Taylor Swift's "But Daddy I Love Him" Lyrics Seem To Shade Swifties
Wait, is she singing about us?
Taylor Swift takes aim a lot of her enemies on The Tortured Poets Department, from recent exes to longtime rivals, but she also seems to turn her wrath onto an unexpected group: her own fans. Actually, maybe that isn’t all too unexpected. Swifties are known as one of the most passionate fanbases there is, and there are several instances where Swift’s superfans have gone too far in invading her personal life.
Now, it seems like Swift is firing back in her new song “But Daddy I Love Him,” which calls out the “bitchin’ and moanin’” from “judgmental creeps” who have so many opinions how she should live her life.
On first listen, the song’s true message may not be fully clear. The country-tinged love song imagines Swift as a lovestruck daughter from an overprotective family who has to fight to pursue a romance with the town outcast. Lyrically, it harkens back to one of Swift’s first big songs, “Love Story,” and — like much of Tortured Poets — seems to be inspired by Swift’s tempestuous relationship with Matty Healy.
The song’s true villain comes into full view around the bridge, when Swift shifts the focus to everyone on the sidelines criticizing her love life:
I'd rather burn my whole life down / Than listen to one more second of all this bitchin' and moanin' / I'll tell you somethin' 'bout my good name / It's mine alone to disgrace / I don't cater to all these vipers dressed in empath's clothing.
The “vipers” in question seem to be Swift’s fans, who loudly denounced Swift’s brief relationship with Healy in the summer of 2023. She goes on to brush off all the discourse Swifties have started over who she has or hasn’t dated in the past:
God save the most judgmental creeps / Who say they want what's best for me / Sanctimoniously performing soliloquies / I'll never see / Thinkin' it can change the beat / Of my heart when he touches me / And counteract the chemistry and undo the destiny / You ain't gotta pray for me / Me and my wild boy, and all of his wild joy / If all you want is gray for me / That's just white noise, that's just my choice.
Upon parsing the lyrics, Swifties realized their fave singer was sending them a tough but honest message about their behavior.
To sum it all up: Even Swift herself thinks Swifties need to calm down.
