There's nothing like pressing play on Taylor Swift's new album and hearing the first song that sets the tone for her new era. But the final track on Tormented Poets: An Anthology , titled “Manuscript,” Might be more popular with fans.
Swift's albums often end with cathartic songs, from "Clean" to "Daylight," that speak of healing and new perspective. The new song "The Manuscript" continues this tradition.
The song is told in the third person, with Swift singing about a woman "rereading" the manuscript of her "hot love" with an older man. This framework perfectly encapsulates the album's themes: As Swift wrote on release day, "This writer firmly believes that our tears become sacred in the form of ink on the page. Once we've spoken our saddest story and we can get away from it."
Not only does the song make the perfect (Clara) bow for the new album, but it's a full-circle tune that pays homage to multiple eras of Swift and serves as a spiritual sequel to "All Too Well."
Below is an explanation of the lyrics to "Manuscript."
Who is "manuscript" about?
There are several references to the age gap between the song's narrator and the men she dated—for example, they "compared their licenses" and her desire to be more mature ("At his age, she wished she was 30 years old and making coffee in a French press every morning”).
The narrator says she was so devastated by the breakup that she returned to eating children's cereal and sleeping in her mother's bed. "She remembered what he said, 'cause she's wiser than her years, so it's all above board," Swift sings. "She's not sure."
However, a professor later encouraged her to write about the experience and turn it into a performance. Watching the story unfold, Swift sings: "She knows why the pain comes."
The song has many similarities to Swift's short film "All Too Well." Not only is the film's storyline about a young woman writing a book after a devastating breakup, but Swift herself is a writer and director on the project — so she's certainly familiar with processing painful experiences through art. idea.
The line "I hope I live to be 30" reminded some of Swift's relationships with Jake Gyllenhaal or John Mayer — and fans on X (formerly Twitter) took issue with it explain.
By the end of the song, the narrator realizes that her work is more than just a diary of her personal life—it continues to evolve once released to the world. "I reread the manuscript every now and then," Swift sings. "But the story is no longer mine."
"Manuscript" Lyrics
Read the full lyrics to the song below.
She rereads the manuscript from time to time
The whole heated incident
They compared their licenses
He said: "I'm not a donor, but
I will give you my heart if you need it.”
She rolled her eyes and said, "You're a professional."
He said, "No, just a good Samaritan."
He said if sex was half as good as conversation
Soon they'll be pushing strollers
But it ended soon
At his age, she wishes she was 30
Make coffee every morning with a French press
Later she only ate children's cereal
Can't sleep except in her mother's bed
Then she dated a boy her own age
There is a dart board behind the door
She thought about what he said
Because she is wise beyond her years
Everything is above board
she's not sure
The years pass like a drama
The professor said write down what you know
Looking backward may be the only way out
go ahead
Then the actors achieved their goal
A slow dance lit a spark
Tears fell simultaneously with the music score
at last
She knows why the pain comes
The only thing left is the manuscript
The last souvenir of my trip to your shores
I reread the manuscript from time to time
But this story is no longer mine
