There’s the Lakes of poesy where all the poets go to meet symphony. You’ll find a magical link between old tortured poets and Taylor Swift’s soul-stirring lyrics that draws you in. Let’s dive into it!
Just like how Swift has mastered turning her personal struggles into chart-topping smashes, poets throughout history have poured their darkest moments into verses that still resonate with us today.
Let’s go on an adventure through time in order to see the similarities between some of the most troubled but famous poets and the best Taylor Swift lyric quotes, albums/songs.
10 Best Taylor Swift Lyric Quotes As Tortured Poets
1. Lord Byron as “Blank Space”
To say that Lord Byron was a party animal would be an understatement. The man was known for his love affairs and aligns perfectly with Taylor Swift’s 2014 hit “Blank Space.”
Both Lord Byron’s “She walks in beauty” and Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” lyrics have the same theme: love is fleeting and unpredictable.
Lord Byron’s verse:
“She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes.”
Taylor Swift’s lyrics:
“So it’s gonna be forever
Or it’s gonna go down in flames
You can tell me when it’s over, mm
If the high was worth the pain”
The way she makes fun of herself while singing about her own relationship chaos very much mirrors the way Byron treats love. Both left behind broken hearts as they went on to pursue passion over sanity.
Related: Which Taylor Swift Album Are You Based on Your Zodiac?
2. Edgar Allan Poe as “Haunted”
If you’re familiar with Edgar Allan Poe’s work then this comparison won’t be a surprise at all. His horror tales are almost made for songs like Taylor Swift’s eerie track, “Haunted.” In both works, you’ll find a very similar theme: dealing with demons that never really left.
Edgar Allan Poe:
“And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, ‘Lenore!’
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, ‘Lenore!’”
Taylor Swift:
“Come on, come on, don’t leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something’s gone terribly wrong, won’t finish what you started”
Both verses convey a similar feeling of someone who can’t let go. Poe won’t stop whispering “Lenore” and Swift begs for completion. All while dealing with unresolved emotions and lingering spirits.
3. Robert Frost as “Begin Again”
Taylor Swift does something incredible in “Begin Again” and Robert Frost did it in his poems too. They both figured out how to give hope a voice, even when life seems bleak.
Frost:
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Similarly, in Taylor Swift’s song “Begin Again,” she sings:
“But on a Wednesday, in a cafe,
I watched it begin again.”
Frost is famous for making readers feel good after reading something sad, and that same energy is used by Swift to remind everyone that new beginnings are always right around the corner.
4. Virginia Woolf as “Red”
The paradoxical essence of love is hard to summarize. Virginia Woolf, in her verse from “The Waves,” captures it well with gnarly knots and tears. Similarly, Taylor Swift’s lyrics from the album “Red” embody the bittersweet experience as well.
Virginia Woolf, The Waves:
“Love makes knots; love brutally tears them apart. I have been knotted; I have been torn apart.”
Taylor Swift’s “Red” (from the title track):
“Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street”
Together, both artists made something truly beautiful by putting their raw emotions in plain sight.
5. Emily Dickinson as “Enchanted”
While they may be separated by a century, Emily Dickinson and Taylor Swift sound like they’ve been on the same wavelength since day one. They both belong to the Tortured Poets Department.
Dickinson wrote a lot about unrequited love which lines up nicely with Swift’s 2010 song “Enchanted.”
Emily Dickinson’s verse:
“Wild nights – Wild nights!
Were I with thee
Wild nights should be
Our luxury!”
Taylor Swift’s lyrics:
“Please don’t be in love with someone else
Please don’t have somebody waiting on you”
In it, you’ll find lyrics that perfectly capture the pain of longing for someone who doesn’t feel the same way.
6. Anne Sexton as “All Too Well”
Just going off title alone you might think Anne Sexton and Taylor Swift are long-lost siblings or something. But if you dive deeper into these two artists’ from the Tortured Poets Department, you’ll see even more similarities in them.
Anne Sexton’s verse:
“In the nestle of old letters,
crumpled, forgotten,
she’s young enough to fall in love
and too old to die of it.”
Taylor Swift’s lyrics from “All Too Well”:
“You call me up again just to break me like a promise,
So casually cruel in the name of being honest.”
They both go all-in when talking about relationships, embracing all pain and nostalgia so they can create true art from it.
7. John Keats as “Wildest Dreams”
It’s no secret that John Keats was a hopeless romantic, and those are the exact vibes we get from Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams.”
John Keats:
“When I behold, upon the night’s starr’d face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance.”
Taylor Swift (from “Wildest Dreams”):
“Say you’ll remember me
Standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset, babe.”
Keats and Swift both use color to express the quickly fading emotions of love. When you’re in love it feels like everything is perfect, then before you know it, the love is gone.
The poems are written in a way that allows you to feel the happiness of finding love, but also the sadness that comes with its passing.
8. Virginia Woolf as “Reputation”
Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus” requires reading between the lines. It’s a poem that is bold and screams defiance. You can find the same kind of energy in Taylor Swift’s “Reputation” album era lyrics when she sings “Look What You Made Me Do.”
Sylvia Plath’s verse from “Lady Lazarus”:
“Out of the ash
I rise with my red hair
And I eat men like air.”
Taylor Swift’s lyrics from “Look What You Made Me Do”:
“I’ve got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined
I check it once, then I check it twice, oh!”
Two different artists, but have a common theme. Both use the highest volume possible to say, “No matter what I went through, I’m not losing power anymore.”
9. William Blake as “Long Live”:
One of the famous poets William Blake – his artistic expression and rebellion complements the triumphant anthem “Long Live” by Taylor Swift. Both emblems of resilience refuse to abide by societal standards, instead seeking creative freedom and a place for themselves.
William Blake:
“I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant land.”
Taylor Swift’s “Long Live”:
“Long live all the magic we made,
And bring on all the pretenders,
One day, we will be remembered.”
Both expressions share a defiance of societal norms and embrace uniqueness in creativity for lasting impact and remembrance. Building Jerusalem is a utopian vision, while Swift just loves the magic created outside of the norm.
10. Emily Brontë as “This Love”:
The chilling beauty found within Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” finds an audible companion in Taylor Swift’s “This Love.”
In their own way, both artists explore the complexities embedded within romance. Through an eerie atmosphere that lingers in the hearts of listeners, we capture a glimpse of their genius.
In Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights,” she writes:
“I cannot live without my soul.”
In Taylor Swift’s “This Love,” she sings:
“In silent screams,
In wildest dreams,
I never dreamed of this.”
Both verses have the same message: Love is a damn complicated mess. Both try to put into words the mind-numbingly confusing feeling that love is, and they do it well. They both have themes of desire, yearning, and the ineffable nature of love; all things that anyone in or out of love can relate to.
Related: 12 Most Life-Changing Quotes By Taylor Swift To Inspire Yourself With
Let’s Celebrate The Tortured Poets Department
As we know, these famous poets are indeed tortured souls; there’s an undeniable harmony between their words and Taylor Swift’s songs.
In this exploration, we’ve discovered how raw emotion knows no limit. Rather, it flows through generations uniting long-past poets with our current musical narratives from Taylor Swift.
Share your thoughts on some of the tortured poets in the comments below!
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