(c) Taylor Swift/YouTube
Swifties made enough noise after the final curtain of The Life of a Showgirl, so now an Encore is happening!
Taylor Swift dropped deluxe EP The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore early Friday, an extension release of her record-breaking 2025 album. And with it came four brand new songs.
Related: Patient Zero Music Video Stars Two BIG Movie Stars!
Earlier this week, when announcing the news, Taylor told fans via social media:
“I took a trip to Sweden to celebrate with Max and Shellback, my two collaborators on this album. Really we just wanted to reflect and take in how grateful we were for the moment we were in, but there was a studio there and we did what we do when we feel anything at all: We wrote more songs. I hope you love them, because they were born out of pure gratitude for your exuberance for and celebration of the album we made.”
See the post in full below:
Now it’s out, so let’s dive in…
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First we have Patient Zero.
This is a song about a woman who goes through love bombing with a man, gets her heart broken, and then later provides refuge to another woman who’s now experiencing the same heartache from the same man.
The woman, who refers to herself as “patient zero,” and the new girlfriend now bond and share stories about their experiences with the guy:
“If you wanna party with somebody who might know
About the devil on his shoulder under his halo
When the toxins take their hold, you’d rather die than let it go
But if you’re sick of him, I got you, I was patient zero
I’ve gotta be honest, I’ve been expecting your call
No, it’s not a bad time at all
I heard somebody saying there’s trouble in paradise”
The song goes on to lament how charming the dude is in the beginning, how shiny he seems only to realize the glow he’s exuding is the reflection of the woman’s own spirit that he’s essentially siphoning, etc. Read the lyrics in full here.
There are fan theories about who this one might be inspired by, but the most prominent speculation that’s being reported across the internet in multiple entertainment outlet articles speculates the alleged inspiration is Taylor’s friendship with Sophie Turner. The two were seen hanging out after Sophie separated from Joe Jonas — one of Taylor’s first Hollywood boyfriends.
Related: Sophie Confirms Taylor Let Her Live In NYC Apartment Amid Divorce
Now, it’s important to note Taylor has not confirmed this, and no matter who it’s inspired by — if anyone IRL — inspiration does not always mean each and every lyric happened IRL. You know all those movies based on books? And how they take some of the book but then basically make their own story for artistic purposes? Keep that in mind for any song about anyone from any artist!
Okay, this one is more straightforward.
In Cleveland! our lady of lore alludes to her critics — specifically the ones who joined the hate train after she started dating Travis Kelce — and essentially laughs them off because Trav is a fan and that’s all that matters!
After noting criticisms of her dancing and haters’ mean remarks about her style, etc., she sings:
“But my baby likes what he likes, oh-woah, oh-oh
He already took me to Cleveland
And showed me The Heights, so hate all you like
This is the love of my life, hey, hey, hey
The taste of me is acquired, but it’s his favorite dish”
She then hits back at claims she’s fake and says “hate all you like” because now she’s “wearing white” (got the ring and married him). Read the lyrics in full here.
Sooo, this one is a little more mysterious, but not entirely.
Pink Clouding basically sounds like an apology letter to a past lover.
Their experience was rich and intense, as evident in the opening lyrics describing their love’s awakening as a “magenta sunrise” with “fuschia forever intertwined”. But then you realize the song’s about to take a turn when it’s admitted, “neither of us knew at the time that I was a liar.”
“And it was so good
Letting you want me, so good
To make promises, promises, promises
But I was pink clouding from the thrill of it
Skydiving as you wrapped your arms around my body
Gray rockin’ where the arrow hit
Years later, I still wonder how to tell you sorry”
The song continues with more reflection and hope that the relationship didn’t leave permanent scars on a good guy, and that the timing of their relationship really just wasn’t right.
Fans believe this one may be inspired by her time with Tom Hiddleston. He was clearly smitten with her when they dated in the summer of 2016, but she never seemed as into him — most likely because she was still healing from her breakup with Calvin Harris. She even sings, “you met me at a cursed time.”
There were even reports at the time that he wanted to bring her as his date to that year’s Emmys ceremony, even walking the red carpet together, but that reportedly made her realize it was time to end things.
Another clue it’s about Tom? One of the lyrics mentions “crimson,” and he had starred in the gothic horror film Crimson Peak the year prior. Read the full lyrics here.
Fortunately, Tom has since moved on and healed. He’s now engaged to British actress and playwright Zawe Ashton, and they share two children together.
You know all those nostalgia videos you see on social media? Especially the ones with that hypnotizing Aquatic Ambience song playing? How it almost hurts to hear it because you know you’re gonna be transported back to a time that seemed simpler and calmer in retrospect? Yeah, well, don’t give in to them too much or you might miss the beauty of the present and find yourself forever longing for something else. If anything, those videos should teach viewers the lesson to enjoy the here-and-now because you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s packed up, gone, and in the rearview mirror.
And that’s essentially what Babylon is about — not those viral videos, specifically, but the self-sabotaging behavior of always longing for a different person or a different time and watching your life pass by while you do it.
This song registers to us as more of a fictional story, in line with some of her storytelling from Folklore and Evermore, with lyrics like:
“And though the box is wrapped up nice, it’s just a cage to you
Those electric fences buzz
The stallion flees the stable
And that small town’s even smaller now in your rear view
You ran with all the wild things
A liberated libertine who then longed for home
‘Cause it’s where you’re from
Aunt Virginia with a church dress on
No elbows on the table
And the neighbor’s lawn always looked better
And you hate this song
But you wake up on the train with your headphones gone
Then that melody is all you want
You never knew that it was Babylon
Til it was gone”
In those lyrics it’s understood that someone left their small town for the big city in hopes of a brighter life, only to ultimately feel caged by it, longing now for the home they left behind.
The story continues in more detail, describing a character who can’t fully appreciate the woman they’re talking to, can never dignify their relationship with something serious, etc. while living a life they’re never satisfied in because the default is to long for what you don’t have.
The song’s final act feels like a gut punch when it’s sung:
“You’re using nostalgia as a weapon to hurt yourself
But darling, you end up hurting everybody else
The self-harm of never being where you are
It’s bedtime, but you’re sitting in your car
You’re missin’ all the best parts
And they’re all at home
She’s hangin’ Christmas lights with your son”
OOF. Big wake up call to anyone who needs to hear it!!
Read the lyrics in full here.
So that’s all of ’em, folks! All four new songs from Ms. Swift.
Which is your favorite? Let us know and drop your own theories in the comments below!
[Image via Taylor Swift/YouTube.]