Advertisement
  Table of content    
  1. 1. “It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me” “I’ll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror”
  2. 2. "You're on your own, kid-You always have been”
  3. 3. “Cause he was sunshine, I was midnight rHe wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain/He wanted a bride, I was making my own name” 
  4. 4. “Never take advice from someone who’s falling apart” 
  5. 5. "You did some bad things, but I'm the worst of them,"
  6. 6. “And I swear, I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian cause I care”  
  7. 7. “Every single thing I touch becomes sick with sadness, cause it's all over now, all out to sea” 
  8. 8. “You know there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love. The slowest way is never loving them enough” 
  9. 9. “God rest my soul, I miss who I used to be. The tomb won't close, stained glass windows in my mind”
  10. 10. “Spider boy, king of thieves / Weave your little webs of opacity 

All The Hurts Taylor Swift Suffered All The Time, Revealed In “Midnights” Album

16 years in the music industry, Taylor Swift has been releasing amazing songs like the storytelling of her own life. But Midnights – her 10th album – may be the most brutally introspective one.
The album trips with personal disdain wrapped up in classic Swiftian themes of love, heartbreak, and reputation. But while touching on personal gripes isn’t new to the canon of Swift, she lays herself truly bare like an exposed nerve in Midnights. So we’d examine the most beautifully self-loathing lyrics that expose all her hurts through the time in Midnight's album.

1. “It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me” “I’ll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror”

from “Anti-Hero”


“Anti-Hero” is the lead single released from Midnights. Swift is cut open, bleeding to the world in this song, proclaiming herself a “monster” in a sea of “sexy babies”. Among the catchy hooks and catchy choruses, however, are some very harsh declarations. She sings in resigned sighs lyrics like “did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism like some kind of congressman?” and “I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror”. Like a knife to the gut, “Anti-Hero” is an instant self-hate anthem for the ages.

2. "You're on your own, kid-You always have been”

from “You’re On Your Own, Kid”


There’s an isolation that comes with fame and ambition that Swift has sung about in previous records, but she lays every card on the table in “You’re On Your Own, Kid”. The song grapples with trying to find healing personal relationships when one of your eyes is on another prize. “I search the party of better bodies, just to learn that my dreams aren’t rare” speaks of the futility of celebrity and the realization that ambition in a small town loses weight when you get to the big city. Still, Swift knows this is part of her and has made reluctant peace with it as a bedfellow.
In a heartbreaking song that balances self-reflection and narrative, Taylor sings about searching for friendship and affection while grasping onto social capital ("I hosted parties") and societal beauty standards ("of better bodies") before concluding, "You're on your own, kid / You always have been."

3. “Cause he was sunshine, I was midnight rHe wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain/He wanted a bride, I was making my own name” 

from "Midnight Rain"


It is unfair to Taylor Swift when it comes down to the idea of painting herself as a victim, a perfect girl that men can’t wait to damage. Sure, there are a handful of songs where Swift is entirely blameless in her pain, but not in Midnight Rain. It’s not a nice feeling, but she’s resigned to it, knowing ultimately her cold-heartedness made way for her success instead of choosing her love.
Read more: Taylor Swift Writes About Her Feeling With Tom Hiddleston In "Midnight Rain"

4. “Never take advice from someone who’s falling apart” 

from “Dear Reader”


The final song from the complete 20-track version of Midnights (3am Edition) “Dear Reader” is a personal plea to the people who dissect every microcosm of Swift’s work. Never let it be said she doesn’t know her fanbase! She offers words of wisdom in verses that are completely invalidated by their chorus. “You, wouldn't take my word for it if you knew who was talking…No one sees when you lose when you're playing solitaire” paint a picture of a lonely Swift, chipped away over the years by her own misdeeds. Though consistently autobiographical, it’s impossible to know when exactly we’re meeting this Swift, whether it’s now, a year or a decade ago. “Dear Reader” feels like a plea for sympathy at the role she’s been thrust into as the omniscient narrator of so many of her fans’ lives.

5. "You did some bad things, but I'm the worst of them,"

from "Vigilante S--t"


Swift did not mince words when it came time to write "Vigilante S--t," her take on getting revenge after being scorned. "You did some bad things, but I'm the worst of them," Swift, presumably referencing her music battle with Scooter Braun and Big Machine Records' Scott Borchetta, sings. "Sometimes I wonder which onerealizee your last lie."

6. “And I swear, I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian cause I care”  

from “Mastermind”


“Mastermind” isn’t exactly crying on the floor, punching pillows self-loathing as much as Swift making a truce with the villainous parts of herself. It’s almost cheeky in its knowing connivery, revealing to a lover how their ‘love at first sight’ meeting was more intricately planned than they realise. “No one wanted to play with me as a little kid, so I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since to make them love me and make it seem effortless. Is this the first time I feel the need to confess?”. The song is comforting in its self-analysing, painting a picture of a romance solid enough not to be rocked by confessions of being sly. It’s always fun to hear Taylor Swift say she knows she’s a little bit crazy but owns it anyway.

7. “Every single thing I touch becomes sick with sadness, cause it's all over now, all out to sea” 

from “Bigger Than The Whole Sky”


It doesn’t get much more self-loathing than this. The idea that you can’t touch anything for fear of it breaking is self-hatred 101, but of course, Taylor Swift manages to expand it out with sweeping metaphors about fate and missed connections. “Bigger Than The Whole Sky” is a song about a great love cut short, with all the ‘maybes’ and ‘could haves’ that live in their wake. Swift places blame firmly on herself, shrinking herself down to raise up the one she’s wronged.

8. “You know there's many different ways that you can kill the one you love. The slowest way is never loving them enough” 

from “High Infidelity”


The song title is enough to know what this song is about. It’s a cheating anthem, a self-destructive jaunt through deliberately hurting your partner in the hopes they bite the bullet and fight back. “Do I really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?” and “Put on your records and regret me” beg for punishment, while theories are already swirling about just what happened, and with who, on “April 29th” because, as we know, nothing in a Taylor Swift lyric is accidental. 

9. “God rest my soul, I miss who I used to be. The tomb won't close, stained glass windows in my mind”

from “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”


Arguably one of the best-written songs off the album, “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” pairs regret and shame under the umbrella of religious allegory. It doesn’t get much more self-flagellating than that. Another song that's rife with rumours about who could have been the person in Swift’s life to damage her at 19, although all fan ire points to John Mayer. There’s a poisonous sting to the way she resents the loss of her past self as she sings lines like “I regret you all the time” and “give me back my girlhood, it was mine first”. Swift places blame on the person who maims her, of course, but reflects on her own mismanaged growth that’s come as a result. 

10. “Spider boy, king of thieves / Weave your little webs of opacity 

From "Karma"


Swift raised eyebrows in early October when she revealed the title of track 11, "Karma," with fans quickly theorizing that the song is about Kanye West. However, it could also be aimed at Braun and Borchetta over her masters battle. "Spider boy, king of thieves / Weave your little webs of opacity," she sings. "My pennies made your crown / Trick me once, trick me twice / Don't you know that cash ain't the only price? It's coming back around."
Aubtu.biz is a website that provides you with Entertainment updates and creative ideas to brighten your day. Don’t hesitate to visit our site to know more about updated celebrity and entertainment news.
Share this article
Advertisement
 
Advertisement