Time, curious time/Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs/Were there clues I didn’t see?/And isn’t it just so pretty to think/All along there was some/Invisible string/Tying you to me?/…On your first trip to LA/You ate at my favorite spot for dinner…/…Time, mystical time/Cuttin’ me open, then healin’ me fine…/…A string that pulled me/Out of all the wrong arms right into that dive bar/Something wrapped all of my past mistakes in barbed wire/Chains around my demons, wool to brave the seasons/One single thread of gold tied me to you…/…Cold was the steel of my axe to grind/For the boys who broke my heart/Now I send their babies presents/Gold was the color of the leaves/When I showed you around Centennial Park/Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven/Time, wondrous time/Gave me the blues and then purple pink skies/And it’s cool, baby, with me/And isn’t it just so pretty to think/All along there was some/Invisible string/Tying you to me?
***Trigger Warning***
Conversion Therapy, Religious trauma, Reparative therapy
Here’s another Lover track that is more easily understood by separating the perspectives/subjects in the song. I’ll show you the parts I mean, then do multi posts on the gay content inside each of those parts.
I Think He Knows
Karlie also thinks Jo$h already knows about Kaylor:
[This verse switches to Karlie’s POV]
I think he [Josh] knows/When we [Kaylor] get all alone/I’ll [Karlie] make myself at [Taylor’s] home
And he’ll [Josh] want me [Karlie] to stay [at his house instead]/I think he knows/He better lock it down/Or I won’t stick around/’Cause good ones never wait…
He got that boyish look that I like in a man
I am an architect, I’m drawing up the plans…/…He’s [Josh is] so obsessed with me [Karlie],
…[Taylor chimes back in]
and boy I understand/Boy I understand [being obsessed with Karlie]…
I [Karlie] want you [Taylor], bless my soul/I ain’t gotta tell him [Jost]/I think he knows
We have discussed closeting, we talked about bearding and lavender marriage, we mentioned polyamory/co-bearding arrangement complications. Let’s talk about the “boy” in another way:
Here’s another Lover track that is more easily understood by separating the perspectives/subjects in the song. I’ll show you the parts I mean, then do multi posts on the gay content inside each of those parts.
I Think He Knows
He got that boyish look that I like in a man I am an architect, I’m drawing up the plans
It’s like I’m seventeen, nobody understands No one understands
He got my heartbeat
Skipping down 16th Avenue
About Joe/Beard:
He got that boyish look that I like in a man/I am an architect, I’m drawing up the plans…/…Skipping down 16th Avenue [Nashville’s music row]
Commentary to herself (Taylor):
It’s like I’m seventeen, nobody understands/No one understands…
Who knew I would need a Trigger Warning for tying Taylor Swift lyrics to ancient Greek & Roman history? But here we are.
***TW: Childhood Sexual Abuse, Rape, grooming, pedophilia***
Note: I am NOT in anyway condoning the behavior and actions described below. Nor, am I accusing Taylor of practicing or endorsing the attitudes and actions described below.
I think Taylor’s use of “boy” to describe Joe (her beard) is a cheeky comparison to a powerful, wealthy man “owning” a teen who benefits from the relationship. The teen was educated in the ways of the upper-class, and introduced to high society enclaves that would be otherwise inaccessible to him. It’s a lot like a bearding relationship: Taylor benefits by paying for a “boyfriend” in order to be normalized in society and Joe/the beard benefits by his connections to Taylor. Both have more successful careers and higher status in the community due to the arrangement. Taylor using “boy” and “baby boy” and “baby love” could be a humorous reference to the earliest forms of homosexuality, “boy-love”
Not a defense of the practice, just a history lesson:
Here’s another Lover track that is more easily understood by separating the perspectives/subjects in the song. I’ll showed you the parts, now here are parts addressing Jo$h:
I think he knows his footprints/On the sidewalk
Lead to where I can’t stop/Go there every night
I think he knows his hands around/A cold glass
Make me wanna know that body/Like it’s mine
He
got my heartbeat…
…Got that, oh!
I mean
Wanna see what’s under that attitude
Like, I want you,
bless my soul
And I ain’t gotta tell him/I think he knows/I think he knows
I think he knows
When we get all alone/I’ll make myself at home
And he’ll want me to stay
I think he knows
He better lock it down/Or I won’t stick around/’Cause good ones never wait…
…Like, I want you, bless my soul
And I ain’t gotta tell him/I think he knows/I think he knows
Here’s another Lover track that is more easily understood by separating the perspectives/subjects in the song. I’ll show you the parts I mean, then do multi posts on the gay content inside each of those parts.
Here’s another song that might be easier to untangle in parts:
I Think He Knows
I color coded the parts of the song that go along with each person:
Fuck! This was effortful to write!
So in the song Jo$h is addressed as being suspicious of the nature of Taylor and Karlie’s relationship (friends look at each other like that). Taylor tells of her bearding situation with Joe that helps her career. And she also tells of her affair with Karlie. And Karlie tells us Jo$h is obsessed with her, and she doesn’t have to tell him about Kaylor, because she thinks he knows.
About Jo$h:
I think he knows
[this is a different thought, though Taylor skipped the punctuation to remain elusive]
his footprints/On the sidewalk…
…I think he knows
[this one too. Taylor says she thinks Jo$h knows about Kaylor.]
his hands around/A cold glass…
[Then Taylor describes how Jo$h is drinking and noticing the flirting of Kaylor. Also speaks to when Jo$h is just drinking, waiting for Karlie to come back to him when Karlie is over at Taylor’s]
…He got my heartbeat
[P.S. I don’t believe in “owning” your lover or spouse, talk to Taylor about that… Anyway, Karlie is in Taylor’s heart. But Jo$h “has” Karlie, so Taylor cannot be in a full Kaylor serious relationship. Thus Josh owns Taylor’s heartbeat since he has contractually obligated (either bearding contract or marriage contract) Karlie to be with him]
Got that
[I think this “Got that oh! I mean” is significant. Taylor interrupts herself or is startled by something. It could be that Taylor is talking about Kaylor in loving terms, then Jo$h shows up and she has to quickly switch topics to keep the secret. Worse, the interruption could be showing how Jo$h’s sudden physical presence interrupts Kaylor love-moments.]
oh! I mean
Wanna see what’s under that attitude…
…And I ain’t gotta tell him[Josh]/I think he knows/I think he knows/I think he knows/Like, I [Taylor] want you [Karlie], bless my soul…/……I think he knows/I want you, bless my…
[This could be repetition by Taylor just to make a catchy song, but I like to think about it as Karlie chiming in and agreeing, by repeating it also.]
And I [Karlie] ain’t gotta tell him [Josh]…/…I think he [Josh] knows/I [Karlie] want you [Taylor], bless my soul…/…
Taylor singing about Kaylor:
Lead to where I can’t stop/Go there every night/Make me wanna know that body/Like it’s mine…/……I want you, bless my soul/Lyrical smile, indigo eyes, hand on my thigh/We can follow the sparks, I’ll drive…/…So where we gonna go?/I whisper in the dark/Where we gonna go?
… Like, I [Taylor] want you [Karlie], bless my soul [asking for divine protection]
About Joe/Beard:
He got that boyish look that I like in a man/I am an architect, I’m drawing up the plans…/…Skipping down 16th Avenue [Nashville’s music row]
Karlie:
[This verse switches to Karlie’s POV]
I think he [Jo$h] knows/When we [Kaylor] get all alone/I’ll [Karlie] make myself at [Taylor’s] home
And he’ll [Jo$h] want me [Karlie] to stay
[at Jo$hlie’s house instead of visiting Taylor]
I think he knows/He better lock it down [marry her or sign a contract?]/Or I won’t stick around/’Cause good ones never wait…
He got that boyish look that I like in a man/I am an architect, I’m drawing up the plans…
[Karlie is ALSO orchestrating her relationship (whatever it is: sugar-daddy, lavender, poly-bearding, sperm-donor) with Jo$h. Though I tried really, really hard to find a 16th Ave connection for Karlie and never did find one.]
…He’s [Jo$h is] so obsessed with me [Karlie],
I [Karlie] want you [Taylor], bless my soul/I ain’t gotta tell him [Jo$h]/I think he knows
Commentary to herself (Taylor):
It’s like I’m seventeen, nobody understands/No one understands…/…
[Taylor chimes back in]
and boy I understand/Boy I understand [being obsessed with Karlie]…
The songs on Reputation are packed with meaning, and there are many rabbit holes to go down. As such, this post would be too long if I included each song as I did with Debut, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, and 1989. Pretty much every track on Reputation has queer content. There could probably be an argument made for LWYMMD and TIWWCHNT, especially the video and live performances, but neither really have lyrics conducive to this particular analysis. All the rest of the songs are included. Here are the links to each gay Reputation moment:
…Ready For it?
Golden age of Hollywood and bearding
Heterosexual marriage with frequent same sex interactions outside of the marriage
I didn’t include End Game because having features muddies the water about who contributed what. It’s probably Taylor being gay on main again, but I can’t rule out that Ed or Future added to the lyrics.
All of this is total speculation on my part. Don’t come at me.
Who was the other relationship, and was it Taylor Swift?
Use of gender-neutral pronoun when she brings up “person” she had sex with prior to her marriage.
Very for “The Man” which seems apt if we’re talking about a one-sided (Kaylor)rebound relationship based on sex.
Girl’s trip. Girlfriends. Pure joy.
It sounds like Kelsea likes being around women a lot.
this version of myself.
Reminds me of Subject to Change which I think is discovering sapphic sexuality.
Secrets and crimes.
If you’re going down I’ll be going down too. It sounds like closeting to me. Are the secrets about her sexuality? Are the crimes cheating on her husband with a woman?
I’m awake.
Gay awakening
Not honoring yourself.
Kelsea wants to be true to herself, and her sexuality
You’re finding yourself.
You’re figuring your shit out.
It sounds like a lot of discovery that Kelsea is going through at age 29…
Oh God. Am I ready to date again?
Skirting the issue of dating.
I’ve never really dated, I don’t know how it works.
She got married at 22, but did she date as a teen? Maybe she doesn’t know how sapphic dating goes…
just put ourselves out there.
Let’s just vibe. It’s been fun.
Minimizing the new relationship in the interview.
Move on. Stay here? Be sad forever.
Could be a repression situation.
single? ha ha ha. Am I single? God…
There is a lot of panic about this seemingly simple question.
Maybe Kelsea doesn’t want to outright lie about dating a dude, but she also doesn’t want to come out if she’s dating a woman…
No
The interviewer makes an assumption and says a name.
Kelsea never says his name or brings him up. She just doesn’t correct the assumption.
A possible PR story:
Eden the Lounge:
Gay bars:
I’m just vibing.
Kelsea minimizes the new relationship again.
OK I want to see you.
What does that feel like though, to have that be so public?
It’s interesting a new relationship is being publicized so much. It’s like Kelsea’s team is pushing that story, but why? I’m not sure people love when a divorcee is already with another person quickly (I don’t make the rules). What is the reason a brand new relationship after a very recent divorce is being amplified? Maybe it’s covering up something else.
Also it’s new. Everything is new for me.
Again Kelsea talks about how new and novel this situation is.
Dating.
Being photographed with someone.
It’s also interesting how Kelsea’s pauses separate “dating” with “being photographed with someone”
It’s all really new and I’m tiptoeing.
She really emphasizes the newness, and says she’s being very careful. Why does she have to be careful dating a guy? Why does dating a guy feel so, so new to Kelsea? I mean, she dated Morgan, and married him. She knows what dating a guy is like.
I’m happy.
And I’m really, really learning a lot about myself.
More talk of uncovering things about herself.
It’s been like a really beautiful re-awakening.
Like waking from a 20 year dark night, perhaps?
How did you guys meet? I slid into those DMs.
This seems out of the blue to me.
My manager lives there and he like put the bug in my ear.
So HER MANAGER INITIATED the dating?!
He was like, you know this really cute
when you’re ready
it’s Chase
and I was like, you’re so right.
NOW I’ve seen the show.
Kelsea had not seen his show before writing to him…
but I just knew OF him.
I followed him and he followed me.
Purely online interaction that isn’t all that personal/romantic
we’re manifesting, baby
Basically we had been hanging out and people got a photo of us
Doesn’t sound very personal. They were in public together then a photo was published.
he was like, I mean, it’s going to keep going. So should I just like poke the bear.
He wanted to validate the rumor
and I was like sure.
Kelsea was also cool with the public knowing
the poking the bear was like a photo of me just like leaning in
Kelsea emphasizes the non-romantic nature of the photo
how long have you guys been together before that photo leaked
Another moment of hesitation and panic for Kelsea.
I mean, WE WEREN’T EVEN TOGETHER, like so relative, I know even really know…
Kelsea says they weren’t “together”
She also says she doesn’t know…
WE HAVE BEEN TALKING for since the beginning of December
It’s interesting that tour dates and promotion of the Heartfirst tour started in January.
I’m having fun. I’m having fun.
PARTNERSHIP
Idk if I believe in like the LEGALITY of it all
it should be a daily choice.
Yup, I’m implying Kelsea discovered she’s sapphic and left the marriage in part, to explore that side of herself.
I think Chase Stokes is a gay-buddy and bearding.
And I think Kelsea is dating a woman. IDK if it’s Fletcher, but they are sure playing up their thing.
The songs on Reputation are packed with meaning, and there are many rabbit holes to go down. As such, this post would be too long if I included each song as I did with Debut, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, and 1989. I’ll release these song by song.
I Did Something Bad
They’re burning all the witches, even if you aren’t one/They got their pitchforks and proof/Their receipts and reasons…/…So light me up (light me up), light me up (light me up)…/…They say I did something bad/Then why’s it feel so good?/They say I did something bad/But why’s it feel so good?/Most fun I ever had/And I’d do it over and over and over again if I could/It just felt so good, good/Oh, you say I did something bad
Walkin’ through a crowd, the village is aglow/Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats/Everybody here wanted somethin’ more/Searchin’ for a sound we hadn’t heard before…/…When we first dropped our bags on apartment floors/Took our broken hearts, put them in a drawer/Everybody here was someone else before/And you can want who you want/Boys and boys and girls and girls…/…Like any great love, it keeps you guessing/Like any real love, it’s ever-changing/Like any true love, it drives you crazy/But you know you wouldn’t change anything, anything, anything
Blank Space
Magic, madness, heaven, sin…/…You look like my next mistake/Love’s a game, wanna play?” Ay…/…New money, suit and tie…/…Ain’t it funny? Rumors fly/And I know you heard about me/So hey, let’s be friends/I’m dying to see how this one ends…/…I can make the bad guys good for a weekend…/…You can tell me when it’s over, mm…/…Got a long list of ex-lovers…/…And you love the game/’Cause we’re young, and we’re reckless/We’ll take this way too far/It’ll leave you breathless, mm/Or with a nasty scar…/…But I’ve got a blank space, baby/And I’ll write your name…/…Stolen kisses, pretty lies/You’re the King, baby, I’m your Queen/Find out what you want/Be that girl for a month/Wait, the worst is yet to come, oh, no/Screaming, crying, perfect storms/I can make all the tables turn…/…Don’t say I didn’t, say I didn’t warn ya/THEY’LL tell you I’m insane (I’m insane)/’Cause YOU know I love the players…
Style
Midnight/You come and pick me up, no headlights…/…Could end in burning flames or paradise…/…And I should just tell you to leave ’cause I/Know exactly where it leads…/…And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt/And when we go crashing down, we come back every time…/…Oh, you got that James Dean daydream look in your eye/And I got that red lip classic thing that you like
Out of the Woods
Then discovered…/…The rest of the world was black and white/But we were in screaming color…/…Are we out of the woods?/Are we in the clear yet?…/…The night we couldn’t quite forget/When we decided, we decided/To move the furniture so we could dance/Baby, like we stood a chance/Two paper airplanes flying, flying, flying…/…Remember when we couldn’t take the heat?/I walked out, I said “I’m setting you free”/But the monsters turned out to be just trees/When the sun came up you were looking at me
All You Had to Do Was Stay
People like you always want back the love they gave away/And people like me wanna believe you when you say you’ve changed/The more I think about it now, the less I know…/…Then why’d you have to go and lock me out when I let you in?
Shake It Off
I go on too many dates [chuckle]/But I can’t make ’em stay/At least that’s what people say, mmm-mmm…/…And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate…/…I shake it off, I shake it off…/…I never miss a beat/I’m lightning on my feet/And that’s what they don’t see…/…I’m dancing on my own (dancing on my own)/I make the moves up as I go (moves up as I go)
More examples:
These had too many pics to post a concise list on this post, but check out the websites. It shows a lot of relationships, marriages, babies, cheating, fights, etc, etc… are orchestrated to generate buzz and ultimately sell a product:
You think I’m gonna hate you now/’Cause you still don’t know what I never said…/…I wish you knew that/I’d never forget you as long as I’d live…/…We’re a crooked love/In a straight line down/Makes you wanna run and hide/Then it makes you turn right back around…/…And remember what we were fighting for…/…This mad, mad love makes you come rushing
Exp 2:
Bad Blood
You know it used to be mad love…/…Now we got problems/And I don’t think we can solve ’em/You made a really deep cut…/…I was thinking that you could be trusted/Did you have to ruin/What was shining? Now it’s all rusted/Did you have to hit me/Where I’m weak? Baby, I couldn’t breathe/And rub it in so deep/Salt in the wound like you’re laughing right at me…/…Did you think we’d be fine?/Still got scars on my back from your knife/So don’t think it’s in the past/These kind of wounds they last and they last/Now did you think it all through?/All these things will catch up to you…/…If you live like that, you live with ghosts (ghosts, ghosts)/Band-aids don’t fix bullet holes (hey!)/You say sorry just for show …/…Hm, if you love like that, blood runs cold/’Cause baby, now we got bad blood
Wildest Dreams
…”Let’s get out of this town/Drive out of the city, away from the crowds“/I thought Heaven can’t help me now/Nothing lasts forever/But this is gonna take me down…/…I said, “No one has to know what we do”/His hands are in my hair, his clothes are in my room…/…You’ll see me in hindsight/Tangled up with you all night/Burning it down/Someday when you leave me/I bet these memories/Follow you around…/…Say you’ll see me again/Even if it’s just (pretend, just pretend) in your wildest dreams/In your wildest dreams/Even if it’s just stayed in your wildest dreams
How You Get the Girl
Stand there like a ghost/Shaking come the rain, rain/She’ll open up the door/And say, are you insane…/…And you were too afraid to tell her what you want, want…/…And then you say/I want you for worse or for better…/…Tell her how you must’ve lost your mind/When you left her all alone and never told her why, why/And that’s how it works/That’s how you lost the girl…/…Broke your heart, I’ll put it back together…/…And you could know, oh/That I don’t want you to go
This Love
High tide came and brought you in…/…Skies grew darker/Currents swept you out again…/…In silent screams/In wildest dreams/I never dreamed of this/This love is good/This love is bad…/…In losing grip/On sinking ships…/…This love left a permanent mark/This love is glowing in the dark…/…I watched you leave/Your smile, my ghost/I fell to my knees/When you’re young, you just run/But you come back to what you need
I Know Places
It’s a scene, and we’re out here in plain sight/I can hear them whisper as we pass by/It’s a bad sign, bad sign/Something happens when everybody finds out/See the vultures circling, dark clouds/Love’s a fragile little flame, it could burn out…/…’Cause they got the cages, they got the boxes/And guns/They are the hunters, we are the foxes/And we run/Baby, I know places we won’t be found and/They’ll be chasing their tails trying to track us down…/…Lights flash and we’ll run for the fences/Let them say what they want, we won’t hear it/Loose lips sink ships all the damn time/Not this time…/…they take their shots, but we’re bulletproof
You’re still all over me/Like a wine-stained dress I can’t wear anymore/Hung my head as I lost the war/And the sky turned black like a perfect storm/Rain came pouring down/When I was drowning, that’s when I could finally breathe/And by morning/Gone was any trace of you, I think I am finally clean…/…There was nothing left to do…/…So I punched a hole in the roof/Let the flood carry away all my pictures of you/The water filled my lungs, I screamed so loud/But no one heard a thing…/…Ten months sober, I must admit/Just because you’re clean, don’t mean you don’t miss it/Ten months older, I won’t give in/Now that I’m clean, I’m never gonna risk it
Flashing lights and we/Took a wrong turn and we/Fell down a rabbit hole…/…’Cause nothing’s as it seems/And spinning out of control…/…Haven’t you heard what becomes of curious minds?/Ooh, didn’t it all seem new and exciting?/I felt your arms twisting around me/I should’ve slept with one eye open at night…/…We found Wonderland/You and I got lost in it/And life was never worse but never better…/…Too in love to think straight/All alone, or so it seemed/But there were strangers watching/And whispers turned to talking/And talking turned to screams, oh…/…It’s all fun and games ’til somebody loses their mind…/…I knew I had to go back home/You search the world for something else/To make you feel like what we had/And in the end, in Wonderland, we both went mad
One look, dark room/Meant just for you…/…No proof, one touch/But you felt enough…/…You can hear it in the silence, silence, you/You can feel it on the way home, way home, you/You can see it with the lights out, lights out/You are in love, true love…/…He keeps his word/And for once, you let go/Of your fears and your ghosts/One step, not much/But it said enough…/…One night he wakes/Strange look on his face/Pauses, then says/You’re my best friend/And you knew what it was/He is in love…/…And you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars/And why I’ve spent my whole life tryin’ to put it into words
New Romantics
We’re all bored/We’re all so tired of everything/We wait for trains that just aren’t coming/We show off our different scarlet letters/Trust me, mine is better/We’re so young/But we’re on the road to ruin/We play dumb but we know exactly what we’re doin’…/…I could build a castle/Out of all the bricks they threw at me/And every day is like a battle/But every night with us is like a dream…/…Heartbreak is the national anthem/We sing it proudly/We are too busy dancing/To get knocked off our feet/Baby, we’re the new romantics/The best people in life are free…/…We’re all here/The lights and noise are blinding/We hang back/It’s all in the timing/It’s poker/He can’t see it in my face/But I’m about to play my Ace (ah)/We need love/But all we want is danger/We team up/Then switch sides like a record changer/The rumors are terrible and cruel/But honey, most of them are true
What can I say–I enjoy research, and lyrical analysis, and I know my posts can get looooong. I decided to repost pieces to give a more bite sized chunk of information. I’m calling the series TS Snippets, because I couldn’t meld Swift into snippet without making it confusing.
Baby boy, boyish look, baby love, etc… Seem out of place for a grown-a$$ man, but Taylor routinely uses them in her songs.
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