Taylor Swift is known to be one of the best singers and songwriters in the past few decades because of her exceptional talent in creating music with touching lyrics. With her knack for making award-winning songs inspired by her heartbreaks, little do other people know that many of her songs also have a cryptic meaning behind them. As catchy as it may seem on the surface, some Swifties may even overlook that their favorite Taylor Swift lyric has a darker sense to it.
Which Taylor Swift songs have a dark meaning? Did Taylor Swift mean to write those lyrics more profoundly, or are fans only overthinking it? What does Taylor think of the fan theories about her song's meanings? Keep reading to find out...
6 Taylor Swift's Song 'Only The Young' Is Political
Swifties make many conspiracies about Taylor Swift, from merely the "No, it's Becky" shirt she wore down to the meaning of her song "Cardigan", the analysis of her songs and actions range from easy to understand to mind-blowing.
.However, if there is one song that fans think she dedicated to empowering the youth, it would be 'Only The Young.' Following the midterm elections in the United States and the controversial comments from Donald Trump about how 'rigged' the polls were, this was Taylor's cryptic way of responding.
Taylor's lyrics saying, "The game was rigged, the ref got tricked / The wrong ones think they're right / You were outnumbered this time," is somehow her dark response to Trump who thinks he's always right. In the chorus where she says, "Only the young can run," it could also mean that she's telling the youth that they can explore and fight for what they think is right because they still have the opportunity.
5 Taylor Swift's Song 'The Last Great American Dynasty' Talks About History
The first verse of the song 'The Last Great American Dynasty' goes, "Rebekah rode up on the afternoon train / It was sunny / Her saltbox house on the coast / Took her mind off St. Louis / Bill was the heir to the Standard Oil name and money / And the town said, "How did a middle-class divorcée do it?"
It may seem that Taylor was talking about a random woman named 'Rebekah' in the story. Still, she was referring to an actual person named Rebekah Harkness, who previously lived on Rhodes Island, where her mansion is located. Telling the story of a woman who spent her money lavishly on things that brought her happiness yet inconvenienced her surroundings, some fans believe the song also appears to be satiric.
As Taylor has also been reported to party on Rhodes Island with friends, parallel to how the former owner, Rebekah, did, it led fans to think that Taylor could also be talking about herself in the song.
4 Taylor Swift Wrote The 'Invisible String' About Joe Jonas
Talking about how difficult it is to leave attachments behind, whether it is a positive memory or a grudge against a person, the best way to move on is to leave what's holding you back in the past. Fans speculate that since Taylor Swift's breakup with Joe Jonas through a phone call left her with so many unanswered questions, the song 'Invisible Strong' could be for Joe.
Fans also think the lyrics, "Cold was the steel of my axe to grind / For the boys who broke my heart / Now I send their babies presents," could be about Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner's child.
3 The Song 'Mad Woman' Is About Taylor Swift's Gaslighting Experiences
Gaslighting happens when someone manipulates the other person's emotions to make them doubt the validity of their feelings. Fans assume Taylor Swift's song Mad Woman is about her experience with Scooter Braun, who acquired the masters of Taylor's first six albums. The evident manipulation upset Taylor, even more when Scooter's side indirectly calls her out for being excessive in telling her side of the story to the public.
2 Taylor Swift's Song 'Tolerate It' Could Be About Princess Diana
From the title itself, fans were already guessing Tolerate It is about her personal experience. However, as Taylor quickly explained that most of the inspirations for her albums Folklore and Evermore were what she read and saw during the pandemic, many fans began speculating that the song could be about Princess Diana.
Since Taylor Swift has been watching The Crown, a Netflix series about the Royal family, fans think to Tolerate It could be about how she felt when she saw how undermined the former princess was to her husband, Prince Charles.
1 'No Body, No Crime' Is About Marjorie West
Marjorie West is a young child who went missing and was never found. Until now, her body has not been discovered despite almost 500 people trying to look for her.
The song 'No Body, No Crime' somehow story tells the life of Marjorie, who, until now, never found justice. Fans loved this side of Taylor Swift, who was into true crimes, proving that aside from heartbreaks, Taylor could also see actual issues around her.
