Remember when Taylor Swift was feuding with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, and dating Tom Hiddleston? Yes, we know… how could anyone forget 2016, the year that Taylor “fell from the pedestal” when Kim tried branding her a “liar”? Of course, those are her words, not ours. And it’s not totally clear whether those lyrics to her new song, “long story short”, are even about that specific time in her life… or her life at all, but fans who’ve heard the new track are “sure” they know what it’s about. And they’re convinced it’s about her romance with Tom amidst her feud with Kimye.
“Long story short is Getaway Car’s best friend. My poor man Tom Hiddleston can’t catch a break in his life. Not one, but TWO Taylor songs about how she used him,” one Twitter user wrote, referencing the new song as well as another off 2019’s Lover, while a different fan added, “OMG TAYLOR SHADING TOM ON LONG STORY SHORT BYE”. Another also tweeted, “long story short is about 2016 and taylor dating tom before joe im sure of it”.
So why are these fans so convinced? Well, to start, in the new song off evermore, Taylor sings about a “battle” that made her fall “from the pedestal.” Clearly, this could be a reference to her public feud with Kimye, as Kim tried branding her a “liar” and tarnishing her positive public image. And then Taylor goes on to sing about how because “it was a bad time” in her life, she “clung to the nearest lips” (Tom Hiddleston?), but “long story short”, he was “the wrong guy” for her.
And later in the song, she sings, “Now I’m all about you,” with many fans assuming she’s referencing her now boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, whom she started dating in late 2016, shortly after her split with Tom. She say her and her new man now “live in peace,” but if anyone comes at them (Kim and Kanye style?), “this time”, she’ll be “ready.”
Of course, we have no proof or confirmation that Taylor is singing about her own life or her short-lived summer romance with Tom. As she wrote on social media, following the release of the record on Dec. 11, some of the songs are based on “imaginary” tales, and others are not, so it’s not clear which is which — it’s really up to the listener to decide, based on their own interpretation of the lyrics.
Do you think this song is about her past romance with Tom? Give it a listen above and see for yourself!