Taylor Swift’s songwriting is praised and recognized for romantic rendezvous that are somehow always linked to sacred secrecy.
Taylor Swift is an egg-easter-dropping fiend commended for her songwriting skills and special connection with her fans. The artist has been noted for leaving hints on who her songs could be about and has established a parasocial brand. Her fans are especially impacted by the lyrics inspired by apparently authentic experiences such as leaving behind a scarf at an ex’s sister’s house or being stranded on a boat by a boyfriend.
Hetlors (fans who believe that Taylor Swift is straight) speculate on her relationships with frequently problematic male figures like John Mayer and Matty Healy. However, Gaylors (fans who consider that Taylor Swift is a closeted queer woman or has come out through her songs), in particular, have remarked that her catalog carries intentional queer subtext.
Whether deliberate or not, Swift’s songs are laced with queer sentiments, coding and history. Her “Reputation” album has songs like “Dress” (“I don’t want you like a best friend”) and “Dancing With Our Hands Tied” (I loved you in spite of deep fears that the world would divide us / So, baby, can we dance / Oh, through an avalanche?) that indicate secretly wanting someone and the apprehension over the world’s reaction to their relationship.
Sister albums “Folklore” and “Evermore” have songs like “Ivy” that reference Emily Dickinson’s romance with childhood friend and sister-in-law Susan Gilbert with lyrics like “What would he do if he found us out? / Crescent moon, coast is clear / Spring breaks loose, but so does fear / He’s gonna burn this house to the ground.” The song “Cowboy Like Me” which many have pointed out concerns bearding and recognizing when someone else is from the community (“Takes one to know one / You’re a cowboy like me”). The song is even correlated to “Brokeback Mountain.”
Folklore’s deluxe and wistful song “The Lakes” references queer poets from Lake Poet School such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge who romanticized running away from society and succumbing to nature. Swift implores her lover “Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die / I don’t belong, and my beloved, neither do you” to avoid “hunters with cellphones.” Evermore’s bonus song “Right Where You Left Me” also references hearing a “hairpin drop.” “Hairpin Drop Heard Around the World” is a 1969 written account about the Stonewall riots but “hairpin drop” has since turned into a term referring to when someone hints towards their queerness.
Her new “The Tortured Poets Department” album is stacked with vulnerable chorales and fans are already attempting to dissect each line to comprehend who each song is about. Even lyric websites like Genius contain descriptions detailing the intimacies and drama behind each song.
In the meantime, TikTok and Reddit users are once again noting the queer undertones in Taylor Swift’s new album, which references prohibited passion and fantasizing about someone you “shouldn’t have.” Swift simultaneously references disgrace and delight through spiritual images like Eve, kneeling, closets, prayers and altars throughout her album. The two most notable queer narratives are in songs like “Guilty as Sin?” and “But Daddy I Love Him” which have these noted ecclesiastical imageries.
“Guilty As Sin?” in particular impacts her queer fans as her melodies wonder about a forbidden romance. While allegedly about her illicit affair or fantasies about Matty Healy, while dating Joe Alwyn, the song alludes to breaking from purity culture by hinting toward self-pleasure and shunning the shame of lust. These especially resonate with queer individuals who were raised religiously and were taught that their desire was sinful. Swift sings “I keep these longings locked / In lowercase inside a vault” which can be understood as prioritizing secrecy to be protected from homophobia. The bridge submits to want rather than culpability.
“What if I roll the stone away?
They’re gonna crucify me anyway
What if the way you hold me is actually what’s holy?
If long-suffering propriety is what they want from me
They don’t know how you’ve haunted me so stunningly
I choose you and me religiously”
@lougrrace not sure how i feel on the album as a whole but this song has GRIPPED me #thetorturedpoetsdepartment #torturedpoetsdepartment #ttpd #taylorswift #gaylor #queer #wlw #lesbian #gay #lgbt #swiftie #guiltyassin @Taylor Swift ♬ Guilty As Sin bridge – lou :~)
Her song “But Daddy I Love Him” includes the “him” pronoun, but that doesn’t stop the multiple TikTok users who share their introspections on the song and transmit their stories with the efficacious piece. The first chorus includes lines that indicate resentment towards religious customs and beliefs (“Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best”), who often consider “saving” people from the LGBT community (“I just learned these people try and save you / cause they hate you”). The bridge (“You ain’t gotta pray for me” and “If all you want is gray for me / Then it’s just white noise / And it’s just my choice”) has people proclaiming their lovers without shame.
@mrcharliebirdIf all you want is gray for me, then it’s just white noise and it’s just my choice 🌈♬ But Daddy I Love Him – Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift frequently declares that the songs are for the fans’ interpretation, but her attempt to hide her love since “Love Story” has echoed and not been overlooked within the queer community. The community continuously finds solace in her writing because her pen (who was so often expected to be the perfect good girl persona) acknowledges queer history and experiences that reach international audiences.
Swift has turned pining into a sacred feeling to cherish and celebrates sexuality, but also shows fear of being outed and facing judgment/bigotry. We can probably expect more gay writing, even if Swift only means to document her apprehensions about having a romantic connection with the whole world watching.
