Been kinda shy about posting my thoughts on things lately, but screw it.
I (as I’ve shared with a few people—they know who they are) think that folklore is about Swiftgron AND Kaylor (if you follow those master posts, it will make more sense) because “folklore” is about a love triangle and Taylor said evermore was the sister album (aka part 2). So she uses folklore to tell the first part of the story (the past) and segues into evermore to give us the rest.
Gonna be blunt here: if you don’t care to hear/read any mention about Swiftgron, this probably isn’t your post. Likewise, if you think songs can only be about Scott/Scooter, this isn’t the post for you either. Not trying to be rude or take shots at anyone else’s opinion—which we are all entitled to and I respect, but I’m just saying not to waste your time reading this long ass post if that’s the case (lol).
Again, this post is my personal opinion. I am not presenting any of this as a fact. Any mention of a Kaylor/Swiftgron relationship is alleged. (Before anyone tries to come for me. Lol)
Also—I don’t really concern myself with when she wrote a song. Because she probably writes songs all the time. I think it’s when she actually puts them on albums that kinda matters more. Especially if it fits the concept she’s going for or story she’s telling on her albums.
Finally—we all know by now that what Taylor has said in interviews and such about her songs/music is different than what she says in her songs. She’s a writer. She can spin different narratives at the same time. Lol
Anyway, there was quite a discussion about “Hoax” the other day. To understand “Hoax,” you have to look at what a hoax is—a lie to make something appear as one thing when it’s something different:
“When the words of a sister come back in whispers that prove she was not in fact what she seemed, not a twin from your dreams—she’s a crook who was caught”
There is a difference between a betrayal and a hoax.
I think the song is about being convinced to give someone yet another chance; when you do, you ultimately realize that what made you consider and grant that second chance was a lie. (“How You Get The Girl”—in the first part of the song, notice how she says “that’s how you get the girl,” then “that’s how you lost the girl,” and ends on “that’s how you got the girl.”)
“You know I left a part of me in New York.”
While Taylor was happy in (and with) New York (aka Karlie), there was probably a part of her still hoping that things could and would work out with Dianna. So if Dianna said the right words to make her believe she’d changed, that things would be different this time, etc., she considered it and chose her.
**for the record, I like Dianna. I don’t think she’s a terrible person or anything like that. Same for Karlie. You can like people and dislike or disagree with their actions at the same time.**
It seems like Taylor (at the time) gave up something good because of a lie. She fell for the hoax. Things weren’t different, nor had they changed. She left a part of her in New York because the heart wants what the heart wants, but logic will sometimes say otherwise. Unfortunately, sometimes people go with their hearts over logic and get hurt. Keep your helmet, keep your life. You have to protect yourself to keep from getting hurt.
“You knew the hero died, so what’s the movie for?”
Basically, what’s the point? If you tell someone about an entire movie before they get a chance to see it, you’ve ruined it for them; so, in the context of the song, Taylor feels there’s no point in trying to salvage her new situation if it has already been ruined.
“You knew you won, so what’s the point in keeping score?”
Why are you still trying to do things to prove your point? There’s nothing left to prove because you won the game. When you’re keeping score, someone is always on the losing end. When you keep score, you always do things to one-up your opponent (or partner) to have the final say or to “maintain the lead.” She left “New York” (which could mean her heart was in NY though she was physically somewhere else) and returned to Dianna, which was Dianna’s goal—to get her back or maybe keep her from moving on/being happy.
When a relationship gets to the point where people start keeping score, it’s not a relationship; it’s a competition where the biggest “prize” is resentment for each other.
“You knew the password, so I let you in the door”
Basically, the line means that she (Taylor) trusted her enough to open up to her. When you give someone your password or a key to your house, there’s a level of trust in you feel comfortable enough to do so.
When you know the password, you can access what’s inside. To enter a password, you push buttons. When you enter the password correctly, whatever you try to unlock opens up. Dianna knew how to get to her. She always knew how to push her buttons. If you know how to push someone’s buttons, you know what makes them tick and how to use that to your advantage to get what you want—whether it’s a reaction or a result. For example:
Why’d you have to lock me out when I let you in?
You asked me for a place to sleep, locked me out, and threw a feast
“You knew it still hurt underneath my scars from when they pulled me apart, but what you did was just as dark”
The scars are past wounds. Scars are reminders of having been hurt before. For example, you can fall off a bike when you’re five years old and 20 years later still have the scar, which has faded—is still there. It’s still visible. However, she isn’t talking about physical pain; she’s talking about the memory of being hurt in the same way before by someone else that she trusted.
The thing that “was just as dark” wasn’t anything different. It was the same thing from before happening again. So what Dianna did was also as dark as what “they” did to her before to cause the scars. In both instances, someone she trusted took something away from her.
It happened with Emily being fired (though Emily has said she left to attend law school, Pop Up Video said otherwise. Lol). Remember the video tribute? Colbie Caillat confirmed (in so many words) that “Breathe” was about Emily when she said, “She was writing about something she was going through with a band member at the time, and she was pouring her heart out about it.”?
In “Hoax”, she literally says: “you know I left a part of me back in New York.” “You knew the hero died” What hurts underneath her scars, is the memories of what caused the scars. She remembers them “all too well”.
This was way longer than it needed to be, but I tend to write kinda sorta detailed. It’s a habit. Lol
There’s other metaphors in this song and in others on both albums. Might take a minute (or multiple listens) to catch them though.
Ok, back to lurking now and sending anons.
