in breakable heaven

But by the end of the song? I can't help thinking it describes Taylor's situation. She is hugely successful, an incredible business woman alongside singer/songwriter. Her music is for consumption, at an astronomical scale. And throughout the album she talks about the inherent contradictions and difficulties that come with this. How her pain is sold and bought. Consumed and gossiped over. And yes, she has chosen to participate in that. But there's still a lot of tragedy in it because she's human, after all.

So, she goes to secret gardens in her mind. The only place where she doesn't have to perform, isn't being consumed. Where romance is real. Where being a princess is beautiful rather than cold and painful. Where the gentle survive.

The palace metaphor is key here I think. Young Taylor started out writing songs like a diary or daydream. She dreamed of sucess, romance, beautiful dances and dresses (see love story, enchanted, today was a fairytale). Like being a princess! But as she's gotten older she's realised that a palace is in reality a very lonely and cold place (It was freezing in the palace) There is no romance and the love you want and receive isn't real - from suitors or from the public. We see this really clearly also in castles crumbling. And that hurts a lot!!

Little ttpd: Matty :: Lavendar Haze: Joe

Both songs are Taylor trying to make the best of a less than ideal situation and pretend she’s happy in her relationship when she’s not.

In little ttpd everything she’s describing sounds kind of awful. Matty is pretentious, he’s getting super high and passing out, he’s self sabotaging, he’s filled with dread, but she chose this cyclone. She is trying to convince herself it’s worth it because she is clinging to the fact that they GET each other and he’s saying he’s gonna marry her, so she’ll have to take the bad to get that. But in retrospect she describes it as him showing her off in public and then sinking into stoned oblivion and treating her like an also ran.

1/2