The Artwork For Taylor Swift's Newest Single Is SO Significant

We're well into a new era of Taylor Swift, y'all. And as any Swiftie knows, a new era means tons of new Easter eggs — it's honestly half the fun of being a fan. On Friday, June 14, Swift dropped her second single off of her upcoming album Lover, and it's no exception. The meaning behind Taylor Swift's "You Need To Calm Down" artwork is so significant.

In February of 2019, Taylor Swift fans started theorizing that the songstress had something big up her sleeve. That's because her Instagram page took on a completely different vibe — we went from the dark, brooding reputation theme to a photo of Swift in a soft, pastel blue dress. Anyone who doesn't know Swift well wouldn't think anything of the photo, but fans knew better. It was the beginning of a new era. Since then, she's littered her page in pastels and bright rainbow colors. All of this lead up to Swift's big album reveal, which came on June 13 (yes, 13 — another well-known Swift Easter egg). Swift took to Instagram live to announce that her album is called Lover, and it will be released on Aug. 23. She also revealed that another single called "You Need To Calm Down" would be dropping on June 14... and here we are.

Along with the new single, Swift shared this new artwork that shows swift in a bright, pink bikini surrounded by color — a yellow fence, blue and purple umbrellas, a blue trailer home, and lush, green mountains. But the real eye-catcher is the huge tattoo that covers most of Swift's back in the photo.

The tattoo depicts a snake in the center. This is big, because it symbolizes reputation. Who could forget Swift's huge snake, Karyn, who greeted fans at every show on the reputation tour? That album was all about, quite literally, Swift's reputation. She sang about drama, emotions, and the media. It was dark.

We see the snake in the tattoo surrounded by solid, black butterflies that almost look like they're emerging from the snake. This could literally depict a metamorphosis (reputation was Swift as a caterpillar, and Lover is Swift as a butterfly). It could mean that Swift is saying the past era of reputation is gone and she's making way for the new era of Lover.

This also isn't the first time we're seeing butterflies in all the new Taylor Swift ~content~. (Duh. This woman is deliberate with everything she does.) We've seem them all over her Instagram as early as March — on the back of her shoes, painted on buildings. On The Voice finale back in May, Swift took the stage with Brendon Urie to perform "ME!" What's just as big as that reputation snake set up behind her? Yep, it's a butterfly.

So, make way for another new Taylor. Whether you're a Swiftie or not, you can't deny that tons of thought goes into everything she puts out to her fans. Lover, I'm ready for ya.