#thats like the point of plaques next to art in museums to give context

[shedidntevenswear]

Here’s where I think we get how we talk about Taylor’s song inspirations (or what @namemarjorie has called Muse Politics) wrong: while early days I think they were probably a lot more literal, we also know that she’s been making up stories for songs since she was like 12 and that she’s incredibly skilled at writing GOOD songs, not just 100% historically accurate songs. 

Back in 2010 I was at a Parachute concert and ended up chatting with a member of the band (not Will Anderson sadly, I may have passed away if it was) after he commented on my Speak Now shirt and asked about what songs Will had written about Taylor, and he said something that really stuck with me. Will, like most songwriters, takes inspiration from a lot of different places so *parts* of songs are about a person, and the whole song may be capturing the emotions felt with that person, but not very many songs are factually about one single person. 

I think this absolutely is how Taylor writes. It’s diaristic, yes, but not in the way that every word and phrase can be mapped back to a real historical moment in time for her. There are, of course, real things that are public knowledge that she references in songs so we know they are grounded in fact, and probably a lot of private moments grounded in fact that we’ll never have confirmation of. But there are also metaphors and imagery and just things she spun up that sound nice and paint the emotional picture she’s trying to convey. She’s an artist, not a reporter. Dissecting every word to every song and then claiming ultimate knowledge of every relationship she’s had is a wasted exercise, and, in my opinion, missing the point of the art.