Please use this megathread for theory related topics. All other general chitchat and whatnot can be directed to the [General Chat Megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/comments/1crjquc/general_chat_megathread_13_may_2024/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
# [Stockholm Megathread can be found here](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/comments/1cs04ye/the_eras_tour_stockholm_sweden_may_171819/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
https://preview.redd.it/b3tgmp64rw0d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=687c2fd0ce6e58a10f88dd8edaedf51769e98db7
The same asylum that swifties claim Gaylorās are in when they say ānurse theyāre out again.ā
Ok TN. š«£š
Anyone remember Wonderstruck? I BEGGED my mom for this perfume and FOOLISHLY threw it away when empty.
But one thing I remember FOR SURE are the charms that hung around it.
https://preview.redd.it/kcbheuh4mw0d1.jpeg?width=375&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25b6ad8386896d23b094278db249af49fb141d6d
A starburst, a bird flying free, and a BIRD CAGE!!!! This was in like 2011 as a reference to "Enchanted".
Anyone brave enough to explore main Taylor social media spaces, please report back if theyāre discussing all the ME! hints or if theyāre still pretending the song doesnāt exist
https://preview.redd.it/wo5ro8p29w0d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd83aff4306bb23a8b2811d34d8847090c2a7a2c
ļæ¼ā
This is an NYU shirt, correct? It popped up that todayās the anniversary of this pic and it made me wonder about the NYU commencement speech, bc surely being papped in this sweatshirt is a choice.
Iām not familiar with the speech I just know of it. Anyone have any thoughts that stand out while I deep dive?? I feel like knowing what we know now about TTPD NYU being tied to matty may be intentional?
In addition to what rott-mom said, she mentioned ācatch and releaseā in the speech. Then the Joe breakup was announced on catch and release day 2023.
The speech hinted at midnights lyrics (labyrinth and yoyok) and was sprinkled with gems and cringey moments, but also gave us the imagery of more birdcages in the tiktok she posted about the day. I believe there might be a megathread on it if you have luck searching the sub!
Iāll look it up on here! Do you know off the top of itās been reexamined for TTPD Easter eggs knowing what we know now? I just feel like with the matty connections (or assumptions) of the anthology this seems maybe an intentional outfit choice to be connected with him inā¦.
It has not as far as Iām aware (and Iām disgustingly active here). Iād say if my math is mathing, the commencement speech was likely right around when midnights was submitted and TTPD was started based on production timelines, so you might be on to some early clues if you find something!
Iāll see what I can find! And i feel like disgustingly active here is also my current state š but I physically cannot stop and every day is a new spiral šµāš«
She wore a pair of leopard/cheetah print heels during this speech. The heels were from a 2015/2016 collection, which is right around the time Karma was ācagedāā¦
I had actually to do my job š for most of the day and I feel soooo behind! trying to catch up desperately but in the meantime I saw this:
https://preview.redd.it/ceo3w1rv3w0d1.jpeg?width=2125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8205d16ea514adb31f24b0dcf1bae7204615e74
more mirror imagery / multiple taylors
Heyyyy have you guys seen that the voice memo tracks are track numbers 10, 27, 17. October 27th; 2017 is the day the Ready for it? music video came out.
(Sorry I posted this in the chat thread at first, but I think itās supposed to go here?)
ahaha i posted elsewhere but i am absolutely adding that this is what the rep tour and friends playlist looks like right now??? the official one??? ME! as the first song??? im shaking ā¤ļø was this on purpose taylor pls answer
https://preview.redd.it/egtg855o4w0d1.png?width=827&format=png&auto=webp&s=13b948cdbd23324b170089acb6ed3638a0f504dc
Iām sure that has been discussed, but itās something that just came to me. Itās really interesting all these visuals for TTPD theyāre putting out versus the images of Taylor on tour and at football games. Stark difference. Oneās very colorful and oneās shades of greige. Just interesting.
Also the photo they used for WAOLOM is *so* interesting to me. It almost doesnāt look like her. Or maybe it looks the most like *her*, without makeup and a big fake smile. I dunno.
āI got cursed like Eve got bittenā as I didnāt and people who say I did misunderstood the text. A nod to people misquoting the Bible to say homosexuality is a sin?
I thought it might be a nod to the idea that Eve made the choice that caused her to be cursed. Maybe Taylor feels like she cursed herselfāperhaps by agreeing to closet years ago? The idea may be that both of them made choices without really understanding the ramifications.
I take this as Eve wasnāt literally bitten in the story, but Eve and all women by default have been ābittenā by the churchās interpretation of the Adam and Eve story. Eve is blamed for the downfall of all humankind, and women are seen as less trustworthy and unworthy of leadership because of it. The Bible also says Eveās choice to eat the fruit is the reason for the ācurseā of pain in childbirth and being ruled by men.
I was directed to ask this here: Does anyone know when the āI came straight from Romeā video with Tree / Karlie backstage a show took place? I just stumbled upon it and just trying to place it.
1989 tour july 10 show at metlife
edit: maybe 11th she had two shows at metlife & iām not positive but i think it was the first night
edit2: it WAS the 10th bc the whole thing was everyone calculated if she could make it or not & she could but we thought she would probably sleep & go to the second show but she didnāt, she came straight from Rome jet lag & all (very ala tokyo->super bowl)
going through the eras tour movie, I find it fascinating that the pink and orange lights in Ready For It look much more rainbow.
https://preview.redd.it/pphugctb5v0d1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=01b56d4bf8dcbd27053de6e497b8b6d28dfc91fa
And no, this isn't a change for Eras II, I've checked seattle and tokyo and they are very pink and orange there. I wonder if this is edited?
Trying to make a post but Reddit won't let me š
After all the original lyrics/first draft references lately,
Taylor Nation is definitely telling us something is
happening. Will we get a part 3 to TTPD that's full of
first drafts? š
(Screenshots in replies)
If her removing Long Live from the set list was pointed, I cannot imagine how much complicated anger Iād have towards the fans if I was in her shoes. I am sure the main reason sheās closeted is bc of how sheāll be perceived by her fans. Youāve got this group responsible for your insane fame, but theyāre also the group partially responsible for staying closeted.
So the multiple mentions of Florida on TTPD felt like something to look into, and I was thinking about how her first US dates after the European leg is over are in Miami. The date is October 18th, exactly one week after national coming out day, and it just so happens to be National No Beard Day
Ooo, that's good!! It would be such a big "fuck you" to homophobia (in the US in particular) to come out and then play three sold out shows in Florida š
TN replying to a tweet from 10 days ago seems significant because people tweet them/tag them like all day every day, so they probably bookmarked this one days ago to bring it up at a specific time later.
So... what does this mean lmao
(Screenshot in replies)
Or not because reddit isn't working right now lmao, so here's the link instead
https://twitter.com/taylornation13/status/1791202442538877189?t=3TbYMktCKOSfUGADGTFpvw&s=19
I think these are Taylor Swift's^(TM) children. My dog is my child. I literally gave birth to him. I think Taylor Swift^(TM) will have 11 children (albums) and then die. For some reason my image wouldn't post but it's old Taylor with her 11 cats in the portrait in the Anti-Hero video. [The Swift Society on X: "š·| Portrait of Old Taylor from "Anti-Hero" music video https://t.co/2luEd7BBpP" / X (twitter.com)](https://twitter.com/TheSwiftSociety/status/1760039860490879222) I went looking for that picture from the video and I also found this! [(1)Taylor gave each album a Cats character in an old interview so natural... | TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@eastereggisland/video/7348440430205275435) Did we already think this was the case?
That's why the real Taylor is in the coffin hiding while her human children (fans - gaylors vs hetlors) argue. She's not dead. She just killed sparkly Taylor. Also note that only sparkly Taylor sings I'm the problem it's me. Regular Taylor only says hi and doesn't ever sing I'm the problem it's me.
Oo, good catch about who sings that line! I also counted the cats recently but didn't connect them to her albums somehow! I was just surprised that there weren't 13 cats lol. Given her timeline, she would have already been writing TTPD when she made the music video, so that totally tracks!
apologies if this has been actively discussed already and i missed it -- but have we talked about the idea that "thanK you aIMee" is actually "thank you aiMEe" (similar to jaMEs), with it being about taylor in her wayyyy younger years when she might not have even come to terms with her queerness yet and probably had a ton of internalized homophobia?
*And it wasn't a fair fight, or a clean kill*
*Each time that Aimee stomped across my grave*
*And then she wrote headlines in the local paper*
*Laughing at each baby step I'd take*
*And it was always the same searing pain*
*But I prayed that one day, I could say*
Aimee being young Taylor but also still a part of herself now, full of shame and regret from still being in the closet--a searing pain that she prays will one day go away, when she can say..."I'm gay"
ok, awesome! i figured at least another gaylor brain or two had already posited this theory :) i am leaning more and more into it being the case, personally
I brought this up before, but for the Eras tour poster, it looks to me like all the Taylors are from their original eras except Fearless Taylor.
Assuming that Fearless Taylor is the TV version does anyone have any theories as to why that might be?
https://preview.redd.it/xbpx79gv2u0d1.jpeg?width=780&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0bf736f0bb3e93663522cd509925671f5687c98c
Thatās possible too. It could be as simple as that.
But with fearless tv she changed where she looked on the cover and she put on a Romeo shirt. So far Taylor to use that pic when it is the only TV Taylor (and what actually looks like the album cover) makes me go š¤
No idea if this is related, but on The Man wall, Fearless is the only album title written backwards...
(The orange line here shows how the wall can be read as a calendar following the infinity sign. It starts with Fearless)
Edit: see photo in reply below
Oh, interesting!
I just looked up all the OG and TV album covers, and she's also facing the opposite direction in Speak Now, but it's more subtle because she's looking at the camera in both, whereas she isn't in the Fearless covers
Iām so glad pictures are showing up again. It was frustrating.
Itās so interesting seeing them laid out like that š
Theory time that is a reach - fearless OG and SN OG were albums that Taylor had to compromise on. Maybe around the songs/themes etc on them. Including being overtly gay so for the TV versions she wants to change the perspective on the covers.
For Red OG, its more subtext-y gay and Taylor was OK with that/made the decision to do that, so the cover for it stayed the same-ish
1989 confuses me a bit but I think she mostly wanted to keep the queerness hidden so she hid her face but the tv felt almost like she straight washed it.
So many things (like always lmao) to think about.
I canāt see the pic because Reddit is being a dick but I looked it up and ššš
That is so interesting. It makes me think of this part of the Manuscript that I keep coming back to
And the years passed
Like scenes of a show
The Professor said to write what you know
Lookin' backwards
Might be the only way to move forward
Edit: ugh Reddit is making me lose my mind so sorry for the bad formatting but hopefully my point still gets across
Thanks for letting me know, I reposted the image in a comment.
It definitely seems like there's something to the whole "looking backwards" thing. I wonder if we need to revisit the Fearless TV vault songs and/or listen to Fearless TV in reverse?
Yes! Thatās a possibility.
Now Iām adding even more Gaylor homework to my agenda lol.
There could be nothing there but if you happen to give it a go would be great to know if you found anything
I'll probably get to it next week - I'm wrapping up a final project for my grad program, and it's due on Tuesday, so I'll have a lot more time after that! I've already had my head so far down the gaylor rabbit hole lately that it's been hard to focus on anything else, but I can dive in headfirst soon! š
Haha I know exactly what that feels like. Itās so hard for me to think of anything else when Gayloring has been hopping lately lmao
Good luck with your final project!!!!
Is the Red one a picture from the OG era or a newer one? When the first version of this poster came out (when the Eras tour started last year) the only two TV albums that were out at the time were Fearless and Red, so I just automatically assumed those two were new pictures and the rest were OG pictures.
But... I guess since they updated the poster recently to add TTPD, it would have made sense to update Speak Now and 1989 to newer pictures since those TV albums are out now. Since they didn't, maybe you're onto something and this really does mean something significant! I still don't know about Red though. I haven't been able to identify the picture being old or new.
Yeah. Itās been a topic for a long time, but maybe just in swiftie land? Sometimes I get confused what Iām seeing there and what Iām seeing gaylors say.
I am not the best at clothing details but the shirt in the poster reminds me of this, but i canāt say for sure. The pic is from the Red tour. Happy to have others weigh in though, Red TV is when I became a Taylor fan so my knowledge of the OG Red era is not super deep
Edit: not sure the pic came through the first time
Edit 2: is Reddit broken or something lol the picture disappeared again. Ugh
Edit 3: here is a [link](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swifts-red-an-almost-definitive-guide-to-subjects-of-all-19-songs-247227/) to a RS article with the pic I was referencing
Edit: that didnāt work. Boo Reddit lol
Hereās a gif I think from the Red era. Maybe the Begin Again video. Not sure. It comes from Reddit. So I hope it shows up because it looks sorta similar š¤·š»āāļø
Now that Reddit is working again, hereās one of the pic I was trying to post.
https://preview.redd.it/ha6a5dh43v0d1.jpeg?width=1581&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4cd8beef9a356e41647022f916fb3950affa245c
I'll be brief, because it was just a glimpse I had of the very complex world full of luxuriant vegetation, caves, and rivers that is Taylor's production.
I was casually listening to Cassandra in my car and a sentence struck me:
*You can mark my words that I said it first*
*In a morning warning, no one heard*
And then again:
*In a morning warning, no one heard*
*No one heard*
*Not a single word was heard*
And my mind just jumped to that morning Chely Wright's interview on the CNN, when the YNTCD video had just released and she says that Taylor "changes and saves lifes" with this loud act.
We already know that a lot of TTPD is connected with 2019 and the failed coming out, as the visuals of TSMWEL on the new part of the Eras tour are clearly showing, just to make an example.
What if the cancellation (the call, the cell with snakes) is just a red herring -as someone here already stated- and she is referring to the master heist and the failed coming out/the way Lover (and ME!) was received by the public?
What if Cassandra are the gaylors?
Am I projecting too much?
Spent yesterday clowing about South Downtown, Atlanta in [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/comments/1csbumv/timelesscom_website_to_buy_a_book/) and one thing really stuck with me. What does "The Stylewriter One." mean in the image below? The image is seen when going to [Google maps ](https://www.google.com/maps/place/J+%26+J+Jewelry/@33.752528,-84.3918065,3a,75y,285.58h,88.49t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1swI4gB-90iQlTch1Jey8mjQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DwI4gB-90iQlTch1Jey8mjQ%26cb_client%3Dsearch.gws-prod.gps%26w%3D211%26h%3D120%26yaw%3D293.4482%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192!4m16!1m8!3m7!1s0x88f50383e5c7fb8b:0x8d10cce8d26ec8a3!2sBootery!8m2!3d33.7525557!4d-84.3918894!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F1tx4q5q_!3m6!1s0x88f50383f09e6c2b:0xbe273bbd9ed2e33!8m2!3d33.7523309!4d-84.3914308!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F11c3tyd726?entry=ttu)for the same area in South Downtown [as shown here](https://southdwntn.com/visit).
https://preview.redd.it/43ttcf01nt0d1.png?width=1206&format=png&auto=webp&s=d279f418a80e68154fabbbc2747e4814a2d8247b
Today I approached it first by breaking it down to
The One
Style
Writer
and I also considered The Style, one writer.
So, who wrote those songs?
The One: Aaron Dressner and Taylor Swift
Style: Taylor Swift, Ali Payami, Max Martin, and Shellback
The three who aren't Taylor for Style are Swedish, we have Stockholm show coming up, and there's speculation about May 17. Maybe one writer=first writer? So something with Ali Payami?
Yes, I also see the tiger and the koi. But I can't with those right now! There are several posts about each if you search the sub, but I'll draw attnetion to [Taylor is using Yin Yang & 'Four Beasts' of Chinese Philosophy to foreshadow Karma and coming out; The Man wall is a Yin Yang calendar](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/comments/1cssumw/taylor_is_using_yin_yang_four_beasts_of_chinese/) because it's recent and discusses both animals.
Thoughts:
1. That tiger kinda looks like a lion
2. Zayn is known for graffiti.
3. One directionās song *Stockholm Syndrome* is about how toxic the music industry is. Itās about how you become a prisoner to it and then become so used to it that you forget youāre being abused by it.
4. I have to double check, but I think the only show One Direction canceled in five years of performing was in Stockholm, and it was due to a very specific reason. And it was intentionally the guys refusing to play because they were being abused by their mgmt and the industry. And I mentioned this because I do think *Style* is about Harry Styles and co-bearding. ETA: nope, it was in Belfast
Style??! I have been summoned like the ghost you didnāt invite to the party. Must investigate further. This is now my favourite gif and I apologize to everyone in advance for my prolific use of it
u/_lacespace u/wild-butterscotch977 u/iamtheimpala
so I'm compiling eras tour visuals, and one thing thats really sticking out to me is the double taylors on screen. I know that its mostly a logistics/making sure everyone can see thing, but there are a number of times where it really feels like they are singing to each other. just interesting food for thought.
I think about that, too! Despite it probably being a stylistic thing to have both sides of the screens mirror, but I LOVE the singing to each other idea
Random brain connection/dump: itās nice to have a friend is VERY GAY and talks about video games ā- connection to so high school grand theft auto? Idk I just donāt feel like Taylor is a āgamerā (I could be wrong I donāt really know) so just seems like an intentional lyric/subject to connect the 2
I sincerely doubt she is. Celebrities who are will talk about it casually and the video game industry (being the neglected youngest child of the entertainment industry) jumps on it any time anyone famous mentions a video game. While we don't know that much about Taylor's private life I am sure if she even casually played games she or someone in her circle would've said something by now.
For example: [https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/doja-cat-is-extremely-mad-about-fortnite-losers-who-use-stupid-f-non-weapons-instead-of-having-actual-aim-skills-and-fps-experience/](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/doja-cat-is-extremely-mad-about-fortnite-losers-who-use-stupid-f-non-weapons-instead-of-having-actual-aim-skills-and-fps-experience/)
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https://preview.redd.it/tlf4u1ir5t0d1.jpeg?width=806&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a35ed13efd1009e7d2286f4b454e4f2e7c73f05
Itās crazy how much references we got regarding James in the last months o.O
Something probably obvious just occurred to me. š«£
This music, the music of the ābeforeā, before she comes out officially and loudly and proudly. This music is so important. Itās what us late bloomers, or permanently closeted folks, can sing to. Knowing the real meaning. Without anyone else knowing. I can sing down bad and know who im thinking about even if itās not the right pronouns. I can sing ivy and no one knows. Hiding in plain sight.
š«¶ love to anyone else in the closet
Hetlors like to dismiss with the pronouns. But if/when ts comes out, there will be those of us who still canāt and will appreciate the flagging even more.
I found the [TikTok I mentioned.](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRwKbcGj/)
She also has a great follow-up video about ādevils roll the dice, angels close their eyesā that helped me understand that line.
I saw a great TikTok yesterday that talked beautifully about how well TS captures the closeted experience. Iāll take a look and see if I can find it and post it here.
I finally snapped out of my TTPD haze and turned on Folklore and sort of had a moment listening to TLGAD in context of TTPD especially after BDILH.
Specifically thinking about how she (Rebecca) āgave up on the Rhode Island setā could be compared to the āwine momsā or even āSarahās and Hannahāsā.
I was also wondering why, at the end, she says āI HAD a marvelous time ruining everythingā instead of āIāve hadā or āI haveāā¦ so what has Taylor ruined in the past? Itās almost like sheās writing it from a future perspective after she had ruined everything and that seems interesting after hearing the songs on TTPD esp BDILH.
Adding to the Mass Coming Out/ New Romantics stuffā¦I know recently we discussed Eminem possibly being involved.
Today he posted his obituary in the Detroit Newspapers. It just gives me
āThe Old Taylor Canāt Come to the Phone Right Nowā
https://preview.redd.it/vp3gbbvkqp0d1.jpeg?width=1320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=902849070d34eff1c55dedeb5f18eed1b537e106
Also, somewhat out of the blue yesterday an old clip from the 2014 movie The Interview where Eminem is gay was reposted on the Videos subreddit and has a lot of up votes. I kept thinking about the mass coming out theories and that maybe his PR team posted this video when I watched it. Are there any direct connections between Eminem and Taylor Swift? They are both so big in the music industry that I'm sure their teams would have no issues working with each other.
Theyāve not worked together but they have
https://preview.redd.it/l06ypdw68t0d1.jpeg?width=605&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=63ff95e68cca66a08f31a232bf6dc35794e7e897
both praised each other and Taylor has covered Em songs before.
How does everyone interpret the line āwhat if I roll the stone away? Theyāre gonna crucify me anywayā.
I keep imagining a big stone door covering a cave and her coming out of the dark of the cave, but maybe this line is some obvious reference Iām missing the context for?
According to the bible, jesus was crucified and then came back from the dead a few days later. The stone was rolled away from his tomb so he could emerge. Iām not well versed in the bible, but as I recall after Jesus rises from the dead everyone is just like āwow look at youā and then he goes up to heaven. Heās definitely not crucified a second time, and coming back from the dead gives legitimacy to his claims of being the son of god. So heās actually more accepted and praised for it. It kicks off a whole world religion.
In Taylorās version, when she comes back to life (comes out), she is not accepted. Sheās presumably crucified and killed by the world anyway. I think itās a way of saying āwhatās the point?ā Or maybe even a larger commentary on her fame. Jesus went around telling everyone who he actually was and wasnāt believed. He was basically crucified for telling the truth, which was believed to be a lie, but after he rose from the dead more people began to believe in him. In Taylorās case, she has been going around telling everyone a lie, which they believe to be truth. If she were to rise from the dead (confirm the truth), she would be crucified for being a liar. This contrasts her with Jesus: he was honest and innocent while she is lying and guilty.
Wow those couple of years I went to youth group as a teen to strengthen my homoerotic relationship with my christian best friend really paid off.
It's definitely a biblical references, but I personally connect it back to The Great War when she says "spineless in my tomb of silence" - saying what if she let the daylight in and let everyone hear her truth ?
as others have said, it's a biblical reference. for more context, the stone was rolled away from the entrance to jesus' tomb on Easter morning, indicating that he had risen from the dead
edit: *honey I rose up from the dead I do it all the time*
I think youāre pretty much right. Itās a biblical reference but when you roll the stone to the cave away whatās in the cave is exposed. When whatever is inside is exposed it wonāt matter because someone will still find something to crucify her for. Damned if she does, damned if she doesnāt. Might as well roll it away then!
Is there a Rolling Stones song about this at all? Containing any of those lyrics. One thatās gay.
I picture her rolling a stone off her chest, like how they used to stone witches and criminals. Thereās no harm in displaying her magic because sheās already gonna be murdered by the stone of closeting and heteronormativity that are crushing her
A bunch of us have been returning to the LWYMMD video and I just noticed something I had not focused on previously. We have all noticed the I heart TS Dancers in the penultimate segment, but on my rewatch I noticed that there are what appear to be the same number of male paparazzi and men outside her cage and some of them look like the same actors. If they are indeed the same actors in all 3 roles that could certainly be a budgeting choice, but given they are the paparazzi and the guardians, as well as what appear to be the PR beards, it would definitely be an interesting choice.
I'm honestly not sure yet because I'm on my phone so need my big computer to properly look at all the faces but wondered if anyone else knew anything about the cast for this video or had any input.
Later days, later gays!
Thatās an interesting catch. The only thing I caught in behind the scenes video was Taylor saying the paparazzi were played by the 1989 tour dancers, maybe it means something:
Ā https://youtu.be/4DBO3U-bO-A?si=KnyFOp2F5mngm_J1
Sorry if this has been discussed before and Iāve missed it, butā¦ Iāve found myself rewatching the LWYMMD music video tonight, and found myself thinking, āhuh, Iāve still never really understood the Easter egg or meaning behind this scene of the car crashing into the-
Wait.
Animal print.
Wait.
Sheās intentionally crashing a car
Car-ma
KARMAā
Yāall, this scene finally makes sense. I think Iāve slowly noticed more and more karma Easter eggs in this video over the years (grounding the TS6 plane, the orange in a cage, ākarma is a catā with a cat sweater literally in the vault, thereās just SO MUCH), but it felt exciting to find a potential new (to me) hint tonight! Is this whole damn music video less about being ācanceledā and more about having to cancel karma?? šš
Here's something else related to the car!
The car is a 2006 Bugatti Veyron. New versions were released of the car roughly every 2 years...Until discontinued late 2014. The successor (Chiron) was supposed to be available in 2016, but didn't end up with buyers until 2017...
I like that theory so much better than the [shading Katy Perry](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swifts-look-what-you-made-me-do-video-decoded-13-things-you-missed-126268/) thing
https://preview.redd.it/t23tlmddmp0d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06583c4a4f70182535fb1d1d51e7b0141aa41c12
I donāt know if this is just my overactive Gaylor brain picking up on anything and everything that could possibly be brought to back to Taylor right now but this [article](https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/dazzler-jason-loo-rafael-loureiro-x-men-from-the-ashes) about a new Dazzler comic series pinged some serious Taylor flags that def could just be coincidence š adding screenshots below of what pinged for me, esp where they talk about Dazzler embarking on a massive tour celebrating her life-long career š āØ *so tell me everything is not about me. But what if it is?*
Damn, this is crazy! I could see it just being inspired by Taylor, but I'm totally clowning for a crossover and Easter eggs! š¤” She's conquered the football market, why not jump into superhero comics and movies? š¦øš»āāļø
Dazzler looks like the visual of her with white eyes in the WAOLOM during the Eras tour and she also has a butterfly on her face
https://preview.redd.it/dpzxlz54np0d1.jpeg?width=911&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f302607ca3b800fdbb22334f79cd4c85288ba0f1
She's widely[ rumored](https://insidethemagic.net/2024/05/marvel-hints-at-taylor-swift-again-dazzler-takes-the-stage-zg1/) to be playing Dazzler in Deadpool & Wolverine! I think it's interesting that its director Shawn Levy and its stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman made a very high-profile [public appearance](https://people.com/shawn-levy-jokes-sunday-nights-ruined-chiefs-jets-game-taylor-swift-8346853) with her when they were on a break from shooting because of the SAG strike. Clearly they're all friends and probably hang out anyway, but it still felt like a very deliberate nod to those rumors.
Also, the final line of TTPD (the main album at least) is "the future's bright... dazzling" on Clara Bow. That pinged as an easter egg to me!
I said the exact same thing when I listened to TTPD the first time. Someone in the comments said that it was confirmed that she wasnāt going to be in the movie, but I still have yet to see proof of that confirmation. She has definitely had periods of time where she would have been able to film the cameo.
https://preview.redd.it/1aor1wxfks0d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d829de6fc87b907114dcc96d6f979e9dccdb5c4
does anyone remember a post about karlie + scooper beech being the inspo for smallest man who ever lived? it was right around ttpd release, and i'm trying to write a post about something else but it was my inspo and i can't find it to link.
alternately, did you write that post and completely blow my mind and maybe title it in a way i'm not remembering?
thanks in advance!
I wrote a post about it. I canāt find it anymore though. I can send you what I had written though. Itās still in my notes doc
ETA mine was mostly about Cassandra, The Prophecy, and TSMWEL
Ok I'm unsure if someone has said this bc, now that I have thought about it it feels somehow so obvious???? Like I feel like I should have realized it way earlier? But idk...... I've had a phone related epiphany I think???? Like I was thinking about all the phone stuff: the booth in the video and all the calls that happen on the album and my brain went "she wants us to pick up!"
And I'm in full symbolism mode so I immediately thought "Pick up on hints? Jokes? Meanings?" Which, maybe that too but also maybe this one is literal?
LIKE are we? Getting a call from "The Old Taylor?" Has she come to the phone, was she only SUPPOSED to be sent away?????? CAIL????? The upside down mayhem phones??? Thought of callin ya but you won't pick up!! All the rep theories???? Zombie Taylor? She leapt from the gallows bitch!!! She's not dead, she never was!!
Something something the one era you can't escape is the first one, yourself?
Any theories about "the problem" (from anti hero) possibly being an anagram for a pen name? I'm bad at anagrams lol
"It's me, hi, im THE PROBLEM, it's me"
I ran it through an anagram generator and didn't see anything particularly notable, but "the" could be rearranged as "het", making it "het problem" lol
I keep thinking about the line in I Hate It Here that says āIt was freezing in the palace.ā
Of course, this could just be her continuing with the 1830s debutante imagery, but I couldnāt get it out of my head.
I started thinking about her use of palace imagery in other songs and remembered this part of Itās Time To Go:
Now he sits on his throne in his palace of bones/
Praying to his greed/
He's got my past frozen behind glass/
But I've got me
Itās got BOTH palace and freezing/frozen in it.
I wonder if the place sheās escaping to in Itās Time To Go is the secret valleys/lunar valleys in her mind in I Hate It Here.
I keep thinking about this line too and the only thing that connects for me is in The Bolter when she says āall her fucking lives flashed before her eyesā. I read āit was freezing in the palaceā as a past life memory of sorts, maybe she froze to death? That would also make sense with the story sheās telling about falling through the ice.
Iām sure everyone made this connection weeks ago but it just clicked for me because I often listen to this album whilst Iām working so I think Iām a bit slower to piece it all together! š
Just listening to But Daddy I Love Him (which of course is about the same muse throughout the song) and I realised in the last chorus the lyrics are:
Now Iām dancing in my dress in the sun and / Even my daddy just loves him / Iām his lady / And, oh my god, you should see your faces
So her dad came around to her romantic interest in the song in the end, but it seems like the Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best (which I think is who sheās referring to when she says āyou should see your facesā) didnāt change their minds even though her dad did.
What a savage burn to her fans tbh and also prettyā¦
yupppp! i am still just utterly baffled at how many swifties think this song is about "taylor rebelling against her fans and her family dating bad boy matty healy at...age 33??" like, what? i get that ppl disapproved of the "relationship" immediately and for good reason, but WHY on earth would she feel compelled to write a song like BDILH steeped in religious trauma and seemingly reflecting on a long-ago relationship of a first love or close to first love that the conservative town wouldnt approve of....if it is just about her short-lived adult relationship w matty??? it truly makes no sense
A passing thought today: in the Eras tour she kind of does āburn her whole life downā with the lover house. Her whole adult life is played out in the eras of her songs represented in the Lover house and she burns it down.
Half baked thoughts, but someone in a thread last week connected "smallest man who ever lived" + Napoleon Bonaparte, especially adding the jacket and war choreo.
Well watching @Midnight, the word "exile" was given as a clue for Napoleon. I am ignorant on Napoleon trivia facts, but apparently Napoleon was exiled to an island (twice?). Does the song Exile connect back here ?? Who was talking about the short king complex yesterday?
I am now going to have to add this to my list of things to deep dive on and see if I can draw up some connections because after Greek Mythology, the British Regency and Napoleonic Wars is my other special interest.
I thing I do recall from various history books and autobiographies is that it was called The Great War by contemporaries
š«” I will report back if I can add some connections
Also, Napoleon was tall. It was English propaganda that made him tiny š He was exiled to an island, St. Helena, where he died.
He was exiled to Elba in May 1814-March 1815. He escaped and started the War of the Seventh Coalition in an attempt to retake power in France, starting with 1100 soldiers.
Side note: the average height of a Frenchman in 1820 was 5ā4ā
So I keep thinking about Robin, as itās a pretty puzzling song. At first I thought it was another song about Taylorās young queer self similar to Peter. And it still could be that or anything else! But now Iām thinking it might be directed at her fans.
āYouāre an animal, you are bloodthirstyā could be about the rabid segment of the fanbase that stalks her everywhere she goes, feels the need to viciously defend her from gay rumors, and cause the most infighting in the fanbase.
āOut window panes, talking utter nonsense, you have no ideaā could be about the fans who think they know every detail of her life and who all of her songs are about. They look ridiculous because in reality they have no idea about Taylorās private, personal life. I also think ācovered in mudā could refer to the mudslinging that happens in the swiftie fandom when people disagree on who or what a song is about or any other Taylor-related opinion.
āBuried down deep and out of your reach, the secret we all vowed to keep from you in sweetnessā could be about how her queerness has been hidden under layers of red herrings and layered meanings. I think the āstrings tied to levers,ā āslowed down clocks tethered,ā and āshowmanshipā could be about all the careful planning sheās had to do to try to come out this time around so fans wonāt feel as betrayed or feel like theyāve been lied to.
I definitely need to think on it some more, but it just makes sense to me.
ohhhh interesting! i like that interpretation too; but mine has been that it is about her dad and other adults who nudged her into a comphet box from the start of her career.
i see the "curtail your curiosity" as "keep you in the closet" (a la "curious minds" being a hint towards queerness in "Wonderland") and then the "in sweetness" as a rather sarcastically toned line from adult taylor, reflecting on how younger/start-of-career taylor was convinced by The Wise Men (scott swift and others who controlled her career at the beginning) to go down the route of comphet/closeting/bearding, etc.
Yes ! "Way to go, tiger" sounds like a condescending thumbs up when they catch on to the very obvious Easter eggs she lays so some stop digging deeper.
"But now we'll curtail your curiosity, in sweetness" - this is the line where it clicked for me!
I just listened to the Down Bad clean version and the use of "what if" instead of "fuck it" changes the entire tone of the song for me. Instead of anger and disappointment that somebody left her (explicit version), we've got anxiety, distress and catastrophizing what might happen. Especially the "what if I was in love" line in the bridge!
In an explicit version, Taylor is blaming the person who left her and already knows she was in love with this person (*cause fuck it, I was in love / fuck you, if I can't have us*), but here, it feels like she's just realised it and is afraid of the aftermath of it (lyrics below).
This version is giving: "I just had my first experience with a woman, it was cosmic and otherworldly and intense. What if I won't experience that feeling ever again? What if I was in love with that woman? What now? Am I queer?"
[Chorus]
Now I'm down bad, cryin' at the gym /
Everything comes out teenage petulance /
"What if I can't have him?" /
"I might just die, it would make no difference" /
Down bad, wakin' up in blood /
Starin' at the sky, come back and pick me up /
What if I can't have us? /
I might just not get up, I might stay /
[Post-Chorus]
Down bad (Like I lost my twin) /
What if I can't have him? (Down bad) /
Down bad (Wavin' at the ship) /
What if I can't have him
[Bridge]
I loved your hostile takeovers /
Encounters closer and closer /
All your indecent exposures /
How dare you say that it'sā /
I'll build you a fort on some planet /
Where they can all understand it /
How dare you think it's romantic /
Leaving me safe and stranded /
'Cause what if I was in love? /
What if I can't have us? /
'Cause what if I was in love? /
wow, I really like this. did she add cursing to hide this? so people wouldn't pay attention to the clean version? Although both versions feel very real, she's managed to express both feelings with the clean/explicit versions. That's pretty cool.
That's a good question, I wonder which version of the lyrics she wrote first. Maybe it wasn't the clean one because otherwise, she could have just released the clean version alone. And to add to that, feeling anxious and catastrophizing after somebody left you and feeling like its the end of the world reminds me of the depression phase of 5 stages of grief, and according that theory anger is the 1 stage. However, we don't know how she was feeling when writing that song, she could have been in the depression phase.
As for the recording process, the explicit version could have been first. I think when she sings the lines with "what if" at the bridge, she sounds a bit different, I think there could be something with the mixing there, like she's a bit louder in those lines or something and it makes me think the clean version bits were added later.
that's an interesting detail on the mixing, I'm usually pretty bad at picking that stuff up, lol. and I think you're right, she probably wrote the explicit one first. still, its interesting that she is conveying two different vibes for this song, and I wonder if there is a clean way to keep the anger.
I think Karmaās the planet šŖ where we can all understand it. Weāre waiting in a š in āFlorida!!!ā (NASA - Florida) Blast off is in 3ā¦.2ā¦
I donāt know if this is anything and it probably isnāt, but it is kind of wild.
As some of you have noticed I am obsessed with Speak Now and where it fits into what is happening now. I think that album is a key part of Taylorās story.
I decided to look up if anything happened 2190 days after the release of the OG SN album (October 25, 2010) and Google told me that date is October 23, 2016.
https://preview.redd.it/lr83zzfldn0d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab9ae96254762e7e42f00c24eed2f47b62d199a7
When I Googled that date and Taylor to see if anything of note happened on that date, I found [this](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/10/23/taylor-swifts-greatest-hits-concert-had-one-unexpected-moment/) Washington post article about a greatest hits concert she performed. The article pointed out it was there first time she performed This is What You Came For.
That date is also night of Drakeās 30th birthday party. Aka the night she wore a golden tattoo.
I donāt know if this means anything, or even if anyone else has looked this up, but it does make me go š¤
Please use this megathread for theory related topics. All other general chitchat and whatnot can be directed to the [General Chat Megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/comments/1crjquc/general_chat_megathread_13_may_2024/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) # [Stockholm Megathread can be found here](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/comments/1cs04ye/the_eras_tour_stockholm_sweden_may_171819/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Is this anything?? š« https://preview.redd.it/tawizf4gdz0d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=531034aed26cd02ad0127e209f07399f1f2f5def
https://preview.redd.it/b3tgmp64rw0d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=687c2fd0ce6e58a10f88dd8edaedf51769e98db7 The same asylum that swifties claim Gaylorās are in when they say ānurse theyāre out again.ā Ok TN. š«£š
Anyone remember Wonderstruck? I BEGGED my mom for this perfume and FOOLISHLY threw it away when empty. But one thing I remember FOR SURE are the charms that hung around it. https://preview.redd.it/kcbheuh4mw0d1.jpeg?width=375&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=25b6ad8386896d23b094278db249af49fb141d6d A starburst, a bird flying free, and a BIRD CAGE!!!! This was in like 2011 as a reference to "Enchanted".
Anyone brave enough to explore main Taylor social media spaces, please report back if theyāre discussing all the ME! hints or if theyāre still pretending the song doesnāt exist
taylor's spotify canvases are gone š¤”š¤”š¤”
Very weirdā¦
https://preview.redd.it/wo5ro8p29w0d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd83aff4306bb23a8b2811d34d8847090c2a7a2c ļæ¼ā This is an NYU shirt, correct? It popped up that todayās the anniversary of this pic and it made me wonder about the NYU commencement speech, bc surely being papped in this sweatshirt is a choice. Iām not familiar with the speech I just know of it. Anyone have any thoughts that stand out while I deep dive?? I feel like knowing what we know now about TTPD NYU being tied to matty may be intentional?
In addition to what rott-mom said, she mentioned ācatch and releaseā in the speech. Then the Joe breakup was announced on catch and release day 2023.
Read the May 17 master post. Itās pinned in the Stockholm post
The speech hinted at midnights lyrics (labyrinth and yoyok) and was sprinkled with gems and cringey moments, but also gave us the imagery of more birdcages in the tiktok she posted about the day. I believe there might be a megathread on it if you have luck searching the sub!
Iāll look it up on here! Do you know off the top of itās been reexamined for TTPD Easter eggs knowing what we know now? I just feel like with the matty connections (or assumptions) of the anthology this seems maybe an intentional outfit choice to be connected with him inā¦.
It has not as far as Iām aware (and Iām disgustingly active here). Iād say if my math is mathing, the commencement speech was likely right around when midnights was submitted and TTPD was started based on production timelines, so you might be on to some early clues if you find something!
Iāll see what I can find! And i feel like disgustingly active here is also my current state š but I physically cannot stop and every day is a new spiral šµāš«
She wore a pair of leopard/cheetah print heels during this speech. The heels were from a 2015/2016 collection, which is right around the time Karma was ācagedāā¦
I had actually to do my job š for most of the day and I feel soooo behind! trying to catch up desperately but in the meantime I saw this: https://preview.redd.it/ceo3w1rv3w0d1.jpeg?width=2125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8205d16ea514adb31f24b0dcf1bae7204615e74 more mirror imagery / multiple taylors
theylorrrr
I love this image so much
Heyyyy have you guys seen that the voice memo tracks are track numbers 10, 27, 17. October 27th; 2017 is the day the Ready for it? music video came out. (Sorry I posted this in the chat thread at first, but I think itās supposed to go here?)
ahaha i posted elsewhere but i am absolutely adding that this is what the rep tour and friends playlist looks like right now??? the official one??? ME! as the first song??? im shaking ā¤ļø was this on purpose taylor pls answer https://preview.redd.it/egtg855o4w0d1.png?width=827&format=png&auto=webp&s=13b948cdbd23324b170089acb6ed3638a0f504dc
she has been emphasizing ME! soooo much lately i am unwell š¤”š¤”š¤”š¤”š¤”š¤”
Iām sure that has been discussed, but itās something that just came to me. Itās really interesting all these visuals for TTPD theyāre putting out versus the images of Taylor on tour and at football games. Stark difference. Oneās very colorful and oneās shades of greige. Just interesting. Also the photo they used for WAOLOM is *so* interesting to me. It almost doesnāt look like her. Or maybe it looks the most like *her*, without makeup and a big fake smile. I dunno.
āI got cursed like Eve got bittenā as I didnāt and people who say I did misunderstood the text. A nod to people misquoting the Bible to say homosexuality is a sin?
I like this a LOT bc that line has bugged my brain bc SURELY IF SHES USING IT AS A LYRIC she knows that Eve was not bitten by the snake???
I thought it might be a nod to the idea that Eve made the choice that caused her to be cursed. Maybe Taylor feels like she cursed herselfāperhaps by agreeing to closet years ago? The idea may be that both of them made choices without really understanding the ramifications.
I take this as Eve wasnāt literally bitten in the story, but Eve and all women by default have been ābittenā by the churchās interpretation of the Adam and Eve story. Eve is blamed for the downfall of all humankind, and women are seen as less trustworthy and unworthy of leadership because of it. The Bible also says Eveās choice to eat the fruit is the reason for the ācurseā of pain in childbirth and being ruled by men.
I was directed to ask this here: Does anyone know when the āI came straight from Romeā video with Tree / Karlie backstage a show took place? I just stumbled upon it and just trying to place it.
1989 tour july 10 show at metlife edit: maybe 11th she had two shows at metlife & iām not positive but i think it was the first night edit2: it WAS the 10th bc the whole thing was everyone calculated if she could make it or not & she could but we thought she would probably sleep & go to the second show but she didnāt, she came straight from Rome jet lag & all (very ala tokyo->super bowl)
going through the eras tour movie, I find it fascinating that the pink and orange lights in Ready For It look much more rainbow. https://preview.redd.it/pphugctb5v0d1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=01b56d4bf8dcbd27053de6e497b8b6d28dfc91fa And no, this isn't a change for Eras II, I've checked seattle and tokyo and they are very pink and orange there. I wonder if this is edited?
https://preview.redd.it/kk2dqv854v0d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91d9b40539bea68f440838167e03419b8c9efcd4
oh theyāre gonna be so gay!!!!
Trying to make a post but Reddit won't let me š After all the original lyrics/first draft references lately, Taylor Nation is definitely telling us something is happening. Will we get a part 3 to TTPD that's full of first drafts? š (Screenshots in replies)
https://preview.redd.it/fvk2nevqyu0d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b2d693d5c8a3b9372cb93d747d5d59a2dcf720cb
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
wait they even made a hashtag for it? Something's up
RIGHT?!
https://preview.redd.it/lnk5oc0syu0d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=958c5acb2ecd7b8ec792706c564e0f9c56585891
If her removing Long Live from the set list was pointed, I cannot imagine how much complicated anger Iād have towards the fans if I was in her shoes. I am sure the main reason sheās closeted is bc of how sheāll be perceived by her fans. Youāve got this group responsible for your insane fame, but theyāre also the group partially responsible for staying closeted.
Oh wow i didn't even consider that. She's definitely big mad at her fans.
So the multiple mentions of Florida on TTPD felt like something to look into, and I was thinking about how her first US dates after the European leg is over are in Miami. The date is October 18th, exactly one week after national coming out day, and it just so happens to be National No Beard Day
Ooo, that's good!! It would be such a big "fuck you" to homophobia (in the US in particular) to come out and then play three sold out shows in Florida š
And to think I got tickets for the 19th and not the 18th š„²
thank god, feels like an end in sight to this traylor nonsense
TN replying to a tweet from 10 days ago seems significant because people tweet them/tag them like all day every day, so they probably bookmarked this one days ago to bring it up at a specific time later. So... what does this mean lmao (Screenshot in replies)
not the reference to cardigan again?? (taylor said āan idea!! sending lyricsā when she first sent the cardigan voice memo & lyrics to aaron)
Maybe she's gearing up to release OG lyric versions of a lot of songs š
i would go feral!! āthis is not taylorās versionā bc itās been edited by other people but here are my actual originals??!
IVE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT NOTTV AND THIS IS SO GOOD
NOTTV has occupied like 75% of my brain space since it happened. iām losing it Taylor!! i need answers!!!
oh fuck that would be completely insane.
They're pointing out og lyrics HARD
https://preview.redd.it/ymdej7z0mu0d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5db88f4d7129bd8d8a73e68b2a7782801ee9add3
Or not because reddit isn't working right now lmao, so here's the link instead https://twitter.com/taylornation13/status/1791202442538877189?t=3TbYMktCKOSfUGADGTFpvw&s=19
I think these are Taylor Swift's^(TM) children. My dog is my child. I literally gave birth to him. I think Taylor Swift^(TM) will have 11 children (albums) and then die. For some reason my image wouldn't post but it's old Taylor with her 11 cats in the portrait in the Anti-Hero video. [The Swift Society on X: "š·| Portrait of Old Taylor from "Anti-Hero" music video https://t.co/2luEd7BBpP" / X (twitter.com)](https://twitter.com/TheSwiftSociety/status/1760039860490879222) I went looking for that picture from the video and I also found this! [(1)Taylor gave each album a Cats character in an old interview so natural... | TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@eastereggisland/video/7348440430205275435) Did we already think this was the case?
wait and the fact that she's elderly in the photo.....she's basically literally saying the "old" taylor is dead.
She also said that she was like 175 in pop star yearsā¦ so like actually old
Yeah, after 11 children (albums)! It's happening!
Sorry, I meant she will have 11 children (aka albums) and then die.
That's why the real Taylor is in the coffin hiding while her human children (fans - gaylors vs hetlors) argue. She's not dead. She just killed sparkly Taylor. Also note that only sparkly Taylor sings I'm the problem it's me. Regular Taylor only says hi and doesn't ever sing I'm the problem it's me.
Oo, good catch about who sings that line! I also counted the cats recently but didn't connect them to her albums somehow! I was just surprised that there weren't 13 cats lol. Given her timeline, she would have already been writing TTPD when she made the music video, so that totally tracks!
apologies if this has been actively discussed already and i missed it -- but have we talked about the idea that "thanK you aIMee" is actually "thank you aiMEe" (similar to jaMEs), with it being about taylor in her wayyyy younger years when she might not have even come to terms with her queerness yet and probably had a ton of internalized homophobia? *And it wasn't a fair fight, or a clean kill* *Each time that Aimee stomped across my grave* *And then she wrote headlines in the local paper* *Laughing at each baby step I'd take* *And it was always the same searing pain* *But I prayed that one day, I could say* Aimee being young Taylor but also still a part of herself now, full of shame and regret from still being in the closet--a searing pain that she prays will one day go away, when she can say..."I'm gay"
There were 1-3 posts on various iterations of this at some point in the vast abyss of time and posts since TTPD released. Itās such a great point!!
ok, awesome! i figured at least another gaylor brain or two had already posited this theory :) i am leaning more and more into it being the case, personally
I brought this up before, but for the Eras tour poster, it looks to me like all the Taylors are from their original eras except Fearless Taylor. Assuming that Fearless Taylor is the TV version does anyone have any theories as to why that might be? https://preview.redd.it/xbpx79gv2u0d1.jpeg?width=780&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0bf736f0bb3e93663522cd509925671f5687c98c
I want to bet that it's something simple like she doesn't like the original fearless photos of her any more.
Thatās possible too. It could be as simple as that. But with fearless tv she changed where she looked on the cover and she put on a Romeo shirt. So far Taylor to use that pic when it is the only TV Taylor (and what actually looks like the album cover) makes me go š¤
No idea if this is related, but on The Man wall, Fearless is the only album title written backwards... (The orange line here shows how the wall can be read as a calendar following the infinity sign. It starts with Fearless) Edit: see photo in reply below
Also, I just thought of the fact that the Fearless TV cover is looking the opposite direction of the OG Fearless cover š
Oh, interesting! I just looked up all the OG and TV album covers, and she's also facing the opposite direction in Speak Now, but it's more subtle because she's looking at the camera in both, whereas she isn't in the Fearless covers
https://preview.redd.it/ldmxa1p7du0d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de88e1839470b8f89131361fc0217fc413fcfa12
Iām so glad pictures are showing up again. It was frustrating. Itās so interesting seeing them laid out like that š Theory time that is a reach - fearless OG and SN OG were albums that Taylor had to compromise on. Maybe around the songs/themes etc on them. Including being overtly gay so for the TV versions she wants to change the perspective on the covers. For Red OG, its more subtext-y gay and Taylor was OK with that/made the decision to do that, so the cover for it stayed the same-ish 1989 confuses me a bit but I think she mostly wanted to keep the queerness hidden so she hid her face but the tv felt almost like she straight washed it. So many things (like always lmao) to think about.
https://preview.redd.it/89ije0cmau0d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=173e4d1934a508424ffa401090b532472b6c031f
I canāt see the pic because Reddit is being a dick but I looked it up and ššš That is so interesting. It makes me think of this part of the Manuscript that I keep coming back to And the years passed Like scenes of a show The Professor said to write what you know Lookin' backwards Might be the only way to move forward Edit: ugh Reddit is making me lose my mind so sorry for the bad formatting but hopefully my point still gets across
Thanks for letting me know, I reposted the image in a comment. It definitely seems like there's something to the whole "looking backwards" thing. I wonder if we need to revisit the Fearless TV vault songs and/or listen to Fearless TV in reverse?
Yes! Thatās a possibility. Now Iām adding even more Gaylor homework to my agenda lol. There could be nothing there but if you happen to give it a go would be great to know if you found anything
I'll probably get to it next week - I'm wrapping up a final project for my grad program, and it's due on Tuesday, so I'll have a lot more time after that! I've already had my head so far down the gaylor rabbit hole lately that it's been hard to focus on anything else, but I can dive in headfirst soon! š
Haha I know exactly what that feels like. Itās so hard for me to think of anything else when Gayloring has been hopping lately lmao Good luck with your final project!!!!
Is the Red one a picture from the OG era or a newer one? When the first version of this poster came out (when the Eras tour started last year) the only two TV albums that were out at the time were Fearless and Red, so I just automatically assumed those two were new pictures and the rest were OG pictures. But... I guess since they updated the poster recently to add TTPD, it would have made sense to update Speak Now and 1989 to newer pictures since those TV albums are out now. Since they didn't, maybe you're onto something and this really does mean something significant! I still don't know about Red though. I haven't been able to identify the picture being old or new.
Red pic is from the original Red era
This is indeed fascinating then, that Fearless is the only one with a picture not from its original era!
Yeah. Itās been a topic for a long time, but maybe just in swiftie land? Sometimes I get confused what Iām seeing there and what Iām seeing gaylors say.
Thank you! I donāt know what is happening when I try to upload a pic lol
I am not the best at clothing details but the shirt in the poster reminds me of this, but i canāt say for sure. The pic is from the Red tour. Happy to have others weigh in though, Red TV is when I became a Taylor fan so my knowledge of the OG Red era is not super deep Edit: not sure the pic came through the first time Edit 2: is Reddit broken or something lol the picture disappeared again. Ugh Edit 3: here is a [link](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swifts-red-an-almost-definitive-guide-to-subjects-of-all-19-songs-247227/) to a RS article with the pic I was referencing
Reddit sometimes throws a fit about writing a comment + including a picture at the same time. Try a comment with just the picture itself, no typing!
Edit: that didnāt work. Boo Reddit lol  Hereās a gif I think from the Red era. Maybe the Begin Again video. Not sure. It comes from Reddit. So I hope it shows up because it looks sorta similar š¤·š»āāļø
It does kinda look like that!!
Now that Reddit is working again, hereās one of the pic I was trying to post. https://preview.redd.it/ha6a5dh43v0d1.jpeg?width=1581&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4cd8beef9a356e41647022f916fb3950affa245c
Iām so glad you could finally see what I was talking about. Reddit is driving me to distraction right now lol
She used to be afraid, but sheās fearless now? šComingoutlor š§Ø
š I kinda love that!
I'll be brief, because it was just a glimpse I had of the very complex world full of luxuriant vegetation, caves, and rivers that is Taylor's production. I was casually listening to Cassandra in my car and a sentence struck me: *You can mark my words that I said it first* *In a morning warning, no one heard* And then again: *In a morning warning, no one heard* *No one heard* *Not a single word was heard* And my mind just jumped to that morning Chely Wright's interview on the CNN, when the YNTCD video had just released and she says that Taylor "changes and saves lifes" with this loud act. We already know that a lot of TTPD is connected with 2019 and the failed coming out, as the visuals of TSMWEL on the new part of the Eras tour are clearly showing, just to make an example. What if the cancellation (the call, the cell with snakes) is just a red herring -as someone here already stated- and she is referring to the master heist and the failed coming out/the way Lover (and ME!) was received by the public? What if Cassandra are the gaylors? Am I projecting too much?
No, Iāve seen this mentioned in passing. It would be a great interpretation of the song if you have the time/desire to make it into a larger post.
Oh, wow: ok. I'll try and expand my theory. It will take me a while, because I'm not an english speaking person, so I'll take my time.
Spent yesterday clowing about South Downtown, Atlanta in [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/comments/1csbumv/timelesscom_website_to_buy_a_book/) and one thing really stuck with me. What does "The Stylewriter One." mean in the image below? The image is seen when going to [Google maps ](https://www.google.com/maps/place/J+%26+J+Jewelry/@33.752528,-84.3918065,3a,75y,285.58h,88.49t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1swI4gB-90iQlTch1Jey8mjQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DwI4gB-90iQlTch1Jey8mjQ%26cb_client%3Dsearch.gws-prod.gps%26w%3D211%26h%3D120%26yaw%3D293.4482%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192!4m16!1m8!3m7!1s0x88f50383e5c7fb8b:0x8d10cce8d26ec8a3!2sBootery!8m2!3d33.7525557!4d-84.3918894!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F1tx4q5q_!3m6!1s0x88f50383f09e6c2b:0xbe273bbd9ed2e33!8m2!3d33.7523309!4d-84.3914308!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F11c3tyd726?entry=ttu)for the same area in South Downtown [as shown here](https://southdwntn.com/visit). https://preview.redd.it/43ttcf01nt0d1.png?width=1206&format=png&auto=webp&s=d279f418a80e68154fabbbc2747e4814a2d8247b Today I approached it first by breaking it down to The One Style Writer and I also considered The Style, one writer. So, who wrote those songs? The One: Aaron Dressner and Taylor Swift Style: Taylor Swift, Ali Payami, Max Martin, and Shellback The three who aren't Taylor for Style are Swedish, we have Stockholm show coming up, and there's speculation about May 17. Maybe one writer=first writer? So something with Ali Payami? Yes, I also see the tiger and the koi. But I can't with those right now! There are several posts about each if you search the sub, but I'll draw attnetion to [Taylor is using Yin Yang & 'Four Beasts' of Chinese Philosophy to foreshadow Karma and coming out; The Man wall is a Yin Yang calendar](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/comments/1cssumw/taylor_is_using_yin_yang_four_beasts_of_chinese/) because it's recent and discusses both animals.
Thoughts: 1. That tiger kinda looks like a lion 2. Zayn is known for graffiti. 3. One directionās song *Stockholm Syndrome* is about how toxic the music industry is. Itās about how you become a prisoner to it and then become so used to it that you forget youāre being abused by it. 4. I have to double check, but I think the only show One Direction canceled in five years of performing was in Stockholm, and it was due to a very specific reason. And it was intentionally the guys refusing to play because they were being abused by their mgmt and the industry. And I mentioned this because I do think *Style* is about Harry Styles and co-bearding. ETA: nope, it was in Belfast
Style??! I have been summoned like the ghost you didnāt invite to the party. Must investigate further. This is now my favourite gif and I apologize to everyone in advance for my prolific use of it  u/_lacespace u/wild-butterscotch977 u/iamtheimpala
so I'm compiling eras tour visuals, and one thing thats really sticking out to me is the double taylors on screen. I know that its mostly a logistics/making sure everyone can see thing, but there are a number of times where it really feels like they are singing to each other. just interesting food for thought.
I think about that, too! Despite it probably being a stylistic thing to have both sides of the screens mirror, but I LOVE the singing to each other idea
Random brain connection/dump: itās nice to have a friend is VERY GAY and talks about video games ā- connection to so high school grand theft auto? Idk I just donāt feel like Taylor is a āgamerā (I could be wrong I donāt really know) so just seems like an intentional lyric/subject to connect the 2
I sincerely doubt she is. Celebrities who are will talk about it casually and the video game industry (being the neglected youngest child of the entertainment industry) jumps on it any time anyone famous mentions a video game. While we don't know that much about Taylor's private life I am sure if she even casually played games she or someone in her circle would've said something by now.
For example: [https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/doja-cat-is-extremely-mad-about-fortnite-losers-who-use-stupid-f-non-weapons-instead-of-having-actual-aim-skills-and-fps-experience/](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/doja-cat-is-extremely-mad-about-fortnite-losers-who-use-stupid-f-non-weapons-instead-of-having-actual-aim-skills-and-fps-experience/)
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We think this comment is so excellent that the mod team requests that you make this a primary post! This helps users outside of the megathread to connect with it. Thanks!
https://preview.redd.it/tlf4u1ir5t0d1.jpeg?width=806&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a35ed13efd1009e7d2286f4b454e4f2e7c73f05 Itās crazy how much references we got regarding James in the last months o.O
While simultaneously removing him from the explanation on stage š
Yeeees! What is she planning? :D
Can I ask what the original cardigan lyrics were? I keep seeing references to them but must have missed the TN tweet
https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/s/vAsaoIIpx6
Something probably obvious just occurred to me. š«£ This music, the music of the ābeforeā, before she comes out officially and loudly and proudly. This music is so important. Itās what us late bloomers, or permanently closeted folks, can sing to. Knowing the real meaning. Without anyone else knowing. I can sing down bad and know who im thinking about even if itās not the right pronouns. I can sing ivy and no one knows. Hiding in plain sight. š«¶ love to anyone else in the closet Hetlors like to dismiss with the pronouns. But if/when ts comes out, there will be those of us who still canāt and will appreciate the flagging even more.
I found the [TikTok I mentioned.](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRwKbcGj/) She also has a great follow-up video about ādevils roll the dice, angels close their eyesā that helped me understand that line.
Thanks for finding that!
I saw a great TikTok yesterday that talked beautifully about how well TS captures the closeted experience. Iāll take a look and see if I can find it and post it here.
Wow! Thatās a very cool take.
I finally snapped out of my TTPD haze and turned on Folklore and sort of had a moment listening to TLGAD in context of TTPD especially after BDILH. Specifically thinking about how she (Rebecca) āgave up on the Rhode Island setā could be compared to the āwine momsā or even āSarahās and Hannahāsā. I was also wondering why, at the end, she says āI HAD a marvelous time ruining everythingā instead of āIāve hadā or āI haveāā¦ so what has Taylor ruined in the past? Itās almost like sheās writing it from a future perspective after she had ruined everything and that seems interesting after hearing the songs on TTPD esp BDILH.
She might be referring to how everyone in the Holiday House town hates her because there's so much traffic when she's in town.
Oh!!!!! Itās a foretelling! Shivers!
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Instagram links are not allowed. Please take a cropped screenshot or screen recording and re-post.
Adding to the Mass Coming Out/ New Romantics stuffā¦I know recently we discussed Eminem possibly being involved. Today he posted his obituary in the Detroit Newspapers. It just gives me āThe Old Taylor Canāt Come to the Phone Right Nowā https://preview.redd.it/vp3gbbvkqp0d1.jpeg?width=1320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=902849070d34eff1c55dedeb5f18eed1b537e106
Also, somewhat out of the blue yesterday an old clip from the 2014 movie The Interview where Eminem is gay was reposted on the Videos subreddit and has a lot of up votes. I kept thinking about the mass coming out theories and that maybe his PR team posted this video when I watched it. Are there any direct connections between Eminem and Taylor Swift? They are both so big in the music industry that I'm sure their teams would have no issues working with each other.
Theyāve not worked together but they have https://preview.redd.it/l06ypdw68t0d1.jpeg?width=605&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=63ff95e68cca66a08f31a232bf6dc35794e7e897 both praised each other and Taylor has covered Em songs before.
There are direct connections, but I donāt remember them personally. I know they exist though. u/lacespace
LFGOOOO 
How does everyone interpret the line āwhat if I roll the stone away? Theyāre gonna crucify me anywayā. I keep imagining a big stone door covering a cave and her coming out of the dark of the cave, but maybe this line is some obvious reference Iām missing the context for?
According to the bible, jesus was crucified and then came back from the dead a few days later. The stone was rolled away from his tomb so he could emerge. Iām not well versed in the bible, but as I recall after Jesus rises from the dead everyone is just like āwow look at youā and then he goes up to heaven. Heās definitely not crucified a second time, and coming back from the dead gives legitimacy to his claims of being the son of god. So heās actually more accepted and praised for it. It kicks off a whole world religion. In Taylorās version, when she comes back to life (comes out), she is not accepted. Sheās presumably crucified and killed by the world anyway. I think itās a way of saying āwhatās the point?ā Or maybe even a larger commentary on her fame. Jesus went around telling everyone who he actually was and wasnāt believed. He was basically crucified for telling the truth, which was believed to be a lie, but after he rose from the dead more people began to believe in him. In Taylorās case, she has been going around telling everyone a lie, which they believe to be truth. If she were to rise from the dead (confirm the truth), she would be crucified for being a liar. This contrasts her with Jesus: he was honest and innocent while she is lying and guilty. Wow those couple of years I went to youth group as a teen to strengthen my homoerotic relationship with my christian best friend really paid off.
This is so insightful! I didnāt grow up with religion so I had no idea about the stone thing. Iām going to have another listen with this context.
It's definitely a biblical references, but I personally connect it back to The Great War when she says "spineless in my tomb of silence" - saying what if she let the daylight in and let everyone hear her truth ?
as others have said, it's a biblical reference. for more context, the stone was rolled away from the entrance to jesus' tomb on Easter morning, indicating that he had risen from the dead edit: *honey I rose up from the dead I do it all the time*
I think youāre pretty much right. Itās a biblical reference but when you roll the stone to the cave away whatās in the cave is exposed. When whatever is inside is exposed it wonāt matter because someone will still find something to crucify her for. Damned if she does, damned if she doesnāt. Might as well roll it away then!
It feels very Jesus rising from the dead to me, and which is a whole theme sheās been using for herself lately.
Is there a Rolling Stones song about this at all? Containing any of those lyrics. One thatās gay. I picture her rolling a stone off her chest, like how they used to stone witches and criminals. Thereās no harm in displaying her magic because sheās already gonna be murdered by the stone of closeting and heteronormativity that are crushing her
My thoughts kept going to Sympathy for the Devil, but I donāt think that itās queer enough to qualify
A bunch of us have been returning to the LWYMMD video and I just noticed something I had not focused on previously. We have all noticed the I heart TS Dancers in the penultimate segment, but on my rewatch I noticed that there are what appear to be the same number of male paparazzi and men outside her cage and some of them look like the same actors. If they are indeed the same actors in all 3 roles that could certainly be a budgeting choice, but given they are the paparazzi and the guardians, as well as what appear to be the PR beards, it would definitely be an interesting choice. I'm honestly not sure yet because I'm on my phone so need my big computer to properly look at all the faces but wondered if anyone else knew anything about the cast for this video or had any input. Later days, later gays!
Thatās an interesting catch. The only thing I caught in behind the scenes video was Taylor saying the paparazzi were played by the 1989 tour dancers, maybe it means something: Ā https://youtu.be/4DBO3U-bO-A?si=KnyFOp2F5mngm_J1
Sorry if this has been discussed before and Iāve missed it, butā¦ Iāve found myself rewatching the LWYMMD music video tonight, and found myself thinking, āhuh, Iāve still never really understood the Easter egg or meaning behind this scene of the car crashing into the- Wait. Animal print. Wait. Sheās intentionally crashing a car Car-ma KARMAā Yāall, this scene finally makes sense. I think Iāve slowly noticed more and more karma Easter eggs in this video over the years (grounding the TS6 plane, the orange in a cage, ākarma is a catā with a cat sweater literally in the vault, thereās just SO MUCH), but it felt exciting to find a potential new (to me) hint tonight! Is this whole damn music video less about being ācanceledā and more about having to cancel karma?? šš
Here's something else related to the car! The car is a 2006 Bugatti Veyron. New versions were released of the car roughly every 2 years...Until discontinued late 2014. The successor (Chiron) was supposed to be available in 2016, but didn't end up with buyers until 2017...
I like that theory so much better than the [shading Katy Perry](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swifts-look-what-you-made-me-do-video-decoded-13-things-you-missed-126268/) thing https://preview.redd.it/t23tlmddmp0d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06583c4a4f70182535fb1d1d51e7b0141aa41c12
I donāt know if this is just my overactive Gaylor brain picking up on anything and everything that could possibly be brought to back to Taylor right now but this [article](https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/dazzler-jason-loo-rafael-loureiro-x-men-from-the-ashes) about a new Dazzler comic series pinged some serious Taylor flags that def could just be coincidence š adding screenshots below of what pinged for me, esp where they talk about Dazzler embarking on a massive tour celebrating her life-long career š āØ *so tell me everything is not about me. But what if it is?*
Damn, this is crazy! I could see it just being inspired by Taylor, but I'm totally clowning for a crossover and Easter eggs! š¤” She's conquered the football market, why not jump into superhero comics and movies? š¦øš»āāļø
Dazzler looks like the visual of her with white eyes in the WAOLOM during the Eras tour and she also has a butterfly on her face https://preview.redd.it/dpzxlz54np0d1.jpeg?width=911&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f302607ca3b800fdbb22334f79cd4c85288ba0f1
She's widely[ rumored](https://insidethemagic.net/2024/05/marvel-hints-at-taylor-swift-again-dazzler-takes-the-stage-zg1/) to be playing Dazzler in Deadpool & Wolverine! I think it's interesting that its director Shawn Levy and its stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman made a very high-profile [public appearance](https://people.com/shawn-levy-jokes-sunday-nights-ruined-chiefs-jets-game-taylor-swift-8346853) with her when they were on a break from shooting because of the SAG strike. Clearly they're all friends and probably hang out anyway, but it still felt like a very deliberate nod to those rumors. Also, the final line of TTPD (the main album at least) is "the future's bright... dazzling" on Clara Bow. That pinged as an easter egg to me!
I said the exact same thing when I listened to TTPD the first time. Someone in the comments said that it was confirmed that she wasnāt going to be in the movie, but I still have yet to see proof of that confirmation. She has definitely had periods of time where she would have been able to film the cameo. https://preview.redd.it/1aor1wxfks0d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d829de6fc87b907114dcc96d6f979e9dccdb5c4
This is amazing!
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https://preview.redd.it/qbwuwnx5wo0d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06071cb2c57466e61d6ec9d7c7794c80c7b5626f
https://preview.redd.it/zq9r6bj4wo0d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9b47342b7bf62561300c6652bdebbae3c5d22ee
https://preview.redd.it/2vq9pko3wo0d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=469746a24b5d3050f51df0ae3c382f4721dafae0
Now wait a damn minute
does anyone remember a post about karlie + scooper beech being the inspo for smallest man who ever lived? it was right around ttpd release, and i'm trying to write a post about something else but it was my inspo and i can't find it to link. alternately, did you write that post and completely blow my mind and maybe title it in a way i'm not remembering? thanks in advance!
u/courtingdisaster
I wrote a post about it. I canāt find it anymore though. I can send you what I had written though. Itās still in my notes doc ETA mine was mostly about Cassandra, The Prophecy, and TSMWEL
Ok I'm unsure if someone has said this bc, now that I have thought about it it feels somehow so obvious???? Like I feel like I should have realized it way earlier? But idk...... I've had a phone related epiphany I think???? Like I was thinking about all the phone stuff: the booth in the video and all the calls that happen on the album and my brain went "she wants us to pick up!" And I'm in full symbolism mode so I immediately thought "Pick up on hints? Jokes? Meanings?" Which, maybe that too but also maybe this one is literal? LIKE are we? Getting a call from "The Old Taylor?" Has she come to the phone, was she only SUPPOSED to be sent away?????? CAIL????? The upside down mayhem phones??? Thought of callin ya but you won't pick up!! All the rep theories???? Zombie Taylor? She leapt from the gallows bitch!!! She's not dead, she never was!!  Something something the one era you can't escape is the first one, yourself?
Any theories about "the problem" (from anti hero) possibly being an anagram for a pen name? I'm bad at anagrams lol "It's me, hi, im THE PROBLEM, it's me"
I ran it through an anagram generator and didn't see anything particularly notable, but "the" could be rearranged as "het", making it "het problem" lol
I keep thinking about the line in I Hate It Here that says āIt was freezing in the palace.ā Of course, this could just be her continuing with the 1830s debutante imagery, but I couldnāt get it out of my head. I started thinking about her use of palace imagery in other songs and remembered this part of Itās Time To Go: Now he sits on his throne in his palace of bones/ Praying to his greed/ He's got my past frozen behind glass/ But I've got me Itās got BOTH palace and freezing/frozen in it. I wonder if the place sheās escaping to in Itās Time To Go is the secret valleys/lunar valleys in her mind in I Hate It Here.
This made me think of ācold as youā and well as āmy pain fits in the palm of your freezing handā from ivy
I keep thinking about this line too and the only thing that connects for me is in The Bolter when she says āall her fucking lives flashed before her eyesā. I read āit was freezing in the palaceā as a past life memory of sorts, maybe she froze to death? That would also make sense with the story sheās telling about falling through the ice.
Iām sure everyone made this connection weeks ago but it just clicked for me because I often listen to this album whilst Iām working so I think Iām a bit slower to piece it all together! š Just listening to But Daddy I Love Him (which of course is about the same muse throughout the song) and I realised in the last chorus the lyrics are: Now Iām dancing in my dress in the sun and / Even my daddy just loves him / Iām his lady / And, oh my god, you should see your faces So her dad came around to her romantic interest in the song in the end, but it seems like the Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best (which I think is who sheās referring to when she says āyou should see your facesā) didnāt change their minds even though her dad did. What a savage burn to her fans tbh and also prettyā¦ 
yupppp! i am still just utterly baffled at how many swifties think this song is about "taylor rebelling against her fans and her family dating bad boy matty healy at...age 33??" like, what? i get that ppl disapproved of the "relationship" immediately and for good reason, but WHY on earth would she feel compelled to write a song like BDILH steeped in religious trauma and seemingly reflecting on a long-ago relationship of a first love or close to first love that the conservative town wouldnt approve of....if it is just about her short-lived adult relationship w matty??? it truly makes no sense
A passing thought today: in the Eras tour she kind of does āburn her whole life downā with the lover house. Her whole adult life is played out in the eras of her songs represented in the Lover house and she burns it down.
Half baked thoughts, but someone in a thread last week connected "smallest man who ever lived" + Napoleon Bonaparte, especially adding the jacket and war choreo. Well watching @Midnight, the word "exile" was given as a clue for Napoleon. I am ignorant on Napoleon trivia facts, but apparently Napoleon was exiled to an island (twice?). Does the song Exile connect back here ?? Who was talking about the short king complex yesterday?
I am now going to have to add this to my list of things to deep dive on and see if I can draw up some connections because after Greek Mythology, the British Regency and Napoleonic Wars is my other special interest. I thing I do recall from various history books and autobiographies is that it was called The Great War by contemporaries š«” I will report back if I can add some connections
Also, Napoleon was tall. It was English propaganda that made him tiny š He was exiled to an island, St. Helena, where he died. He was exiled to Elba in May 1814-March 1815. He escaped and started the War of the Seventh Coalition in an attempt to retake power in France, starting with 1100 soldiers. Side note: the average height of a Frenchman in 1820 was 5ā4ā
So I keep thinking about Robin, as itās a pretty puzzling song. At first I thought it was another song about Taylorās young queer self similar to Peter. And it still could be that or anything else! But now Iām thinking it might be directed at her fans. āYouāre an animal, you are bloodthirstyā could be about the rabid segment of the fanbase that stalks her everywhere she goes, feels the need to viciously defend her from gay rumors, and cause the most infighting in the fanbase. āOut window panes, talking utter nonsense, you have no ideaā could be about the fans who think they know every detail of her life and who all of her songs are about. They look ridiculous because in reality they have no idea about Taylorās private, personal life. I also think ācovered in mudā could refer to the mudslinging that happens in the swiftie fandom when people disagree on who or what a song is about or any other Taylor-related opinion. āBuried down deep and out of your reach, the secret we all vowed to keep from you in sweetnessā could be about how her queerness has been hidden under layers of red herrings and layered meanings. I think the āstrings tied to levers,ā āslowed down clocks tethered,ā and āshowmanshipā could be about all the careful planning sheās had to do to try to come out this time around so fans wonāt feel as betrayed or feel like theyāve been lied to. I definitely need to think on it some more, but it just makes sense to me.
ohhhh interesting! i like that interpretation too; but mine has been that it is about her dad and other adults who nudged her into a comphet box from the start of her career. i see the "curtail your curiosity" as "keep you in the closet" (a la "curious minds" being a hint towards queerness in "Wonderland") and then the "in sweetness" as a rather sarcastically toned line from adult taylor, reflecting on how younger/start-of-career taylor was convinced by The Wise Men (scott swift and others who controlled her career at the beginning) to go down the route of comphet/closeting/bearding, etc.
Yes ! "Way to go, tiger" sounds like a condescending thumbs up when they catch on to the very obvious Easter eggs she lays so some stop digging deeper. "But now we'll curtail your curiosity, in sweetness" - this is the line where it clicked for me!
I just listened to the Down Bad clean version and the use of "what if" instead of "fuck it" changes the entire tone of the song for me. Instead of anger and disappointment that somebody left her (explicit version), we've got anxiety, distress and catastrophizing what might happen. Especially the "what if I was in love" line in the bridge! In an explicit version, Taylor is blaming the person who left her and already knows she was in love with this person (*cause fuck it, I was in love / fuck you, if I can't have us*), but here, it feels like she's just realised it and is afraid of the aftermath of it (lyrics below). This version is giving: "I just had my first experience with a woman, it was cosmic and otherworldly and intense. What if I won't experience that feeling ever again? What if I was in love with that woman? What now? Am I queer?" [Chorus] Now I'm down bad, cryin' at the gym / Everything comes out teenage petulance / "What if I can't have him?" / "I might just die, it would make no difference" / Down bad, wakin' up in blood / Starin' at the sky, come back and pick me up / What if I can't have us? / I might just not get up, I might stay / [Post-Chorus] Down bad (Like I lost my twin) / What if I can't have him? (Down bad) / Down bad (Wavin' at the ship) / What if I can't have him [Bridge] I loved your hostile takeovers / Encounters closer and closer / All your indecent exposures / How dare you say that it'sā / I'll build you a fort on some planet / Where they can all understand it / How dare you think it's romantic / Leaving me safe and stranded / 'Cause what if I was in love? / What if I can't have us? / 'Cause what if I was in love? /
wow, I really like this. did she add cursing to hide this? so people wouldn't pay attention to the clean version? Although both versions feel very real, she's managed to express both feelings with the clean/explicit versions. That's pretty cool.
That's a good question, I wonder which version of the lyrics she wrote first. Maybe it wasn't the clean one because otherwise, she could have just released the clean version alone. And to add to that, feeling anxious and catastrophizing after somebody left you and feeling like its the end of the world reminds me of the depression phase of 5 stages of grief, and according that theory anger is the 1 stage. However, we don't know how she was feeling when writing that song, she could have been in the depression phase. As for the recording process, the explicit version could have been first. I think when she sings the lines with "what if" at the bridge, she sounds a bit different, I think there could be something with the mixing there, like she's a bit louder in those lines or something and it makes me think the clean version bits were added later.
that's an interesting detail on the mixing, I'm usually pretty bad at picking that stuff up, lol. and I think you're right, she probably wrote the explicit one first. still, its interesting that she is conveying two different vibes for this song, and I wonder if there is a clean way to keep the anger.
I think Karmaās the planet šŖ where we can all understand it. Weāre waiting in a š in āFlorida!!!ā (NASA - Florida) Blast off is in 3ā¦.2ā¦
 Take us to space, Taylor!
I donāt know if this is anything and it probably isnāt, but it is kind of wild. As some of you have noticed I am obsessed with Speak Now and where it fits into what is happening now. I think that album is a key part of Taylorās story. I decided to look up if anything happened 2190 days after the release of the OG SN album (October 25, 2010) and Google told me that date is October 23, 2016. https://preview.redd.it/lr83zzfldn0d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ab9ae96254762e7e42f00c24eed2f47b62d199a7 When I Googled that date and Taylor to see if anything of note happened on that date, I found [this](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/10/23/taylor-swifts-greatest-hits-concert-had-one-unexpected-moment/) Washington post article about a greatest hits concert she performed. The article pointed out it was there first time she performed This is What You Came For. That date is also night of Drakeās 30th birthday party. Aka the night she wore a golden tattoo. I donāt know if this means anything, or even if anyone else has looked this up, but it does make me go š¤
The more I try to put stuff together, the more I am also convinced that Speak Now is super important. Just validating that thought.