Decoding Taylor Swift's Emotional Journey with Joe Alwyn in 'Melancholic Melodies': Exploring 'Farewell to London' and More

Many fans thought Taylor Swift's new album, The Tortured Poets Department, would be influenced by her breakup with Joe Alwyn. They were partially right.

While the album does not focus heavily on her long relationship with the actor, Swift does reserve some of the most emotional songs, like her popular track 5, for reflecting on the breakup that was confirmed in April 2023.

From songs like "So Long, London" to "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" and "loml," Taylor Swift gives us a raw look into her grieving process after the end of a long-term relationship that she thought would never end. In "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart," the thirteenth track on the album, she sings about how he promised to love her forever, but life had other plans, leaving her shattered on the floor.

During her concert in Melbourne, Australia in February 2024, Swift shared that the album "The Time of Parting Ways" served as a lifeline for her during a challenging period in her life.

"It kind of brought back to me the reason why I find songwriting so important in my life," she shared with her fans. "I've never felt the need for songwriting as much as I did when working on Tortured Poets."

Continue scrolling to discover each song rumored to be about Alwyn on Swift's Tortured Poets album.

‘So Long, London’

Track fives have become famous for being some of Swift’s most gut-wrenching tunes, and The Tortured Poets Department is no different.

"So Long, London" can be seen as a companion song to "You're Losing Me" from Swift's album Midnights. In this song, Swift reflects on the end of her relationship with Alwyn, a well-known British actor.

In the second chorus, she sings, "I stopped CPR after all it’s no use / The spirit was gone we would never come to / And I’m pissed off you would let me give you all that youth for free for so long, London."

In her song "You're Losing Me," Taylor Swift includes her own heartbeat in the recording. She compares the relationship to a failing body, expressing that her partner refused to acknowledge the problems.

In another track called "So Long, London," Swift reveals her growing resentment towards her ex. She questions where the love went, feeling betrayed by false promises. She feels like she was left waiting for proof of love, sacrificed for her ex's happiness.

Taylor Swift has often mentioned the color blue in connection to Alwyn in her songs. She has also expressed her desire to create a future with him and tie the knot in tracks such as “Paper Rings,” “Lover,” “Peace,” and “You’re Losing Me.”

Every Song Taylor Swift Wrote About Joe Alwyn on Tortured Poets Department 2

Alwyn’s possible battle with anxiety and depression has been hinted at in Swift’s music. In "Lover," it says, “My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue,” and in "Renegade," it asks, “Is it your anxiety that stops you from giving me everything? Or do you just not want to?”

In her song "So Long, London," Swift talks about how she felt burdened by the tension between her and Alwyn. She describes feeling like her back was breaking from carrying the weight of their relationship uphill.

She reflects on how she stopped trying to make him laugh and stopped trying to fix things. Swift expresses her anger and frustration, but also mentions that she is starting to feel like herself again. Despite everything, she acknowledges her love for London, despite the challenges she faced there.

She ends the song by declaring, “Had a good run .. but I’m not the one, London.”

‘Loml’

One of the saddest songs on TTPD is "loml," where Taylor Swift expresses her hurt over her relationship with Alwyn falling apart.

The lyrics hint at plans of marriage and a future together that now only bring her pain. In the second verse, she sings, "You s–t-talked me under the table talking rings and talking cradles."

References were made to someone who claimed to be a changed person after being with Swift, such as lyrics mentioning being a "reformed" man and "Mr. Steal your girl and then make her cry" and "the coward claimed he was a lion."

Swift's earlier songs about Alwyn also hinted at his past relationships, like in Delicate with lyrics asking "Do the girl's back home touch you like I do?" and in Reputation with "Knew he was a killer, first time that I saw him, breaking hearts and never saying sorry" on "Are You Ready for It?"

There were rumors swirling around that Swift developed feelings for Alwyn while she was still in a relationship with Tom Hiddleston. She hints at this in her song "High Fidelity" from the album Midnights.

In the song, she poses the question, "Do you really want to know where I was on April 29?" This is the date when it is believed that she first met Alwyn. Swift also asks, "Do I really need to tell you how he brought me back to life?" implying a deep emotional connection with Alwyn.

Swift also describes her love with Alwyn as a "glow," reminiscent of the "golden" color she once used to depict their romance. In the song "Daylight," she shares, "I thought love was red, but it's golden."

She playfully teases Alwyn in the song, referring to him as a "cinephile" and poking fun at his other creative pursuits. Singing, "Impressionist paintings of heaven turned out to be fakes," which contrasts with her perspective on "Peace" from Folklore.

Song Lyrics: ‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart’

She sings on the 2020 track they wrote together, "Your integrity makes me seem small, You paint dreamscapes on the wall. I talk with my friends, It’s like I’m wasting your honor."

"I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" is the most upbeat track on the record. It talks about Swift's struggle to stay strong after breaking up with Alwyn while embarking on the worldwide Eras Tour.

In the song, Swift sings about being tough and handling her emotions. She mentions the pressure to fake it until she makes it, and how she successfully navigated through the early days of the tour that started shortly after her breakup with Alwyn. The lyrics capture her determination to put on a brave face despite the heartbreak.

Swift admits that even though fans believed she was enjoying herself, she was actually struggling and feeling overwhelmed in private.

In one of her songs, she sings about how she felt like she was falling apart while the audience cheered for her. Despite feeling broken inside, she continued to perform with a smile on her face.

“I can hold my breath,” she continues. “I’ve been doing it since he left.”

Every Song Taylor Swift Wrote About Joe Alwyn on Tortured Poets Department 3

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‘The Black Dog’

In one of TTPD's bonus tracks, "The Black Dog," Swift talks about a common experience after a breakup: finding out where your ex is and letting your imagination go wild.

She shares that she saw her ex forget to turn off his phone location, and she watched as he went into a bar. This made her realize that he might not miss her as much as she had hoped.

She admits that "old habits die screaming" as she imagines her ex, likely Alwyn, with a girl who is considered "too young" to understand the music references that were a significant part of their relationship.

She expresses feeling heartbroken and unable to fully open up as she navigates through life. She reflects on how her ex told her she needed a brave man, only to later pretend to be that brave man until she started to believe it as well. This realization weighs heavily on her.

Swift also talks about a "cruel fraternity" she joined with her ex, possibly referring to Alwyn's circle of friends that she used to spend time with at the start of their relationship.

In her song "London Boy" from the album Lover released in 2019, she sings, "And now I love high tea, stories from uni, and the West End. You can find me in the pub, watching rugby with his school friends."

Swift concludes "The Black Dog" with a raw emotion. She sings about leaving with your tail between your legs and not being able to believe it. She ends with a shaky breath, reflecting on how old habits can be hard to break.

The next song, "Fresh Out the Slammer," continues with a fresh perspective.

Swift makes it clear that the term “fresh out the slammer” is a metaphor for the end of her relationship with Alwyn. She drops hints about the actor in other songs about him.

In the second verse, she sings, “Grey and blue and fights and tunnels / Handcuffed to the spell I was under for just one hour of sunshine.” Blue represents Alwyn in her music, while tunnels are mentioned in “Cornelia Street” where she almost leaves Alwyn but turns around just before hitting the tunnel because he calls.

"Fresh Out the Slammer" could be seen as a reflection of Alwyn's struggles with depression, with lyrics like "Years of labored locks and ceilings in the shade of how he was feeling, but it’s going to be alright, I did my time."

The title of the song may also be a nod to the track "Are You Ready for It?" from Reputation, which is a cheerful love song that mentions Alwyn with the lines, "Now he could be my jailor / Burton to this Taylor."

Editor's P/S:

Taylor Swift's latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department," is a raw and emotional exploration of her breakup with actor Joe Alwyn. Swift pours her heart out in songs like "So Long, London," "loml," and "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart," capturing the pain, anger, and determination she experienced during and after the split. Through her lyrics, she reflects on the shattered promises, the weight of the relationship, and the journey of healing and self-discovery. The album is a testament to Swift's resilience and her ability to channel her emotions into powerful and moving music.

The article sheds light on the various ways in which Swift's relationship with Alwyn has influenced her songwriting. From the heartbreak expressed in "So Long, London" to the defiance and determination in "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart," Swift's lyrics offer a glimpse into the complexities of their romance. The album also includes references to Alwyn's struggles with mental health and the challenges they faced as a couple. Swift's ability to weave personal experiences into her music makes "The Tortured Poets Department" both relatable and cathartic, resonating with listeners who have also experienced the pain of heartbreak.