The Life of a Showgirl has been out for approximately two seconds and it’s already become our entire personality. Like, memorizing lyrics, reading into everything, and figuring out who all these songs are about, this is a full time job. Which brings us to “Eldest Daughter.”
The song could be interpreted in a few ways, but it seems to be about Taylor promising love and fidelity to someone, with lyrics like “I’m never gonna let you down / I’m never gonna leave you out.”
This will inevitably lead to speculation that the song is about Travis, which…pretty sure it is! But it also speaks to Taylor’s experience as an eldest daughter, being somewhat jaded as she tries to “seem cool,” and finally feeling like herself with the “you” (ahem, Travis) of this song.
Go ahead and read into the lyrics below, via Genius!
Everybody’s so punk on the internet
Everyone’s unbothered till they’re not
Every joke’s just trolling and memes
Sad as it seems, apathy is hot
Everybody’s cutthroat in the comments
Every single hot take is cold as ice
When you found me, I said I was busy, that was a lie
I have been afflicted by a terminal uniqueness
I’ve been dying just from trying to seem cool
But I’m not a bad bitch, and this isn’t savage
But I’m never gonna let you down
I’m never gonna leave you out
So many traitors, smooth operators
But I’m never gonna break that vow
I’m nеver gonna leave you now
Now, now
You know, thе last time I laughed this hard was
On the trampoline in somebody’s backyard
I must’ve been about eight or nine
That was the night
I fell off and broke my arm
Pretty soon, I learned cautious discretion
When your first crush crushes something kind
When I said I don’t believe in marriage, that was a lie
Every eldest daughter
Was the first lamb to the slaughter
So we all dressed up as wolves and we looked fire
But I’m not a bad bitch, and this isn’t savage
But I’m never gonna let you down
I’m never gonna leave you out
So many traitors, smooth operators
But I’m never gonna break that vow
I’m never gonna leave you now
Now, now
We lie back
A beautiful, beautiful time lapse
Ferris wheels, kisses, and lilacs
And things I said were dumb
‘Cause I thought that I’d never find that beautiful, beautiful life that (Ah)
Shimmers that innocent light back
Like when we were young
Every youngest child felt
They were raised up in the wild
But now you’re home
[Chorus]
‘Cause I’m not a bad bitch
And this isn’t savage
And I’m never gonna let you down
I’m never gonna leave you out
So many traitors, smooth operators (Ah, ah)
But I’m never gonna break that vow (Never gonna break that vow)
I’m never gonna leave you now
Now, now
Never gonna break that vow (Ooh)
Never gonna leave you now, now
I’m never gonna leave you now
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