We Got Crowns

My obsession with Taylor travels wayyyyy too far beyond the point of listening to the locals. I care about Taylor, her songs, and the information that SHE wants me to know about. I don’t care about other peoples perceptions about her. If you’re looking for how to talk to a Swiftie about Taylor’s dating life, start by not assuming things. We really do have a negative past with the media when it comes to her entire life… FFS she created an entire album about this!!

Wreck my plans

Then there’s the whole point of, why stop listening to her originals? I’ve heard the argument where, Taylor is doing these re-records to make a statement and why should we (the fans) stop listening? I think the whole idea is so that we’re not feeding any more money to Scooter Fuckface, but then again — Taylor ain’t banking on these dimes. This is not what’s making her rich. And the true fans that are listening to these songs are not doing it to feed him either, we’re doing it because these are the songs that have been with us in the beginning.

I have so many thoughts whirling around in my head ever since I heard the news of Taylor and Joe reportedly splitting up. I woke up this morning thinking this news was just all a nightmare, but I was soberly proven wrong as the minutes I spent awake started to increase. Why does it feel like I am going through this breakup? Are these just rumors or did they actually split? What about the poignant lyrics that Taylor has so beautifully crafted over the course of the last six years about Joe? 

Swifites have not had an easy history with the media. And as a previous journalist myself, I’m finding the struggle to be extra challenging. So far, every news outlet that I have read will confirm the report by “a source close to the pair.” This could literally be anyone, including her publicist Tree Paine. But what’s baffling to me the most is the fact that Tree (who is known to be vocal when it comes to alleged rumors about TS) has yet to confirm or deny these reports. 

Personally, I refuse to 100% believe this is true until Taylor, Joe, or Tree come out with a statement. But that’s not what this blog post is about. 

This morning, I found it very hard to listen to any TS song about Joe. If this is painful for me, I cannot even imagine what TS is feeling. Taylor and Joe’s relationship is so symbolic of love, magic, life after death, peace, and happiness. He was at the heart of reputation, the inspiration behind Lover, a helping hand with folklore and evermore, and the glue to Midnights. He is literally woven into HALF of Taylor’s discography. Taking Joe out of the equation is like ripping the rug out from underneath, leaving your feet to land on a cold surface. The lyrics are still there but how are we supposed to listen to them the same? We found hope in these lyrics. We found love. We found a new beginning. 

Even with Taylor and Joe having an extremely private relationship, she was able to paint their love so vividly: 

The entire world didn’t know a thing about her relationship but Swifties knew. We knew that TS would never be able to walk Cornelia Street again if they were to ever split (so I guess, RIP Cornelia Street?) We knew that life would have no meaning for TS if Joe were to ever walk out on her. We knew that their love was so powerful, it was able to drown out the noise from outside. We knew that Taylor began to embrace previous heartbreaks because it led her to the true love of her life. 

Aside from the lyrics, it’s so hard to imagine a love like this ending. I am also fully aware that I have zero context into this alleged breakup and have no idea what could have led to it, but what I do know is that it’s not a good day for love. I will not go as far to say that this now makes it hard to believe in love, but never in a million years would I have fathomed this love coming to an end. And I am struggling with it. 

Under someone's bed

I’ve got to be honest...it has taken me a long time to actually post this, only because of how much this song means to me. I needed this post to be perfect so that I could accurately depict what this song means to me. I still don’t believe it’s perfect but then again, nothing in life is perfect. 

It was just like every other night before. I recognized the lump building in my throat. The terrifying feeling in my chest as if I was about to fall down the stairs...over, and over, and over again. I felt myself falling until I finally got caught and was brought to safety. 

The sounds of “Dear John” started to seep into my bedroom, surrounding me. I took in and cherished each and every word; each and every sound; as I’ve done so many times before. Each time, I wonder if this would be the last, but deep down, I know it won’t be and it's just a matter of time before the next time. 

At times when I felt like all words had no meaning, TS would always prove me wrong with this song. It’s such a deep, heart-wrenching ballad that truly captures what it feels like to be a young, naive woman that was played. 

For me, I’ve always interpreted this song as a girl who had so much to give, so much to offer, but was constantly getting beaten down by people who took advantage of that. Lyrics like “The girl in the dress cried the whole way home” will always strike a chord with me. I find myself relating to this line so much because a lot of times, people can take advantage of my own kindness. They either use it to their advantage to get what they want, or they’ll mistake it for weakness. It always brings me back to the times when that woman was me. 

“I lived in your chess game but you changed the rules every day” just shows how easily relatable that line could be to every woman, or even man, in this day and age. It’s like you can be so blinded by somebody’s games, not even knowing that you’re in the game to begin with. It also makes me wish that there doesn’t have to be any games in the first place. Most of the time, people don’t even know they’re getting played until it’s too late.