Class is officially in session for the Swifties, as studies of Taylor Swift‘s The Tortured Poets Department have kicked into high gear.
Swift’s 11th studio album dropped at 12 a.m. ET on Friday, April 19 — with a surprise The Anthology double album drop following at 2 a.m. — with fans immediately clamoring to dissect the inspiration and meaning behind Swift’s newest collection of songs. One track long expected to be a standout from the album, “So Long, London,” is among the hot topics of conversation online.
The highly anticipated song serves as track five on the album, which is a historically meaningful position on her LPs.
Previous fifth tracks have included some of her most powerful musical offerings, including “You’re On Your Own, Kid” from Midnights and perhaps her most iconic breakup track to date, Red‘s “All Too Well.” Her complete collection of track fives includes a number of poignant songs: “Cold As You” from her self-titled debut, “White Horse” from Fearless, “Dear John” from Speak Now, “All You Had to Do Was Stay” from 1989, “Delicate” from Reputation, “The Archer” from Lover, “My Tears Ricochet” from Folklore, and “Tolerate It” from Evermore.
When Swift released her The Tortured Poets Department track list in February, Swifties were quick to zero in on the title “So Long, London” and its position in the lineup. Many wondered if it might be about her ex, Joe Alwyn, who is British. The songstress previously alluded to their relationship and her affinity for the city in the bubbly pop anthem “London Boy” from 2019’s Lover.
It was in April 2023 that ET broke the news that Swift and her boyfriend of six years had called it quits. At the time, a source said the split was amicable and “was not dramatic.” ET was also told “the relationship had just run its course.”
Then, in November, Swift’s close collaborator, Jack Antonoff, let slip a messy new detail. Offering a digital breadcrumb for sleuthing Swifties, the producer revealed that he and Swift had written and recorded her song about a dying relationship, “You’re Losing Me,” on Dec. 5, 2021.
Though Swift herself rarely confirms who her songs are about, her Tortured Poets album title appeared to be a reference to an interview Alwyn gave to Variety in late 2022 when he revealed that he was in a group chat called “the Tortured Man Club.”
See the lyrics to “So Long, London,” below.
So long, London
So long, London
So long, London
First Verse:
I saw in my mind ferry lights through the mist
I kept calm and carried the weight of the rift
Pulled hi in tighter each time he was drifting away
My spine split from carrying us up the hill
Wet through my clothes, weary bones caught the chill
I stopped trying to make him laugh, stopped trying to drill the safe
Chorus:
Thinking how much sad did you think I had, did you think I had in me?
Oh, the tragedy
So long, London
You’ll find someone
Second Verse:
I didn’t opt in to be your odd man out
I founded the club she’s heard great things about
I left all I knew, you left me at the house by the Heath
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
Chorus:
For so long, London
Stitches undone
Two graves, one gun
I’ll find someone
Third Verse:
And you say I abandoned the ship, but I was going down with it
My white knuckle dying grip holding tight to your quiet resentment
And my friends said it isn’t right to be scared
Every day-old love affair, every breath feels like rarest air
When you’re not sure if he wants to be there
Bridge:
So how much sad did you think I had, did you think I had in me?
How much tragedy?
Just how low did you think I’d go ‘fore I’d self implode?
‘Fore I’d have to go be free?
You swore that you loved me but where were the clues?
I died on the altar waiting for the proof
You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days
And I’m just getting color back into my face
I’m just mad as hell ’cause I loved this place for
Outro:
So long, London
Had good run
A moment of warm sun
But I’m not the one
So long, London
Stitches undone
Two graves, one gun
You’ll find someone
Following her split from Alwyn, Swift briefly reconnected with The 1975’s Matty Healy in the spring of 2023. The fling fizzled after about a month, with a source telling ET at the time that “they are both extremely busy and realized they’re not really compatible with each other.”
Today, Swift is in a high-profile relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Just last weekend, the couple put their love on display while attending the Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival. In social media videos posted from the event, Swift and Kelce were seen happily embracing, dancing and even making out while enjoying the festivities.
“Taylor and Travis were so excited to go to Coachella together,” a source told ET on Monday. “They wanted to be there to support their friends and just have fun. They had the best time at the festival and were in their own world even though so many people were around them. They are very in love and in sync in so many aspects of their lives, and it’s very sweet to see.”
Another source added, “The two are continuing to explore their relationship by supporting each other’s endeavors and doing what every other couple does, and that’s go on dates. This is one of many adventures yet to come for the duo.”
See more of ET’s The Tortured Poets Department coverage in the links below.
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