Every Marriage Reference on Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’
Taylor Swift often sings about taking the next step in relationships, and she didn’t shy away from the topic of marriage on her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department.
After TTPD dropped on April 19, eagle-eyed fans — or Swifties — were quick to point out lyrical parallels about wedding rings. On Swift’s 2019 album Lover, she sang about marrying her beau with “paper rings,” whereas on TTPD she crooned about “imaginary rings” in “Fresh Out the Slammer.”
In the song, Swift seemingly detailed how she reconnected with Matty Healy after her split from longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn. But fans have theorized that other tunes from TTPD are about Alwyn and their six-year relationship — which ended before a trip down the aisle.
Aside from lyrical references, Swifties also noticed that the pop star donned a white gown — which could have been a wedding dress — in her “Fortnight” music video with Post Malone.
Scroll down for every time Swift alluded to marriage on TTPD:
‘The Tortured Poets Department’
In the album’s title track, Swift made several nods to famous musicians and poets, while singing about chaotic love. She crooned, “At dinner, you take my ring off my middle finger / And put it on the one people put wedding rings on / And that’s the closest I’ve come to my heart exploding.”
‘My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys’
Using a metaphor for a child no longer wanting to play with a broken toy, Swift sang, “He saw forever, so he smashed it up, oh, oh.”
Every Song Taylor Swift Wrote About Joe Alwyn on ‘Tortured Poets Department’
‘So Long, London’
Swift sang about parting ways with British born Alwyn. “You swore that you loved me, but where were the clues? I died on the altar waitin’ for the proof,” she crooned.
‘But Daddy I Love Him’
While seemingly defending her relationship with Healy, Swift sang, “No, you can’t come to the wedding / I know he’s crazy but he’s the one I want.”
‘Fresh Out the Slammer’
Swift seemingly detailed the end of her relationship with Alwyn, singing, “At the park where we used to sit on children’s swings / Wearing imaginary rings.”
‘loml’
Swift alluded to feelings of betrayal over her relationship with Alwyn coming to a close.
“If you know it in one glimpse, it’s legendary / You and I go from one kiss to getting married,” she sang in the chorus, while in the second verse she added, “You s–t-talked me under the table / Talkin’ rings and talkin’ cradles.”
Every Song About Matty Healy on Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’
‘imgonnagetyouback’
Swift considered trying to win her lover back, or being angry with the situation, singing, “Whether I’m gonna be your wife or / Gonna smash up your bike, I haven’t decided yet.”
‘How Did It End?’
Swift made a reference to the nursery rhyme “K-I-S-S-I-N-G”: “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage.” She sang, “Leaving me bereft and reeling / My beloved ghost and me / Sitting in a tree / D-Y-I-N-G.”
‘So High School’
In one of Swift’s tracks about her current boyfriend, Travis Kelce, she made a reference to a viral video of the NFL player being asked to play “Marry, Kiss, Kill,” with her, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry in 2016. (At the time, Kelce choose to “kiss” Swift, “kill” Grande and “marry” Perry.)
“Are you gonna marry, kiss, or kill me (Kill me) / It’s just a game, but really (Really) / I’m bettin’ on all three for us two (All three),” she crooned.
