My thoughts on...Folklore: the saltbox house chapter
1. the last great american dynasty
2. august
3. the 1
4. seven
5. peace
6. betty
During quarantine, I’m assuming Taylor spent quite a bit of time at her house in Rhode Island, where she researched the previous owner, Rebekah Harkness. She uses facts from her past, along with imagining what her life was like for the last great american dynasty as writing material for this album. Taylor goes back in time to imagine a high school love triangle between Betty (Rebekah), James and the girl who remembers that August too well. Later on in life, August, goes back in time, wondering how her life could have been different if James had been the 1. This chapter also includes peace, because during quarantine at the saltbox house on the coast, she talks shit with her friends, maybe via Zoom, while Joe is quarantined with her there. She confesses to him that she can give him everything, even a child, but she can’t give him daily peace of mind. Her life is filled with robbers to the East (home/property invasions) clowns to the west (Kanye West always trying to tarnish her character). During this time, she also goes back into the memory of her childhood, remembering a girl she grew up with in Pennsylvania, who’s face she can’t recall but who’s dad was always mad. She imagined running away with her to save her from her turmoiled upbringing.
This chapter makes the most sense to me so far, since all of these stories came to Taylor’s mind while she was quarantined in her Holiday House. Beginning with the story of Rebekah and then leading into a prequel to her story, along with her own personal stories while she was there.
I did, however, hope that exile was part of this chapter, as I had always imagined this was the story of the end of Rebecca’s first marriage.
@taylorswift @taylornation
https://www.housebeautiful.com/design-inspiration/a33417436/taylor-swift-holiday-house-folklore-last-great-american-dynasty/
It’s like an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel come to life.
