Ok, so you know the folklore love triangle? (Betty, james and august story)
So I read somewhere a theory that changed my whole perspective on the story and the album in general. I really wish I could give the person who discovered that credit but I have no idea who is it.
So basecly the theory is that the WHOLE album is a story, and the love triangle is just a part of it.
Now I'll go through the songs in the order of them in the story and explain them:
August (august pov): james and august's summer and how it meant a lot to august but nothing to james.
Mirrorball (august pov): august is trying to impress by being something she's not and trying to seem cool.
Betty (james pov): james comes to betty's party and tell her that he want her back and the summer didn't mean anything to him.
Illicit affairs (august pov): august understands how toxic was what she had with james and how wrong was the way he treated her, but she still can't get over him and what they had.
Cardigan (Betty pov): after they graduating, betty realises that james treated her very badly and that he really messed up.
Exile (both james and betty's povs): betty is breaking up with james.
The 1 (Betty pov): betty is starting a new page with herself and although she understands that her relationship with james wasn't right, she still wonders what would it be like if it worked out.
This is me trying (james pov) james is desperately trying to get betty back and to make things right but he can't.
Peace (james pov): james decided that he needs to go away from the city and to join the military so both he and betty could have peace.
Epiphany: james dies in the war.
My tears ricochet (james pov I think): betty attends James's funeral and feeling guilty about not making things right with him before it was too late.
Hoax (betty pov): betty can't get over james death and it turns her insane.
Mad woman (betty's pov): betty is moving to a new town where everyone thinks she's crazy.
Now there's a pause on betty's story and two songs that seem unrelated, but it will be clear in the last song.
Seven: taylor swifts childhood and early life.
Invisible string: taylor swifts adult love life and how all along through her bad relationships and mistakes she was tied to her true lover (aka joe).
Now we're left with one song, the last great America dynasty.
I thing this is the story that beautifully ties it all together.
The song is about rebecah, the last owner of the house taylor swift lives in now. It talks about how she seemed crazy to the rest of the town, and how taylor bought the house 50 years later.
The crazy thing is that rebecah was an actual person, and she went by betty. So the album might tell the story of her life and how it all ties together like an invisible string(!!).
I don't know if this theory is true, but thinking about this story while listening to the album is insane. There are so many connections between the songs and if you'd like I can do another post about where in the lyrics you can see the story.
This is by far my favorite ts theory.
pixelskylines
prguitarman
baratheonpilled
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