The Devastating Meaning Behind Taylor Swift's 'The Prophecy' Lyrics Explained

25 April 2024, 21:23

Taylor Swift 'The Prophecy' Lyrics Meaning Explained. Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty Images, Republic Records

By Sam Prance

What are Taylor Swift's 'The Prophecy' lyrics about? It's one of the most emotional songs on 'The Tortured Poets Department'.

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Taylor Swift is no stranger to writing about heartbreak but 'The Prophecy' contains some of her most devastating lyrics yet.

Every album, Taylor Swift blesses us with an array of new songs to cry to. From 'Teardrops On My Guitar' to 'All Too Well (10 Minute Version)', Taylor has the ability to capture real life experiences and tap into exactly how it feels to be on the edge of your emotions. Try listening to songs like 'this is me trying', 'tolerate it' and 'marjorie' without sobbing to yourself.

Taylor's new album 'The Tortured Poets Department' is no different. 'So Long, London', 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived' and 'loml' are all tear-worthy. However, it's the meaning behind 'The Prophecy' lyrics that's truly got Swifties in their feels.

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Taylor Swift - The Prophecy (Official Lyric Video)

A prophecy is something that's destined to happen. It's tied to fate and nigh impossible to change. In 'The Prophecy', Taylor sings about the experience of every single one of her romantic relationships falling apart. She then literally begs someone to change the "prophecy" of her life so that she's not always left heartbroken and alone.

In the first verse, Taylor questions if she's cursed. She sings: Thought I caught lightning in a bottle / Oh, but it's gone again / And it was written / I got cursed like Eve got bitten / Oh, was it punishment? She adds that she thinks love is still possible: I guess a lesser woman would've lost hope / A greater woman wouldn't beg.

The chorus is Taylor at her most raw and vulnerable. She cries out: Please / I've been on my knees / Change the prophecy / Don't want money / Just someone who wants my company / Let it once be me / Who do I have to speak to / About if they can redo the prophecy?

Taylor then admits that she hasn't moved on from her ex: Poison blood from the wound of the pricked hand / Oh, still I dream of him.

Taylor Swift shares cryptic message

And this wouldn't be a Taylor song without an award-worthy bridge. Pouring out her emotions, she sings: And I sound like an infant / Feeling like the very last drops of an ink pen / A greater woman stays cool But I howl like a wolf at the moon / And I look unstable / Gathered with a coven 'round a sorceress' table.

A greater woman has faith / But even statues crumble if they're made to wait / I'm so afraid I sealed my fate / No sign of soulmates / I'm just a paperweight in shades of greige / Spending my last coin so someone will tell me it'll be okay.

Taylor has since found love again with Travis Kelce but 'The Prophecy' will no doubt resonate with anyone who's ever wondered if they'll ever find true love.

Taylor Swift - 'The Prophecy' lyrics

VERSE 1
Hand on the throttle
Thought I caught lightning in a bottle
Oh, but it's gone again
And it was written
I got cursed like Eve got bitten
Oh, was it punishment?
Pad around when I get home
I guess a lesser woman would've lost hope
A greater woman wouldn't beg
But I looked to the sky and said

CHORUS
Please
I've been on my knees
Change the prophecy
Don't want money
Just someone who wants my company
Let it once be me
Who do I have to speak to
About if they can redo the prophecy?

VERSE 2
Cards on thе table
Mine play out like fools in a fablе
Oh, it was sinking in (Sinking in, oh)
Slow is the quicksand
Poison blood from the wound of the pricked hand
Oh, still I dream of him

CHORUS
Please
I've been on my knees
Change the prophecy
Don't want money
Just someone who wants my company
Let it once be me
Who do I have to speak to
About if they can redo the prophecy?

BRIDGE
And I sound like an infant
Feeling like the very last drops of an ink pen
A greater woman stays cool
But I howl like a wolf at the moon
And I look unstable
Gathered with a coven 'round a sorceress' table
A greater woman has faith
But even statues crumble if they're made to wait
I'm so afraid I sealed my fate
No sign of soulmates
I'm just a paperweight in shades of greige
Spending my last coin so someone will tell me it'll be okay

BREAK
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh

CHORUS
Please
I've been on my knees
Change the prophecy
Don't want money
Just someone who wants my company
Let it once be me
Who do I have to speak to
About if they can redo the prophecy?
Who do I have to speak to
To change the prophecy?

OUTRO
Hand on the throttle
Thought I caught lightning in a bottle
Oh, but it's gone again
Pad around when I get home
I guess a lesser woman would've lost hope
A greater woman wouldn't beg
But I looked to the sky and said (Please)