Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department has been breaking records and has taken over the world despite having been out for only a day. On top of the originally announced 16 songs, the artist released 15 more, making it a double album release and making fans’ heads spin. There have been a lot of mentions in the project about her personal life, which naturally comes with songwriting. While none have been confirmed, fans believe Joe Alwyn, Travis Kelce, and Matty Healy to be the muses of certain songs.
While some tracks were about romance, parting, and falling in love, there were two that fans could not help but notice had different themes. One that immediately stood out to listeners was ‘thanK you aIMee’, which they believe is about Kim Kardashian.
Another song that is a little more subtle about its hinting is ‘Cassandra’, which may get misunderstood if the context is not given. Here are the explanations behind both of these tracks and the significance the lyrics hold.
Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West — A Deep-Rooted Conflict
Taylor Swift’s long-running feud with Kim Kardashian and her ex-husband, Kanye West. is extremely well-known worldwide. Starting with a stolen moment of a 19-year-old singer, it turned into something bigger than anyone could have imagined. While what happened at the 2009 VMAS was only the start of their discord, it was quickly forgiven and both parties moved on. That was until West and Kardashian did the unthinkable in 2016.
When West was releasing his well-known track ‘Famous’, he decided to put in a lyric that was quite derogatory towards Swift. When the song was released, the singer-songwriter pointed out that the rapper had never asked for her permission when he wrote this down, and she would like to be excluded from such a narrative. This was followed by Kardashian releasing an edited video of Swift ‘agreeing’ to be called a ‘b*tch* in the song.
“I feel like me and Taylor might still have s*x. Why? I made that b*tch famous,” said West in the song.
Even though Swift tried to point out that the video had been edited and she never agreed to be called such things, the damage was already done and there was no going back. The aftermath of all that took place within a matter of days has been haunting Swift to this day, losing all her fame and respect over trickery. Neither artist has been able to let go of what happened, frequently mentioning each other in their songs.
thanK you aIMee — Track 24
thanK you aIMee is a track that stood out for fans of Taylor Swift. The song talks about a childhood bully who made someone’s life miserable. Pushing them to their limits and unknowingly giving them fuel to make something great out of themselves. While the song, on its own, is an excellent story of someone hitting rock bottom and coming back swinging, fans could not help but find a hidden story within the lyrics.
“All that time you were throwin’ punches, I was buildin’ somethin’ / And I can’t forgive the way you made me feel / Screamed ‘F— you, Aimee’ to the night sky, as the blood was gushin’/ But I can’t forget the way you made me heal.” Swift wrote in the song.
It was specifically the bridge of the song that made fans think that the song was, instead, about Kim Kardashian, who has seriously done Swift wrong in the years since her fall in 2016. Although the name of the bully is ‘Aimee’ in the song, the letters K, I, and M are capitalized, making them want to connect the dots. Fans believe that she called out the socialite for all the pain she caused her.
Kim Kardashian's reaction after hearing thanK you alMee by Taylor Swift 😭😭:😱 pic.twitter.com/rbmFdslxIc
— Dhoni Fixer (@GRTJUSTGRT) April 19, 2024
taylor swift just made a diss track about kim kardashian in 2024 #TSTTPD
pic.twitter.com/Qeq8dvh4ZK— Ron is a tortured poet (@midnightstrack2) April 19, 2024
I DID NOT HAVE TAYLOR SWIFT GAGGING KIM KARDASHIAN ON MY 2024 BINGO CARD OMFG????? #TSTTPD TAYVOODOO IS SO REAL pic.twitter.com/GbdPunGVxz
— dianca is caffeinated 🤎 (@diancuh) April 19, 2024
“And so, I changed your name, and any real defining clues / And one day, your kid comes home singin’ / A song that only us two is gonna know is about you”
Additionally, she may have even talked about Kardashian’s daughter listening to the songs she wrote about what happened between them.
Cassandra — Track 27
In Greek mythology, Cassandra was a Trojan priestess who was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo. When she refused the god’s advances, she was also cursed by him that even though she would be able to know what the future holds, no one would ever believe her. Before the fall of Troy, she tried to warn the Trojans about what was to come, however, no one believed her. After the fall, she was killed, escaping a tragic life of disbelief.
“So, they killed Cassandra first ’cause she feared the worst/And tried to tell the town / So, they filled my cell with snakes, I regret to say / Do you believe me now?” wrote Swift.
In Taylor Swift’s song, Cassandra, fans claim that she compared her own life to that of the priestess. She tried to warn the world that she was telling the truth, however, no one believed her. She was hunted with pitchforks and chased out of the guiled world of Hollywood, claiming she cried wolf. However, the truth did come out in 2020, as revealed by Variety, that the video was edited in a way to make Swift look bad.
“When the first stone’s thrown, there’s screaming / In the streets there’s a raging riot / When it’s ‘burn the b*tch’, they’re shrieking / when the truth comes out, its quiet/” wrote Swift.
“so they filled my cell with snakes, I regret to say do you believe me now?”
Taylor Swift on ‘Cassandra’ most likely about her reputation. pic.twitter.com/8iBK6406GH
— Keo (@exileoutdid) April 19, 2024
Taylor fucking Swift you and your brilliant mind 🤍
So, they killed Cassandra first 'cause she feared the worst
And tried to tell the town
So, they filled my cell with snakes, I regret to say
Do you believe me now?OH MY GOD !!! AS SOMEONE THAT LOVES GREEK MYTHOLOGY AND THE… pic.twitter.com/7AU8kY5CoV
— 🌷🌛 sierra 🌷🌛 (@sierraasublime) April 19, 2024
When this happened, there was no uproar for Kanye West, and everything was swept under the rug, much like when Troy fell.
