All The Taylor Swift Songs That Hinted At Trouble With Joe Alwyn
Swifties have been waiting on tenterhooks since Taylor Swift announced at the 2024 Grammys that she'd be releasing her new album "The Tortured Poets Department" on April 19. Soon afterward, the "Cruel Summer" singer shared several versions of the cover art for the album on her Instagram, as well as the tracks, which include songs, "So Long, London," and "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys." As we all know, Swift loves to write about her relationships and breakups and it's pretty obvious that those songs are about her ex, Joe Alwyn. In fact, the album's name seems to be shade at Alwyn's group text name with his friends, which he revealed to be the Tortured Man Club, per Variety.
While fans have to wait for Swift's new album to drop to decipher all the lyrics and Easter eggs about Alwyn of her "Tortured Poets Department" songs, they can still go back in time and do some detective work to see what led up to their split. Swift likely left clues in her curated playlists for Apple Music, which are split into the five stages of grief — all named after her "TPD" songs. "Lover" is in the "denial" category and is definitely about Swift falling for the "Boy Erased" actor. However, songs in her "anger" and "acceptance" lists hint that cracks were forming in their relationship, eventually causing Swift and Alwyn's quiet breakup.
The Archer delves into Taylor Swift's insecurities about her relationships
Taylor Swift wrote "The Archer" while in her "Lover" era when she and Joe Alwyn were supposedly at the height of their relationship. Swift's romance timeline with Alwyn reportedly began in 2017, which she confirmed by sharing part of her diary entry in the album. "I'm essentially based in London, hiding out trying to protect us from the nasty world that just wants to ruin things. We have been together and no one has found out for 3 months now," the pop star wrote (via People). "The Archer" was released two years later and the lyrics show her vulnerability and worry at being left. She begs, "Help me hold on to you" several times in the song, as well as "Who could ever leave me, darling / But who could stay?" per Genius.
Post-breakup, The Swift Society shared a TikTok of Swift singing "The Archer" and making a face when she sang, "Who could ever leave me, darling," seemingly shading Alwyn. "she's really dragging him and i love it," a fan commented. The song happens to be in Swift's "Am I Allowed to Cry" Apple Music playlist, which she described as the "bargaining stage." She stated, "Times when you're trying to make deals with yourself, or someone that you care about. You're trying to make things better. You're oftentimes feeling really desperate because oftentimes we have a gut intuition that tells us things are not going to go the way that we hope which makes us more desperate which makes us bargain more."
Bejeweled is about Taylor Swift wanting to shine bright
Taylor Swift's relationship with Joe Alwyn was famously kept private, to the point where they never walked the red carpet together. The two were only seen together in public a handful of times and Swift's song "Bejeweled" from her "Midnights" album indicates a longing to break out and be noticed by the world. "Baby love, I think I've been a little too kind / Didn't notice you walkin' all over my peace of mind / In the shoes I gave you as a present / Puttin' someone first only works when you're in their top five / And by the way, I'm goin' out tonight," she sings (via Genius). Swift's lyrics hint that she's not Alwyn's priority once again with, "Don't put me in the basement / When I want the penthouse of your heart." She then shows that she wants to be in the spotlight again when she sings, "What's a girl gonna do? / A diamond's gotta shine."
In an interview with iHeartRadio (via Our Culture), Swift shared, "'Bejeweled' is a song that I think it's really about finding confidence when you feel that it's been taken away, for whatever reason. You know, you're feeling insecure, you're feeling taken for granted." A user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote, "I think bejeweled is about joe alwyn." A fan replied, "I am CONVINCED it is about him."
Taylor Swift released You're Losing Me after her breakup with Joe Alwyn
In May 2023, Taylor Swift shared her new song, "You're Losing Me"from the vault of her "Midnights" album, which was previously dropped in 2022. Although it was written at the time of the other tracks, it was pretty telling that she chose to release that particular breakup song with the heartbreaking lyrics shared by Genius, "Do I throw out everything we built or keep it? / I'm getting tired even for a phoenix / Always risin' from the ashes / Mendin' all her gashes / You might just have dealt the final blow." The final lyrics are, "Do something, babe, say something" (Say something) / Lose something, babe, risk something" (You're losin' me) / Choose something, babe, I got nothing" (I got nothing) / To believe unless you're choosin' me." Swift seems to be saying that she wants Alwyn to make a decision on the state of their relationship because she's giving up hope.
"You're Losing Me" is on the "Old Habits Die Screaming" Apple Music playlist, which is all about Swift's feelings of intense sadness and hopelessness. "While these things are really, really hard to go through, I often feel like when I'm either listening to songs or writing songs that deal with this intensity of loss and helplessness, usually that's in the phase where I'm close to getting past that feeling," she stated.
Peace shows Taylor Swift's worry that she can't give Joe Alwyn a normal life
"Peace" was one of the songs on Taylor Swift's "Folklore" album, which she wrote during the COVID-19 pandemic while in isolation. Three years before her reported breakup with Joe Alwyn, "Peace" indicates that she's doing her best to give him the private life that he wants but worries about coming up short. Swift sings (via Genius), "All these people think love's for show / But I would die for you in secret / The devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me / Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?" It's clear that Swift was devoted to Alwyn and hints at wanting to start a family with the lyrics, "Give you my wild / give you a child."
In an interview with Paul McCartney for Rolling Stone, Swift admitted that "Peace" was written about her life with Alwyn and how he shied away from fame. "I think that in knowing him and being in the relationship I am in now, I have definitely made decisions that have made my life feel more like a real life and less like just a storyline to be commented on in tabloids." She added, "That's what that song 'Peace' is talking about. Like, would it be enough if I could never fully achieve the normalcy that we both crave?"
The Great War is about a huge fight between Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn
Taylor Swift wrote "The Great War" for her "Midnights" album and it's about a blowout fight between her and Joe Alwyn that stemmed from her insecurities and trust issues. In the song, Swift admits that her past relationships haunt her and she sings, "And maybe it's the past that's talking / Screaming from the crypt / Telling me to punish you for things you never did / So I justified it," per Genius. She mentions, "Somewhere in the haze, got a sense I'd been betrayed," which is a clue the song is about Alwyn, as "Lavender Haze" has to do with her falling in love with the actor. "The Great War" ends with the couple making up and Swift believing that if they got through the fight, they would be together forever.
"The Great War" is in Swift's "Am I Allowed to Cry?" playlist. She is clearly bargaining with herself when she sings, "I vowed not to fight anymore / If we survived the Great War." The comparison of her and Alwyn's fight to World War I shows just how damaging it was and perhaps they never fully recovered from it, which led to their ultimate split.