#maathp

Taylor Swift - Track 7

I was listening to lover today after not listening for a while (both the album and the song lol) and it IS interesting how many questions are in the love songs. Not to say I'm somehow questioning them as good love songs (Sorry, I just LOVE little lover and always will), but if you view the songs in relation to Taylor's story it's so fascinating to compare them to the love songs on tloas. So few questions, if any.

i think little lover is very romantic, and the questions about "can we always be this close?" can be read as anxious for sure, or simply what you think when you're deeply in love imo. but the story lover tells overall is definitely one of anxiety and emotional volatility (afterglow, "we paint the town blue," dbatc, the archer) but it also describes someone trying to grow out of the games or some of their anxiety (the story cornelia street, afterglow, the archer, and daylight tell.) it's when folklore hits, and ends with hoax, that you wonder where the optimism of daylight went. it feels like it reverts back to the fears described in the archer, or cornelia street (maybe self-sabotage, maybe real distrust) and the lakes doesn't help: "calamitous love" harkens back to hoax itself and the escapism/depression in miss americana. the optimism of daylight or paper rings isn't present. the most optimistic lines are basically suggesting "i think this is a trick i have to believe in, no one else would be sad with me" and "i'd give you everything i could, would i/that enough for you?" and "let's run away and be sad in a place where it's safe to be sad." like... oh okay.

(x)

The people voted and here’s my first design! I’m really happy with how it turned out!

MR. AMERICANA & THE HEARTBREAK PRINCE chapter six: i know heavens a thing, i go there when you touch me [6/15 | 7.7k]

Eddie smiles again, opening the door wider and inviting him in finally. Evan's fingers brush against his elbow, and Eddie feels small as he uses the two inches he has on Eddie to his full advantage. Eddie follows his lead, letting his socked feet find a home between Evan's dress shoes. Brushing their noses together, feeling the other exhale carefully. And then Evan kisses him. It's over all too soon but Evan has the right mind to shut and lock the door, barely turning around to let his eyes stray from Eddie's. Then he glides his hand up Eddie's neck, his fingers reaching up into the short hairs, thumb gently stroking behind his ear, and he kisses him again and again and again, each one just as deliberate and measured as the last. It feels different than the other times. It’s not desperate and wanting. It's soft. Eddie doesn't know what to do with that. --- or Eddie is not falling in love with a prince

And you'll also remember that Katniss escapes the games twice by cheating--the first time w poison berries and the second time by destroying the arena itself (which was a clock) WITH itself using a lightning strike current at midnight that shot thru her arrow -> "And there was one prize I'd cheat to win." Not to mention Katniss was the mockingjay, a symbol of rebellion and resistance. And the fire symbolism in this trilogy was meant to represent how that rebellion can spread from a spark of hope. Snow lands on top but fire melts snow. Taylor is a huge hunger games fan so I wouldn't be surprised at all if these parallels were intentional. Also I'm not the first one to notice the hunger games connections, I saw some other gaylors point this out so I can't take full credit for that

“You play stupid games you win stupid prizes” // “Devils roll the dice” // "Baby let the games begin" // The scrabble instagram post // The mastermind chess board // "You see all the wisest women had to do it this way, cause we were born to be the pawn in every lover's game" // "No more keeping score now I just keep you warm. No more tug of war now I just know there's more"

I think it's possible Taylor knew that her masters were gonna be sold hence all the game imagery and songs abt heartbreak on lover

She's literally gonna take down the industry as a whole and expose everything. This is the reason for all the cryptic messages and meticulous planning. AND THIS IS WHAT THE ALBATROSS IS ABT TOO. “She’s the albatross she is here to destroy you.” They tried to keep her locked away in cages and towers and closets and tried taming her and pulling out her teeth but it didn’t work

“Devils that you know raise worse hell than a stranger” SHE’S the devil now and she’s abt to make their lives a living hell

“She’s the death you chose” i.e. the music industry chose to kill Taylor (which is why TTPD is a post-mortem album) so now she’s coming back to haunt them hence the ghostly Victorian attire. “We gather here we line up weeping in a sunlit room and if I’m on fire you’ll be made of ashes too.” THIS is the karma she’s talking abt that will happen at midnight!!

“You’ll see me in hindsight tangled up w you all night burning it down”

I am the APPARITION. I am the LINE OF POETRY. THAT’S TAYLOR. SHE’S THE GHOST WRITING POST-MORTEM POETRY