The 5 Most Therapeutic Taylor Swift Lyrics From TTPD, According To A Therapist
Even if you’re not a Swiftie, these lyrics could help soothe your mind.
A.PAES | Shutterstock Who knew Taylor Swift lyrics were actually therapeutic! Music is powerful for a number of reasons. From relieving stress to influencing brain chemistry responsible for memory, motor control, and attention, the music we’re listening to is changing our brains. That includes your favorite pop music, too.
Licensed therapist Jeffrey Meltzer and his wife, a self-proclaimed Swiftie, took to TikTok to share the impact music truly has on mental health. They used five lyrics from Taylor Swift’s recent album, "The Tortured Poets Department," to do it.
Here are the 5 most therapeutic Taylor Swift lyrics from TTPD, according to a therapist:
1. 'Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead? Did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed… In 50 years, will all this be declassified? And you’ll confess why you did it, and I’ll say good riddance.' — 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived'
Theorized to be about a “fling relationship” in Swift’s life, the truth is that the origins of the song don’t matter as much as how you relate to the lyrics. The song is ultimately about betrayal and how to move forward from the hurt. Meltzer explained, “The most therapeutic line from 'The Tortured Poets Department' shows what it’s like to build a relationship based on lies.”
Like with most things, in order to move on, you have to acknowledge the hurt and the pain first. According to VeryWellMind, an integral step to emotional healing is sitting in the pain and allowing yourself to experience it, but then eventually, "good riddance" is right, letting it go.
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2. 'They say they didn’t do this 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.' — 'Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?'
For people who grew up in an unstable or chaotic environment, “Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me” is likely an anthem for you — if not a motivational reminder of empowerment in adulthood.
“Everything feels personal, and everything cuts deep, making it hard to trust others,” Meltzer said about childhood trauma and how it relates to the lyrics.
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Acknowledging how the pain from your past not only gives you strength but impacts your relationships is vital in embracing your identity and identifying how any unresolved trauma might impact who you trust or don't trust as an adult.
3. 'I stopped CPR; after all, it’s no use. The spirit was gone, we would never come to. And I’m pissed off you let me give you all that youth for free.' — from 'So Long, London'
The desperation of fighting for a relationship that isn’t worth saving is an experience we all live through at least once in our lives. Regardless of who Swift is referring to, listeners can picture parents, former loves, or even friends and relate to the emotion of wasted time and effort, resulting in anger and despair.
“This is the part of a relationship that goes from despair to detachment,” Meltzer said, explaining that the lyrics are “capturing the emotional journey of trying to revive something to finally moving on from it.” These lyrics serve as a reminder that it happened, but you survived. And now you are moving on.
4. 'Six weeks of breathing clean air. I still miss the smoke. Were you making fun of me with some esoteric joke?' – from 'The Black Dog'
In the simplest terms, these lyrics reflect the complex emotions associated with knowing that a relationship isn't good for you but still missing it. “Now I want to sell my house / Set fire to all my clothes / Hire a priest to come and exorcise my demons / Even if I die screaming,” Swift’s lyrics continue.
“This is the struggle to break free from something toxic, only to find yourself missing it, despite knowing better,” Meltzer said. What's important to remember is that there is no shame in acknowledging loss, even if it is necessary.
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In an article written for Psychology Today, licensed therapist Sarah Epstein explained, "When we end a relationship, even a difficult, toxic, exhausting, frustrating one, we will likely grieve." She went on to say, "We may grieve the loss of how it felt to be in a relationship with that person — perhaps we felt more worthy or prestigious or glamorous or wanted. We may also grieve for the lost future we imagined building together. And so we grieve what was, we grieve what never was, we grieve what is no more, and we grieve what cannot be."
5. 'As the man masqueraded, I hope you’d return. With your feet on the ground, tell me all that you learned. Because love is never lost when perspective is earned.' – from 'Peter'
“This song beautifully encompasses the tension of what it’s like to wait for someone,” Meltzer explained, “and then finally being able to move on.” For anyone tired of crying alone about the “one who got away,” this might be the perfect song for your playlist — all to remind you that there are always more people who will love and appreciate you.
Luckily, this heartbreak will give you a newfound appreciation for new connections, some of whom probably aren’t even in your life yet — how exciting!
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories