Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?
THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (2024)
Table of Contents
Background
Taylor won the Grammy Awards for “Best Pop Vocal Album” and “Album of the Year” for Midnights a few hours later. In her acceptance speech for the former, she revealed a new studio album, titled THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, and announced its release date of April 19, 2024, which she had been keeping secret for nearly two years. Its cover artwork was subsequently posted on her social media accounts, along with a photograph of a handwritten note:
«And so I enter into evidence / My tarnished coat of arms / My muses, acquired like bruises / My talismans and charms / The tick, tick, tick of love bombs / My veins of pitch black ink / All's fair in love and poetry…Sincerely, The Chairman of the Tortured Poets Department.»
Taylor Swift
Lyrical Theme
«Yeah, just a song about being crazy.»
Taylor Swift
Live Performances
Commercial Performance
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
The ‘Who’s Who’ of ‘Who’s That?’
Is poised for the attack
But my bare hands paved their paths
You don’t get to tell me about ‘sad.’
If you wanted me dead,
You should’ve just said
Nothing makes me feel more alive
[Chorus 1]
So I leap from the gallows
And I levitate down your street
Crash the party like a record scratch
As I scream:
“Who’s afraid of little old me?!”
You should be.
[Verse 2]
The scandal was contained
The bullet had just grazed
At all costs, keep your good name
You don’t get to tell me you feel bad.
Is it a wonder I broke?
Let’s hear one morе joke
Then we could all just laugh
Until I cry
[Chorus 2]
So I lеap from the gallows
And I levitate down your street
Crash the party like a record scratch
As I scream:
“Who’s afraid of little old me?!”
[Post-Chorus]
I was tame, I was gentle
Til the circus life made me mean
Don’t you worry folks
We took out all her teeth
Who’s afraid of little old me?!
Well you should be, you should be, you should be
[Bridge]
So tell me everything is not about me
But what if it is?
Then say they didn’t do it to hurt me
But what if they did?
I want to snarl and show you just how disturbed this has made me
You wouldn’t last an hour
In the asylum where they raised me
So all you kids can sneak into my house, with all the cobwebs
I’m always drunk on my own tears
Isn’t that what they all said?
That I’ll sue you if you step on my lawn
That I’m fearsome and I’m wretched and I’m wrong
Put narcotics into all of my songs
And that’s why you’re still singing along…
[Chorus 2]
So I leap from the gallows
And I levitate down your street
Crash the party like a record scratch
As I scream:
“Who’s afraid of little old me?!”
[Post-Chorus]
I was tame, I was gentle
Til the circus life made me mean
Don’t you worry folks
We took out all her teeth
Who’s afraid of little old me?!
Well you should be, you should be, you should be
[Outro]
Cause you lured me, and you hurt me, and you taught me
You caged me,
And then you called me crazy
I am what I am cause you trained me
So who’s afraid of me?
So who’s afraid of little old me?
Who’s afraid of little old me…?
Okay, I’m gonna try to play this in one go. Um, this is called “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
[Verse 1]
The ‘Who’s Who’ of ‘Who’s that?’
Is poised for the attack
But my bare hands paved their paths
You don’t get to tell me about ‘sad.’
If you wanted me dead,
You should’ve just said
Nothing makes me feel more alive
[Chorus 1]
So I leap from the gallows
And I levitate down your street
Crash the party like a record scratch
As I scream:
“Who’s afraid of little old me?!”
You should be.
[Verse 2]
The scandal was contained
The bullet had just grazed
At all costs, keep your good name
You don’t get to tell me that I’m bad.
Is it a wonder I brokе?
Let’s hear one morе joke
Then we could all just laugh
Until I cry
[Chorus 2]
So I leap from the gallows
And I levitate down your street
Crash the party like a record scratch
As I scream:
“Who’s afraid of little old me?!”
[Post-Chorus]
I was tame, I was gentle
Til the circus life made me mean
Don’t you worry folks
We took out all her teeth
Who’s afraid of little old me?!
You should be, you should be, you should be
[Bridge]
So tell me everything is not about me
But what if it is?
And say they didn’t do it to hurt me
But what if they did?
I wanna snarl and show you just how disturbed this has made me
He wouldn’t last an hour
In the asylum where they raised me
So all you kids can sneak into my house, with all the cobwebs
I’m always drunk on my own tears
Isn’t that what they all said?
That I’ll sue you if you step on my lawn
That I’m fearsome and I’m wretched and I’m wrong
Put narcotics into all of my songs
And that’s why you’re still singing along…
[Chorus 2]
So I leap from the gallows
And I levitate down your street
Crash the party like a record scratch
As I scream:
“Who’s afraid of little old me?!”
[Post-Chorus]
I was tame, I was gentle
Til the circus life made me mean
Don’t you worry folks
We took out all her teeth
Who’s afraid of little old me?!
You should be, you should be, you should be
[Outro]
Cause you lured me, and you hurt me, and you taught me
You caged me
And you called me crazy
I am what I am
Well, cause you trained me
So who’s afraid of me?
Who’s afraid of little old me?
Who’s afraid of little old me…?
For the most part that was almost, sort of, what it should be. I’m gonna work on the melodies and the bridge so they don’t become repetitive like that. But that’s just the like framework and I might take some things out, but. Yeah, just a song about being crazy.
Artist | Taylor Swift | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Album | THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT | |||
Released | April 19, 2024 | |||
Recorded | 2022-2023 | |||
Studios | Conway (Los Angeles) Electric Lady (New York City) Esplanade (New Oreleans) Long Pond (Hudson Valley) Hutchinson Sound (Brooklyn) Big Mercy (Brookyln) Pleasure Hill (Portland) Audu Music Studio (Brooklyn) Sterling Sound (Edgewater) | |||
Genre | Alternative | |||
Length | 5:34 | |||
Label | Republic Records | |||
Songwriter | Taylor Swift | |||
Producers | Jack Antonoff Taylor Swift | |||
THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT CHRONOLOGY | ||||
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