Lyrics from ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ that fall short of Taylor Swift’s poetic reputation

For nearly twenty years, Taylor Swift has been celebrated for her songwriting skills, which have fluctuated between good and great. Many believe that Swift’s lyrics peaked with her 2020 sister records, Folklore and Evermore, and we agree. But ever since Midnights, her lyrical artistry has taken a downward turn, and her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, proves this with its subpar lyrics.

The Life of a Showgirl is lyrically and sonorously bland, leading Swift’s artistic integrity to take a dip. Fans have criticised her for allegedly adding racial undertones to her track “Opalite”, which seems to be about Travis Kelce’s ex-girlfriend, Kayla Nicole, a black celebrity. The lyrics of the song draw a juxtaposition between Opalite’s whiteness, lightness and happiness, and Onyx’s blackness, darkness and sadness — something which hasn’t sat well with her listeners.

Now, media scrutiny is nothing new for Swift, who has always borne the worst of it. The billionaire musician has carried on with good work despite criticism and backlash in the past.

However, The Life of a Showgirl is not Swift’s best work in terms of lyrics. It’s lyrically her weakest work so far. Many fans are also disappointed that the aesthetic of the album doesn’t match its music and lyrics.

Also read: Where is Lee’s Summit, the place where Travis Kelce proposed to Taylor Swift?

Key issues with the lyrics of The Life of a Showgirl

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Art should have meaning, and Taylor Swift has completely butchered this idea with some of the lyrics on The Life of a Showgirl.

Some of the main issues with the album’s lyrical quality are:

1. Overly simplistic rhyme scheme
2. Too much colloquial slang that takes away from the language’s depth
3. It feels dumbed down; the lyricism has lost all its complexity
4. Too much phallic imagery
5. A writer taking their audience for granted, thinking they’ll lap up anything, so let’s not bother putting in any effort

Don’t believe us? Take a look at the worst lyrics from The Life of a Showgirl.

These lyrics from Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl don’t pass the vibe check

1. Track 10, “CANCELLED!”

Did you girlboss too close to the sun?
Did they catch you having far too much fun?

Apart from the preschool rhyme scheme that’s prominent throughout the album, these lyrics are an insult to Icarus. It feels like Swift, in her mission to stay relevant, has tried too hard to incorporate Gen-Z slang in her lyrics, which is not a good move for an artist of her standing.

2. Track 9, “Wood”

Forgive me, it sounds cocky
He ah-matized me and opened my еyes
Redwood tree, it ain’t hard to see
His love was thе key that opened my thighs

No. Just, no.

Phallic metaphors and wordplay are not classy, never were, never will be. What do you mean, this is the same songwriter who wrote, “Is it romantic how all my elegies eulogize me?” These have to be the worst set of lyrics on The Life of a Showgirl.

3. Track 7, “Actually Romantic”

And I know you think it comes off vicious
But it’s precious, adorable
Like a toy chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purse
That’s how much it hurts

Remember when Regina George accuses Janis of being a lesbian who is “obsessed with her” in Mean Girls (2004)? Yeah, that’s what this sounds like.

Swift’s fans speculate that “Actually Romantic” is about Charli xcx, as the lyrics address an unnamed singer who is obsessed with her. An artist like Taylor Swift should be paving the way for younger artists; instead, she’s mindlessly feuding with them.

Neither star has addressed the rumoured diss track.

4. Track 5, “Eldest Daughter”

Everybody’s so punk on the internet
Everyone’s unbothered ’til they’re not
Every joke’s just trolling and memes
Sad as it seems, apathy is hot
Everybody’s cutthroat in the comments
Every single hot take is cold as ice

This sounds like some Tumblr post by a fourteen-year-old who thinks they’re too cool, too weird and too deep for others to understand. *Insert Cole Sprouse “I’m weird” gif*

The name of the song also feels like it was decided not because it was an integral experience but because it was trending. The eldest daughter discourse has been trending on social media for a long time, and this just feels like it was an attempt to capitalise on that.

Also, using words like “girlboss” and “bad bitch” is peak white feminism; Taylor do better. And again, the rhyme scheme is just ‘ab; ab’.

5. Track 1, “The Fate of Ophelia”

Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes

You read this and wonder if Swift dumbed down the album deliberately.

In the title track, Swift sings of her heart being saved “from the fate of Ophelia,” an apparent reference to her fiancé, Kelce. Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet is known for tragically drowning after enduring rejection by Hamlet and his murder of her father. However, the Ophelia metaphor doesn’t work here since Ophelia’s tragedy is all about how women have no agency. Compared to which, being unsuccessful in love is somewhat trivial.

6. Track 12, “The Life of a Showgirl”

Do you wanna take a skate on the ice inside my veins?

Another “I’m 14 and this is deep” moment. Sigh.

7. Track 11, “Honey”

And the b*tch was telling me to back off
‘Cause her man had looked at me wrong

The biggest issue with the line is that Taylor, a “feminist”, is referring to another woman derogatorily when throughout history the word has been used by men to defame, harass and insult women. No amount of “reclamation” can rid the word of its context and historical verbal violence, especially when women use it against other women the same way men do.

8. Track 2, “Elizabeth Taylor”

Babe, I would trade the Cartier for someone to trust (Just kidding)

Using brand names, social media or anything contemporary in your writing is tricky because it can become off-putting and cringe very quickly. “CANCELLED!” refers to Gucci; here it’s Cartier. Swift is reaching new levels of cringe because again, what is this middle-school writing? There’s nothing “English-teacher” about this.

9. Track 8, “Wi$h Li$t”

Got me dreaming ’bout a driveway with a basketball hoop (Hoop)
Boss up, settle down, got a wish (Wish) list (List)

Symbols like “white picket fence” mean something because there’s a legacy, an aspiration and a dream behind them. There are years and years of historical context. This line feels like Swift thought, “Oh, ‘white picket fence’ would be too cliche, let me think of something’ and came up with this.

The symbol doesn’t evoke a dream, a memory, or an aspiration. It’s useless.

10. Track 4, “Father Figure”

I’ll be your father figure, I drink that brown liquor
I can make deals with the devil because my d*ck’s bigger

Again, with the phallic references and middle school rhyme scheme.

Sometimes, it’s okay not to release an album every year. Sometimes, it’s okay to take some time, hone your craft and give the people who adore and admire you something worth their devotion and adulation.

Hero and Featured image credit: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott via Instagram/Taylor Swift

Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.