#this is not a metaphor for bearding and closeting

[loustyleshtommo]

I think we all know why Louis rarely shows up clean-shaven. He doesn’t age. The beard keeps his vampirism under the radar.

[daisyswift3]

I think she keeps using symbolism related to windows like blinds and curtains because these things keep the daylight out. So her opening the blinds and curtains indicates she’s ready to step into the daylight.

Also the whole lavender haze mv is filled w visual representations of idioms like “smokescreen,” “blowing smoke,” “smoke and mirrors,” etc which all have to do w concealing sth and using deception and tricks to distract from sth else. This reminds me of the scene where “the man behind the curtain” is revealed in the Wizard of Oz and he’s using literal smoke and illusions to make himself seem more powerful than he really is. So by pulling back the curtains she’s not only letting the daylight in but she’s revealing all her secrets and tricks too.

All eyes on you, my magician. All eyes on me, your illusionist.

It's time, you've come a long way / Open the blinds, let me see your face (x)

[starlithumanity]

I had a thought about how Lucius, at the beginning of season one, discovers what's behind Jim's "mute man" disguise, and then Jim nearly kills him to keep their truth hidden--this is paralleled at the end of the season! Lucius sees through Blackbeard's disguise to Ed, the vulnerable brokenhearted human underneath the huge legend--and then Izzy pushes Ed to mask up (beard up?) again, so Ed nearly kills Lucius to protect himself from being revealed in the future.

Lucius has an unfortunate habit of stumbling into truths people would kill to keep secret. 😅 Which is a good metaphor for how closeted queer people tend to lash out at fellow queers who clock them, thanks to the terror and survival risk of being yourself in a queerphobic society. It's unfair, but true--I did something like that myself once growing up, and I think it's still the worst thing I've ever done (and my biggest regret).

Also, in both cases, it's the future romantic partners--Stede and Oluwande--who step in to moderate the situation, though Stede comes in late.

[the-cards-she-wont-show]

TTPD Twin Storylines weaved together & double meanings throughout! ✌️👯‍♀️💕

Attention ALL Swifties (particularly Gaylors) and associates of the Tortured Poets department

PLEASE READ!! (and read with an open mind!!)🤍

Listening to the amazing TTPD on repeat this past week, I am certain that I have made an important discovery that I haven't seen talked about anywhere else yet and would like to get the coversation going, in hopes that Taylor will see that we are all finally listening to her! I'm still piecing everything together, as there is so much to unravel and am far from calling myself an expert on her exact timelines and dates, so am looking forward to hearing thoughts from others that are more knowledgable in her history.

I have been of the belief for a while now that Mastermind and Dear Reader were foretelling of her future, and also that the album title had a double meaning (evidenced by the lack of apostrophe in 'poets'). That the tortured poet would be departing. Note that I am also a believer that she has been closeted by those closest to her and is preparing to ruin her name and perceived reputation, give up the false public version of herself and come into her own true self. Everything as we know it will be destroyed and it is all playing out now, coming together as part of her plan.

Falling in line with all of the two's - the double album, the double meaning in the album name, the two sides of taylor etc, I have found that there are two intertwining stories told throughout her tracklist, AND that all songs also have a double meaning!! None of which are about the perceived muses of Travis, Matty or Joe. The 'evidence' for those relationships are all red herrings (for example 'putting narcotics into all of my songs' - but only in the songs with obvious reference to her beards), to make it seem ambiguous and open to interpretation of who the songs may be about, which is seen often throughout her discography. She uses an incredible amount of metaphors and we must look beyond those to decipher her lyrics - do not take anything at face level with Taylor. Most should realise that she is so much smarter than making obvious songs about whichever male muse she is 'dating' at the time. She has always played into that public view to cover her true self. Many songs have themes of secret and hidden love, which juxtaposes with the public 'relationships' she is seen as having.

She tells us in 'The Manuscript' that "lookin' backwards might be the only way to move forward". Therefore we must listen to TTPD in reverse, from track 31 (13 reversed!) to track 1. I believe The Manuscript also acts as a bookend for both of her stories and should be listened to as a closer after the last song of the story 'Fortnight' ends, to get a complete picture. Once we have listened to the album in reverse order, can we see so plainly that each song tells a different story of a period/situation/muse/love/heartbreak in her life - beginning at her parents meeting in The Manuscript, to current day. I think the songs may also actually have a sister song from the corresponding album/period in time, with similar sound, lyrics or theme that connects them. I believe that each song also has a double meaning and can be interpreted as messages to her fans about things that have happened to her over the years or that are about to happen, and she is trying to communicate her feelings of being trapped, which is honestly so heartbreaking. Many relate to her being caged and forced to hide her true self, in particular by one person closest to her - her father. It is devastating to listen to.

The really brilliant part I discovered next, is that The Anthology tracks also have another hidden storyline being told which intertwines and intersects in the exact right place to fit in with her life story. It includes all of the "THE" songs and is in reverse order from the parallel life story and vinyl variants order of issue (but chronological track list order).

The Tortured Poets Department

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

The Alchemy

The Black Dog

The Albatross

The Prophecy

The Bolter

The Manuscript

Rather than presenting my interpretation of the timeline and each story told in every song, I urge everyone to listen to both stories, in these exact orders, with an open mind as to what she could possibly be describing! My mind was completely blown when I figured this out!! Her mind is incredible, there is no other way to describe the album, other than a masterpiece! I feel so much for the pain she has gone through. This album explains her feelings and reasons for hiding her true self over the years for any fans that will inevitably be feeling upset and deceived. We all need to show compassion for everything Taylor has sacrificed and give her what she needs. She truly deserves love, honesty, happiness and peace. ✌️💜

I'm in the process of creating a document trying to piece all of the hidden connections together just to wrap my head around this amazing body of work, so may possibly link this when I have it completed, otherwise I will add it to this post for anyone that might be interested.

I have a couple of extra personal thoughts, theories and hopes for anyone still reading…

The manuscript of her life story may possibly be the manuscript for a future book/film.

I think one meaning of "Fortnight" is a foretelling message to the fans that havent been noticing any of her many hair pin drops - she has been trying to get the message across but they aren't listening. For the fans she loses when she comes out - she touched them with this album for only a fortnight, before she lost them. She loves the fans but staying in the closet is ruining her life. I think something big could be happening a fortnight after release? Friday 3rd May is International Sun Day. ☀️ Karlie Kloss was always 'sunshine' to Taylor. According to Karlie, their first meeting was at the 2011 Met Gala on May 2, however, there is a possibility that they could have met at the afterparty - after midnight, making the anniversary May 3! 2024 Met Gala is a few days later, could they both make an appearance? If nothing big occurs, perhaps some seeds of doubt will be planted on the 3rd? Or.. It could also be a surprise rep TV (with or without Karma and Debut - surprise triple drop?) with wlw vault tracks?! Who really knows.. I honestly have no idea, but whatever happens, I know Taylor has it all meticulously planned out and everything will happen when it is supposed to.

Taylor is chairman of the Tortured Poets department - the leader of the mass coming out we are about to see. As Chely Wright put - 'we need someone at the top' to come out and pave the way for others to do the same, and to stop the forced closeting in the celebrity world. I think Travis and the majority of her former beards are also queer and there will be many more 'tortured poets' that will join 'the department'.

Karma will be album 1 (TS12) in the 3,2,1 countdown, TS13 is 0 - the album in which she gets all of her full colour back, reclaims her glitter gel pens and finally can sing her truth proudly! She has destroyed her own name and reputation, burnt down the lover house and all her former selves.

Last of all, PLEASE BE KIND! If anyone has made it to the end of this and doesnt agree, I'd love for you to have a listen to the songs in the orders above before commenting. If not, lets just agree to disagree! We all have our own personal takes on Taylor's lyricism and I would never dream of being unkind to another just for having a difference of opinion. 🫶

For Taylor - if you somehow happen to see this - please know you are truly a mastermind, you are loved and we've got you!

🌈💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛🌈

❤️ gerimegs

[chosetherose]

Two Graves One Gun

So Long London continues the saga of celebrity versus soul. The only way to cure Taylor’s sadness is for her to bid farewell to bearding, and perhaps the closet.

If you can look past the red herrings in this song, you will find a deeply layered masterpiece that illuminates Taylor's battle with herself; how past plans made to maintain her celebrity have marred her soul. She doesn't want to live life like this anymore and is willing to burn her brand down to the ground to free her soul.

As always, the analysis I've written here is only one interpretation of this song. I'm not claiming it is "correct" but I encourage you to plow through (this is a very long post) and consider what I've laid out.

For context, I believe London is a metaphor for bearding. Here is some background for the new folks:

For most of her career, Taylor’s beards have been from the UK. Specifically, from 2012-2023 her beards were Harry Styles then Calvin Harris then Tom Hiddleston then Joe Alwyn.

The beginning of this stage was right around the time she started crossing over into pop music. Red is her first real leap into pop music and to do this successfully she needs to expand both domestically (to pop audiences that don't listen to country music) and internationally (her first opportunity for this since the rest of the world doesn't listen to much country music).

She started bearding with Harry Styles in late 2012, within weeks of Red's release then milks that short lived stunt for 1989 as well. What a way to capture a new pop audience made up of fans abroad and at home. Rinse and repeat until her priority changes to long-term privacy and she finds that aided by an unknown actor named Toe. Even though Taylor's current beard is American, suffice to say one can look at London as a metaphor for bearding given history.

[Intro]

So (So) long (Long), London (London) [repeated]

Pay attention to how she sings this...She breaks "London" into "Lon" and "Don".

So SO / Long LONG / Lon LON / Don DON

This is a sneakily beautiful way to emphasize: So! Long! Don(e)! ...Like "I've been bearding for so long and I'm done with it" or "So long, bearding! I'm done!" Yes, this is a reach but read the rest of this post and circle back. As this intro closes the final "Don(e)!" fades into the upticked beat.

[Verse 1]

I saw in my mind fairy lights through the mist

I kept calm and carried the weight of the rift

Pulled him in tighter each time he was drifting away

My spine split from carrying us up the hill

Wet through my clothes, weary bones caught the chill

I stopped trying to make him laugh, stopped trying to drill the safe

Taylor seeing fairy lights through the mist sounds like she sees daylight at the end of a tunnel opaque from lavender haze. She keeps focused on this goal, carrying on with all these beards over the years. Although she's able to appear calm during these stunts, living life like this has forged a rift within herself. She beards because it's advantageous for her brand but her soul despises the ruse.

Side note: “Keep Calm and Carry On was a motivational poster produced by the Government of the United Kingdom in 1939 in preparation for World War II.” -Wikipedia. A bit of history that I think furthers the idea that Taylor was battling to keep going.

Tayor has to balance these aspects of herself continually - Too much stunting? Her soul needs a break. Had a good break from stunting? She needs to feed the grocery line Swifties to keep them at bay. It's an idea that got me thinking about yin and yang, "an opposite but interconnected, self-perpetuating cycle." (Wiki). I am not an expert on this concept but I know I've noticed it has come up throughout conversations about TTPD. If yin and yang is relevant for this album, as I believe it is in multiple songs, in the context of this verse it feels related to Taylor's constant need to find balance between the celebrity version of herself we see on our screens and the true version of herself only she can see in the mirror.

This cycle wears on Taylor so much that her spine splits from the weight. She has been slogging through stunts, dreaming of freedom, for years. It's been storming so long her clothes are soaked and she feels the chill down in her bones.

Because of the pain she decides to change strategy. Theres no more attempts to make her situation lighter or find ways to deal with it. And think about this - if you're trying to drill the safe open it means either A) you feel like you've tried all the codes and are resorting to brute force, and/or B) you're running out of time and growing desperate. Taylor is past even those points and is giving up entirely.

[Chorus]

Thinking how much sad did you think I had

Did you think I had in me?

Oh, the tragedy

So long, London

You’ll find someone

The chorus reminds me of talking to a past version of yourself that made plans for a future you. We know Taylor must plan her life years in advance so perhaps she is asking her past self something like, “Why did you think I could handle continued bearding? Did you really think I could handle all the sadness I'm feeling today?”

Then I think the second half of this chorus is saying goodbye to bearding, symbolized by London, because she can’t bear the sadness anymore. Maybe the "you'll find someone" line is aimed at the fans a la "you should find another guiding light" like you guys will find someone else to fawn over in the tabloids.

Side note: I love the double entendre here. Because so long means goodbye but it has also been so long that she’s been bearding (largely with British men).

[Verse 2]

I didn't opt in to be your odd man out

I founded the club she's heard great things about

I left all I knew, you left me at the house by the Heath

I stopped CPR, after all, it's no use

The spirit was gone, we would never come to

And I'm pissed off you let me give you all that youth for free

I don't have a strong opinion on the first two lines of this version. What comes to mind is she didn't opt in to be an openly LGBTQIA+ artist, she chose to closet and beard. Then other younger closeted celebrities have looked to her as a blueprint.

In the process of bearding for stardom, her soul abandoned all she knew. I think there is a red herring here as Heath could reference Hampstead Heath (which has connections to Toe) but it’s also continuing on the house theme that Taylor sings about. Here, it doesn’t sound like this house is a home. She’s not singing about chandeliers flickering inside, it’s “the” house by a heath -- “Heathland is characterized by plants such as heather, bilberry, gorse and bracken, which occur on infertile and well-drained soils. Open heaths have been highly modified by humans for centuries and are maintained by grazing or cutting.” She’s stuck somewhere that’s by drained her via death by a thousand cuts lol.

Again, it's weighed on her. So she's decided to stop trying to revive the disconnect between her soul and her celebrity, it’s no use trying anymore. She’s realized they could never fully come together.

And she’s pissed off she let her celebrity rob her of an open, free, youth where she could live truthfully. Recall that in Peace she sings, “a coming of age has come and gone” which to me means she feels she can’t explain a coming out via a youthful awakening angle. She’s at the age where people will understand she’s known this for years but hasn’t shared with the world. This will raise questions she won’t be able to answer because it’s all too tangled (NDAs, outing beards, etc.).

[Chorus]

For so long, London/ Stitches undone

Two graves, one gun

I'll find someone

For so long, she’s been bearding, stunting, hiding her true self to reach and/or maintain celebrity. It’s caused her stitches to come undone. This wording is interesting because it implies she had a wound from living this life hiding her truth, they tried to fix her up as her celebrity status soared, but it didn’t work because the sadness was too great.

Perhaps there's two graves and one gun because on the path to daylight she will kill both her celebrity and the sadness of her closeted self. Not how she switches from "you" will find someone to "I" will find someone. This is because she will destroy every version of herself that she's ever known if she comes out one day. She will rise like a Phoenix through the ashes to discover a new version of herself in the daylight.

Note that the Spotify clip for this song, from the Fortnight video, feels significant. First, Taylor looks up toward the daylight. Then, with heavy breaths and a concerned face, she rifles through her art (words written out on a typewriter). We know in the rest of this scene she is lighting her art on fire. Two graves one gun on a path to daylight.

[Bridge Part 1]

And you say I abandoned the ship

But I was going down with it

My white-knuckle dying grip

Holding tight to your quiet resentment

I imagine these first lines of the bridge to be aimed toward those in her life, on her team, etc. that steered her toward closeting to gain/keep fame. Maybe she has plans and they are saying by coming out she is abandoning the ship (her celebrity) they've all worked hard to build. In Miss Americana we heard her team tell her that coming out as a Democrat would halve the numbers of her next tour. Can you imagine what would be said about a coming out?

But what they don’t understand is that living this life is killing her. She’s been holding on to all the subtle ways they’ve told her over the years that her career will sink if she comes out of the closet.

[Bridge Part 2]

And my friends said it isn't right to be scared

Every day of a love affair

Every breath feels like rarest air

When you're not sure if he wants to be there

When she confides with her friends about it all they tell her she shouldn’t be afraid to take steps toward the daylight because look where she is now. She’s been stunting for years (love affairs in the tabloids) and it's awful for her. So terrible that she's grasping for breaths, unsure if she can still survive in this atmosphere (thin/rare air means its not a hospitable environment for Taylor).

[Chorus]

So how much sad did you think I had

Did you think I had in me?

How much tragedy?

Just how low did you think I'd go

Before I'd self-implode?

Before I'd have to go be free?

Again, I think she’s talking to her past self here. “How could I have thought I’d survive sinking this low? How could I not realize I’d reach a point where I’d self-implode?” Which here, self-implosion is telling a similar story as I think the two graves one gun lyrics do — the result of the self implosion is being free. If she blows up her celebrity and she will be free to live her truth, curing the sadness that has been ruling her life for years.

[Verse 3]

You swore that you loved me, but where were the clues?

I died on the altar waiting for the proof

You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days

And I'm just getting color back into my face

I'm just mad as hell cause I loved this place

I imagine this verse is aimed at her fans, the grocery line Swifties who believe her beards are real boyfriends. I read “you swore that you loved me but where were the clues?” as a sarcastic jab because she’s been screaming 🌈 for whoever is willing to listen. The fans claim to love Taylor but they aren’t willing to really listen to her.

Most people here “altar” and think of a wedding but the definition is much broader, “In religion, a raised structure or place that is used for sacrifice, worship, or prayer” (Wiki). So Taylor was up on the altar, a place of worship, waiting for clues that these fans actually loved her. But what started as worship became sacrifice as these fans never found love for who Taylor really is all the while the bearding and hiding were causing Taylor deep sadness.

Despite all this, she loves her job and her fans. The sadness is too much though. She is about to self implode and feels its time to take steps toward a brighter future. It’s maddening as hell to metaphorically blow up your life just as your fame is escalating to new heights you’ve reached for your whole career.

[Chorus]

For so long, London (So long, London)

Had a good run A moment of warm sun But I'm not the one So long, London Stitches undone Two graves, one gun You'll find someone

For so long, she bearded. She had a good run, getting away with it all, reaching levels of fame she always dreamed of. But she's not the one to keep the charade going (as opposed to her heroes who unfortunately 'died' closeted). Goodbye, bearding. The wound was too big to fix. With one action, I will kill the version of myself you (the fans) know and the version of myself I know. You (the fans) will find someone else to worship.

...

I could keep tweaking this theory for weeks but these are my initial thoughts on this song about two weeks out from TTPD's release. This album is incredible complex but for me the signs we keep getting are all pointing toward significant change. There is a momentum going right now that I haven't felt since the early Lover era. No matter what happens or how long it takes, I hope our fearless Chairman gets the chance to bask in the sun shiniest daylight. She deserves the warmth.

💕 CTR

[rowanthestrange]

Lucy: “I am your wife, remember? I said til death do we part Harry…”

Master: *panicking crying screaming throwing up, wishing he was still in the mouth of the primordial extradimensional gigafruit*

PLEASE TELL ME IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO SAW THIS IN DOCTOR WHO?

THE SAME AS LAST OF THE TIMELORDS IN 2007!

[spade-riddles]

The album and the Matty Healy of it all; the Allegory and a literary breakdown for you all :)

As an english girly, I am having the most fun dissecting this album. She wrote her entire story into the album. It’s an allegory, each song has two major interpretations, one is the obvious (matty/joe/travis/PATERNITY TEST) whereas the other is her truth. This is a literary device that has been used in writing throughout history since forever. Everything about this album is so intentional, especially the Matty Healy of it all. This album has been planned so meticulously, every move she’s made with the beards has been to directly tie into the songs and the references. She needed a heavily documented example, she wants people to believe it, so when she burns it all down she can say “look at how easy is was to construct a narrative, hide an allegory within it and watch no one get it, it’s happened my whole life”, this is why this album is so much louder to all of us than the rest of them, because we have always seen the second story but now she’s making it more obvious. But they will get it, the story in this album is so strong, she’s coming out and she’s made this so she can send people to look back at her music (lookin’ backwards/might be the only way to move forward- her entire catalogue is the manuscript) screaming “I told you, I laid it all out. You didn’t believe me!” This is the post mortem, every reason why she’s ‘dead’ (the inauthentic version) is laid out in the album.

For example, i’ll break down ‘Fortnight’ since we have the MV imagery too. On the surface is about her fling with MH. If you get down to the next layer it’s about the failed coming out & Karlie. About how she almost had it all “for a fortnight” (just a metaphor for a short time), how her plans got ruined and how she’s doing it over again. She was supposed to be sent away, she was meant to go stay in the asylum (the closet).

“Now you’re in my backyard, turned into good neighbours”.

She has Karlie so close to her, but hidden in her backyard, no one can see her in her backyard.

“Your wife waters flowers, I want to kill her.” There is something that is in the way of them being together, she wants it to end (her public narrative). Could also be a reference to JK, he gets to to be with Karlie, watering flowers in her garden (betty’s garden anyone) while Taylor watches, she wants to kill the perception of him as Karlie’s husband.

The rest of the song moves into Karlie & Taylor getting closer, they’re plotting a way out.

“Now you’re at the mailbox, turned into good neighbours, my husband is cheating, I want to kill him.” Again, Taylor’s husband is her public persona, she wants to kill it.

When you add in the music video, she’s breaking out of the asylum with her twin, then she was put right back in there and her twin is performing experiments on her. I think Post Malone represents both Taylor and Karlie at different points in the MV, because both of their own choices are also part of the reason they’re still closeted, she’s acknowledging this. But then something happens, one of them can’t do it anymore so they run away. This is the release of the album, specifically 2am 04/19 (fresh out the slammer), Taylor’s on top of the box, she’s out; this the endgame for her now, but Karlie is still stuck in the phone box (the closet). But not for long! 😘

Every single song is like this, there’s a very intricate but obvious second story. They’re not all about Karlie, there’s a lot about her childhood, other muses (thank you aimee is not about Kim, it’s about a hometown love), growing up, her fans, the industry, closeting, christianity, masters heist.

I’ll touch base quickly on ‘The Albatross’.

She’s coming to take down SB, i’m not sure 100% how but I think it has to do with the coming out and exposing everything he’s done to her to keep her in the closet for so long (it’s a lot darker than people think).

She is here to destroy him.

“Now you’re persona non grata” he’s not going to be able to work anymore, he’s going to be exiled from the music industry.

There’s always been the iffiness around the masters situation, people saying she was told prior, her insisting she wasn’t. The below is a confession (and a threat).

“Wise men once read fake news

And they believed it

Jackals raised their hackles

You couldn't conceive it

You were sleeping soundly

When they dragged you from your bed

And I tried to warn you about them”

She lied, she knew about the master situation but she said she didn’t. Her fans believed it though and they crucified him, she tried to warn him how powerful they were. She’s already embedded that image of him in their minds, so when the next thing comes out (lol), they’re going to raise absolute hell, his entire career is going to be over.

“thanK you aIMee”, the entire world right now thinks it’s about Kim Kardashian, because she capitalised ‘KIM’ in the title, there’s that line about her kid singing her song (which coincidentally did happen). It’s so obviously about her right! No, it’s another “blue dress on a boat”, something she has done throughout her whole career is splice monumental images of Taylor Swift ™ into her songs, so she can sing about her real life without being questioned. Except this time, she’s trying to make you question it, that’s why it’s so OBVIOUSLY 🙄 about Kim Kardashian. A red herring if you will 😉. It’s meant to point you towards one thing, when it’s really not about that thing at all.

tldr: everything about the album is intentional, she’s layered two narratives together on purpose. one at surface level, one a bit deeper.

Images are both Taylor’s & Aaron‘s words on the album, about hidden meanings and secrets.

And if you need any further proof, at exactly 4:19 of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ title track, she says “who’s gonna troll you?”. The entire album is the troll, for the general public, it’s not about the men at all.

[keepingsecretstokeepyoutk]

So Long London - Full Lyric Analysis

My Gaylor/Kaylor interpretation at a glance: Taylor uses the bearding narrative of her breakup with Joe as an allegory to talk about her reluctant decision to “break up” with her fans/kill off her public persona in the process of coming out. 

The Joe bearding narrative was likely created for this very purpose - an "ex" who didn't allow her to "bejeweled" (be her whole self), who she tried to make it work with, tried to change herself for, before realizing she couldn't keep sacrificing her wellbeing, mental and otherwise. Read through this lens, this song is devastating, so prepare yourselves emotionally, maybe have tissues on hand.

I interpret a number of the "break up" songs on this album (almost all of them) as being about her reaching the end of her rope with being in the closet and trying to slowly change her fan's attitude towards her queerness. So many of these songs imply that she has hit her breaking point, and the metaphor of a failing romantic relationship is the perfect vehicle to express this shift.

I believe this precedent exists in her work, and for this particular chapter, was established with "You're losing me".

This is also one of a few songs on the album that conceptualize her fame (as obtained with her public, hetero persona) as a place. In this song, that place is represented by London (hence, "so long, London"). In Florida!!! she may be running away to Florida from this place, (after she comes out and needs to escape the backlash). In "I hate it here", she dreams of escaping this place, and imagines two other locales within the lore of her songs - "secret gardens", a probable parallel to Betty's garden and the "garden gates" in Cruel Summer, as well as the "lunar valleys" referencing the galactic landscape established in Down Bad.

Lets get into it!

Verse 1

“Saw in my mind fairy lights in the mist/kept calm and carried the weight of the rift/pulled him in tighter each time he was drifting away/my spine split from carrying us up the hill/wet through my clothes, wary bones caught the chill/stopped trying to make him laugh/stopped trying to drill the safe”

In this first verse, Taylor introduces the idea of her fans being like a partner who isn’t present in the relationship, and more importantly, a partner that is ultimately rejecting her true self. 

“Fairy lights in the mist” - Taylor has used daylight/light images to represent the end of her closeting/her coming out for at least 5 years. Here she sees small pinpricks of light amongst darkness and the classic metaphor for hiding/confusion, etc - mist. She is saying that in the past she had hope, she saw a possible path forward to coming out while also keeping all of her fans.

“Kept calm and carried the weight of rift/pulled him in tighter each time he was drifting away” - Taylor reflects on her years of hoping that she could slowly introduce her fans the idea that she is not straight, then come out with minimal rupture in her relationship with her fans. She tried to keep the faith and looked past a lot of bad behavior on the part of some of her fans, convinced that she could make them see her and that their love for her would extend past their need for her being the persona they have grown attached to.

“Stopped trying to make him laugh/stopped trying to drill the safe” - ultimately, she gave up, having been rejected too many times - ignored when she clearly signaled her gayness and the masses of her fans just refused to acknowledge it. Beyond refusing to acknowledge it, they bullied those that did see it, demonstrating to her how reviling they found the idea that she might be queer. “Drill the safe” is a metaphor for trying to force something that will never happen, she is realizing she needs to let go of something that isn’t for her.

Chorus

“How much sad did you think I had/did you think I had in me/oh the tragedy/so long London/ you’ll find someone” 

Taylor now must ask her fans, how long did you expect me to sacrifice my own happiness while you continue to ignore my pleas for you to see me? 

“You’ll find someone” = you’ll find another idol/para social relationship to obsess over, identify with, etc. This is a reference to Dear Reader, when she sang “you should find another guiding light.” In that song, Taylor warned fans that she is not who they think she is ("you wouldn't take my word for it if you knew who was talking"), that the idea they have of her life is constructed, and strongly lamented her life choices, essentially telling fans they shouldn't look to her for life advice, because she is lonely and miserable. Here, the reference not only underscores the idea that they don't know her, but also that she is making the choice for them to "find someone" else, because she is choosing to come out of hiding, and in so doing, is also choosing to leave behind the misery that made her write Dear Reader in the first place.

Verse 2

“Didn’t opt in to be your odd man out/I founded the club she’s heard great things about/ I left all I knew/you left me in the house by the heath/I stopped cpr after all it’s no use/the spirit was gone, we would never come to/ and I’m pissed off you let me give you all that youth for free.”

I made a post about the "Heath" reference that you can read here. Please note the reblog of it that I added an addendum to about the Heath being a park in London. Heath was a doctor that practiced conversion therapy, meaning that her fans "left her at home" with someone trying to change her. By ignoring her signaling, they told her they didn't want the real her, which kept her in the closet, and I fear kept her more vulnerable to those who may have tried to manipulate her into trying to change herself, or deny her true self even behind closed doors.

"I stopped cpr after all its no use/the spirit was gone we would never come to" - again Taylor is using the of a failed romantic relationship to express her lost hope in salvaging the corners of her kingdom that ultimately won't accept her when she comes out. This is also an example of the frequent gothic/death related imagery Taylor uses on this album, a theme consistent with the idea that something is ending, that she is killing off her public persona.

"and I'm pissed off that you let me give you all that youth for free" Taylor has spent so many years choosing her fans and her current carrer path over the full expression of her life and happiness. Again, she had hope that the people who have given her endless validation and effusive praise for years would accept her for who she is. She is realizing that the love between her and at least some of her fans was conditional, and given what we know of how much her fans have meant to her over the course of her career, this was likely a devastating wake up call that took years for her to accept - undoubtedly a huge factor in her seemingly delaying her coming out so many times.

"So long London/Stitches undone/two graves, one gun/I’ll find someone”

Taylor has said her fans are her longest relationship; the imagery in this song reflects the idea that this is a break up with someone she has tried with over and over again. So she undoes the “stitches” that link her to them. This line references her song Glitch on Midnights, “fasten myself to you with a stitch” symbolizing being bonded with a romantic partner (which represent a portion of her fans in this song).

"Two graves one gun" is likely a reference to burying her public persona self, and the second grave could represent her fans (a parallel to the "cheating husband" in "Florida!!!"?) or it could be a shrouded suicidal thought - the second grave being her private persona - both selves being killed off. This lyric is one of my favorites in this song but I don't have a strong conviction on who the second grave is, I'm very open to others' thoughts...

Bridge

“And you say I abandoned the ship/but I was going down with it/my white knuckle dying grip/holding tight to your quiet resentment/and my friends said it isn't right to be scared/every day of a love affair/every breath feels like rarest air/ when you're not sure if he wants to be there/So how much sad did you think I had, did you think I had in me/How much tragedy/Just how low did you think I'd go/Before I'd self implode/before I had to go be free"

"And you say I abandoned the ship...white knuckle dying grip" Taylor emphasizes her wish for things to be different with this lyric, clinging to her ship as it sinks. We all saw her try to right the ship, she's finally choosing to let go and swim to safety (a nautical parrallel to the manuscript's "my trip to your shores"?).

“My friends said it isn’t right to be scared everyday of a love affair…if you’re not sure he wants to be there”

Similar to when someone is in a bad romantic relationship, i imagine her friends expressed their concern that her relationship with her fans is unhealthy. Although many of her friends are high achievers themselves, Taylor’s success is in another league (monster on the hill) and they would likely have expressed their hope that she can slow down and accept a slightly less monumental career in the interest of her mental health. 

“How much sad did you think I had/did you think I had in me/Just how low did you think I’d go?” “before I self implode/before I have yo go be free”

Taylor imagines arguing with her fans in the throes of the break up, and in this passage it becomes clear that she is convinced they know the truth but are refusing to acknowledge it. That they allowed her to keep faking her straight persona for their sake. That she was a woman pushed to her limits by a partner (fans) who knew they were running her ragged, a partner that didn’t in fact love her, but loved what she could do for them.

 So she asks them, how long did you think I could keep doing this before it broke me? How long did you think I would go along with this, be willing to sacrifice for you? how much would she fake/take the money to keep up the straight persona?

“You swore that you loved me but where were the clues?/I died on the altar waiting for the proof/ you sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days”

The para social relationship is again a perfect match for the metaphor of a partner that uses you but doesn’t meet you in relationship as a full person. The praise puts you on an altar, but their actions don’t reflect the effusive words. “Bluest days” is a red herring to match the bearding narrative/fan rumor that Joe’s mental health affected their relationship, but also could be interpreted as the fans overlooking her truth in the interest of relying on the idea that their favorite pop star has the same boy problems that they do, their "bluest days" were the days they were torn up over a relationship or an unrequited love and needed her break up anthems, and they wouldn't have the same effect if they knew (and weren't in denial) that the songs are about women (or now about them, ironically).

Last Verse/Outro

“I’m just getting color back into my face/im just mad as hell cause I loved this place/for so long London/had a good run/moment of war son/but I’m not the one”

The first line here parallels the language in “you’re losing me”, which uses the metaphor of a relationship literally dying (“i can’t find a pulse”, etc). In this song she is leaving the relationship to save herself, and in leaving she is recovering her health, hence getting the color back in her face after being pale when sick and near death.

“This place” or London, is a stand in for the world, the Swiftverse that she created for and with her fans. It had been her life’s work, her source of pride, self worth, her legacy, but now she must leave, because it was built in large part around a self she created to make herself palatable to the fans she amassed. She can’t be that person anymore, and maybe in some ways “this place” doesn’t even really feel like hers. This parallels Florida!!!, "your home's really a town you're just a guest in/so you work your life away/just to pay for a timeshare down in Destin". She is just a guest in the musical world of the brand of Taylor Swift that she spent her whole life building ("the story isn't mine anymore")

To close, she repeats the main lines of the chorus,

“So long London/Stitches undone/two graves, one gun/you’ll find someone” 

This repetition drives home the finality of this decision - her exit, her killing her public persona, her detaching herself from those that don't see and support her, and her reassuring herself that those people will find someone else to worship, and someone else to see themselves in, and her realization and relief that they aren't her responsibility anymore.

[heda-heather]

The Black Dog Analysis

It’s taken me a while but I think I’m starting to understand The Black Dog?

First of all, I think the muse in it is Taylor. I think it’s from KK’s POV.

And I think it’s related to their love “BLACKout”

She doesn’t mean she’s actually tracking this person’s location. She’s saying she didn’t need to because they were together. She forgot to turn off the facade (continuing to beard) but Karlie watches because all of it’s for show, meaning it’s all over the media.

The black dog is a general metaphor for being out and about at bars and such, and Karlie can’t be there with her. “How do you not miss me?”

And also I do think it ties back to the depression metaphor — that Taylor chooses to diminish her mental health by continuing to hide her truth and play up the bearding.

And the starting line is a funny line to me because I think it’s like “oh so you’re giving up adulthood with me to cater to another set of young fans who don’t even know what we’ve been through in the past— they’re too young to even know our favorite bands, of course they wouldn’t understand us!”

Old habits die screaming obviously being the repetitive pattern of not coming out, not being honest, throwing herself into bearding, etc.

The “longings” line is interesting because it links to “Guilty as Sin?” which we think is related to the reptv vault tracks… but from KK’s POV she can’t voice her longings either unless Taylor comes out (pulled into the closet with her).

Taylor had all these “best laid plans” to come out so they’d be together but they kept getting pushed back. “The (brave) Man” aka “the fearless leader” was a lie. And we circle back to that at the end:

It’s kind of cyclical… Taylor has also become the black dog, the coward with her tail between her legs… driving her own fear and depression with her choices.

Also think this part of the bridge is interesting because basically it’s calling Taylor condescending. And the priest/demons kind of goes back to WCS and makes sense with the theory that’s from KK’s pov.

Anyway… I could be totally wrong here, but just some thoughts. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[asteracaea]

often i like to come up with a theory and then listen to a song to see if i can make it fit that theory (and yes usually the theory is "is this song gay?")

i want to listen to so long, london and see if it could work as a song about bearding and/or closeting in general. i think it might be too specifically about an individual and a romantic relationship to work the way the divorce imagery was a metaphor for sb and bmr in my tears ricochet, but i'm gonna give it a go! anyone else hear it that way, or as some other metaphor?

[kaylorstree]

My 1989 (Taylor’s Version) From The Vault Tracks Analysis

This is my gaylor analysis of the bonus tracks- please be patient with me, these were only released recently!

The are the gayest from the vault tracks in my opinion. (Also the worst in my opinion, ironically. That’s why it took me so long to analyse them).

Slut!

Essentially the theme of the song ‘If they call me a Slut! it might just be worth it for once’ I think means she’ll gain a new beard (Calvin Harris/Tom Hiddleston/Joe Alywn) so society with scrutinise and slut shame her, but it is all worth it to be with Karlie.

‘Flamingo pink’ Flamingos are symbolic of lesbianism

‘Handprints in wet cement’

Hand to look for this but I remembered-

There was a lot of speculation about whether the ‘J 🩷 KK’ could have been changed from ‘TS KK’ due to the shape of the heart, and the fact Karlie visited it multiple times.

‘Sunrise Boulevard’ Karlie is called a ray of sunshine, but also when I looked up Sunrise Boulevard the map looks like ‘a crooked love in a straight line down.’

‘Aquamarine’ is Taylor’s birth stone, and a really queer coded film about a mermaid trying to live on land and learn about love. (Go watch Aquamarine if you haven’t seen it!)

‘Tangerine’ We have known this has been symbolic of Karlie, notably since the YNTCD video.

The lyrics to the song Tangerine Girl are also very interesting.

asher roth tangerine girl lyrics https://g.co/kgs/4iT5de

‘Love lorn and nobody knows’ We wouldn’t know if she was going through any break-up if she had a beard/a relationship we didn’t know about (Dianna Agron/Karlie Kloss)

‘Love thorn’ relates to ‘All my flowers grew back as thorns’ ‘I was was poison ivy but now I’m your daisy’

‘Love sick all over my bed’ has parallels to Hits Different

‘Send the Code’ Karlie is a coder

‘This is luxury’ parallels KOMH ‘The taste of your lips is my idea of luxury.’

‘Pretty face’ Not something you’d really say about somebody male.

Is It Over Now?

‘Before I called you a lying traitor’

‘You searched in every model’s bed for something greater.’ I mean, c’mon!

‘Only rumours about my hips and thighs’

‘Wilt of a rose’

The rose a metaphor for waiting.

Suburban Legends

‘We didn’t come here to be Suburban Legends’

‘I didn’t come here to make friends’

‘We were born to be national treasures’

‘You had people call you on unmarked numbers in my periphery’ parallels Snow On The Beach

‘When I ended up at that school reunion’

Say Don’t Go

I’m feeling like this is more Swiftgron in all honesty. Definitely about keeping a love secret.

We’re a shot in the darkest dark’ = ‘We never had a shotgun shot in the dark’

The dark also being a metaphor for being in the closet

‘I’m standing on a tight rope alone’ parallels to The Red Tour.

‘Half way out the door’

‘You’re not mine’

‘Cards you show’

Now That We Don’t Talk

‘I cannot be your friend so I pay the price of what I lost’

‘On the way home’

‘You grew your hair long’ Only a girl would be able to do this.

‘I can’t pretend it’s platonic’

‘On a mega yacht with important men who think important thoughts’

‘The only way to get my back my dignity was to turn into a shrouded mystery just like when you were chasing me, because that’s the way it has to be.’

Let me know your thoughts down below, and tell me if you want more analysis of anything else! 🌼

[amageish]

From Uncanny X-Men Issue #319

CW: Discussions of bigotry and toxic family dynamics

This is such an interesting moment to look back on in hindsight. Bobby had invited Rogue to pose as his girlfriend for a dinner with his parents, but his father's casual bigotry (both towards mutants and towards people of other races) ruined the dinner and caused the pair to storm out of the house. Before returning to Xaiver's, Bobby has a brief existential crisis, wondering both why bigotry exists and how he didn't become a bigot like his father.

It's a great set of two pages IMHO, showing the bond these two share very nicely and having some good, if very of-the-era, mutant metaphor content... and it also works really well knowing that Bobby Drake is a closeted gay man?

Bobby's trying so hard to appease his father, but even pretending to be straight isn't enough to do it. He's a mutant and he can't hide that.

Rogue's role as Bobby's beard is also fascinating here. Bobby picked the one mutant that he literally cannot touch to be his fake-date, which is one hell of an excuse to not have to touch her. He also picked the one raised by Mystique and Destiny, a Sapphic couple... Not to mention how Rogue has a bit of a history of knowing things about people that she shouldn't know due to her powers.

She doesn't tease him explicitly like Emma Frost has done and she doesn't out him to himself like teenage Jean will (in)famously do decades later, but her supportive attitude definitely still works as a queer kid from a queer family cheering up a close friend she knows is closeted IMO.

Idk. It's just a lovely moment between these two characters that I was reminded of earlier and felt like sharing here...

[setthishouseablaze]

Happiness

"I guess it's the price I paid for seven years in Heaven"

I played seven minutes in heaven as a teenager - you get in a closet with somebody and (theoretically) make-out.

"In our history, across our great divide There is a glorious sunrise [1] Dappled with the flickers of light From the dress I wore at midnight, leave it all behind [2] [3] And there is happiness" [4]

This lyric was recently posted on the Twitter page for the Stonewall Archive highlighting LGBT+ artists, along with many other Taylor Swift references.

[1] It reads to me as a metaphor for the societal division caused throughout history by LGBT+ acceptance VS homophobia coming to an end in the future as night gives way to day.

[2] The song Dress reads as an ode to being closeted and in love with your best friend. So, the sunrise she says is coming was hinted at by Dress, a song she wrote during the endless night of closeting.

[3] There is also the allusion to the album Midnights, and the introduction "Meet me at Midnight" to the song Lavender Haze, which another of her songs most easily interpreted as queer with the symbolism of the colour lavender, the concept of a lavender marriage, the rejection of "1950's shit", and the fact that the way she addresses the subject of the song sounds remarkably like she's talking to a beard and saying enjoy the fame you're getting from our association, do whatever, I don't want this PR shit to by my problem I just want to be happily in love (with somebody else.)

"Talk your talk and go viral I just need this love spiral Get it off your chest Get it off my desk"

[4] Sunrise then, is leaving the closet, putting an end to PR bearding relationships, and being happy.

By the by, do you know another word that was historically used to mean happy? Gay.

I'm hoping for an album titled something like Sunrise or Daylight in our future, when we can be publicly happy for her without other TS fans treating us as if we're mad.

[fox-mulder-gets-pegged]

Watching the TV series Bodies and sometimes a found family is a closeted detective with a literal and metaphorical beard from the 1890's, a two timing detective from 1941 who just cannot stop being on that damn phone, a detective from 2023 who just wants to hang out with her kid but is being forcibly girlbossed, and a 2053 futuristic detective with tragic bangs and chronic illness.

[cutemeat]

smthsmth Mac forgoing the beard is a uh. metaphor for how he’s no longer Dennis’ “beard” in the sense he won’t let Dennis treat him like shit or throw him under the bus anymore for his own selfish reasons/not wanting to come out of the closet yet himself like uhhh i.e. in last season Mac saying shit like “now, while I don’t approve of Dennis riding your dead dad…” is about to become much more prevalent

[spade-riddles]

"She's a crook who was caught" isn't even difficult, anon. Taylor and her lover are both cowboys and con artists, "telling the rich folks anything they want to hear". But behind the lies is their true love, which they would do anything to protect. "Forever is the sweetest con."

Karlie is "a crook who was caught" because she got "caught" or trapped in the con. Karlie's beard seemed like the safe choice initially. I don't think Karlie or Taylor realized how toxic that association would become, when they decided to go down the lavender marriage route to protect their relationship. They wanted certain things the lavender marriage could give them cover for, and Karlie paid the price for that.

Also, jumping on the Karlie hate wagon because of this lyric is truly mind boggling, when you consider how many times Taylor refers to HERSELF as a criminal, in her own body of work. Cowboy Like Me we've talked about, but Fresh Out The Slammer? "I did my time"? Marking the end of the Toe relationship, which Taylor introduced to us with the lyrics, "He can be my jailer" years before?

Who gets jailed? What type of person? What is Taylor saying about herself with that line? Criminality = bearding in Taylor's world.

She keeps using this as a metaphor. How about the entire conceit of Getaway Car? Who drives away in a getaway car with a bag of money, being chased by sirens? A criminal. Who flees to Florida waiting for the "heat" to die down, because outlasting scandal is the only way to "beat the charges"? A criminal. Who has a boating license and knows "how to cover up a scene"? A criminal. Who "masterminds" and does "vigilante shit"? Who sinks men's bodies into the swamp???

If "she's a crook who was caught" is such a Kaylor kill shot, then Taylor should probably stop writing songs that cast her as a criminal too.

The fact is, Taylor isn't casting judgement on Karlie with that line. She's lamenting the loss of what they had together. She's SAD her fellow crook was caught, not angry at her. She wishes she could go back to a time when the whole world thought Karlie was just "a twin from [her] dreams". Aka when they could glass closet together. Now the truth about Karlie - that she's "not what she seems", aka, not any of the things the PR narratives claim she is these days - can only be shared in whispers. The true story of who Karlie is and what she sacrificed for Taylor, can only be hinted and whispered at. And in the meantime, Taylor has to "go". To move forward without Karlie.

I don't see "you know when it's time to go" as a final goodbye, but a "goodbye for now" representing how Taylor can't stay stuck and wait out Karlie's sentence, without making PR moves of her own. She has to beard as well. She has to appear to move on too. Go on with the show. Even if she hates it, it's time to suck it up and leave behind her fantasies of how it all should have been. The simplistic interpretation is "they broke up", but so much evidence defies that, that it seems obvious to me the song is in fact a metaphor for Kaylor's pretend estrangement.

If Karlie had genuinely wronged Taylor, then lyrics like "soldier down . . . looked up at me with honor and truth" or "put you in jail for something you didn't do" or "your integrity makes me seem small, it's like I'm wasting your honor" would be pretty confusing. Unless we're talking about an honorable person whose only "crime" is bearding. To protect Taylor. Then it all fits just fine.