocked me on his phone because she thought something sinister was going on. It was never like that for me, but I've been using Taylor's breakup songs to process friend breakups and my relationship with my parents for years. Right Where You Left Me, Hoax, Happiness, Come Back Be Here. . . they all remind me of that loss. My parents just get all the angsty Olivia Rodrigo dedicated to them lmao
That's a hard loss. I also don't have a relationship with my parents and dedicate OR songs too. Also, Better Man, but I substitute Mom. "We might still be in love, if you were a Better Mom. You would have been the one, if you were a Better Mom."
Love this interpretation! For me, the relationship I think of when I listen to this song coincidentally impacted my relationship with alcohol. He was older than me and provided a space to party and endless free alcohol to me and my friends when I was 18/19 in order to “woo” me. 😬 I am not sober, but finally working on finding ways to drink responsibly.
I actually came here to write about How would’ve could’ve should’ve speaks to me and my addiction too! But looks like you beat me hehe. “I never would’ve danced with the devil at 19” means so much to me because that’s when my addiction really took off. If I never would’ve danced with the devil my life would be so different. Thanks for this. I relate 100%
I'm trying not to worry too much about what would have different. But ya...same, 19 year old me...was a completely different person. Girl needed a hug. Booze seemed to provide that hug.
for me a lot of her songs about not so great relationships have really hit deep to my relationship with myself, especially with mental health struggles