Since its release in July, Folklore has been described as one of Taylor Swift’s lyrically best albums. So, of course, we also had to decipher Taylor Swift’s “The Lakes” lyrics meaning, now that the deluxe track is out. For those who aren’t Swifties, “The Lakes” is the bonus track from the deluxe edition of Swift’s eighth album, Folklore.
The song, which is the 17th track on the album, was written and produced by Swift and Bleachers member Jack Antonoff, who has also collaborated with the “Cardigan” singer on her past three albums, Lover, Reputation and 1989. Unlike many of Folklore‘s tracks, which talk about a breakup caused by a love triangle between three people, “The Lakes” is a love song about England’s Lake District, a national park famous for its romantic scenery and history. Many 19th-century poets also wrote poetry there, which adds to its romantic nature. According to fans, Swift and her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, visited the Lake District in 2019 for, according to Folklore’s “Insivible String,” was the couple’s third anniversary trip.
“Take me to the lakes, where all the poets went to die,” Swift sings in “The Lakes.” “Those Windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry.”
The lyrics also include shade at Scooter Braun and Big Machine Label Group founder Scott Borchetta, who sold Swift’s discography to Braun in a multi-million-dollar deal in 2019. “I’ve come too far to watch some name-dropping sleaze / Tell me what are my words worth,” she sings.
Before “The Lakes” release, there was a theory that the track could be about Swift and Alwyn engagement, which hasn’t been confirmed but has been speculated about for months. We broke down the full theory here, but the theory was introduced by a TikTok user who wondered if Swift would make a special announcement on August 7, the title of two tracks on Folklore, and the date that fans were supposed to hear “The Lakes.” Of course, no such announcement was made, so it’s safe to say that “The Lakes” is not Swift’s engagement reveal. Still, the song is a sweet track about her relationship to Alwyn, with tons of British references to her boyfriend’s home country. Ahead, are Taylor Swift’s “The Lakes” lyrics to decipher yourself.
Image: Courtesy of Universal Music Group.
[Verse 1]
Is it romantic how all my elegies eulogize me?
I’m not cut out for all these cynical clones
These hunters with cell phones
[Chorus]
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
[Verse 2]
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
[Chorus]
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
[Bridge]
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