Taylor Swift’s critically acclaimed new album, “The Tortured Poets Department” (TTPD), has gathered the attention and opinions of many fans and critics.

Fans of Swift know that she often leaves “easter eggs,” or hints, in her lyrics. Songs included in TTPD are no exception. Critics have many theories about whom and what her 31 songs could be about, so we analyzed the possible meanings behind a few significant tracks. 

1. “The Tortured Poets Department”

The album’s namesake has many apparent references to Swift’s previous whirlwind romance with Matty Healy. Healy, the frontman of British band The 1975, has a notorious reputation of being very controversial and wild, so it is no surprise one of her most prominent songs would mirror such a relationship. Swift writes, “You smoked, then ate seven bars of chocolate” which could be a nod to Healy’s smoking tendencies and reckless behavior. Later, she sings, “I scratch your head, you fall asleep, like a tattooed golden retriever.” Which many believe to be a reference to her ex-lover’s heavily tattooed appearance.  

       2. “So Long, London”

Swift’s 7th studio album “Lover” was released when she was fresh in love with her “London Boy,” Joe Alwyn. Recently, the two had gone their separate ways after six years of dating, and this newly released song is a goodbye to their time together. “So Long, London” is track 5 on the album. It is frequently hypothesized in the Swiftie community that Swift’s track 5 songs on each album are the most personal, emotional and vulnerable. In this song, Swift sings “I kept calm and carried the weight of the rift, pulled him in tighter each time he was drifting away.” This is a reference to her putting in all of her effort ‘carried the weight’ of trying to hold their relationship together when she thought he would leave.

      3. “So High School”

Taylor Swift’s famously public new relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce is alluded to many times in this double-album. One song from the second album, “So High School,” is a direct reference to her new love affair. In the bridge of the song, Swift writes, “You know how to ball, I know Aristotle.” Swift is known for her extensive vocabulary and philosophical knowledge, while her significant other is known for his fame as a tight end on the Kansas City Chiefs, making this lyric an apparent reference to her and Kelce. 

      4. “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”

The Eras Tour began in March of 2023, mere months after her split from Joe Alwyn, the man she had dated for six years. Despite her life’s turmoil, Swift managed to put on a record-breaking show every night of the tour with a smile. “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” is about fighting through the hardest of times while acting like everything is okay. She writes, “Lights, camera, girl, smile / even when you want to die,” sharing how she had to “Fake it til you make it, and she did,” another lyric from this song. In direct reference to her concerts during The Eras Tour Swift wrote, “All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting, ‘More!’”

    5. “thanK you aIMee”

The infamous feud between Kanye West and Swift started after he interrupted her VMA 2009 speech when she won ‘Best Music Video’ at only 19 years old. Wests’ ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, became involved in the ongoing dispute after West wrote in his song “Famous” that allegedly “made Swift famous” in 2016. Kardashian had claimed she recorded a video of a phone call with Swift confirming she is okay with being featured in his song, which was not true. In 2017, Swift released her album named “Reputation” and the song “Look What You Made Me Do,” targeting Kardashian and West. In one of her recent songs, “thanK you aIMee,”  Swift calls out Kardashian, capitalizing only the letters to spell out “KIM.” In the song, Swift sings “One day, your kid comes home singing a song that only us two is gonna know is about you,” as a reference to Kardashian’s daughter, North West, who has been seen singing and dancing to Swift’s songs.

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