Taylor Swift’s12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, has set the internet alight, as Swifties react with shock and delight to some of the singer’s most intimate and revealing lyrics to date.
From Swift turning herself into a mafia boss on “Father Figure” to the emotional outro to the album’s titular track, Newsweek has compiled some of the albums most striking lyrics, and the viral reactions from fans.
Why It Matters
The Life of a Showgirl marks Swift’s first album release since her record-breaking Eras Tour—the highest-grossing tour in history—wrapped in December.
To say that the album was eagerly anticipated would be an understatement, with the record having become the most pre-saved in Spotify history, passing 5 million before it was even released. In true Swiftie fashion, social media has fast become inundated with fans combing through each lyric of the 12-track record for Easter eggs about Swift’s life, double entendres, and hints at who certain tracks might be about.
What To Know
As social media lights up with reactions to the record, here are some of the album’s standout lyrics and reactions from fans.
“I can make deals with the devil because my d***’s bigger” – Father Figure
Already one of the most debated songs on the album, the fourth track interpolates George Michael’s 1987 hit of the same name. The track appears to have Swift transform into a mob boss of the music world.
Posts about the lyric have amassed hundreds of thousands of views on X, while the TikTok creator Cassiesbooktok shared a clip of her reacting to the song, with the text overlay “POV: me when I got to THAT line in father figure,” which sees her respond in shock, and has been viewed over 390,000 times at time of writing.
The line turns into “You made a deal with this devil, turns out my d***’s bigger, ” possibly a reference to Swift buying back her masters in May.
“I heard you called me boring Barbie when the Coke’s got your brave” – Actually Romantic
The track “Actually Romantic has been regarded by many as a diss track of sorts, and while some are speculating over who the song is about, others have gleefully responded to some of the sharper lyrics.
The artist Nicki Minaj wrote on X in a post viewed over 950,000 times “Taylor said “I heard you called me boring Barbie when the Coke’s got your brain”. Why all the SAG’s giving out lashings tonight? Oh wow.” @ughnotjas posted a TikTok video, viewed over 280,000 which has the text overlay, “Whoever it’s about, she’s wacking them real good idc.” One post, viewed over 490,000 times on X quoted the lyric, next an image of the artist Kendrick Lamar from the Super Bowl as he performed his grammy-winning diss track, “Not Like Us.”
“His love was the key that opened my thighs” – Wood
“Wood,” the ninth song on Swift’s album, is innuendo-filled and has been met with a somewhat rabid response from fans.
TikTok creator Cassiesbooktok shared a clip reacting to the lyric where she is grinning and pointing at the camera, with the text overlay “These lyrics?!”. That clip has been viewed over 200,000 times as of reporting. @polloconv0dka wrote on X, “GIRL WHAAAAATTT???!!!” in a post viewed over 160,000 times.
The song is rife with sexual innuendo—”The curse on me was broken by your magic wand”—and has a few references to fiancé Travis Kelce—”New heights of manhood,” in reference to the NFL star’s podcast New Heights.
One X user cheekily asked: “OK MISS GIRL. Tell us what you’re really thinking, sister!”
“Forgive me, it sounds cocky,” sings Swift, summing up…
“I had a bad habit of missing lovers past. My brother used to call it, ‘Eating out of the trash'” – Opalite
The opening lyric of the third song, “Opalite,” has also caused quite the stir among Swifties.
One post on X, viewed over 150,000 times, read “HOLD ONNN!! SHE SAID “I had a bad habit of missing lovers past.. MY BROTHER USED TO CALL IT EATING OUT OF THE TRASH!!!!” OHH AUSTIN SWIFT I WAS NOT AWARE OF YOUR POWERS!.” One social media user replied to that post, “honestly this might be my favorite lyric of the album… Still undecided but regardless it’s absolute fire.”
“Every eldest daughter was the first lamb to the slaughter,” – Eldest Daughter
The fifth song on any Taylor Swift record is known as being the most emotional, and “Eldest Daughter” appears to be no different.
This lyric has seen emotional reactions from fans. @madsrry shared a video to TikTok with the text overlay of the lyric, responding in shock, which was viewed 60,000 times, while @katherinezaino shared a video on TikTok, dramatically crying to the song, which was viewed over 150,000 times.
The Ending of The Life of a Showgirl
The outro of the titular track and final song on the album has Swifties in their feels, as it used audio from Swift’s Eras Tour.
@cowboylikezain wrote in a post on X, viewed 140,000 times, “i was not prepared for the eras tour outro on the life of a showgirl ARE YOU KIDDING ME,” while @shookswifite wrote on X “WAIT THE OUTRO OF THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL.”
What’s Next
Swift will appear on the U.K.’s The Graham Norton Show on Friday, and she will join Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show on Monday.
