Taylor Swift released a new album on Friday, April 19, 2024. However, most listeners aren’t loving a controversial line in her latest song, “I Hate It Here.” The singer sings about discontent in the track off of “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology,” a deluxe version of her new album.
The song also talks about the way our recollections are distorted by nostalgia. In it, Taylor Swift says she literally hates it here. The singer says she wants to return to an era that ended more than a century before her career began.
“My friends used to play a game where we would pick a decade we wished we could live in instead of this,” Swift sings in the track. “I’d say the 1830s, but without all the racists and getting married off for the highest bid.” Notably, the Civil War began in 1861, over 30 years after the decade Swift references in her song.
Slavery was still active in the United States at the time. Hence, the controversial line sparked outrage and fueled conversations about Swift’s lyricism. Users on X, formerly known as Twitter, reacted to Swift’s “I Hate It Here” lyrics, criticizing the song.
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“Y’all.. there are so many wrong things about this,” one user wrote while posting a screenshot of the song’s lyrics. “‘I’d say the 1830s but without all the racists’ now Taylor…” another user commented. However, Swifties on X defended the singer’s songwriting capabilities as a historical analysis.
“It’s an interesting commentary on how we sometimes idealize certain eras,” a user wrote. “Without fully considering the realities of living in them.”
Swift’s 11th album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” features 31 songs, including the 15-song deluxe version “The Anthology.” The album draws on heartbreak and coming-of-age, traditional themes for one of the world’s most famous songwriters.
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It’s unclear why the “woke” mob is upset about Taylor’s lyrics. However, most people think the outrage is unjustified and unreasonable. Besides the alleged racist lyrics, Taylor Swift’s album has been making rounds in the media for seemingly talking about her ex, Matty Healy.
Swift and Healy appeared to be in a short-lived romance in the spring of 2023 following her split with Alwyn. However, the talented singer confirmed neither her breakup with Alwyn nor her relationship with Healy. Since then, Swift and Travis Kelce have been in a relationship and have spoken openly about their relationship.
Rumors of a romance between Swift and Healy became public in May 2023, weeks after Swift and Alwyn reportedly broke up. It wasn’t the first time, either: rumors speculating the two musicians were together date back to 2014. However, last spring’s pairing was more overt.
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The two stepped out and held hands in New York in May. Furthermore, the then-couple appeared to communicate onstage, per a TikTok compilation of two concerts. During a May 3 concert in Manila, Philippines, Healy seemingly sent a message to Swift.
He mouthed, “This is about you. You know who you are. I love you,” into a camera. Days later, while performing in Nashville, Swift also looked into a camera, reportedly mouthing the same message.
In “The Tortured Poets Department,” a titular song, Swift describes someone falling asleep next to her “like a tattooed golden retriever.” Notably, Healy has many tattoos. Alwyn, on the other hand, has no visible tattoos. Hence, fans believe the singer was talking about her ex.
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