The Manuscript
Bonus Track | THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY (2024)
Table of Contents
Background and Release
«This album, this new one, TORTURED POETS, is an album that I think, more than any of my albums that I’ve ever made, I needed to make it. It was really a lifeline for me, just the things I was going through, and the things I was writing about. It kind of reminded me of why songwriting is something that actually gets me through my life. And I’ve never had an album where I needed songwriting more than I’d needed it on TORTURED POETS.»
Lyrical Theme
The lyrics suggest that by revisiting and reframing her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal, Taylor was able to gain clarity and closure. The song’s narrative parallels the creation of her famous ballad “All Too Well” and its short film, which was filmed in the fall of 2021 and recounts her past relationship with Jake. By watching actors reenact scenes from a time in her life that caused her significant heartache, Taylor was able to reinterpret these moments and understand the deeper meaning behind her agony. This realization eventually brought her a sense of peace and resolution, reinforcing the song’s central theme: the power of creative expression in facilitating healing. By confronting and recontextualizing painful memories, Taylor found a path toward emotional freedom. The song closes with the line, “Now and then I re-read the manuscript. But the story isn’t mine anymore,” marking the culmination of her decade-long journey from this heartache to healing and acceptance.
Production
Live Performances
«Because we had so long to prepare for the end of this tour, I was trying to think about what songs really encapsulate how I feel about tonight.»
Critical Recpetion
Commercial Performance
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Now and then she re-reads the manuscript
Of the entire torrid affair
They compared their licenses
He said “I’m not a donor but
I’d give you my heart if you needed it.”
She rolled her eyes and said “You’re a professional”
He said “No, just a Good Samaritan”
[Verse 2]
He said that if the sex was half as good as the conversation was
Soon they’d be pushing strollers
But soon it was over.
[Verse 3]
In the age of him she wished she was thirty
And made coffee every morning in a Frеnch Press
Afterward she only atе kids’ cereal
And couldn’t sleep unless it was in her mother’s bed
Then she dated boys who were her own age
With dartboards on the backs of their doors
She thought about how he said
Since she was so wise beyond her years,
Everything had been above board
She wasn’t sure.
[Bridge]
And the years passed like scenes of a show
The professor said to write what you know
Looking backwards might be the only way
To move forward
Then the actors were hitting their marks
And the slow dance was alight with the sparks
And the tears fell in synchronicity with the score
And at last
She knew what the agony had been for.
[Verse 4]
The only thing that’s left is the manuscript
One last souvenir from my trip to your shores
Now and then I re-read the manuscript
But the story isn’t mine anymore.
| Artist | Taylor Swift | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Album | THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT | ||
| Released | April 19, 2024 | ||
| Recorded | 2022-2023 | ||
| Studio | Long Pond (Hudson Valley) | ||
| Genre | Alternative | ||
| Length | 3:44 | ||
| Label | Republic Records | ||
| Songwriter | Taylor Swift | ||
| Producers | Aaron Dessner Taylor Swift | ||
THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT CHRONOLOGY | |||
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