Music
From heartbreak to vacations, Swift’s new album has every mood covered.
YouTube / Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s lyrics dominated Instagram in 2023, with every Swiftie who was lucky enough to snatch Eras Tour tickets using the singer’s famous words as captions for their social media posts. But if you thought the Taylor-mania might die down in 2024, think again.
Not only did Swift release her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, at midnight on April 19, but she unveiled that it was a secret double album, giving fans an astounding 31 new songs in total. This means there’s now an almost endless treasure trove of new lyrics and Swift-ian poetry available for your Instagram purposes.
If you’re going through a devastating breakup, or just feeling sad, then Tortured Poets is the first source to look to for Instagram inspiration, with songs like “Down Bad” and “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” that can represent whatever stage of grief you’re in.
However, with 31 songs, there’s a Swift lyric for every mood on the album. If you’re hard-launching a new beau, look to “Fresh Out the Slammer” or “The Alchemy,” while “So Long, London” and “Florida!!!” would oddly be fitting for vacation posts (especially if you’re heading to see the Eras Tour in those locales).
Read on for the 113 best lyrics from The Tortured Poets Department for your Instagram captions.
1. “Fortnight”
- I was supposed to be sent away, but they forgot to come and get me
- And for a fortnight, there we were, forever running
- I love you, it’s ruining my life
- Another fortnight lost in America
2. “The Tortured Poets Department”
- "Who uses typewriters anyway?"
- I’ve seen this episode and still love the show
- This ain’t the Chelsea Hotel, we’rе modern idiots
- That’s the closest I've come to my heart exploding
3. “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”
- Rivulets descend my plastic smile
- I’m queen of sandcastles he destroys
- He was my best friend down at the sandlot
4. “Down Bad”
- For a moment, I knew cosmic love
- F*ck it if I can't have us
- I’ll build you a fort on some planet where they can all understand it
- Staring at the sky, come back and pick me up
5. “So Long, London”
- My spine split from carrying us up the hill
- How much sad did you think I had in me?
- So long, London. You'll find someone.
- I founded the club she’s heard great things about
6. “But Daddy I Love Him”
- Too high a horse for a simple girl to rise above it
- Growing up precocious sometimes means not growing up at all
- He was chaos, he was revelry
- I don’t cater to all these vipers dressed in empath’s clothing
7. “Fresh Out the Slammer”
- Now, pretty baby, I’m running back home to you
- Swirled you into all of my poems
- I’m the girl of his American dreams
- At the park where we used to sit on children’s swings
8. “Florida!!!”
- You can beat the heat if you beat the charges too
- Little did you know your home’s really only a town you’re just a guest in
- Me and my ghosts, wе had a hell of a time
- I’ve got some regrets, I’ll bury them in Florida
9. “Guilty as Sin?”
- Am I allowed to cry?
- I keep recalling things we never did
- I choose you and me religiously
10. “Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?”
- You don’t get to tell me about sad
- Nothing makes me feel more alive
- Who’s afraid of little old me? You should be
- So tell me everything is not about me, but what if it is?
11. “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”
- Your good Lord doesn’t need to lift a finger
- His hands so calloused from his pistol softly traces hearts on my face
- I'll show you Heaven if you'll be an angel
12. “loml”
- We embroidered the memories of the time I was away
- If you know it in one glimpse, it’s legendary
- Mr. “Steal your girl, then make her cry”
13. “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”
- The lights refract sequin stars off her silhouette every night
- I’m a real tough kid, I can handle my sh*t
- I cry a lot, but I am so productive, it’s an art
- Lights, camera, b*tch, smile, in stilettos for miles
14. “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”
- Who the f*ck was that guy?
- You didn’t measure up in any measurе of a man
- You kicked out the stage lights, but you’re still performing
15. “The Alchemy”
- This happens once every few lifetimes
- I haven’t come around in so long, but I’m coming back so strong
- Ditch the clowns, get the crown
- Where’s the trophy? He just comes running over to me
16. “Clara Bow”
- No one in my small town thought I’d see the lights of Manhattan
- This town is fake, but you’re the real thing
- Crowd goes wild at her fingertips
- You look like Taylor Swift, in this light, we're loving it
17. “The Black Dog”
- That was intertwined in the magic fabric of our dreaming
- Old habits die screaming
- I wanna sell my house, and set fire to all my clothes
- I hope it's sh*tty in The Black Dog
18. “imgonnagetyouback”
- I can tell when somebody still wants me, come clean
- Whether I’m gonna be your wife or gonna smash up your bike, I haven’t decided yet
- I might just love you ‘til the end
- Pick your poison, babe, I’m poison either way
19. “The Albatross”
- She’s the albatross, she is here to destroy you
- One less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen
- Locked me up in towers, but I’d visit in your dreams
- Wise men once read fake news and they believed it
20. “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus”
- Your hologram stumbled into my apartment
- If you wanna tear my world apart, just say you’ve always wondered
- I changed into goddesses, villains, and fools
- Can we watch our phantoms like watching wild horses?
21. “How Did It End?”
- Lost the game of chance, what are the chances?
- Say it once again with feeling
- My beloved ghost and me, sitting in a tree, D-Y-I-N-G
- We’ll tell no one except all of our friends
22. “So High School”
- Tell me about the first time you saw me
- I feel so high school every time I look at you
- Are you gonna marry, kiss, or kill me?
- You know how to ball, I know Aristotle
23. “I Hate It Here”
- Quick, quick, tell me something awful
- I was a debutante in another life
- Nostalgia is a mind’s trick
24. “thanK you aIMee”
- All that time you were throwing punches, I was building something
- I can’t forget the way you made me heal
- I built a legacy, which you can’t undo
25. “I Look in People’s Windows”
- I had died the tiniest death
- What if your eyes looked up and met mine one more time
- I'm addicted to the “if only”
26. “The Prophecy”
- I got cursed like Eve got bitten
- A greater woman stays cool
- Gathered with a coven around a sorceress’ table
27. “Cassandra”
- When the truth comes out, it’s quiet
- What doesn’t kill you makes you aware
- Blood’s thick, but nothing like a payroll
- You can mark my words that I said it first
28. “Peter”
- Love’s never lost when perspective is earned
- Lost to the “Lost Boys” chapter of your life
- The woman who sits by the window has turned out the light
29. “The Bolter”
- Excellent fun ‘til you get to know her
- As she was leaving, it felt like breathing
- All her f*ckin’ lives, flashed before her eyes
- Hearts are hers for the breaking
30. “Robin”
- Long may you reign
- You have no room in your dreams for regrets
- You’ll learn to bounce back just like your trampoline
31. “The Manuscript”
- I’m not a donor but I’d give you my heart if you needed it
- She knew what the agony had been for
- One last souvenir from my trip to your shores
- The story isn’t mine anymore
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