Taylor Swift: Poetry and Catharsis

Taylor Swift, An American Poet (Deposit Photos)

Taylor Swift transcends her status as a pop icon. She's an American poet whose songs delve into various American personas, simultaneously capturing individual experiences and universal themes. She is good for women everywhere. Her examination of human emotions, encompassing childhood, grief, resilience, and the intricate nature of fame and public scrutiny, are examples of how music and poetry are expressive art where we can experience healthy emotional expression and healing through art. In this post, I examine how Swift expresses universal themes through songs such as "The Best Day," "No Body, No Crime" and "Marjorie."

Nostalgic Warmth of Childhood in "The Best Day"

"The Best Day" is definitely up there as one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs. This song evokes memories of some of my days on Long Island, with my own mom and my family. One of memories that comes up for me, is a day we spent on Montauk Point. My mother took my younger brother and me out there for the day. It was such a fun break in our routine. I was about 12, and my younger brother was about 8. I remember the sun and the ocean breeze on my skin and the beachy smell. We had such a calm day together, although, of course, not all days were calm in my house. Plenty of yelling and anger as well. But, looking back as an aadult, I can understand more of what stresses there were. Taylor's song evokes a positive time. I miss my mother deeply. She died after a long bout with dementia. I also miss the simplicity of my childhood self. Although I do not want to go back, and at 68, I'm a happy adult, Taylor's deeply felt nostalgic thank you to her mother and family help me revisit and appreciate that time.

Taylor sings about the safety and love and she felt as a child, surrounded by her family, with her mother as the generative center of that circle of warmth and love. With simple yet exacting prose, Taylor captures the thoughts of her childhood world when she sings about the leaves changing in the fall and Snow White is still a reality whether she is nearby or not... But she knows her world is full of love and happiness.

"I don't know why all the trees change in the fall

But I know you're not scared of anything at all

Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away

But I know I had the best day with you today..."

"The Best Day" is a masterpiece about nostalgia, family love, and differing persepectives as we age. Offered in this song is the knowledge that our families are not perfect, but it is the secure base from which we start. And as adults, we can look back and glean the love.

"And now I know why the all the trees change in the fall

I know you were on my side

Even when I was wrong..."

This is a beautiful example of the complexity of family and love how we can feel many things at the same time and our persepctives change and that this is ok.

Fantasies of Revenge and Justice in "No Body, No Crime"

"No Body, No Crime" is a fun country song about cheating, revenge fantasy and the bonds of female friendship. The lyrics are delivered with fun tight musical pacing and in a twangy, country storytelling way. As if she's telling a female confidante, Taylor tells the story of her best friend Este and her cheating and murderous husband, and how the sisterhood came together to exact and cover up their revenge.

So many levels to this song! Este in the song is named after Este Haim, who is part of Taylor's tight posse of women friends. This detail reinforces the other facets of sisterhood in the song, such as the narrator using her skills as a boat driver and cleaning woman to cover up their revenge. The women in this story are skilled and empowered. Taylor cooks up a cathartic revenge fantasy for those times we cannot seek retribution in any real way. Art can be healing.

"Good thing my daddy made me get a boating license when I was fifteen

And I've cleaned enough houses to know how to cover up a scene

Good thing Este's sister's gonna swear she was with me ("She was with me dude")

Good thing his mistress took out a big life insurance policy

They think she did it but they just can't prove it

They think she did it but they just can't prove it

She thinks I did it but she just can't prove it

No, no body, no crime"

This song has a dark theme, but musically, it's fun and rollicking. It's a cathartic piece of expressive art; it's a safe way to experience dark emotions and allows women to fantasize about revenge, and work through disempowering experiences that just cannot be rectified in a physical way. And life goes on and we cry and then laugh with our sisterhood.

Grief and Loss in "Marjorie"

"Marjorie" is a moving song about Taylor's grief for and memories of her late grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, who was an opera singer. It's musically etheral, with Taylor's voice simply singing. Taking this tribute to the next level, Taylor integrated Marjorie's vocals with her own voice in the outro.

The complexity of grief, so mixed with regret, love and sensory memory, is masterfully conveyed with deceptively simple lyrics. We all have the experience of having such a trong sensory memory of the perosn we are grieving is actually speaking to us, it feels so real. Yes, as she says, they are alive in our heads.

"And if I didn't know better

I'd think you were listening to me now

If I didn't know better

I'd think you were still around

What died didn't stay dead

What died didn't stay dead

You're alive, you're alive in my head

What died didn't stay dead

What died didn't stay dead

You're alive, so alive"

Once again, Taylor writes about her individual experience, yet elevates this to a universally lived experience . People are really moved by this song and this helps cope with the experience of grief. Taylor played it during the Eras Tour and the response of the audience was enormous (but the response to the whole tour was enormous)....

Final Thoughts

Taylor Swift’s work changed as she grew as a person and artist. She morphed from country music to pop music. Her lyrics create a story line and also carry a multitude of emotions. Her work reflects themes of development of the self, emotional maturity, growth and strength in the face of loss and disappointment. Her lyrics are deeply personal, but yet are universally complex emotional themes, making her work cathartic and empowering at the same time. Her exploration of themes such as childhood, revenge, grief, resilience and complex relationships creates stories that resonate deeply with a large and diverse audience.

Taylor manages to both entertain us and articulate shared human experiences. She simultaneously offers solace with her words and positive energy with her music and dancing, to her listeners. Through her storytelling and music, she expresses a powerful voice for a generation, capturing the essence of the human experience in all its complexity.