#taylor swift analysis

[prod-1989]

clara bow being described by one of her directors as “pitifully eager to please everyone” and taylor calling herself a “pathological people pleaser” in you’re losing me. clara bow being a very famous 20s star, a personification of the roaring 20s, and taylor who’s arguably the artist of our generation… oh my heart. MY HEART, TAYLOR.

[agreyrose]

So in “Down Bad” the muse is an otherworldly being who picked Taylor up, showed her things she never seen before, changed her life forever, and then dropped her right back off because, again, they weren’t from this world and it wouldn’t be acceptable for them to be together in this world because people can’t/won’t understand it. But Taylor feels like if they were elsewhere, then it would be okay and she could be with this person. Hence why we get:

And as I pointed out in my other post, this is a running theme in her music. There’s so many examples of it it’s insane. Even off some of her earliest albums:

She’s always running away with her muse, out of sight because they taught her “a secret language” she “can’t speak with anyone else.” No one else around her understands her except the muse. So Taylor’s solution is always to run.

[queerstudiesnatural]

i have degrees in both textual and musical analysis and i kind of miss writing essays so i'm dissecting the tortured poets department. and i'm stuck on so long london because beside the lyrics having so much contained in them, it's also so deep sonically.

like the so (so) long (long) lon(lon)don(don) intro sounds like bell chimes, and that has three different meanings to me. it could be wedding bells, it could be a clock striking passing time, or it could be church bells for a funeral. and these three things perfectly encapsulate what went wrong in her relationship. waiting for forever but you end waiting so long it kills you and your relationship. and then the rest of the song sounds like trying to look through a fog or mist, like running out of breath on a hike, with the way she pauses after each syllable in the chorus. plus the constant beating sound in the verse that evokes a beating heart or footsteps or seconds ticking away on fast forward.

but then there's also an angelic feeling with the constant echoing choir (all taylor's voice) and to me that's meant to represent heaven, which means death, but also peace, like this song was her way of letting go of that relationship and moving on. so they died but she's at peace with it. it was a good relationship and it's going to heaven now.

and it reminds me of delicate, with the dreamy echoey intro and then the beat dropping in, and the way she was just going through the motions in the music video. like maybe the relationship that saved her from the stress of performing for the public started to feel like a robotic performance too. going through the motions of intimacy but it was just a desperate act to keep something that was already dead. and thus the first and last acts of their relationship ended up sounding the same in reverse.

and to talk a little bit about the lyrics they're full of references to sisyphus and to weathering a storm, to navigating through troubled water with a crew but you're the only one trying to save the ship. then there's the parallel to champagne problems with "you'll find someone, i'm not the one, i'll find someone". how sometimes there's no dramatic exit, you just fizzled out.

"i stopped cpr, after all it's no use, the spirit was gone we would never come to" is basically the thesis of stop you're losing me, and she delves into an analysis of how that came to be in how did it end. "our maladies were such we could not cure them." how did it end? she can't pretend like she understands. she did everything she could to keep the ship afloat and was blind to unforeseen circumstances.

the stitches undone also call back to glitch's "five seconds later i'm fastening myself to you with a stitch" and the embroidery of "we were just kids, babe" in loml.

it's like this song is an amalgamation of every other song that she wrote about the topic.

the colour blue that was associated with this person so positively in past songs is now their downfall ("you sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days")

and of course the call back to cornelia street with the parallel between "i hope i never lose you, hope it never ends, i'd never walk cornelia street again" and "i'm just mad as hell cause i loved this place for so long, london".

everything that began ended in the same way, as also encapsulated by the song loml. love of my life, loss of my life. all the disappointment that comes with that. a full birth to death cycle summarised in a few verses.

[agirlwiththoughtsandnegativity]

‼️I think a great message Taylor put in ttpd is that she’s mad at the fans…and good for her. Many fans still don’t see her as human, as a real person, just some toy they can manipulate to entertain them and fit their narrative. Many fans think their entitled to her personal life too: the letter for her to stop dating matty (yes I think Matty sucks but that was just weird af), speculation on who each song is about, the extreme discourse after her and joe broke up, the gaylor shit, even the talk about her and Travis. Taylor is finally saying it is weird to talk about REAL PEOPLE like that, like they’re tv show characters or your little toys. None of us are entitled to Taylor’s personal life and it is extremely odd to believe you should have a say in it. As Taylor says, NO the fans cannot come to the wedding, because we’re JUST FANS. Even now, some swifties need to see Taylor doesn’t know you, she’s not your best friend, not your sister. She makes music for us. She’s not trying to be a little circus for you to direct.

anyways, taylor is a real human, not a puppet. her personal life is hers, not your circus. and taylor doesn’t know you. she appreciates the fans for giving her her career, for listening to the music, but she has never met you; she. is. not. your. friend.‼️

[folksyswift]

Thinking about the how Taylor Swift went from writing:

“You never know what people have up their sleeves. Ghosts from your past gonna jump out at me. Lurking in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles. But I don't care 'cause right now you're mine” -19 years old

To writing

“All the girls that you've run dry. Have tired, lifeless eyes 'cause you burned them out. But I took your matches before fire could catch me, so don't look now, I'm shining like fireworks over your sad, empty town.” - 20 years old

To writing

“And the God's honest truth is that the pain was heaven. And now that I'm grown, I'm scared of ghosts. Memories feel like weapons.” - 30 years old

She really said i won’t let your ghosts haunt me because i love you! but it then turned into i’m leaving you before you kill me and turn me into a ghost of myself! To yeah you didn’t kill me, you just took something i’ll never get back. and now i’m not haunted by your ghosts. i’m haunted by the version of me that loved the version of you that hurt me.

[authenticcadence18]

I’ve said it once I’ll say it again

The Tortuted Poets Department was born of heartbreak and loss. The loss of a longtime partner, the loss of a longtime friend, the loss of a potential romance, the loss of ideals about love, the loss of places you used to love that you have to leave behind in order to grow, the loss of your past self.

it feels absolutely AWFUL to be in that sort of state, to lose things that were once so vital to who you are.

Common critiques of TTPD are that it is “too long” or “not cohesive” or “all the songs sound the same” or “the songs aren’t written as well”.

but guess what that’s what heartbreak feels like !!!!! it lasts too long!!!!! it doesn’t just GO AWAY it lingers like a 31-track album!!! thoughts after heartbreak aren’t cohesive! they are frantic, they aren’t put together, they’re all over the place they’re devastated. And “all the songs sound the same” so do your thoughts in the wake of major heartbreak. In my experience, the brain likes to shuffle through the same thoughts over and over and over again. And to people saying the songs aren’t as well written I mean. Thats what happens when you have to keep functioning and “do it with a broken heart.” TTPD is what it sounds like to have your heart broken. Each song is a different hour, day, week, month of dealing with it. Those songs ARE well written, and even if some of them don’t contain the most polished lyrics they are raw and real. That’s what makes them comforting.

I just think a lot of the critiques of TTPD are looking at it purely from a musical standpoint and not an emotional one. TTPD is about catharsis, capturing as many feelings as possible bc if you don’t write them down they’ll stay in your brain and haunt you. TTPD is about taking your demons and making something beautiful out of them so they hurt a little less

[lesbianwriter64]

Queer Interpretation of Red (the album): State Of Grace

Disclaimer: Death of the author because the old Taylor is dead anyway, so I can make up whatever I want about this song because people are allowed to have different interpretations of a piece of work and also I really want to.

To me, State Of Grace is the ultimate song about a love for a woman that makes you realize you’re queer. It’s a risky love, unaccepted by the public, but one that changes the narrator completely, that makes her realize who she is and who she truly desires.

Throughout the song, we see how this love was not only a surprise to the narrator, it changed the narrator, made her come to terms with something. “I never saw you coming, and I’ll never be the same”, “We are alone with our changing minds”. As a young person, she’s in the midst of “busy streets and busy lives”, knowing only relationships that are “touch and go” until something new stops her in her tracks. When the narrator encounters a woman who makes her realize she’s queer, it causes her to re-evaluate who she is and how she approaches relationships..

Her and her lover are on a redemptive journey together to erase the mistakes of the past, “We are alone just you and me, up in your room and our slates are clean,”, “I’ve loved in shades of wrong.” The second one especially sticks out to me because of an interview from the Speak Now era when Taylor said that every past love that isn’t the one is “a shade of wrong”. The cause of the shades of wrong isn’t the narrator’s fault, it’s the fact that she was dating the wrong people: men.

The love in this song is risky, too, and not accepted by society. The narrator and her muse are alone together in this, but “this love is brave and wild”, and “this is the worthwhile fight”. Being in a queer relationship is inherently a fight, is inherently dangerous. Her muse is her “achilles heel”, but she’s willing to brave the dangers because now that she’s discovered real love, she’ll fight for it.

The title, “State Of Grace”, refers to the concept in Christian theology of being free from mortal sin. Queerness is often referred to as a mortal sin by modern christians, and this is the narrator's way of pushing back against those who judge her relationship. The narrator asserts that in actuality, the love is redemptive, “our slates are clean”, and that the love was ordained by God, “these are the hands of fate, you’re my achilles heel” to persevere in the face of hardship. Their love is “the golden age of something good and right and real”.

To expand on “golden” love, this idea is used more in Taylor’s discography to describe real love, “I once thought love would be black and white, but it’s golden”. This relationship is about the narrator discovering what real love is, as opposed to the colorless imitations from her past. The love is her being true to who she is, without fear, without giving into the judgments of others. Love, real love, is golden.

…but that’s just my interpretation. Death of the author and all that. If you guys liked this… let me know? I love nice comments and reblogs (no pressure). I also kind of want to make this a series based off songs on red (I have SO much to say on this lol). Let me know if I should!

[mymindisverycomplicated]

Why "Right Where You Left Me" by Taylor Swift is the Perfect Song for Remus Lupin

On my second listen to Right Where You Left Me by Taylor Swift, a thought struck me: “This song is about Remus Lupin!” Think about it—he's the one left behind after all his friends are gone, and he never truly moves on, at least from what we see in canon. The emotional weight of his stagnation mirrors the heartbreak and frozen-in-time longing that Taylor sings about. The song captures his pain, his longing for a time when the Marauders were whole, and his struggle to reconcile with a present that feels empty without them. It’s hauntingly fitting for him, isn’t it?

This meta-analysis explores that connection—how Right Where You Left Me captures the essence of Remus’ pain, grief, and inability to move forward after the loss of the Marauders. So often, these aspects of his character are overlooked in both canon and fandom, but they are integral to understanding who he is and how he struggled so deeply in the years leading up to Prisoner of Azkaban. I also wrote a one-shot about Remus in the winter break during PoA that was inspired by this song and conveys its aspects.

Read on to see just how perfectly Taylor Swift’s lyrics align with Remus’ story—and why this song feels like it was written just for him.

Version 1:

Friends break up, friends get married (Peter's unofficial breakup with the Marauders when he betrays them as the Secret Keeper; James and Lily’s marriage before their tragic deaths)

Strangers get born, strangers get buried (Harry and the other wizarding children born during the war represent new beginnings, while the many deaths from the First Wizarding War remind us of the cost of that era.)

Trends change, rumors fly through new skies (Time passes after the war, and the wizarding world tries to move on.)

But I'm right where you left me (Remus is left behind and emotionally stuck in time after losing James, seeing Sirius imprisoned, and Peter disappearing. The weight of those events keeps him trapped in the past.)

Matches burn after the other (Life goes on for others, symbolized by matches burning, while Remus remains stagnant.)

Pages turn and stick to each other (Time may move forward, but for Remus, it feels messy and unresolved, like a story he can't finish.)

Wages earned and lessons learned (He spends years working odd jobs and learning hard lessons about survival, eventually landing the teaching position at Hogwarts.)

But I, I'm right where you left me (Even with the passage of time, Remus remains emotionally tied to the memories of his youth and the Marauders’ era.)

Chorus:

Help, I'm still at the restaurantStill sitting in a corner I haunt (Remus is still mentally revisiting moments from when everything was okay, unable to move on.)

Cross-legged in the dim light (A quiet, sorrowful image of someone who feels out of place in the present but at home in their grief.)

They say, "What a sad sight" (Those who know him pity him, seeing his pain but unable to truly understand the depth of it.)

I, I swear you could hear a hairpin drop Right when I felt the moment stop (This lyric perfectly reflects the moment Remus discovers Peter is alive. It’s a shattering revelation that forces him to confront long-held beliefs.)

Glass shattered on the white cloth (This lyric reflects Remus’ mind being blown once he realizes Peter’s betrayal.)

Everybody moved on, I stayed there (While the wizarding world tries to rebuild and move forward, Remus remains anchored to the past, emotionally frozen.)

Dust collected on my pinned-up hair They expected me to find somewhere (Dumbledore, McGonagall, and even Snape expect him to move on and live his life, but Remus struggles to do so.)

Some perspective, but I sat and stared (Despite the advice and expectations of others, he remains emotionally stuck, reliving the past.)

Right where you left me (This refrain encapsulates Remus’s grief and inability to move forward. He’s forever stuck in the moment when his world fell apart.)

You left me no, oh, you left me no You left me no choice but to stay here forever (The betrayals, losses, and trauma in Remus’s life leave him feeling trapped. Moving on seems impossible given the enormity of what he’s endured.)

For the second verse/bridge, I modified it a bit to fit Remus' story more and I even changed a bit of the pre-chorus. Here are the changes:

Did you hear about the boy who got frozenTime went for everybody else he won’t know itHe’s still seventeen inside his fantasiesHow it’s supposed to beDid you hear about the boy who lives in delusionWakes up every day where time’s an illusion,He’s still seventeen inside his fantasy and you’re sitting in front of me

At the restaurant, still sitting in a corner I hauntHands folded just so tight , everything used to be rightI, I could feel my stomach dropWhen I saw those boys, like shadows they stoppedGlass shattered on the white clothEverybody moved on

I, I stayed there Time weighed heavy on me, life’s cruel snare Memories we shared, they hang in the air Echoes of laughter, but I’m unaware Cause I'm right where I cause no harm, mind my business If our bond died young, I can't bear witness And it's been so long But if you ever think of what’s been gone I'm right where you left me You left me no, oh, you left me no You left me no choice but to stay here forever

Remus is a man stuck in time, and this song is the perfect soundtrack to his sorrow. 🐺#remus lupin

[pigeon-smidge]

✦✩ Crowley & Aziraphale (Taylor’s Version) ✩✦

So for the past couple of months I’ve been pouring my heart and soul into an analysis masterpost of this playlist, a Crowley and Aziraphale playlist comprised purely of Taylor Swift songs. I had been curating this playlist for a little while over the latter half of last year, and around November or so I decided to write up an analysis for why I’ve included each song! Some are about a specific character, some about their relationship, and many are about both! Five-ish months and eighteen pages of analysis later, here we are. It’s been so awesome to combine probably my two biggest interests, and even if you’re not a swiftie, I encourage you to read some of this if you’d like to!! You might find some songs you really like the sound of. If you like it, please support :) I spent so long on this

The track list is as follows:

All You Had to Do Was Stay

Say Don’t Go

How You Get the Girl

You are in Love

Wildest Dreams

hoax

peace

mirrorball

Come Back … Be Here

The Very First Night

All Too Well (10 Minute Version)

The Archer

Death by a Thousand Cuts

Cruel Summer

tolerate it

champagne problems

ivy

Back to December

The Great War

Midnight Rain

Tied Together With A Smile

Don’t Blame Me

Dancing With Our Hands Tied

✩✩✩✩

Notes: song titles are in the same order as the track list. they're numbered and colour-coded by album (1989 and midnights share the same colour, as do folklore and rep because Tumblr has limited options) so it’s easier for people to find specific songs they want. They’re not in any particular meaningful order, just grouped by album. If you want to read specific song analysis, please scroll to that point, or open this post in its own window and do a page search (on mac it’s command+f , but I’m not sure about other operating systems.) Obligatory disclaimer that this is all my subjective analysis, both of Taylor’s songs and Crowley and Aziraphale’s characters. I am not making any assumptions about the creative intentions behind them, these are purely what they mean in my view. What I think is not necessarily what the creators intended. If you disagree with anything, that’s fine!! Just please don’t be rude about it. I’d love to hear what you have to say about it!! If you’ve got any thoughts or additions, please add them in a reply or reblog, and we can make it a discussion :D Check back in the future if you want, because I might be adding more depending on if I have some new ideas! ✩✩✩✩

Alright, with that stuff said, here we are!! Grab a snack and get cozy if you want, this is a long one. You can read as much or as little as you want!! I hope you enjoy :)

✦✩ Crowley & Aziraphale (Taylor’s Version) ✩✦

All You Had to Do Was Stay

Title is self-explanatory. However it fits both perspectives; Crowley begging Aziraphale to stay with him and to not leave for Heaven, and Aziraphale begging Crowley to stay with him. They both view the other as being opposed to their own plight because their failure to communicate leads to misunderstandings. Specifically the choruses are most relevant. The verses don’t really feel like they fit; they’re very, very angry and bitter, and describe a relationship that the narrator has pretty much moved on from (‘and people like me are gone forever when you say goodbye’ & ‘now you say you want it back, now that it’s just too late’ to name a few lyrics). I don’t think this is accurate to them as I don’t think they’re going to be able to move on in this way. I also don’t think they’re this angry with each other. The narrator, in the verses specifically, describes their partner in a very reductive way. ‘People like you [..]’ etc, is a very insulting way of talking. Not that either party isn’t upset with the other; I think they’re both very confused and hurt. But I don’t think they’re at the stage where they can be this vitriolic. Partially due to character reasons, and also because obviously the story isn’t going to end with them in the exact positions they’re in now (otherwise there wouldn’t be a third season and the show would be very unsatisfactory). They’re upset, but they’re resigned and bitter, as opposed to outwardly aggressive about the other. ✦ Notable lyrics: ‘You were all I wanted, but not like this’ Because Crowley wants Aziraphale but only if they can stay the same, not both angels in Heaven.  ‘Had me in the palm of your hand, why’d you have to go and lock me out when I let you in?’ Because Crowley poured his heart out and from his perspective Aziraphale didn’t think him enough to leave Heaven behind for. 2. Say Don’t Go

This is THE Aziracrow song. I had a 1989 (Taylor’s Version) listening party with my friends and when this played I went WAIT … especially the second verse and the bridge. The entire song is about begging someone to say that they want you to stay. Even though they both did tell the other they wanted to stay together, neither of them actually realised that’s what they were saying. ✦ Notable lyrics:

‘Cause you kiss me and it stops time, and I’m yours, but you’re not mine.’ The first half of the sentence being from Aziraphale’s perspective in reference to the kiss, and the second from Crowley’s, in reference to how Crowley’s much more accepting of his romantic feelings. 

‘I’m standing on the sidewalk, alone. I wait for you to drive by. I’m trying to see the cards that you won’t show.’ Because of those shots in the Final Fifteen with both of them ‘standing on the sidewalk’ watching each other from opposite sides of the road. Also, any lyrics with references to cars or driving makes me think of these two. ‘Cards that you won’t show’ is very interesting lyric, because it’s a reference to Aziraphale’s love for human magic tricks, and also to their inability to actually properly express and explain their thoughts to each other. ‘I said ‘I love you’, you say nothing back.’ Crowley’s perspective. 3. How You Get the Girl

This song is about how to apologise to someone after breaking their heart … while the breakup was not entirely Aziraphale’s fault (they BOTH need to learn to communicate and properly confront their feelings), some of the lyrics do have some similarities to their relationship.

✦Notable lyrics: ‘That you were too afraid to tell her what you want.’ He was just scared about what his feelings for Crowley mean :( 4. You are in Love

The single happy song on this playlist. Honestly, it’s a song which isn’t that specific to them and I feel like it’s applicable to every ship ever; you know, the Love Song. However, there are some lyrics in this song that have some of their vibes. The whole song is about how love is constant and yet unable to be put into words or exactly understood, which perfectly describes them. ✦ Notable lyrics: ‘He says ‘look up’, and your shoulders brush’ reminds me of someone telling someone else to look up at the stars !!! because Crowley made the stars and he was so happy about them :( and Aziraphale remembered that AHHHHHH

‘and why I’ve spent my whole life trying to put it into words’ it’s ineffable <3

5. Wildest Dreams This song is about falling in love with someone while knowing that it can never last.The relationship in this song is one that is magnetic and beautiful and messy, and the protagonist enters it while knowing it’s going to end but wanting to stay anyway. This describes their relationship perfectly. They both have a tendency to repress their feelings because they both feel like they can never be acted upon. Even them being friends is something that is constantly fraught with danger, something that they actively need to fight for if they want to keep it (See The Great War). To Aziraphale, indeed to both of them before their shared realisation of ‘this is possible’ because of Gabriel and Beelzebub’s confession, their relationship only ever existed in their ‘wildest dreams.’

✦Notable lyrics:

‘He said, “Let's get out of this town, drive out of the city, away from the crowds.” I thought, “Heaven can't help me now” Nothing lasts forever, but this is gonna take me down.’ All of Crowley’s invitations to run away; invitations that are always declined, even if Aziraphale wants so badly to go with him. There’s always a duty that pulls him away, something he feels he needs to fix before things can be how he wants them to be.

‘Nothing lasts forever’ HAHAHAHA … ‘I said, “No one has to know what we do.”’ A relationship that’s kept hidden. “He’s so tall, and handsome as hell. He’s so bad, but he does it so well.”Beauty and love that pulls you in, but feels wicked and frightening. See Cruel Summer.

6. hoax 

THE Crowley song. About loving someone who exposes your vulnerabilities; they feel like part of who you are, so they’re also your biggest weakness. ✦Notable lyrics: ‘Stood on the cliff side screaming ‘give me a reason’’ is very much ‘show me a Great Plan.’ ‘My best laid plan, your sleight of hand.’ References to magic!! Crowley prepared and tried to gain enough confidence to confess to Aziraphale and ask for them to run away together, but Aziraphale’s ‘sleight of hand’ and the Metatron’s influence messed with that. It looked like he was actually going to confess and they maybe had a chance, but then that all fell apart because he didn’t foresee any reason why Aziraphale would go back to Heaven . ‘You knew it still hurts underneath my scars from when they pulled me apart, but what you did was just as dark. Darling, this was just as hard as when they pulled me apart.’ Aziraphale ‘abandoning’ him hurt him greatly, as it felt like such a core part of him was being torn away. This is akin to what Falling would likely have been like, obviously not the same, but in both instances his sense of normal, his identity, and everything that he held dear to him was destroyed.  

‘You know I left a part of me back in New York.’Crowley and Aziraphale can both never truly leave the other without leaving ‘a part’ of themselves behind, because they’re so intertwined in each other's existences. 

7. peace

Describes how they could never find peace with each other because ‘hereditary enemies’ etc etc etc. They can’t be safe together; for a long time they couldn’t even admit their friendship because it would mean danger. We can still see this in Aziraphale; he’s constantly afraid of doing the wrong thing when he should be a good angel.

8. mirrorball

THE Aziraphale song. Perhaps one of the most Aziraphale songs of all time I'm genuinely not joking or exaggerating it's SO GOOD. About a people pleaser who revolves their life around others. Their existence and value is determined by their role in relation to someone else and how well they serve said role. The image of a mirrorball, shining high above the dancefloor, providing light and a shiny jewel for everyone to look at, yet being all alone (that Taylor Swift described was the inspiration for the song), is very fitting. ✦ Notable lyrics:

‘I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight.’ For so much of his life, Az’s purpose has been to serve Heaven. This lyric reflects that. His character growth throughout the show largely focuses on him coming to terms with their lies and abuse, and forming moral codes of his own.

‘You are not like the regulars, the masquerade revellers, drunk as they watch my shattered edges glisten.’ ‘Masquerade revellers’ referring to the angels, watching Aziraphale ‘break in a million pieces’ to serve Heaven, without understanding that he has limits and he’s his own person.

‘Hush, when no one is around, my dear, you'll find me on my tallest tiptoes, spinning in my highest heels, love, shining just for you. Hush, I know they said the end is near. But I'm still on my tallest tiptoes, spinning in my highest heels, love, shining just for you.’ Aziraphale only really acts himself when it’s just him and Crowley and they’re free of Heaven and Hell’s observing forces. Also ‘I know they said the end is near’ ; reference to Armageddon!! ‘I’m still a believer, but I don’t know why, I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try try try’ He’s trying to be good but his warped understanding of what good is hindering that. He has such a low self-esteem especially in regards to his own ‘goodness’, hence he tries so hard :( he’s just trying to do the right thing but he doesn’t realise what he believes to be right is far from it ahhhhhh

‘I’m still on that tightrope, still trying everything to keep you looking at me.’ Remember the ‘I’m standing on a tightrope, alone.’ Lyric from Say Don’t Go? He’s positioned above everyone else, on a completely different level to them, representing his isolation and unique status as really one of the only angels who’s simultaneously trying to do the right thing to help people while following the will of Heaven, things which often contradict each other.

9. Come Back …. Be Here

Long distance anthem!!!!! Them pining after each other after the s2 finale when they’re separated; it mostly feels like Crowley’s pov. 

✦ Notable lyrics: ‘taxi cabs and busy streets that never bring you back to me’ London is busy, but to Crowley, it feels empty because one of the things he loved the most is gone. ‘If I'd known what I know now, I never would have played so nonchalant.’ Because their own constant inability to confront their feelings and dancing around their relationship is what lead to their misunderstanding and then them being separated. If they had actually talked about things together, maybe they’d have a better understanding of their relationship and what the other wants.

10. The Very First Night.Nostalgia and looking back on what was. Very fitting for a show with immortal beings that features their histories together all throughout time. ‘I knew the angel you used to be.’ ‘The angel you knew is not me.’ ✦ Notable lyrics:

‘I wish I could fly, I’d pick you up and we’d go back in time, I’d write this in the sky, I miss you like it was the very first night.’ opening scene of season two, CROWLEY MADE THE STARS DKAJNS They both want things between them to be normal and safe. Aziraphale thinks that them being together in Heaven, like things used to be, would ensure this, but Crowley of course wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. ‘I wish I could fly’ is interesting. Falling being akin to clipping a bird’s wings; removing them of their power. Obviously Heaven would think taking away an Angel’s Heavenly status is a terrible punishment. It’s interesting because Crowley doesn’t actually wish he could fly because he doesn’t want to be an angel again. This lyric could be representative of both of their wishes for more power to be able to change things. They both want to be able to make things better for the two of them and for everyone else, Aziraphale just thinks he has to become a better angel and embrace his Heavenly duties even more in order to make things how he wants them (‘If I’m in charge, I can make a difference.’)

11. All Too Well (10 Minute Version)

One of her most iconic breakup songs …. but this song, and the 10 minute version specifically, has lots of lyrics that remind me of them. Notable lyrics: ‘Something ‘bout it felt like home, somehow’ Aziraphale was home to Crowley, when neither Heaven nor Hell ever treated Crowley like he had a place. One of my favourite metaphors in this show is the use of Crowley’s glasses to represent his vulnerability. The bookshop is one of the only places he ever takes them off because it’s the only place he feels really safe. Him taking them off during his confession only to put them back on again when he realises Aziraphale isn’t going to follow him, and then being on during the kiss is just so symbolic!!!! AJSNBSKDNSBSK ‘You almost ran the red cause you were looking over at me’ obligatory driving lyric ‘you used to be a little kid with glasses in a twin sized bed’ Crowley used to be so happy about making the stars :( ‘Oh, your sweet disposition, And my wide-eyed gaze’ THEM !!!! More vibes of them as angels though. ‘And I was thinkin' on the drive down: Any time now, he's gonna say it's love. You never called it what it was. ‘til we were dead and gone and buried, check the pulse and come back swearing, it's the same after three months in the grave. And then you wondered where it went to as I reached for you but all I felt was shame, and you held my lifeless frame’ This entire section is them. Aziraphale could never admit their friendship or his own feelings because of his relationship with heaven. He feels ‘shame’ because it’s not what he should be doing as an angel. ‘And there we are again when nobody had to know. You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath. Sacred prayer, and we'd swear to remember it all too well, yeah’ Hiding their relationship because az is afraid and it puts both of them in danger. However Crowley doesn’t have the same loyalty to heaven or hell so he keeps aziraphale like an ‘oath’ because it’s an important vow as opposed to something you have to keep hidden. Also any references to prayer is yeah !!!! ‘Well, maybe we got lost in translation, maybe I asked for too much.’ Because they never talk about their feelings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ‘They say all's well that ends well, but I'm in a new hell every time you double-cross my mind. You said ‘if we had been closer in age maybe it would've been fine’ and that made me want to die’ References to hell. Crowley thinks Az will only love him if they’re both angels (but this isn’t true, while Aziraphale does still have biases against Hell because of Heaven’s abuse -’You’re the bad guys!, etc-, he just wants them to be happy :( ) Also ‘every time you double-cross my mind’ is such a clever piece of lyricism. I’ve got nothing too deep to comment on with that one, it’s just plain clever. ‘The idea you had of me, who was she? A never-needy, ever-lovely jewel, whose shine reflects on you’ Again, Crowley thinks Az will only love him if they’re both angels. Aziraphale also deeply failed to understand that Crowley doesn’t want to go back to heaven; this section is from Crowley’s view that aziraphale only cares about him as an angel, which is partly true but he remembers how happy and safe they both were as angels, and he just wants that feeling back. ‘I'm a soldier who's returning half her weight’ fighting for a broken cause; applicable mostly to Aziraphale’s loyalty to Heaven, but could also have meaning in regards to him and Crowley (See The Great War). ‘I still remember the first fall of snow and how it glistened as it fell. I remember it all too well’ because they were together for the very first fall of rain EVER !!!1

12. The Archer This is perhaps one of Taylor’s most Crowley songs ever. His anxiety and paranoia. He’s constantly on edge, constantly worried. He’s lived consistently exposed to danger and lies in every single direction with Aziraphale being the only one he could really trust, and even then, the two of them weren’t ever fully honest with each other. ‘The archer’ is someone who is consistently ‘ready for combat’ and thus sabotages their relationships because of this and feels guilt for it. ✦Notable lyrics: ‘I jump from the train, I ride off alone.’ Crowley’s way of dealing with stressful things is to run away from them. He consistently abandons situations he isn’t prepared to deal with because he ‘never grew up’ and gained the ability to properly communicate his feelings. Him walking out the bookshop door and driving away could be a representation of him running away from his feelings for Aziraphale because the fragile hope he’d gained in the previous scene had been torn down.

‘I’ve got a hundred thrown out speeches I almost said to you.’ Because they never actually talk to each other:

‘Because you and Mr. Fell don’t ever talk to each other.’

‘We talk all the time, trust me. We’ve been talking for millions of years. Blah, blah, blah, blah. I say something brilliant, he says something unintentionally funny back, it’s great.’

‘You never say what you’re really thinking.’

‘I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost, the room is on fire, invisible smoke.’ Bookshop fire ….. also just general restlessness and inability to sleep; to rest, because he always feels like he needs to be fighting for what he has and wants otherwise he’ll lose it. 

‘All of my enemies started out friends, help me hold on to you’ Crowley’s whole life and sense of self was torn away from him and burned, and any relationships he managed to have before he Fell would have gone up in flames as well. His desperately self-sustaining and combative attitude towards existence was likely borne from this; being unsteady in anything he ever gained. Aziraphale obviously was the only relationship he really was able to ‘hold on to’,  but even the angel was never able to fully feel like he could be himself … and also, this lyric:

‘screaming who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay? [….] you could stay.’ Except ‘he’ didn’t stay, did ‘he’?

13. Death by a Thousand Cuts

A breakup song about a relationship that you can’t move on from because it formed such a key part of you for so many years. It was ‘a great love; one for the ages’ yet you’re ‘still writing pages.’

✦ Notable lyrics: ‘I ask the traffic lights if it’ll be alright, they say ‘I don’t know’’ very much Crowley driving around aimlessly trying to fill up the space Aziraphale left behind.

‘I get drunk but it’s not enough because the morning comes and you’re not my baby.’ Because that’s also how Crowley copes with his feelings when they get too overwhelming; running away and drowning himself with drink.

‘Gave up on me like I was a bad drug, now I’m searching for signs in a haunted club.’Aziraphale doesn’t really feel comfortable admitting his relationship with Crowley. We can see that Crowley doesn’t like this through, for example, their dialogue when Crowley first asks for holy water (‘fraternising’ etc). To Crowley, Aziraphale leaving must have felt like Crowley wasn’t enough to stay for, and that Aziraphale never really loved him as much as he loved Aziraphale. Also bears similarity to Don’t Blame Me (‘Lord save me, my drug is my baby, I’ll be using for the rest of my life, oh.’) which gives the impression of love that was addicting and powerful, but it became too much. ‘Our songs, our films, united, we stand, our country, guess it was a lawless land.’Get ready because this line is so much more meaningful than I ever realised when I added it to this post. ‘Our songs’ something something nightingales.

But the real meat of this lyric lies in the second half. The phrase ‘united, we stand, divided, we fall’  is often used in mottos of organisations and countries in order to inspire collaboration and patriotism for them. It preaches the importance of staying loyal to a certain side, for if division sows among them, then they will ‘fall.’ Historically, it has been frequently used as war propaganda in WWII, and the American Revolutionary War. It has also been used in the struggle for Indian independence, by Ulster loyalists in Ireland, and by many political leaders, for example. Similar phrases can be found in the Bible, for example in in Mark 3:25 (If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand),  Matthew 12:25 (Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand), and Luke 11:17 (Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls).

In this song it describes the relationship between the singer and their former lover, which further animates their love as a physical nation or state (as well as a house with the lyrics ‘I look through the windows of this love, even though we boarded them up, chandelier’s still flickering here ‘cause I can’t pretend it’s okay when it’s not).

This animation and the use of this specific phrase which has been used to garner a sense of loyalty towards a cause shows their love to have been a deeply personal thing, something you pledge your devotion to. However, in this song it’s contrasted with the lyric ‘Guess it was a lawless land’ which shows that the nation and love was hollow. It fell apart due to division.

Remind you of anything? Loyalty conflicts is a big part of this show, particularly with Aziraphale’s character, who is still shown to be attached to Heaven as late in his character arc as the Armageddon storyline in season one:

‘Even if I did, why would I tell you? We’re on opposite sides!’

‘We’re on our side!’

‘There is no ‘our side’, Crowley!’

Aziraphale’s turmoil between his Heavenly duties and his feelings for Crowley (not just romantic, even their friendship) is a large part of his unwillingness to admit their closeness, but he’s also just afraid that they’ll get punished. He’s just afraid.

 ‘we could’ve been …. us.’ 

‘our side.’ 

‘a group of the two of us.’

etc , etc

Their relationship is repeatedly treated like it’s its own ‘side’ or ‘group’ that can be pledged allegiance to or deserted. This perfectly sets up Az’s character conflict and growth. It’s so GOOD!!!!!!

It also has a double meaning with Heaven’s patriotism, which has a façade of goodness but is really very corrupt and ‘lawless.’

‘But it wasn’t enough, it wasn’t enough, no, no.’Crowley tried so hard to convince Aziraphale to go with him, he did everything he could, but it didn’t work. That’s what the kiss was; not a moment of love, but a moment of desperation. A final attempt to lay everything out. But it wasn’t enough.

14. Cruel Summer

Secret relationship that makes you feel whole but destroys you at the same time. ‘Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes.’ Religious language. The inability for Heaven and Hell to understand love, and even just friendship, between angels and demons is possible. Hell, and the demons, ‘roll[s] the dice’, the language featuring references to gambling shows their more opportunistic nature and need to trick every situation into benefiting them, because otherwise they’re stuck at the bottom of the pile. They can risk everything on a bet that could see them losing all their money, but they don’t really have anything to lose, which makes them very dangerous (like Furfur). Heaven is more judgemental, ‘roll[ing] their eyes.’ This judgement is what Aziraphale is afraid of (and, of course, the physical retribution that follows). It’s rather akin to an abusive relationship such as between a parent and a child, with an unhealthy power dynamic and Heaven always having more control. The child is always trying to do what’s right, but their view of what is right is often in relation to what their parent has raised them to believe is right, or simply in relation to whatever will make the parent happy. This is an analogy that perfectly describes Aziraphale and his internal conflict. ‘and if I bleed you’ll be the last to know’ Az hides his distress and doesn’t like people seeing him cry. See Tied Together with a Smile (second to last song). 

‘and I scream for whatever it’s worth; ‘I love you, ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?’’ From Crowley’s perspective, Aziraphale loves Heaven more than him, and loving him is something that is shocking and unthinkable. Aziraphale is aware and okay with his feelings for Crowley, he’s only okay with them on a very, very surface level. He’s only sort of okay with their friendship, but doesn’t want to acknowledge anything more than that. So even if a confession of love is something Aziraphale wants from Crowley, he also doesn’t want to hear because he knows that they could never work. AHHHHHHH 15. tolerate it Largely about Aziraphale’s relationship with Heaven. He gives them everything and works so hard to be a good angel but they never fully value him.  ✦ Notable lyrics: The bridge also is in reference to his and Crowley’s relationship: ‘While you were out building other worlds, where was I?’ Because they made the stars!!!!! 

‘Where’s that man who threw blankets over my barbed wire? I made you my temple, my mural, my sky … now I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life.’ CROWLEY CROWLEY!!! Also religious imagery is just *chef's kiss*.

16. champagne problems

About a proposal that’s refused … I feel like I do not need to elaborate much on this, however it does apply to both of them, because they BOTH were offering something that the other refused. ✦ Notable lyrics: ‘this dorm was once a mad-house, I made a joke, ‘well it’s made for me’’ Crowley vibes. ‘I never was ready so I watched you go.’  Aziraphale wasn’t ready to fully turn away from Heaven, so he had to watch Crowley leave. ‘You had a speech, you’re speechless, love slipped beyond your reaches.’ Crowley tried so hard to convince Aziraphale; he knew he had to start talking first because if not he’d ‘never start talking. He knew what he was going to say, he ‘had a speech’ but it ‘wasn’t enough’ and Aziraphale ‘slipped’ away.  

17. ivy

This song is about an affair, and it’s also a very, very queercoded song. To Aziraphale, his relationship with Crowley feels like figuratively cheating on Heaven, ignoring his duties and shunning his responsibility and role as a ‘good angel’. Notable lyrics: ‘He’s in the room, but your opal eyes are all I wish to see.’ “But it’s pretty!” 💛💛 ‘So tell me to run, or dare to sit and watch what will become.’ Aziraphale’s relationship with Heaven is very mentally abusive. He will only be free of their influence if he ‘runs’ from them. He can’t stay connected to Heaven and be truly free and happy. 

‘So yeah, it’s a fire, it’s a goddamn blaze in the dark and you started it, you started it. So yeah, it’s a war, it’s the goddamn fight of my life, and you started it, you started it.’ Both of their, but especially Aziraphale’s, internal conflict symbolised through fire and war. ‘Spring breaks loose, but so does fear’ Their bond and love has remained throughout history, and with Gabriel and Beelzebub revealing their relationship, the spark of hope was lit in both of them. ‘Spring [broke] loose’ but the Metatron’s offer subsequently pulled Aziraphale away from Crowley and reignited some of the ‘fear’ that he’s spent the show trying to grow away from. 

‘He’s going to burn this house to the ground.’ Speaking of Aziraphale’s fear; he’s worried about what admitting his feelings for Crowley, romantic or even just their friendship, will mean. The danger that it will draw. This lyric also has an interesting double meaning, referencing the literal burning of Aziraphale’s bookshop.

18. Back to December.

Another song about apologising to someone for breaking their heart. ✦ Notable lyrics: 

‘You gave me all your love and all I gave you was goodbye.’ The first part of this lyric is only really relative to Crowley’s confession in the Final Fifteen, because their relationship has never really been stable; they never gave the other ‘all [their] love’ because their fear stopped them. Crowley only ever showed his love to Aziraphale because he felt like he didn’t have a choice and it was the only thing that could save them. But Aziraphale 

‘But then the cold came, dark days when fear crept into my mind.’ I initially added this lyric because it reminded me of Aziraphale, but it also now reminds me of both of them. Their own fears interfered with their abilities to accept the other’s confession and to be happy. They need to both grow and learn before they can actually have a healthier romantic relationship.

19. The Great War

The metaphor of relationship troubles and trauma being connected to war.

There are some references to said relationship troubles relating to the inability to properly confront feelings and issues, instead turning away and using silence as a punishment to avoid really having to change your relationship.

Also relevant because their relationship isn’t just a metaphorical war; there is the imminent threat of literal war between Heaven and Hell, and literal physical negative repercussions to each of them due to their love being known. The motif of soldiers is also connected to the line of ‘I’m a soldier who’s returning half her weight.’ from ATW10MV.

✦ Notable lyrics:

‘It turned into something bigger, somewhere in the haze, got a sense I'd been betrayed. Your finger on my hair pin triggers …. soldier down on that icy ground, looked up at me with honour and truth, broken and blue, so I called off the troops. That was the night I nearly lost you. I really thought I lost you.’

They are each other’s weaknesses; see hoax. Their inability to communicate their feelings lead to the breakdown of their relationship. They ‘really thought [they] lost’ each other. ‘And maybe it's the past that's talkin’, screamin' from the crypt. Telling me to punish you for things you never did. So I justified it.’

A bit part of Aziraphale’s character is his journey of developing his own sense of morality independent of Heaven’s. This is especially delved into in season two through, for example, the Job storyline and the Edinburgh storyline. However, we can see that he’s still very much under the influence of Heaven’s abuse during episode six through the way he still believes what they say about right and wrong and about the nature of Hell (‘Of course you said no to Hell, you’re the bad guys’ as opposed to ‘they’re the bad guys’). He doesn’t want to do anything malicious, and he doesn’t want to leave to Heaven, with his conflict about staying or going being quite obvious (as numerous points in the Final Fifteen he appears very tortured, frequently hesitating and trying to say things other than wanting to go back to Heaven). But he feels like it’s what he had to do, ‘So [he] justified it.’

20. Midnight Rain

This song is actually on their official playlist!!! About moving on from someone who wanted something different out of your relationship; a sentence which almost perfectly describes the way they view their relationship (of course, their misunderstanding led them both to believe the other wants something different, when in actuality they both want the same thing; to be safe together).

‘My town was a wasteland, full of cages, full of fences, pageant queens and big pretenders, but for some it was paradise’ 

&

‘It came like a postcard, picture-perfect, shiny family, holidays, peppermint candy, but for him it’s every day.’Heaven… I don’t think I really need to elaborate on this.

‘He wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain. He wanted a bride, I was making my own name, chasing that fame, he stayed the same, all of me changed like midnight rain.’

Crowley wants them, he wants them to be ‘comfortable’ and safe, and he thinks that’ll only come if they distance themselves from both Heaven and Hell. Aziraphale also wants this, but he also can’t leave Heaven behind to the extent Crowley wants him to. He wants the ‘pain’ of belonging to Heaven’s institution and having high value there, because it’s familiar to him. It might be incredibly abusive, but it’s home to him. 

He wants to do the right thing, and he thinks that the only way to do that is to stay there. Ahhh ..

21. Tied Together With A Smile

Aziraphale song :( another one about his massive insecurities, folks. 

✦ Notable lyrics:

‘you walk around here thinking you’re not pretty’ Aziraphale always doubts how good of an angel he is and how well he’s doing what’s expected of him.

‘That you cry, but you don’t tell anyone, that you might not be the golden one, and you’re tied together with a smile but you’re coming undone.’Aziraphale doesn’t like letting anyone see him cry. He always turns away and tries to pretend he’s the ‘golden one’, trying to pretend everything is fine and he’s always doing exactly what Heaven wants, yet he is so insecure about his goodness. 

The entire second verse about him wanting love and praise from Heaven: ‘I guess it’s true that love was all you wanted […] but he leaves you out like a penny in the rain’ he’s tossed aside and talked down to by the people he works so hard to do the right thing for.

22. Don’t Blame Me Mainly this song is included because of its heavy religious motifs. It’s very reminiscent of a gospel song, also connections to Cruel Summer; ‘love made me crazy’. Of course a lot of this song is very ironic because it describes a love so strong and intense that it ‘made [me] crazy’, that you disregard everything ‘true’ and ‘right’, only doing what you feel is right in connection to your lover, nothing else mattering. However, this is absolutely NOT what happened in this show, in fact the exact reverse. I think this song describes how Crowley feels; not feeling connected to the institutions of Heaven and Hell and being willing to leave them completely behind. Perhaps it also describes a hypothetical future in which Aziraphale has grown and reached the point he can comfortably leave Heaven completely.

✦ Notable lyrics: ‘Baby I would fall from Grace, just to touch your face. If you’d walk away, I’d beg you on my knees to stay.’ Because .. because that’s what happened. They begged eachother to stay :( Also religious language. ‘I get so high, oh, every time you’re, every time you’re loving me, you’re loving me.’ Their relationship is so powerful (especially how they were able to perform the really large miracle ACCIDENTALLY). ‘Something happened for the first time in the darkest little Paradise.’ Religious language. Them being together is their own ‘little Paradise’, because, due to them being forced to hide the nature of their relationship, their relationship becomes very intimate and personal. ‘Halo, hiding my obsession, I once was poison ivy but now I’m your daisy.’ Religious language. Aziraphale helps Crowley be able to relax and to rest, letting down his guard. Crowley’s not fully able to do this, and he’s not fully willing to embrace the fact he is indeed ‘nice’, but he’s getting there. He’s still The Archer, but he can put down his bow slightly easier (but of course, the one time he fully put it down and opened up his heart, he was burned, so I don’t think he’ll be doing it again any time soon). ‘Lord save me, my drug is my baby, I’ll be using for the rest of my life, oh, oh.’ This lyric is particularly meaningful when parallelled to Death by a Thousand Cuts; ‘Gave up on me like I was a bad drug.’

23. Dancing With Our Hands Tied This song describes a love that you desperately want to be hidden yet you know that it’s only a matter of time before everyone finds out and the danger starts.To have one’s hands tied is to be unable to affect something, representing how their relationship and their own lives were always out of their control because they could never live how they wanted to without fear of retribution (an excellent metaphor for queerness). Additionally, the motif of dancing, which in this context is an intimate and notably private act between the two lovers, is happening while the lovers’ hands are tied, representing the division and conflict that intrudes even while they’re alone together (‘Something happened for the first time in a darkest little Paradise’ from Don’t Blame Me). 

✦ Noteable lyrics: ‘I, I loved you in secret.’ ‘Yeah, we were dancing, dancing with our hands tied, hands tied.’ See above for analysis of the title lyric!! This song also reminds me of them because thy did actually dance together in season 2 episode 5, which is one of my all time favourite GO episodes. ‘I, I loved you in spite of deep fears that the world would divide us. So, baby, can we dance, oh, through an avalanche?’ They couldn’t live how they wanted because of ‘deep fears’ that outside forces would ‘divide’ them, which in the end is what happened. Feeling like the world is against them (‘angels and demons, they can’t just-’)

Honourable mentions!!

Lyrics that make me think of them but there’s not enough content in the overall song to justify it being put on the playlist. They don’t have much, if any, elaboration, but if you want to hear my thoughts on any of these, let me know!! Of course I’ll add analysis to these if anyone wants them. This will probably be the section of the post that’ll be updated the most frequently, and feel free to reply or reblog with any of your additions :D 

~~

‘Just a shot, just a shot in the dark, oh oh.’ - Sweeter than Fiction, 1989 (remember the ‘I’ve known it from the very start, we’re a shot in the darkest dark’ from Say Don’t Go?)

‘Now you hang from my lips like the Gardens of Babylon. Your boots beneath my bed, forever is the sweetest con.’ - cowboy like me, evermore

‘Eyes full of stars, hustling for the good life […].’ - cowboy like me, evermore

‘And you asked me to dance, but I said ‘Dancing is a dangerous game.’ - cowboy like me, evermore

‘I knew it from the first, old-fashioned, we were cursed, we never had a shotgun, shot in the dark.’ - Getaway Car, reputation (again, the ‘shot in the dark’ lyric! Also this was my suprise song WHAT THE FUCK?!??!!?!?!?!?!?!?)

‘We were jet-set, Bonnie and Clyde, oh yeah, ‘till I switched to the other side, to the other side.’ - Getaway Car, reputation (‘We’re on our side!’ … ‘There is no ‘our side’, Crowley!’).

‘Cause lately I don’t even know what page you’re on.’ -The Story of Us, Speak Now

‘Oh, simple complication, miscommunication leads to fallout. So many things that I wish you knew, so many walls up I can’t break through.’ -The Story of Us, Speak Now 

'But I liked it better when you were on my side.' -The Story of Us, Speak Now

‘And I wouldn’t marry me either, a pathological people pleaser, who only wanted you to see her.’ -You’re Losing Me, Midnights

‘Loving him was like driving a new Massarati down a dead end street; faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ended so suddenly.’ - Red, Red

'You dream of my mouth before it called you a 'lying traitor.' - Is It Over Now? , 1989 (Taylor's Version)

'When your impressionist paintings of Heaven turned out to be fake, well, you took me to Hell too.' - loml, The Tortured Poets Department

thanks for getting to the bottom!! it means so much to me that you wanted to read this in any amount, you truly have no idea. here's a cookie 🍪 !!!!!

bye :D

[twilasversion]

OMG I'M SO THICK ok. so. Maybe I'm just an idiot who only just realised, BUT. THE PIANO SCALE AT THE END OF CHAMPAGNE PROBLEMS IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE PIANO INTRO TO CHLOE OR SAM OR SOPHIA OF MARCUS. WTF DO I DO WITH THIS INFORMATION.

[sankta-wraith]

Ok this might make me seem really stupid, but I just realized that I've been interpreting the lyrics of loml wrong this whole time.

The way I've been listening to it was I'm combing through the braids of lies/I'll never leave, nevermind, with the second line being Taylor's own words. Apparently, it's actually I'm combing through the braids of lies/"I'll never leave, nevermind", with the second line being Taylor using his words as an example of the lies she's combing through. For me, I'll never leave always has always meant that she will never be able to stop examining his lies and that she will forever be stuck dwelling on everything he ever said to her. The nevermind represents her ignoring the rest of the world. She's saying nevermind to the rest of her life.

But anyway it turns out I've been listening to it wrong the whole time, so I thought I'd share my initial thoughts.

[lovetaylorpodcast]

New episode is out!

Jem compares Taylor to a deep-sea fish. Reeah thinks this song is pretty queer.

Listen now on Spotify, Itunes, and Acast.

[agreyrose]

“Taylor Swift doesn’t have any queer themes in her lyrics”

Taylor Swift:

“Oh muse, let’s run away together to a place where I can keep you safe and we can be free to be together away from everybody who would want to keep us apart. A place different and far away from here where everyone hunts us and tears us away from each other because they don’t understand our love. Come with me, muse, to a faraway fantasy land where there is no media, no paparazzi, and the only people who live there are gentle and clever, and they DO understand because they’re like us.”

[crossedmythoughtlessheart]

i've been a fan of taylor since i was four years old singing along to our song but i've never connected to an album the way i have to the tortured poets department. it's such a masterpiece of catharsis and integrating trauma into your identity, whilst trying to find the strength to rebuild your life. it's hopeful, fearful, sarcastic in places, downright vengeful in others, but it paints such an honest and moving picture of recovery. i can't stop listening to it. she's a master of literature and this album really proves that.

[agirlwiththoughtsandnegativity]

You look like Clara bow, Stevie nicks, Taylor swift. Taylor saying each one in the song as something someone giving her a record deal would say, but it changes with time. At first it’s Clara bow they’re looking to replace, who they want someone to be a replica of. Then Stevie Nicks, and then Taylor Swift they’re trying to replace. I think what Taylor is trying to say with this is that the industry changes extremely fast, they want a new replica everyday, and they always want that person to be like the current “it girl”. So many record labels/agents are using Taylor and modelling their new artists off Taylor because of her immense current success. If they can re-create that, find someone who looks like Taylor but maybe with “edge she never had” then they think their new artist will have her fame, can take her place. And before Taylor, they did that to people like Clara Bow and Stevie Nicks. 

[grantaireble]

Lookin' backwards might be the only way forward: Archaism, Dead Languages, & TTPD

I noticed something that I am still formulating thoughts on. I'm not an expert on any of this stuff, but here it is for now:

I think that Taylor is using archaism her lyrics and evoking works originally told in dead languages like stories from Greek Myth and the Bible.

So, Archaic Words are words that belong to an earlier time period and are no longer commonly used. Colloquially, we also use the word "archaic" to mean that something is generally outdated or old-fashioned.

A Dead Language is a language that no longer has native speakers, but does have second-language speakers. Ancient Greek and Latin are dead languages but are still studied a for religious and academic purposes.

Examples of dead/archaic language on TTPD:

Lyrics:

Fortnight= Old English ("two weeks") Fortnight

'Fore (shortened "before")= Old English So Long London

"Bestow upon"= Old English ("to give or present") But Daddy I Love Him

"Tryst" is from "Triste"= Old French ("lookout post") Guilty As Sin

"Bygone"= Middle English ("well in the past, former") imgonnagetyouback

"Post-Mortem"= Latin ("after death")

"Hereby" & "Maladies"= Middle English How Did It End?

Aristotle wrote in Attic Greek So High School

Cassandra is a figure out of Greek Myth which would have been told in Koine Greek Cassandra

Persona non grata= Latin ("unwanted person") The Prophecy

The Albatross references the Rime of the Ancient Mariner which notably uses archaic english words like "Hark" and "Behold" and "Forsooth"

"Rose by any other name" references Shakespeare, who's work is also full of archaisms because of it's age, but who also employed archaism as a literary technique within his work. The Albatross

Other:

CAIL= Old Irish ("reputation")

Anthology is from the Greek Anthologia ("collection of flowers")

The Bible was originally written in Koine Greek (referenced in tons of these songs: The Prophecy, Guilty As Sin?, Clara Bow, LOML, etc.)

One last thing, Taylor recently used the word when speaking about Beyonce:

“She's the most precious gem of a person — warm and open and funny,” Swift said of the Destiny's Child star. “And she's such a great disrupter of music-industry norms. She taught every artist how to flip the table and challenge archaic business practices.”

I have been thinking of all this in connection to "The Manuscript" and the idea that Taylor is possibly in the process of leaving some parts of her story behind. Definitely let me know what you think/ if I missed anything/if I'm wrong about the specifics of any of this language stuff!!