By Maya Bourne
“The Lakes” is a beautiful lyrical song by Taylor Swift, illustrating the desire to escape a difficult world and live in a poetic wonderland. With expertly written lyrics, Swift paints vivid imagery in the mind of the listener: a tranquil, whimsical lake with vibrant greenery and a peaceful couple sitting and watching the sunset. This song also relates to Swift’s own life and reflection on past experiences. Truly, “The Lakes” is a fantastic piece of poetry and music, bringing life into the mind of a yearning soul.
“The Lakes”
-Taylor Swift
Is it romantic how all my elegies eulogize me?
I’m not cut out for all these cynical clones
These hunters with cell phones
Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die
I don’t belong, and my beloved, neither do you
Those Windermere peaks look like the perfect place to cry
I’m setting off, but not without my muse
What should be over burrowed under my skin
In heart-stopping waves of hurt
I’ve come too far to watch some namedropping sleaze
Tell me what are my words worth
Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die
I don’t belong, and my beloved, neither do you
Those Windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry
I’m setting off, but not without my muse
I want auroras and sad prose
I want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet
‘Cause I haven’t moved in years
And I want you right here
A red rose grew up out of ice frozen ground
With no one around to tweet it
While I bathe in cliffside pools
With my calamitous love and insurmountable grief
Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die
I don’t belong, and my beloved, neither do you
Those Windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry
I’m setting off, but not without my muse
No, not without you
- “Is it romantic how all my elegies eulogize me?”: An elegy is a sad poem, and a eulogy is a tribute to someone who has died. The use of both of these words together probably relates to her history of writing breakup songs and the deaths of her past relationships.
- “These hunters with cell phones”: The “hunter” Swift alludes to is probably Hollywood in general, criticizing cancel culture after the events of Reputation and the drama between her and Kanye West.
- “Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die”: The “lakes” refer to the Lake District in England, which is known as the most romantic place in the UK.
- “Those Windermere peaks look like the perfect place to cry”: Windermere Lake is the largest lake in England, and its “peaks” are the mountains that dominate the landscape.
- “I’m setting off, but not without my muse”: A muse is something or someone who inspires a work of art. Swift uses her real relationships in her songwriting and uses the word to connect herself to romantic poets and artists.
- “What should be over burrowed under my skin”: Swift uses the opposites of “over” and “under” to illustrate how she dwells on past situations while alluding to the Victorian Era, which used this style frequently.
- “In heart-stopping waves of hurt”: This specific lyric is used to show the extreme emotional distress Swift experiences while utilizing vivid imagery, much like the romantic poets she connects with.
- “I’ve come too far to watch some namedropping sleaze/Tell me what are my words worth”: This lyric may be used to criticize Scooter Braun, who bought the rights to her former record label without allowing her the opportunity to purchase her music. This line may also be an allusion to her “Reputation” era, specifically in the song “I Did Something Bad,” where she says “If he drops my name then I owe him nothing”.
- “I want auroras and sad prose”: Aurora is referencing the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, which is visible in the Lake District she speaks of. Prose is a spoken or written language that follows the natural flow of speech and uses regular grammatical structures. It is different than traditional poetry, which normally utilizes rhyme schemes. This lyric may show a yearning for more beautiful and whimsical things rather than the traditional path.
- “I want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet”: Wisterias are plants, originating from Asia and the U.S. They can be anywhere from a small weed to a massive tree. They have hanging purple and lilac flowers, and grow very vigorously. The plant can become fatal to the trees it entangles, however, if it is left unchecked. The lyric shows Swift’s desire to settle down and put down roots in one place, letting a new life and lover entangle her own.
- “A red rose grew up out of ice frozen ground/With no one around to tweet it”: This lyric may be another reference to her “Reputation” era, and how she was frozen for a while after the drama with Kanye West, and her growth in its aftermath. It also references the popular philosophical thought of “if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”