Only a few hours in The department of tortured poets release, Swifties swarmed social media to dissect and decode all 31 songs Taylor Swift‘s surprising double album. Throughout the many songs, devoted listeners have highlighted Swift’s parallel lyrics and references to past and present flames. While the “Fortnight” singer has shared the inspiration for some of her songs, she has remained relatively quiet about who they all actually entail. Luckily, Swifties make for some of the best detectives.
As theorized by fans, these are some of Swift’s most telling lyrics — along with their rumored muses — from The Department of Martyred Poets: The Anthology.
Joe Alwyn
Track 5: “So Long, London”
Key Lyric: You swore you loved me, but where were the clues? / I died at the altar, waiting for the proof
How it is interpreted: When Swift debuted The Martyred Poets track list, “So Long, London” quickly emerged as one of the album’s most anticipated songs for two reasons: not only did it seem like a blatant nod to Swift’s ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, but it’s also the fifth song on the album. (Swift previously admitted that he always placed a “really honest, emotional, vulnerable” song as number five.)
According to fans, the song refers to the cause of their breakup: Alwyn did not want to marry her. ‘Long’ has three meanings: the time they were together, the time she stayed despite feeling unloved, and her last goodbye to him.
A prominent Swiftie creator on TikTok named Ginnie, who has over 290,000 followers, noted that the song contains a lot of wedding imagery and even includes the sound of wedding bells. “She literally says, ‘I sacrificed myself on a marriage altar,’ which makes it sound like this really was the reason they broke up.” They couldn’t resolve that fundamental difference,” she explained in a video.
Number 12: “LomL”
Key Lyrics: You talked me under the table / Talking rings and talking cradles / I wish I couldn’t remember / How we almost had it all
How it is interpreted: While some fans think this song is about 1975 frontman Matty Healy, who Swift was linked to in May 2023, others think the lyrics speak more to her relationship with Alwyn.
It’s thought that the supposed references to wedding rings and baby cribs provide additional context to Alwyn’s inability to commit to Swift forever. One creator commented on Ginnie’s TikTok video about the song: ‘I felt like [Alwyn] he made her think he was the love of her life, but she wasn’t his.
Track 13: “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”
Most important texts: I collapsed and hit the ground / All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd sang “More.”
How it is interpreted: Swift and Alwyn split around the start of her 2023 ‘The Eras Tour’. Swifties, including TikToker Layten Kaid, believe this song encapsulates Swift’s need to cope with the breakup while performing at shows across the country . The Spotify clip because this song is also a montage of Swift during ‘The Eras Tour’, which further fuels this theory.
Track 21: “How Did It End?”
Key Lyric: The empathetic hunger descends / We don’t tell anyone / Except all our friends / But I still don’t know / How did it end?
How it is interpreted: Recognized as the fifth issue of The anthology, “How did it end?” It’s believed to be a new take on Swift and Alwyn’s relationship. One fan tweeted a theory that the song suggests their love “just faded with time.” Another believes the song is more about Swift coming to terms with the loss of a great love, while still respecting Alwyn’s privacy: “The production is beautiful and so is the message. …Taylor says she won’t tell us how [she] and Joe only broke up with her friends, but she doesn’t quite know how it all fell apart.
Matty Healey
Track 2: “The Tortured Poets Department”
Key lyrics: You left your typewriter in my apartment / Straight from the tortured poets department / I guess there are some things I never say / Like, “Who uses typewriters anyway?”
How it is interpreted: In a 2018 interview with GQ, Healy named his typewriter one of the ten things he can’t live without. A TikToker named Michelle, who calls herself a Swiftie and a 1975 fan, believes this is a direct reference to the frontman. In the song, Swift also mentions a woman named Lucy, who other fans believe is Lucy Dacus from the band Boygenius.
Track 14: “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”
Key texts: Was any of it true? / Staring at me / In your Jehovah’s Witness suit
I don’t even want you back, I just want to know / If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal
How it is interpreted: Fans quickly assumed that this song was about Healy from the “Jehovah’s Witness‘rule alone. (Healy often wears a black suit during performances with his band.) These lyrics seem to support this theory. Swift and Healy’s whirlwind romance was over in June. “Notice she only emphasized summer,” TikToker Farron Barneycastle said in a video. “I think the indifference here clearly shows that she is not looking at a relationship that she cherished.”
Number 17: “The Black Dog”
Most important texts: In The Black Dog, when someone plays the starting line / And you jump, but she’s too young to know this song
How it is interpreted: As noted by Swifties on TwitterHealy is a big fan of 2000s pop-punk band The Starting Line. During their shows in April and May 2023, the 1975 performed a cover of the group’s 2002 song “The Best of Me.” The ‘she’ in question could be Healy’s new girlfriend, 26-year-old model and musician Gabbriette Bechtel.
Number 15: “The Alchemy”
Key Lyrics: Beer sticks to the ground, cheers are sung because they said / There was no chance to be the best in the league / Where’s the trophy? He just comes running to me
How it is interpreted: Upon hearing a song chock full of football references, Swifties immediately identified NFL tight end Travis Kelce, who is also Swift’s boyfriend, as the muse of this song. In early 2024, Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl. Swift was in the crowd and the pair were photographed embracing after the match. TikTok user Daria Bensinger also noted that Kelce’s jersey number is 87. Eight and seven added together is 15 and “The Alchemy” is the 15th song on TTPD.
Number 22: “So high school”
Main text: Are you going to marry, kiss or kill me? / It’s just a game, but really / I bet on all three for the two of us
How it is interpreted: The track features what fans think is a nod to a resurfaced clip from 2016 of Kelce playing a game of “Kiss, Marry, Kill” during an interview. While Kelce reveals that he would kiss Swift, these lyrics seem to express the pop star’s hopes that they too will get married. With lines like “Cheeks pink in the twinkling lights” and “You knew what you wanted and, boy, you got her,” fans think Swift is referring to all the times she attended Kelce’s football games and it was clear to him that he wanted her Chase. romantic.
