We made it – the last track on the Midnights Album. Or I thought – and then she released ‘You’re Losing Me,’ and now I absolutely have to make a blog that discusses all of the lyrical parallels and have to make another image.
This song is actually my favorite of the 3am releases – and it contends for first place in the whole album. Although this song isn’t upbeat, lyrics have always been the root of cause of me really loving a song. These lyrics are pretty much everything to me.
Similar to It’s Time to Go – Dear Reader feels like her closest feelings being released into the open. It’s Time to Go releases a lot of information about her relationships, businesses relationships, and personal feelings about her career and friendships. Taylor definitely writes about her life, or aspects of it in every song, but I don’t necessarily think every song is tied to truth – more so as it ties to good storytelling. However, there are always a few songs on the albums she writes that are more honest to her actual life – and I think this is one of them.
Lyrical Interpretation
Dear reader
If it feels like a trap, you’re already in one
Dear reader
Get out your map, pick somewhere and just run
Dear reader
Burn all the files, desert all your past lives
And if you don’t recognize yourself
That means you did it right
Dear reader – is us, we are the ones reading and listening to her lyrics – but this begs the question, is there a book coming? For us to be real readers.
If it feels like a trap – to me – this is the realization of a bad choice, a gut feeling, something within you that you should trust. Past decisions and choices learned from but ignored during the moment. Our gut feeling is usually right, I’ve learned. Trust it – and take action. If you feel like you’ve been tricked – you probably have – and need to think of you and how to get yourself into a better situation.
Get out your map – pick somewhere and just run. This could be spontaneous action but I read it more as a metaphor. In Taylor’s past songs she talked about not being able to make rational decisions, or making too quick of decisions at midnight. So metaphorically I see this as – instead of being indecisive, perhaps about that tricked situation, make a plan and just take action – don’t prolong the pain. But it could be also just – do something spontaneous – rid the plans and perfection and just get away.. as we know she has done this in the past when she needs it.
Burn all your files – rid all your past lives. Rid the catalogue of the life that no longer serves you. Rid the memories of the people that hurt you – don’t fixate on them, and let them go. You are who you are now – and hopefully it’s someone different, someone new, someone who has grown from all your experiences than where you started out from. Which goes into the next line – if you dont recognize yourself, that means you did it right. Typically the phrase ‘I don’t recognize myself,’ is bad… like you’ve gotten far from your morality, however in this case I think she is referencing growth and change.
Never take advice from someone who’s falling apart
Never take advice from someone who’s falling apart
(You should find another)
I’ve thought about these lines for a long time – specifically because she continues to say the reader should find another guiding light. Is Taylor the one who is falling apart? Now? Or in the past? Or while she’s writing Midnights.
Honestly, since the release of ‘‘You’re Losing Me,’ I’ve been reflecting on this song the most. She and Joe were probably struggling for a year or two. Even the songs Bejeweled and Tolerate it, make a bit more sense in ties to that song. So a lyrical interpretation would be she listened to people in the past who were falling apart, but I kind of think she is referencing herself.
It makes me think about her NYU speech, she states
So how can I give advice to this many people about their life choices? I won’t
Taylor Swift – NYU Graduation Speech
She’s still learning and growing. She can’t possibly tell anyone what to do.
Dear reader
Bend when you can, snap when you have to
Dear reader
You don’t have to answer, just ’cause they asked you
(You should find another)
Dear reader
The greatest of luxuries is your secrets
Dear reader
When you aim at the devil make sure you don’t miss
Bend your ideals, perfections, compromises when you can. If you can make a compromise with someone that isn’t exactly what you wanted but is a step closer, make that bend – but snap if it’s something you can’t tolerate. Snap doesn’t mean to act out necessarily – I think it could also mean to stand for what is just or fair in your mind.
You don’t have to answer, just ’cause they asked you
Her entire life. Hell, her entire fanbase constantly speculates on her life. Her closest ‘fans’ call fanship yet make constant name dropping videos of her past love life. They constantly ask her about situations, but we know from the next lines, that her luxuries are her secrets… [also Taylor please change is your secrets to are your secrets, both luxuries and secrets are plural lol] But just because people want to know doesn’t give them a right to know. With all the speculation – she hasn’t said a word. Sometimes I see this as a flaw since our fanbase is chaotic but she’s right- it’s really not her problem…. but I wish she would just address things that are so outlandish but have become mainstream because people WRITE ARTICLES based on tiktok’s opinion.
The aim for the devil line is interesting for a song following Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve because of the line:
I would’ve stayed on my knees
And I damn sure never would’ve danced with the devil
At nineteen
Never take advice from someone who’s falling apart
Never take advice from someone who’s falling apart
and the best bridge in the whole album comes:
So I wander through these nights
I prefer hiding in plain sight
Taylor has hid from the public before so I kind of love this line. I know she has gotten pretty good with disguise. There were a ton of times Joe is spotted but the cameras never spotted Taylor. Contrary to Swifttok’s belief, that doesn’t mean she’s not there. But girl has gotten really good at hiding in public.
I do love the vision of a person walking down, maybe in a large sweater, with a drink in their hand down a road – freshly dampened by the rain. People see them and don’t recognize the silhouette. Hiding in plain sight. Not recognizable in character, action, or aesthetic. Just simply trying to be a human and exist without bother.
My fourth drink in my hand
These desperate prayers of a cursed man
Spilling out to you for free
This album and really any album since reputation made me realize how much Taylor likes drinking lol
Nothing New: I’ve had too much to drink tonight
End Game: I don’t wanna hurt you, I just wanna be drinking on a beach with you all over me
Delicate: We can’t make any promises now can we babe, but you can make me a drink
Gorgeous: You should take it as a compliment that I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk
Getaway Car: But you weren’t thinking, and I was just drinking
King Of My Heart: Up on the roof with a school girl crush, drinking beer out of plastic cups
Dress: I’m spilling wine in the bathtub, you kiss my face and we’re both drunk
Cruel Summer: I’m drunk in the back of the car and I cried like a baby coming home from the bar
Cornelia Street: We were in the backseat, drunk on something stronger than the drinks in the bar
Death By A Thousand Cuts: I get drunk but it’s not enough ‘cause the morning comes and you’re not my baby
London Boy: I enjoy walking SoHo, drinking in the afternoon
Cardigan: Dancing in your Levi’s, drunk under a streetlight
My Tears Ricochet: And you’re tossing out blame, drunk on this pain
Mirrorball: Drunk as they watch my shattered edges glisten
Ivy: Or dare to sit and watch what we’ll become and drink my husband’s wine
Question…?: It was one drink after another
The Great War: I drew curtains closed, drank my poison all alone
Paris: ‘Cause we were something else in an alleyway, drinking champagne
Dear Reader: I prefer hiding in plain sight, my fourth drink in my hand
I’ve been kind of banging my head trying to decipher this line:
These desperate prayers of a cursed man spilling out to you for free
desperate prayers – prayers coming out of desperation when in need -when it’s the last resort – of a cursed man – a man without any luck [who is this man] spilling out to you for free- so the words typically are paid for. The words are often appreciated, so you should listen to them if you get them with no cost – but if you knew who was actually talking [next lines] and knew the intention or heart of the words – you wouldn’t listen.
But darling, darling, please
You wouldn’t take my word for it
If you knew who was talking
Is Taylor the cursed man? We pay for her words and to listen to them – but if we knew her real self, not Taylor Swift trademarked, if we knew her true anxiety, life, love, depression, would we listen?
If you knew where I was walking
To a house, not a home, all alone ’cause nobody’s there
Where I pace in my pen and
My friends found friends who care
No one sees when you lose
When you’re playing solitaire
This is the most gut wrenching set of lines.
Im walking to a house not a home – no one is there –
This to me, doesn’t mean physically, and I don’t think it’s her current state. I think it’s more along the theme of midnights. As in, her depression and anxiety and obsession with work has left her feeling alone sometimes. And because she ‘paces her pen,’ and writes so often she forgets to check in on her friends and spend time with them, so they have moved on to more consistent people to count on.
However, a friend pointed out to me, WHERE I pace my pen could be a house, a cage, a place she cannot escape. Alone and locked in. Not able to actually hang out with others.
I wrote that previous verse before her new song came out. I think Dear Reader is the last track. You’re Losing Me, was probably the track before it. I’ve seen a lot of thoughtless tweets about how could this song be about Joe when it was supposed to be on the album. Here are a few responses to that: 1. It sounds like over the years the relationship was getting rocky. The fact that it’s, stop, you’re losing me, means she’s writing it while they are still an item but it’s feeling less and less. 2. We don’t actually know if this song was supposed to be on the album – however, with her 13/26 cake theory from I bet you think about me, it could have been. 3. In what world would this song not be about her relationship she just got out of – and this being her perfectly timed explanation for it. Taylor never does interviews or confirms or denies relationships – but she does address them in songs which could be taken several ways depending on who is listening.
You don’t have to answer, just cause they asked you [this line is constantly in my head]
She’s winning the game in her career, but alone and out of the spotlight she feels alone. We know this from Miss Americana. “Shouldn’t you have someone to call right now? God this is all you wanted.” Winning or losing alone, you are alone and no one can see you secret successes or your known failures because you have no one to show or tell them to. Now allegedly she has a new relationship that is seeming to fill her a bit more – happiness wise – so … I actually hope this song doesn’t resonate with her – yet I am still begging her to play this either June 2 or July 15 [lol].
You should find another guiding light
Guiding light
But I shine so bright
You should find another guiding light
Guiding light
But I shine so bright
You should find another
You should find another
Guiding light
But I shine so bright
You should find another
You should find another
The repetitiveness of this is important – kind of like the previous song.
I like this back and forth of you should find another guiding line, but I shine so bright.
Her name is in the stars, Lucky One, and her reputation is a spotlight at the moment – she knows she shines bright both in career, success, and fame, but also encourages us not to look into that so much. Not to idolize her, because she will let us down.
She isn’t going to come out for those who want her to be gay.
She isn’t going to be a headliner in politics.
She isn’t going to come out definitively with her relationship with Joe or Matty.
She’s going to let our expectations down – but that’s because through being burned – she’s learned privacy is how she can stay sane in this life.
So support her – but understand she is not an idol nor does she want to be.
Taylor does a lot with actions. Even with the LGBTQI community, she’s stated she’s an ally, and whether that’s true or not, we should take it for what it is. She has hired trans and minority representing dancers for her tour, her language even during Glendale ‘the guys and gals and nonbinary pals,’ is also a big deal. People want this performative bullshit of someone holding a flag, but if they do nothing beyond that, how does it help?
During this Era’s tour she has also donated to every city she has visited, while also bringing in SO MUCH BUSINESS… to the point cities have renamed themselves the day of her tour dates.
Photo Representation
On to the photo.
Like I said I imagined this down a street side walk, alone, in the dark, drink in hand. I did wish I had a rainy sidewalk but we are currently in a drought for a long time up here [lol] so that wasn’t going to happen and I didn’t want to waste water to make it be. The time Taylor reflects the most is at night – so those moments of silence and peace are the times I see her really reflecting on the content in this song.
Paige Young 