#please
✨manifesting sotb with lana live*
esp when it’s a photo from a road trip and in the song she shouts out “trip of my life” 🙈
LOUD you say? 3/8 you say? 🧐👀
Making our way through the London Fundon 🙂 crowds to say, "Hello"! 👋 We cannot wait to hear how LOUD these next three of EIGHT Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour shows will be! 🇬🇧 📷: Xavi Torrent/TAS24/Getty
Taylor has referred to herself as the narrator of the story within her music over and over again, but what type of narrator is she referring to? It’s appears that Taylor has been alluding to being the unreliable narrator of her own story.
The unreliable narrator is a form of literary device utilised by authors to create plot twists and conflicted characters within a story. In the process the narrator may withhold information, lie to the audience or mislead them. This encourages them to cast doubt on the narrative and engage with the material on a deeper level. The benefit of telling a story in this way is that it forces the audience to come to their own conclusions when the narrator’s point of view cannot be trusted.
When we apply this context to Taylor’s role in retelling her story we start to understand why she has been affectionately referred to as ‘Tayliar’. There is a layer of mistruth sprinkled throughout her story to alter the way it is interpreted so that everyone can slowly see through the facade that was being presented to us. This is a gentle approach, but also an effective one.
Taylor has slowly been drawing more attention to the lies so that more people will notice. This has intensified the split in the narrative, leading to a hostile divide between those who can see the truth and those who believe that the fantasy is real. Both have different points of view but only one side is right, and it's the gaylors because we can see how all of the pieces of the puzzle fall into place when it's viewed through a queer perspective. There's a lot more to the story past this point, but it is the beginning point for many to begin questioning the narrative.
What we're continuing to see unfold now is the lies being told to keep up the facade for everyone else. This phase is supposed to feel contradictory as Taylor continues the process of leaving a trail of clues. I understand many have known the truth for years and are growing tiresome waiting for an ending, but I'd urge you to see that what's happening now isn't for us, it's for those who still believe in the fantasy.
Unfortunately the ending of a story told by an unreliable narrator is oftentimes anti-climactic. It sounds cliche but it really is about the journey and not the destination. But the good news is that there really is so much suspense, complexity and beauty when you are paying attention to all of the small cracks forming in the facade. This is where it becomes clear that Taylor truly is a mastermind.
It's likely that some will accuse Taylor of gaslighting her fans when they discover the truth, but the majority will begin to understand why she kept it a secret once they've had a chance to uncover the truth that has been hidden in plain sight for themselves.
"If you ask me if I love him, I'd lie" -Taylor Swift
A tortured poet,
Kylie x
#dreams and wishes
If you see this on your dashboard, reblog this, NO MATTER WHAT and all your dreams and wishes will come true.
I struggle A LOT with Taylor song title acronyms/abbreviations. 🤣
I swear it’s like a disability— I have to google almost all of them. 8 times out of 10, my brain CANNOT look at a group of random letters and figure out which song it stands for.
I swear I’m smart but the struggle is real. 🙈
*I do not claim to know the sexuality of Taylor swift. I simply think interpreting her lyrics from a gaylor perspective is more interesting and leads to interpretations of her music I personally find more impressive and complex.*
At this hearing
I stand before the fellow
Members
Of the Tortured Poets Department
(Ok so we are establishing that Taylor is a member of the tortured poets department and she is talking directly to the other members. This is important because it sets the whole context of the album. She is a tortured poet, and this album is for other tortured poets. Why is she tortured though?)
With a summary of my findings
A debrief, a detailed rewinding
For the purpose of warning
For the sake of reminding
(She wants to warn us about something by reminding us of what’s happened so far. Got it.)
As you might all
Unfortunately recall
I had been struck with a case
Of restricted humanity
Which explains my plea here today
Of temporary insanity
(To me, restricted humanity reads as fame. Taylor talks regularly about feeling caged by fame and like she’s not treated like a person. So fame has been restricting her humanity and it’s made her do something crazy.)
You see, the pendulum swings
Oh, the chaos it brings
Leads the caged beast to do
The most curious things
(Pendulum swings = what goes around comes around, time keeps on moving…. The word “curious” here is very interesting to me, because that’s a word so commonly associated with being in the closet- as well as its connection to Wonderland and the line “don’t you know what becomes of curious minds”. Taylor has done “curious” things before in her time in the spotlight. The cage is still her fame.)
Lovers spend years denying what’s ill fated
Resentment rotting away
Galaxies were created
(Lovers is an interesting word to use here because of the obvious connection to her past music! Now, why are the lovers Ill fated? Were they destined to not work out, and if so, why? What’s keeping them apart?
Resentment rotting away- Taylor’s resentment, or both of theirs? The obvious interpretation of this section of the poem is it’s about her and Joe’s failing relationship. But if we’re taking the gaylor perspective here- I think this section could very well describe being in love with someone you can’t be with, and the resentment that builds up as you see them move on with their life and even get married and have kids.
Galaxies were created reminds me of the lavander haze music video where Taylor created galaxies in her lovers back, and also of the Mastermind vinyl in her room in Lavander Haze with the constellations on it. To my ears, these galaxies are the stories she’s creating for the public. Her public romances, her relationships with the men she’s bearding with. She’s the one who put her and Joe’s constellations together in Lavander Haze, she’s the mastermind who’s created these galaxies.)
Stars placed and glued meticulously by the ceiling fan
(The galaxies are fake! She’s created them from her room, or her prison. She’s meticulously crafted these romances or stories with these men, but they’re not the real thing. )
Tried wishing on comets
Tried dimming the shine
Tried to orbit his planet
Some stars never align
(What is she wishing for? Could be her and Joe to work. Or it could be freedom? Or to be like everyone else? Or to be with her lover? Tried dimming the shine- the shine of what? To me this line is very easy to interpret from a gaylor lense. “Tried dimming the shine,” to my ears, implies dimming down who she really is, dulling the truth, hiding her true colors. Why couldn’t she orbit his planet when they were in a relationship for 6 years? It could certainly be it was a toxic relationship, could it also be that the “him” doesn’t matter, she can’t make that relationship work because it’s with a man? Regardless of the reason, she tried to make this relationship work but couldn’t. The stars never aligned. I also think it’s interesting That we’ve already discussed that the sky is fake, she meticulously created it next to her ceiling fan. So does she have control over these stars? Could it be that she never wanted the relationship, that’s why those stars could not align, because she, the one meticulously placing them, did not line them up? Was the end of the relationship part of a plan?)
And in one conversation
I tore down the whole sky.
(Again, the sky is fake, it’s the meticulously crafted relationships she’s created with these men or in this case Joe. In one conversation, she ended it all. I do think conversation is a notable word choice here, it implies civility and almost a sense that the moment is casual. This was not a fight, not a devastating breakup, they had a conversation and she tore up the whole story she created, or ended their bearding relationship.)
Spring sprung forth with dazzling freedom hues
(This is possibly the most gaylor line of the poem in my opinion. It also reminds me of the line in Ivy where she says “spring breaks lose, time is near.” I think it’s relevant that in gaylor lore, the summer around Lover is when we thought Tay was going to come out, but it got ruined by the masters heist, so we’ve regularly referred to that summer as her “sparkling summer.” The summer when she wore bright colors and rainbows and released Me! This is not the same spring, obviously, but I do think summer has significant metaphorical meaning in the Taylor verse one way or another. So, back to where we were, Taylor ends her bearding relationship with Joe and spring breaks forth in beautiful freedom hues. She’s not at all sad about the end of this relationship, it’s freedom.)
Then a crash from the skylight bursting through
(Interesting! Something real. If the ceiling galaxies represents fake relationships, is something crashing through the skylight representative of something real? Real emotions… I also think this ties in with the lavander haze music video, where she tears down the walls to discover galaxies of koi fish outside.)
Something old,
Someone hallowed,
Who told me he could
be brand new
(I’m not gonna lie, this is one of the harder lines to interpret from a gaylor perspective, it does seem obviously Rathew Healy coded. But, let’s break it down anyways. It’s notable that this section is a play on the wedding phrase, “something old something new something borrowed something blue.” Which of her possible muses has gotten married? I can think of one. Something old seems to reference a past relationship, it could also be a reference to something that’s been with her all along, a feeling, or a secret, that she’s always had. Someone hallowed- empty, this person is a shell. He told her he could be brand new. I think there are a few ways to interpret this. The obvious seems to be that a past relationship came back and told her he could be different this time. Could it also be that old feelings came up and crashed through her skylight, or through her constructed relationships, and she needed a new shell, or puppet, to conceal them? Was the shell saying he could be brand new offering to be whatever Taylor needed him to be?)
And so I was out of the oven
And into the microwave
(Taylor was preparing something, she was getting ready for something, but she had to rush it.)
Out of the slammer
And into the tidal wave
(The obvious interpretation is that the slammer is her relationship with Joe and the tidal wave is Matty, hence guilty as sin. However, what she’s saying at the core here is that as soon as she’s free, she’s in danger. Freedom will drown her. )
How gallant to save the empress from her guilded tower
Swinging a sword he could barely lift
But loneliness struck at that fateful hour
Low hanging fruit on his wine stained lips.
(Now I actually do believe this section is about Matty! He “saved” Taylor, took on a bearding relationship with her, but he couldn’t handle the responsibility. I think it’s very telling that she says loneliness struck. If they were in a real relationship, one that was a close and intense and passionate as she describes throughout this album, why is loneliness what tore them apart? Why were they lonely if they were twin flames? To me, the answer that makes the most sense is they were not. This relationship was not real, either. She got out of the prison of her bearding relationship with Joe and into the tidal wave of chaos that was a bearding relationship with Matty, but they were still both lonely in the end. And that loneliness drove him to say something drunkenly she couldn’t forgive. What low hanging fruit did he reach for? What nerve did he strike?)
He never even scratched the surface of me.
None of them did.
(This seems extremely telling from a gaylor perspective. NONE of them. Not a single one of these men truly understood Taylor. I do think it’s worth noting that Travis songs are on this album, and she does not say, ‘none until him,’ or even include Travis in this prologue. none of the men have scratched the surface of her, period.)
“In summation, it was not a love affair!”
I screamed while bringing my fist to my coffee ringed desk
(She’s screaming at us that this album is not about a love affair, and none of what happened was real love or romance. Her desk is coffee ringed because she’s been there a long time, writing, trying to explain herself.)
It was a mutual manic phase.
It was self harm.
It was house and then cardiac arrest.
(Her and Matty were a mutual manic phase. Why was that relationship self harm? It certainly could be bc Ratty is a terrible person and that relationship was toxic. It could also be that ALL of her relationships with men, or at least the ones referenced in this prologue, were self harm. She’s forcing herself into situations that hurt her for the sake of fame. The relationship was house arrest because she was trapped and then cardiac arrest because her heart died, there was no emotion or passion.)
A smirk creeps onto this poets face
Because it’s the worst men I write the best.
(She writes the men!! She is saying right here, she is the writer of the stories, the mastermind behind the galaxies. She’s smirking because she’s tricking us and she knows it. She knows she’s going to be misunderstood, she knows something we don’t.)
And so I enter into evidence my tarnished coat of arms
(Okay so she’s entering these things into evidence. Time to revisit the beginning. What is this evidence of? What is she warning us against? Is this evidence of her plea of insanity, or evidence to support her warning? At this point in the poem, what exactly is she warning us against? In my opinion, she’s warning us against idolizing her or trusting her at face value, she’s warning us against worshiping her relationship so she’s saying over and over, “this is a story I’ve constructed and now it’s torturing me.”
A coat of arms is a family sigil- it could also be seen on a shield. So Taylor’s coat of arms is something that protects her and identifies her- is it her brand? The public Taylor? It’s tarnished, is that because her reputation was tarnished with Matty? Is she saying, my tarnished brand is evidence this is torturing me?)
My muses, acquired like bruises
(She paid a price for each muse in her songs. Each one of these relationships she’s written about hurt her in some way. I also think it’s notable that bruises are visible signs of injury- we all see the bruises, we all define her by them. I think it’s obvious to see how her muse bruises are evidence she’s being tortured.)
My talismans and charms
(Talismans and charms reminds me of Easter eggs. Hidden symbols and messages and codes. Gaylors regularly use symbolism and Easter eggs as evidence that Taylor is not happy, she’s being tortured.)
The tick tick tick of love bombs
(The love bombs could certainly be love bombing in relationships- I think it could also mean love bombing from fans, and how it’s going to blow up in everyone’s face.)
My veins of pitch black ink
(Interesting for a few reasons. She’s dark and bitter on the inside, she doesn’t feel like she bleeds the same as everyone else. And, she has to bleed to write. She has to suffer for her art.)
Alls fair in love and poetry
(All of this, all the lies, all the constructions, everything I’m doing is fair because it’s for the sake of love and my art. This poem, and this album, is a warning against getting swept up in the stories of her relationships, because they’re constructions that she’s made for her art.)
Sincerely,
The chairman of the tortured poets department
(She’s not only in the tortured poets department, she’s the chairman. She’s in charge. She’s the head tortured poet. SHE IS BEING TORTURED FOR HER ART and we’re misunderstanding her.)
Or, you know, maybe it’s just about how she went insane and dated Matty Healy and now she wants to be seen as tortured and edgy.
If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read!
This was entirely for my own enjoyment, but if anything resonates with you or if you have another complex or unusual reading I’d love to hear it ✨
I wanna know about the significance of the "the lakes" as in the lake district in England and how apparently karlie went there and tweeted about it, somewhere in 2017? 2018? And in the picture she tweeted, there were two swans in the background making a heart shape and that was one of the imagery used for lover album's merch? Not sure if you've talked about it before but I just wanna know more about it, thanks!
hello! i suspect this post may be of interest to you:
i don’t have an individual writeup about the picture you’re mentioning but i do have the goods— here is the photo of karlie by a lake in england, which we assume because she posted from london that week, as she was hosting the British Fashion Awards on december 4th.
separate from the england question but while i have you here i thought id just share some other 2017 tidbits— karlie firebuilding in april 2017
and then her friend derek (who she has affectionately called her ‘brother’ over the years) sitting her down for an interview in october of 2017 where he also points out that she knows how to build a fire.
rep was of course released on november 10th 2017 where ciwyw has the lyrics “built a fire just to keep me warm” and “trust him like a brother” so you can see here just the sort of brand name playfulness from karlie, who’s always somehow able to preview taylor’s upcoming lyrics a little bit earlier than any normal person would be able to preview.
At least we got something interesting
Cornelia Street? With Maroon? TODAY?
Bonus Karlie at the Cornelia Street apartment: