By Bethany Ellis
On Friday, April 19th, Taylor Swift released her new album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” Fans were eager to listen to original songs from the new album.
Swifties enjoy the career shift that Swift made as she entered into a new era of her life after her six-year relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn ended in April 2023.
Several Christians listened to the album and noticed a few red flags. There were some questionable lyrics in some songs. There are several examples.
One example is in the song “Guilty As Sin” where the lyrics say “What if I roll the stone away? They’re gonna crucify me anyway, what if the way you hold me is actually what’s holy? If long-suffering propriety is what they want from me, they don’t know how you’ve haunted me so stunningly, I choose you and me religiously.”
Another example comes from the song “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” where the lyrics say “I would’ve died for your sins, instead, I just died inside.”
While many question the controversial messages, others say the issue isn’t quite black and white.
“Art depicts the broken world. . .and so it isn’t like she is saying this is a Christian album,” one student said. “Do I agree with the lyrics?, No, but she wasn’t claiming to be a Christian in the lyrics either. She’s entitled to her journey.”
A third example is from the song “But Daddy I Love Him” where the lyrics say “I just learned these people only raise you to cage you, Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best, clutching their pearls sighing ‘What a mess,’ I just learned these people try and save you, cause they hate you.”
And then, later in the song, “God save the most judgmental creeps, who say they want what’s best for me, sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I’ll never see, thinking it can change the beat of my heart when he touches me, and counteract the chemistry, and undo the destiny, you ain’t gotta pray for me, me and my wild boy, and all this wild joy, if all you want is gray for me, then it’s just white noise, and it’s just my choice.”
Some have argued this text is an example of blasphemy, and scripture tells us in Matthew 12:31-32 that “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
However, others see this song in a different light. “I think its anti-church, not anti-God,” senior JMAS major Beth Houghton said. “It doesn’t mean God isn’t less perfect; this just illustrates the depravity of man.”
Others commented that it is important as Christians that we fill our minds with biblical truth and be careful with false teachers and blasphemy.
When we are listening to music, we are filling our minds. Taylor Swift is a very successful songwriter who makes great music, and she has a passion for performing and interacting with her fans.
Obviously, she can’t completely satisfy her audience all the time. “The Tortured Poets Department” was a project that she spent so long on, and she did a great job, so are the blasphemous lyrics unnecessary? Or part of a larger story?
Since the album dropped on Friday, several Christians have turned away from Swift because of the content she incorporated into her songs. But others see her simply as an artist experimenting with her voice.
“She is very much a storyteller,” junior theatre major Jordyn Clinton said. “But as a theatre major, I am used to that because the theatre tackles tough, human topics. At the end of the day, it is just a story.”
On the other hand, some fans posit that the album is hopeful because it illustrates a spiritual journey.
“Maybe she is just searching for truth. Sometimes people have to work through doubt to get to faith,” said junior communications major Jenna King.
Christians can still enjoy all of Taylor Swift’s albums by focusing on what they are listening to, taking time to reflect how the songs line up with Christian values, seeking positive messages, separating Swift from her art and hard work, and exercising discernment in how they consume media.
