Fans Think “Father Figure” Is About Taylor Swift’s Ex-Boss

Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Show Girl, is finally here! Needless to say, Swifties are already dissecting the lyrics of the 13 tracks on the album. Though, “Father Figure,” track four, has some fans scratching their heads. Who exactly is the “Father Figure” that Swift refers to? While she hasn’t officially confirmed anything, one theory about the song stands out: fans think it’s about her ex-boss Scott Borchetta. 

Many fans have already speculated that “Father Figure” is about the early days of Swift’s career. Specifically, they think the lyrics refer to music executive Scott Borchetta (AKA, Swift’s ex-boss). In 2005, Borchetta signed Swift to his newly-founded record label, Big Machine Records. In November 2018, Swift’s contract with Big Machine Records expired, and she left the label. If you’re a Swiftie (or music fan at all, really), you might already be familiar with this story, as it played a pivotal role in the infamous dispute over Swift’s masters. 

In 2019, after Borchetta/Big Machine Records sold Swift’s master recordings to Scooter Braun, Swift penned an open letter voicing her frustration. She wrote, “For years I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work. Instead I was given an opportunity to sign back up to Big Machine Records and ‘earn’ one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in. I walked away because I knew once I signed that contract, Scott Borschetta would sell the label, thereby selling me and my future. I had to make the excruciating choice to leave behind my past. Music I wrote on my bedroom floor and videos I dreamed up and paid for from the money I earned playing in bars, then clubs, then arenas, then stadiums.” 

Swift further emphasized in the letter that she felt misguided and taken advantage of by her former label. “This is what happens when you sign a deal at fifteen to someone for whom the term ‘loyalty’ is clearly just a contractual concept. And when that man says ‘Music has value,’ he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it,” she wrote. 

The lyrics to “Father Figure” feel reminiscent of the very scenario and feelings Swift described in the letter. In the song, Swift seems to sing from the perspective of a person who offers protection and guidance, referring to themself as a “father figure.” Lyrics like “When I found you, you were young, wayward, lost in the cold” and “I saw your potential, I’ll be your father figure” seem to refer to Borchetta first “discovering” Swift and offering her a contract with Big Machine Records. Some lyrics even mirror Swift’s letter pretty closely, “All I ask is for your loyalty,” for instance. 

Though, at the end of the song, the perspective of the lyrics shifts to show Swift’s POV. She sings, “You made a deal with this devil, turns out my *ick’s bigger. You want a fight, you found it.” In this part of the song, Swift seems to clap back at Borchetta. She says that she can take care of herself and cannot be preyed on anymore. This also likely alludes to the fact that Swift walked away victorious from the fight over her music, buying back her masters in May 2025. 

If “Father Figure” tells us anything, it’s that you shouldn’t mess with Swift!

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