Heartbreak is the national anthem. Break up, break free, break through, break down. Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes. Good girls, hopeful they’ll be, and long they will wait. Flesh and blood amongst war machines. The stakes are high, the water’s rough. Losing grip on sinking ships. Promises oceans deep but never to keep.
Are you really going to talk about timing in times like these?
Cards on the table, mine play out like fools in a fable. I’m not cut out for all these cynical clones, these hunters with cell phones. I don’t cater to all these vipers dressed in empath’s clothing. Everybody loves pretty, everybody loves cool. But sophistication isn’t who you wear or what you know. Or pushing people down to get where you want to go. I don’t trust nobody and nobody trusts me.
Never be so clever, you forget to be kind. The best people in life are free. Never be so kind, you forget to be clever. Putting someone first only works when you’re in their top five.
Call it what you want. I don’t like a gold rush. There’s glitter on the floor after the party. August slipped away into a moment in time, ‘cause it was never mine. Don’t pretend it’s such a mystery. All those plot twists and dynamite. Karma is a queen. You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.
In my defense, I have none. There was nowhere for me to stay, but I stayed anyway. Old habits die screaming.
You know the greatest films of all time were never made. Seems like there’s always someone who disapproves. And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do. The “who’s who” of “who’s that?” I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me. I guess a lesser woman would have lost hope.
Long story short, I survived. I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time. One of these things is not like the others. I can make all the tables turn. They count me out time and again, but I come back stronger than a 90s trend. Time, mystical time, cutting me open, then healing me fine. Secret gardens in my mind, people need a key to get to, the only one is mine.
If you never bleed you’re never gonna grow. So here’s to everything coming down to nothing. Who you are is not where you’ve been. You’ve got no reason to be afraid. Levitate above all the messes made. Push the reset button, we’re becoming something new.
I think some things I never say. Laughing, but the joke’s not funny at all. It’s fine to fake it till you make it, till you do, till it’s true. You’re a queen, selling dreams. You have no room in your dreams for regrets.
I want to be defined by the things I love, not the things I hate. This is a state of grace. The beautiful kind, making up for lost time. Maybe the stars align.
I’ve been sleeping so long in a twenty year dark night, and now I see daylight. This is the golden age of something good and right and real. I’m making a comeback to where I belong.
Take me to the lakes, where all the poets went to die. Say a solemn prayer. Breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breathe out. This is the worthwhile fight. You’ll see me in hindsight.
PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY
PLAYLIST ON APPLE
ENDNOTES ARE IN THE ORDER OF THE SENTENCES/LYRICS THEY REPRESENT.
Taylor Swift, “New Romantics (Taylor’s Version),” 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023
Taylor Swift, “Labyrinth,” Midnights, Republic Records, 2022.
Taylor Swift, “Cruel Summer,” Lover, Republic Records, 2019.
Taylor Swift, “Sad Beautiful Tragic (Taylor’s Version),” Red (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2021.
Taylor Swift, “Clara Bow”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
Taylor Swift, “Ours (Taylor’s Version),” Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023.
Taylor Swift, “This Love (Taylor’s Version),” 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023.
Taylor Swift, “This Love (Taylor’s Version),” 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023.
Taylor Swift, “Peter”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
Big Red Machine featuring Taylor Swift, “Renegade,” How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?, 2021.
Taylor Swift, “The Prophecy”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
Taylor Swift, “The Lakes,” Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (From the Disney+ Special) [Deluxe Edition], Republic Records, 2020.
Taylor Swift, “But, Daddy I Love Him”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
Taylor Swift, “The Lucky One (Taylor’s Version),” Red (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2021.
Taylor Swift, “Better Than Revenge (Taylor’s Version),” Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023.
Taylor Swift, “Better Than Revenge (Taylor’s Version),” Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023.
Taylor Swift, “Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version),” Reputation (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023.
Taylor Swift, “Marjorie,” Evermore, Republic Records, 2020.
Taylor Swift, “New Romantics (Taylor’s Version),” 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023.
Taylor Swift, “Marjorie,” Evermore, Republic Records, 2020.
Taylor Swift, “Bejeweled,” Midnights, Republic Records, 2022.
Taylor Swift, “Call It What You Want,” Reputation, Big Machine Records, 2017.
Taylor Swift, “Gold Rush,” Evermore, Republic Records, 2020.
Taylor Swift, “New Year’s Day,” Reputation, Big Machine Records, 2017.
Taylor Swift, “August,” Folklore, Republic Records, 2020.
Taylor Swift, “Getaway Car,” Reputation, Big Machine Records, 2017.
Taylor Swift, “loml”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
Taylor Swift, “loml”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
Taylor Swift, “Karma,” Midnights, Republic Records, 2022.
Taylor Swift, “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince,” Lover, Republic Records, 2019.
Taylor Swift, “the 1,” Folklore, Republic Records, 2020.
Big Red Machine featuring Taylor Swift, “Renegade,” How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?, 2021.
Big Red Machine featuring Taylor Swift, “Renegade,” How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?, 2021.
Taylor Swift, “The Black Dog”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
Taylor Swift, “the 1,” Folklore, Republic Records, 2020.
Taylor Swift, “Ours (Taylor’s Version),” Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023.
Taylor Swift, “Ours (Taylor’s Version),” Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023.
Taylor Swift, “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
Taylor Swift, “New Romantics (Taylor’s Version),” 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023.
Taylor Swift, “The Prophecy”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
Taylor Swift, “Long Story Short,” Evermore, Republic Records, 2020.
Taylor Swift, “Look What You Made Me Do,” Reputation, Big Machine Records, 2017.
Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie, “ME!,” Lover, Republic Records, 2019.
Taylor Swift, “Blank Space (Taylor’s Version),” 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023.
Taylor Swift, “Willow (90’s Remix),” Evermore, Republic Records, 2020.
Taylor Swift, “Invisible String,” Folklore, Republic Records, 2020.
Taylor Swift, “I Hate It Here”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
Taylor Swift, “the 1,” Folklore, Republic Records, 2020.
Taylor Swift, “Forever & Always (Taylor’s Version),” Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2021.
Taylor Swift, “Innocent (Taylor’s Version),” Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023.
Taylor Swift, “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” Midnights, Republic Records, 2022.
Taylor Swift, “Paris,” Midnights (3am Edition), Republic Records, 2022.
Taylor Swift, “imgonnagetyouback”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
Taylor Swift, “The Tortured Poets Department”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
Taylor Swift featuring Bon Iver, “Exile,” Folklore, Republic Records, 2020.
Taylor Swift, “Snow on the Beach,” Midnights, Republic Records, 2022.
Taylor Swift, “Dorothea,” Evermore, Republic Records, 2020.
Taylor Swift, “Robin”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
Taylor Swift, “Daylight,” Lover, Republic Records, 2019.
Taylor Swift, “State of Grace (Taylor’s Version),” Red (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2021.
Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran, “Everything Has Changed (Taylor’s Version),” Red (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2021.
Taylor Swift, “Electric Touch (Taylor’s Version),” Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2023.
Taylor Swift, “Daylight,” Lover, Republic Records, 2019.
Taylor Swift, “State of Grace (Taylor’s Version),” Red (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2021.
Taylor Swift, “The Alchemy”, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Republic Records, 2024.
“The Lakes,” Folklore (Deluxe Version), Republic Records, 2020.
Taylor Swift, “The Great War,” Midnights (3am Edition), Republic Records, 2022.
Taylor Swift, “Labyrinth,” Midnights, Republic Records, 2022.
Taylor Swift, “State of Grace (Taylor’s Version),” Red (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2021.
Taylor Swift, “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version),” 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Republic Records, 2021.
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