Taylor Swift has described The Tortured Poets Department as a “lifeline” that she needed to write to get through a rough period. It’s not surprising since, as fans expected, this work will most likely detail the end of her six-year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn.
Taylor has also said the album was written over the last two years, including the time during which she was touring the world. Since the breakup was publicly announced in April of 2023, the singer also shared a highly publicized and criticized fling with Matty Healy, as well as what’s arguably her most publicly celebrated relationship to date with Travis Kelce.
A closer look at the album’s tracklist, paired with some Swiftie speculation has provided a tentative picture of what we’re in for with Taylor’s 11th and perhaps most anticipated album.
“Fortnight” (featuring Post Malone)
The title of the opener in Poets doesn’t give us much. People have made connections with Shakespeare as one of the tortured poets Taylor will reference throughout the album, and his famous use of the word “fortnight,” but the most convincing connection is the one made with Midnights.
In the roll-out for that album, Taylor described it as a collection of 13 sleepless nights, and since a fortnight is 14 days, fans have theorized the song will serve as a connector between Poets with Midnights, much like the latter’s closing song “Dear Reader.” It’s the end of her torment, so to speak.
“The Tortured Poets Department”
The second song on Poets is the title track, which will shed light on the concept of the album. It’s possible it could parallel “The Lakes” to some degree, where Taylor sang about the Lake Poets, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey.
Like “The Lakes,” “The Tortured Poets Department” could be a reflection on artists’ relationship with their muses and inspirations, as well as the creative process and how it affects and feeds from real life. Except, of course, the folklore song is quietly romantic, whereas we expect this one to just crush our hearts into little pieces.
“My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”
Possibly about Joe Alwyn, “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” has been connected to the lyric from “Cruel Summer,” “Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price, you know that I bought it,” as well as the reputation track “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.” Both play with the idea of a child who can’t cherish and look after their possessions.
“Down Bad”
It’s impossible to say what this song will be about. It could be literal and document the phase of a relationship where there’s nothing but infatuation, or, in true Taylor fashion, flip the concept on its head to mean something else entirely. We can see this track being about one of her post-Joe relationships, as opposed to a breakup song.
“So Long, London”
Track 5 in any Taylor Swift album is notorious for packing a punch. We expect “So Long, London” to follow tradition. With a pretty self-explanatory title, this song should be a goodbye letter from Taylor to the city that was her home during her relationship with Joe and the memories associated with it. “London Boy” is getting a devastating little sister.
“But Daddy I Love Him”
Fans instantly connected this song with the line from The Little Mermaid, one of Taylor’s favorite movies growing up, which came out in 1989. While I’m personally convinced this will be one of her less serious songs, the likes of “Karma,” “Gorgeous,” or “Blank Space,” where she jokingly self-examines her relationship with men, though fans have also pointed out the parallels between Ariel’s story and the current public narrative on Joe and Taylor’s breakup.
Ariel gives up her voice to be with the man she loves, the same way people believe Taylor gave up a lot of her public life to accommodate Joe’s more private demeanor. Or maybe “But Daddy I Love Him” is about Matty Healy and the way everyone in the world turned against him and their attempt at a relationship.
“Fresh Out the Slammer”
When Taylor was named “Person of The Year” by TIME, she mentioned the years she was “locked away” in her house and how she would never get that time back. Fans have interpreted this song title as the singer comparing her old, very secluded, relationship to prison, finding references to the same concept of crime, being jailed, and breaking free in other songs like “…Ready for It?,” “Getaway Car,” and other Poets tracks like “Guilty as Sin?” and “The Bolter.”
“Florida!!!” (featuring Florence + The Machine)
Florida was the first state where Taylor performed after news of the breakup broke out. Following the tracklist announcement, Florence Welch shared the song to her socials with the caption “Department Head of Haunted Houses,” playing into the album concept and possibly hinting at lyrics. The English singer-songwriter is also a rumored producer and writer on other Poets tracks.
“Guilty as Sin?”
The criminal theme returns for another famously momentous album placement, track 9. The expression “guilty as sin” relates to the teaser shared by the singer which contains the passage “and so I enter into evidence my tarnished coat of arms…” and is also featured in lyrics from the song “Carolina.” Similarly, it’s reminiscent of Taylor’s past songs about faith and religion such as “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” and “False God.”
“Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
This is one of the more obvious references to a tortured poet we can find in the tracklist — or rather a reference to a famous play and movie whose title references this poet. We’re talking about Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, an Edward Albee play adapted into a movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton about a failing, toxic marriage. Keep in mind the singer calls her significant other the Burton to her Taylor in “…Ready for It?.”
“I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”
Another most likely lighthearted track, which we suppose is either about a pattern Taylor identifies in her relationship with men in general, or more specifically about Joe, whose mental health issues she details in the song “Renegade,” or even about Matty Healy. Either way, we can’t wait to hear this one.
“loml”
“Loml” is the acronym for “love of my life.” It takes us back to Taylor’s heartbreaking rendition of “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” at the Eras Tour in Chigaco, where the lyrics “wondering if I dodged the bullet or just lost the love of my life?” hit especially hard.
“I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”
After tracks 5 and 9, track 13, Taylor’s lucky number, is usually reserved for her favorites. “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” is a pretty unambiguous title, and our best guess is that it’s about touring and putting on a show for fans while dealing with heartbreak.
“The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”
Fans have related this title to the line and visuals from “Anti-Hero” where Taylor says she feels like “a monster on a hill,” and is depicted as a giant in the music video. That lyric is a description of her larger-than-life fame, which sets her apart, can turn people off from her, and which she has struggled to manage in the past. Could this song be about Joe’s known discomfort with her celebrity and how Taylor had to make herself small to fit his life?
“The Alchemy”
Alchemy is essentially the process of transforming ordinary metals into gold, a word and concept recurring in Taylor’s music. More notably, in “Daylight” the singer sings about how her current relationship has changed her perception of love from being the color “red” or “black and white” to “golden.” Could “The Alchemy” be in conversation with “Daylight” and other songs like “Dress,” “Dancing with Our Hands Tied,” and “Invisible String,” where Taylor realizes it was never real gold but an attempt at mimicking it?
“Clara Bow”
Clara Bow, the silent era’s most famous movie star, originated the term “It girl” and was famously scrutinized by the media for her love life and the way she carried herself in public. Like Rebekah Harkness from “The Last Great American Dynasty” before her, there are plenty of parallels to be etched between Bow and Taylor, including the transition from silent films to sound, and how the Grammy winner has found her voice.
“The Manuscript”
The deluxe version of Poets is branded around this song, with special “The Manuscript” merch called the “artifacts” sold alongside it. We can’t help but connect it with the lyrics from “Hits Different,” which also mention “evidence,” just like the teaser poem for this new album. Just like “Dear Reader,” this song will be the real conclusion to Poets, reaching some kind of realization about the torturous past and the way it has influenced Taylor’s poems.
“The Bolter”
This bonus track from the alternative vinyl edition of Poets has been associated with the expression that defines someone who runs away from prison or from a tough situation instead of facing their problems.