On April 19th, 2025, it’ll be one year since Taylor Swift released her highly anticipated album The Tortured Poets Department. The album turned out to be a double release where instead of releasing 16 songs Taylor surprised her fans with 31 and she called it TTPD: The Anthology. Disclaimer, while I know Taylor’s music is worth more than who it’s supposedly about; I also think it is enjoyable to talk about it with Swifties, so I will mention some of their theories when I rank them. These songs are all amazing and the rankings change constantly.
31. the Albatross
Before I wrote this I knew the 31st spot was gonna be hard to give, but The Albatross has taken it. I know a few people who enjoy this song, but it just never hit for me. The song is about a girl, an Albatross, which metaphorically means bringing great problems that you can’t escape from. I imagine she is saying that this girl, herself, which she reveals later in the song, brings great problems to every relationship she has and the “wise men” are society warning the men she dates that she will “destroy you”. It does an excellent job of storytelling.
wise men once said ‘one bad seed kills the garden, one less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen’
Taylor Swift, The Albatross
30. thank you aimee
This song tackles Taylor’s journey through forgiveness of, supposedly, the drama between her and Kim Kardashian that emerged right after the 2009 VMAS and has continued to flicker on and off throughout the years. I hate to put this song last, because like Taylor I’ve never gotten over anything in my life, but compared to the other songs on this album it’s hard to put it anywhere else but at 30.
29. who’s afraid of little old me?
The Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me’s The Eras Tour performance is iconic, but that’s about it. I know this a controversial take, because a lot of people enjoy this song, but the song is just a little too cringy for me. I do love some of the lyrics though like, for example, “I put narcotics into all of my songs and that’s why you’re still singing along” and “I was tame, I was gentle till the circus life made me mean ‘don’t you worry folks, we took out all her teeth'”. Still, I can’t get past the “you should be” line.
you caged me and then you called me crazy, I am what I am because you trained me
Taylor Swift, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
28. I hate it here
The mashup of I Hate It Here and The Lakes is one of my favorite mashups Taylor did on The Eras Tour, but individually I don’t like the song as much. Throughout the song Taylor expresses her discomfort of being here, so she escapes by traveling to places in her mind that she enjoys more. It is a good song, just not a favorite of mine.
27. Fortnight
As the lead single I expected to love this song more. Post Malone does a beautiful job, and the music video is extremely creative. As a Dead Poets Society fan I liked the cameos by Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles. Overall, though, I think the song is a little boring.
I love you, it’s ruining my life
Taylor Swift & Post Malone, Fortnight
26. Down Bad
I feel like this is one of the most forgettable songs on the album. When I listen to the song I enjoy it, but it’s not a first choice. The chorus is very catchy and simple. The backtrack is interesting and different from the other songs on this album. Taylor explains perfectly how it feels to be down bad.
25. But daddy I Love Him
When the track list first came out, I wanted to like this song because of its title and I do, it’s just hard to put it anywhere else on the list when all of the other songs are better. This is a very fun track and it’s a good song to scream in the car on a spring day with your friends. I love the The Little Mermaid reference and enjoying loving who you love without listening to the haters
24. cassandra
The meaning behind this song is what makes it higher on the list. In Greek Mythology, Cassandra was cursed by Apollo. He gave her the ability to see the future, but no one would ever believe her, so she was seen as a mad women and suffered as a result. Taylor tells the story of Cassandra and herself as she recalls her feud with the Kardashians and Wests when no one believed her, yet she was telling the truth the entire time.
bloods thick but nothing like a payroll, bet they never spared a prayer for my soul
Taylor Swift, Cassandra
23. robin
Robin is an underrated masterpiece. A piano ballad and soft vocals fill this track. It sounds like Robin is about, either, her younger self or a child who hasn’t grown up yet. When she sings, “your time will arrive for the cruel and the mean, you’ll learn to bounce back like your trampoline,” it sounds like she is telling her younger self to hang onto her youth because soon it will be gone. And when she sings, “buried down deep and out of your reach, the secret we all vowed to keep it, from you, in sweetness,” sounds like she’s singing to a child whose been kept in innocence.
22. Clara Bow
I think Clara Bow is a very powerful song about growing up in the spotlight. She’s telling the story of herself growing up in the industry, how bad she wants the fame, and the way society wants more and more from women. For example, she says, “take the glory, give everything, promise to be dazzling”. She mentions artists like Stevie Nicks and Clara Bow who she’s been compared to throughout the years. She ends the song by saying “you look like Taylor Swift in this light we’re loving it, you’ve got edge she never did, the futures bright, dazzling”. By saying this she shows how the cycle repeats itself, over and over, and soon she’ll be old news, as she gets replaced by someone younger and prettier. This song reminds me of Nothing New from Red (Taylor’s Version).
beauty is a beast that roars down on all fours, demanding more, only when your girlish glow flickers just so do they let you know, it’s hell on Earth to be heavenly
Taylor Swift, Clara Bow
21. the manuscript
The Manuscript is the perfect closing song for a perfect album. In this song Taylor tells us that these (her songs) were once her stories, but now they are ours. Lyrics from this song can be compared to many other songs in her discography, which shows she is coming to a close with her re-recordings and her tour. For example she says “in the age of him she wished she was thirty” and this can be connected to All Too Well (10 minute Version) (Taylor’s Version), when she says “if we had been closer in age maybe it would’ve been fine and that made me want to die”.
the professor said to write what you know, looking backwards might be the only way to move forward
Taylor Swift, The Manuscript
20. i look in people’s windows
I Look In People’s Windows is one of the shortest songs on the album. The simplicity of this song is what makes it so good. Taylor explores the dangerous feeling of asking ourselves “if only”.
19. chloe or sam or sophia or marcus
I think this song is one of the most tortured songs on the album. It feels very devastating. I say this because of lines “I changed into goddess, villains, and fools changed plans and lovers and outfits and rules all to outrun my desertion of you and you just watched it” and “if you wanna break my cold, cold heart just say ‘I loved you, the way that you were'”. The song is rumored to be about her on and off again relationship with Matty Healy that started in 2014. The line “you needed me but you needed drugs more” seems to be a direct line to Healy who has struggled with drugs in the past. However, the line “and you saw my bones out with somebody new who seemed like he would’ve bullied you in school” confuses things because is this referring to Matty Healy and Joe Alwyn, her long term ex-boyfriend, or maybe even Travis Kelce, her current boyfriend? We’ll probably never know.
18. flordia!!!
Florida!!! is one of the most memorable songs from the album. This track has phenomenal production and the duet with Florence and The Machine is spectacular. This song sounds crime related as it reminds me of No Body No Crime from evermore. In Florida, Taylor preformed her first shows on The Eras Tour after announcing her split from Joe Alwyn; which is where I think the lyric “love left me like this and I don’t want to exist so take me to Florida” came from. Whether or not it’s a made up story or has some real life relevance, this song is an enjoyable listen.
17. the black dog
The Black Dog is also one of the more devastating songs on the album. The song is pretty straight forward. It explores the emotions that emerge from seeing an ex’s location and wondering what they are doing and trying to understand why it seems like they are not reeling and hurting, too. She mentions “old habits die screaming” which can mean anything that used to happen during the relationship. From checking a partners location, which she mentions in the first verse or visiting an old bar, like The Black Dog which is continuously mentioned throughout the song.
six weeks of breathing clean air, I still miss the smoke, were you making fun of me with some esoteric joke?
Taylor Swift, The Black Dog
16. i can do it with a broken heart
The lyrics of this song are heartbreaking but they often go unnoticed with the fast paced beat. This song gives a look into the lives of performers that we often forget about. Taylor reminds us that it isn’t always sunshine on the other side and I think that’s one of the reasons I like it so much. This song contains such real lyrics like “I’m so depressed I act like its my birthday everyday” and “lights, camera, and smile, even when you wanna die” and “they said, ‘babe you gotta fake it till you make it and I did'”. It reminds me to not chant “more!” and let Taylor rest.
all the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting ‘more’
Taylor Swift, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart
15. loml
This is arguably one of the most painful songs Taylor has ever written. Throughout the song the lyrics change from “love of my life” to “lose of my life” as Taylor tells the story of her relationship. Most people suspect this song is about Joe Alwyn because they were in a committed relationship for around six years. This song has one of her best bridges with the lyrics: “you talked me under the table talking rings and talking cradles I wish I could un-recall how we almost had it all, dancing phantoms on the terrace are they second-hand embarrassed that I can’t get out of bed? cause something counterfeit’s dead”. There isn’t much to say for this song except get your tissues because you will need them.
14. guilty as sin?
Guilty As Sin is the ninth song in the standard album. The song is a mix of sad and spicy lyrics. A sad lyric from this song is “I dream of cracking locks, throwing my life to the wolves or the ocean rocks”. Some think that this song is a nod to her relationship with Matty Healy; others think it is a story of infidelity.
13. the smallest man who ever lived
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived gives us a jaw dropping production during The Eras Tour and one of the greatest bridges in Swift’s discography. This song also brought one of my favorite Eras Tour outfits. The outfit consisted of a plain white dress, so some of the fans are able to write their “the smallest man who ever lived” on the dress. I loved this trend because it showed the unity and friendship of Swifties. Ugh, I miss The Eras Tour. Everyone has their own “the smallest man who ever lived”, which is why I and many others love this song. It’s definitely a good song to angerly sing in the car with all your friends. This song, once again, seems to be referring to Matty Healy. This conclusion comes from the line: “you tried to buy some pills from a friend of friends of mine”. And the line: “I just want to know if rusting my sparking summer was the goal”. She dated Matty Healy during her ‘sparking summer’ when she was touring. Overall though, it’s just asking “the smallest man who ever lived”, “why”?
12. how did it end?
How Did It End? is the fifth song on TTPD: The Anthology making it one of her saddest songs. I think this song tries to explain the ending of her and Joe Alwyn, but she doesn’t even know how it all ended herself. The song details the gradual demise of the relationship. With this song, Taylor reminds us that sometimes people just don’t work and they grow apart without any rhyme or reason. Relationships end and you’re left not knowing why. The opening vocals and verse of this song are beautiful: “we hereby conduct this post-mortem he was a hothouse flower to my outdoorsman, our maladies were such we could not cure them and so a touch that was my birthright became foreign”.
my belvolved ghost and me, sitting in a tree d-y-i-n-g
Taylor Swift, How Did It End?
11. peter
Peter does an excellent job showcasing Taylor’s storytelling abilities. The song is a beautiful retelling of the childhood story Peter Pan. Taylor has mentioned Peter Pan and Wendy before in her song cardigan from folklore. Her song makes the story deep, emotional, and mature like she is looking back on it years later.
tell me all that you’d learned cause love’s never lost when perspective is earned
Taylor Swift, Peter
10. the bolter
Track 13 on The Anthology is The Bolter. When you’re listing to this song, it feels fun and carefree. It sounds like the lyric: “but as she was leaving it felt like breathing”. This song isn’t a fan favorite, so I’m sure some think it is ranked too high, but the vibe of this song is really enjoyable to me. It sounds adventurous while a story unfolds at the same time.
9. the prophecy
I don’t know a single TTPD fan who doesn’t have this song in their top ten. And it’s understandable. The Prophecy has to be one of Taylor’s most vulnerable songs to date. She expresses her want to rewrite her story. After years of being in the spotlight and chasing the fame, after years of failed relationships, she would trade it all for her soulmate.
please I’ve been on my knees change the prophecy, don’t want money just someone who wants my company
Taylor Swift, The Prophecy
8. so high school
Songs like loml, Peter, How Did It End? and The Prophecy all deserve to be higher and I thought about changing this one with one of them but the vibes of So High School are sometimes unbeatable. Hearing a love song after albums of sadness and toured poetry felt like a breath of fresh air. I think the high school references are cute and this song is a total hit, thanks Travis.
truth, dare, spin bottles, you know how to ball I know Aristotle
Taylor Swift, So Highschool
7. the alchemy
Shoutout to Travis Kelce for another banger. Just like with So Highschool it was nice to hear a happy song again. The chorus of this song is catchy and it flows so well that I find myself singing it constantly. The Alchemy is about her relationship with tight end Travis Kelce and how it happened so dramatically and she’s all in because who is she “to fight the alchemy”.
6. the tortured poets department
At first I did not like this song, but it has grown on me enough to put it at six. This song has a lot of miscellaneous mentions like Dylan Thomas, Patti Smith, The Chelsea Hotel, and Jack and Lucy, who are friends with Taylor. This song is also supposedly about Matty Healy and their complicated relationship through the years. What makes this song so special is the outro, it is repetitive but her vocals are mesmerizing.
5. i can fix him (no really i can)
This is a completely underrated track on the standard edition. She rarely uses her low register, so when she does the song stands out. The song is also rumored to be about Matty Healy and the the disproval from the fan about the relationship. The evidence of this comes from the line: “they shake their heads saying, ‘God help her’ when I tell them he’s my man”. Her relationship with Matty Healy was scrutinized by the public because of his poor reputation.
4. fresh out the slammer
Her switch between the faster paced verses and the slower bridge and chorus is one of my favorite things about this song. There are two different perspectives of this song. Some fans think being “out the slammer” represents her relationship with Joe and she is running back to Matty. Others think she is referring to her years of hiding and her being back on tour with the fans are who she is running home to. This song includes one of my favorite lines from the album: “here, at the park where we used to sit on children’s swings, wearing imaginary rings, but it’s gonna be alright, I did my time”.
now, pretty baby, I’m running back home to you, fresh out the slammer I know who my first call will be to
Taylor Swift, Fresh Out The Slammer
3. imgonnagetyouback
This song is simply iconic; the vibes are immaculate. This song reminds me of Get Him Back by Olivia Rodrigo, if you like that one you’ll like this one, too. It is fast paced and energetic. The story goes back and forth between wanting to get revenge on an ex and wanting to get back together.
2. so long, london
Track five on the standard version of TTPD is So Long, London. The intro in this song is very beautiful as it is filled with overlapping vocals and bells that sound like wedding bells. This song is Taylor’s final goodbye to her long relationship with Joe Alwyn, who is from England. I love the way she references other songs throughout this one, like it’s the sequel. She connects the lyric: “I stopped CPR after all its no use” to You’re Losing Me‘s “I can’t find a pulse my heart won’t start anymore” and “I’m just getting color back into my face” to “my face was gray, but you wouldn’t admit that we were sick” in You’re Losing Me, too.
1. my boy only breaks his favorite toys
I knew from my first listen of the album that My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys would be a favorite. Since I am a pop girly at heart, the synth behind this track makes it easy to listen to. And the metaphorical lyrics pull you in more each time you listen. Taylor tells the story of a relationship where the relationship and herself are the ‘toys’ that are constantly breaking. She describes herself as a doll and makes toy references, like ‘sandcastles’ and ‘down at the sandlot’ that keep the imagery throughout the whole song.
once I fix me, he’s gonna miss me
Taylor Swift, My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys