poll Do the lyrics of Cruel Summer make sense?

[Machete]

Taylor Swift is usually one of (if not THEE) the best songwriters in music, but I find that whenever I listen to Cruel Summer and focus on the lyrics I have zero idea of what she is actually saying.

 

Just take a look at this verse:

Quote

Fever dream high in the quiet of the night
You know that I caught it (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)
Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)

 

Killing me slow, out the window
I'm always waiting for you to be waiting below
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
What doesn't kill me makes me want you more

or this one:
 

Quote

Hang your head low in the glow of the vending machine
I'm not dying (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)
We say that we'll just screw it up in these trying times
We're not trying (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)

So cut the headlights, summer's a knife
I'm always waiting for you just to cut to the bone
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
And if I bleed, you'll be the last to know, oh

What on earth is she saying?? 

Every time I read the lyrics to try and understand it just hurts my brain even more. 

 

So do you find sense in the lyrics of Cruel Summer or do you agree that it's giving Chat GPT response to "make a pop song" prompt?

Edited October 15, 2023 by Machete

[byzantium]

I think you set the poll up incorrectly.  

[uusagii]

The lyrics are very abstract, but it's definitely not "nonsense"

[Bosque]

Yeah the lyrics make total sense? You could argue you don’t think they’re good but i think the interpretation is pretty straightforward:

 

Fever dream high in the quiet of the night

-> a high fever (synonym for her crush) suddenly comes on at night, the crush is palpable physically. She’s is getting flushed/hot like during a fever, or when you have an intense crush

You know that I caught it (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)

-> she caught the fever (has a crush on him) and he knows it 

Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)

-> Joe is a bad boy ( ), a new shiny/appealing toy for her (since the crush is still fresh and nothing serious). She fears she will have a price to pay (=the crush will end badly), but she happily paid the price 

 

Killing me slow, out the window
I'm always waiting for you to be waiting below

-> she’s afraid of what will happen but always checking her window and hoping he will be there 

Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes

-> fate is taking its course, angels (the rational ones, maybe referring to her friends) roll their eyes cause it’s a bad idea, but devils (who don’t care about human fates) are having fun and gambling on her fate, because they suspect it will end badly for her 

What doesn't kill me makes me want you more

-> she’s willing to accept the price/hurt in order to be with him

 

its just a very dramatic and metaphorical description of the early passionate stage of a mutual crush 

Edited October 15, 2023 by Dephira

[Machete]

5 minutes ago, byzantium said:

I think you set the poll up incorrectly.  

Saying someone is "saying anything" is slang for saying nothing. Like they're just stringing words together hence "anything". But I will edit for clarity. 

[Kanes]

I'm getting flashbacks to that era of Tumblr when people would overanalyze tf out of Disney movies. It's happening now on ATRL with Taylor Swift lyrics.

[Itsaliability]

The song is literally about a summer fling, passionate, rapid, all over the place, and undecisive.

And the lyrics are perfect to evoke such emotions.

[WildHeart]

"Hang your head low in the glow of the vending machine i'm not dying"

Edited October 15, 2023 by Artistofthedecade

[The Music Industry]

How do they not make sense exactly? Just because they're a bit more abstract than literal? 

Edited October 15, 2023 by The Music Industry

[Achilles.]

The lyrics make sense it’s just typical pop songwriting where you have to cut words or phrase things weirdly. 
 

2 minutes ago, Artistofthedecade said:

"Hang your head low in the glow of the vending machine i'm not dying"

 

This is so 

Like it’s a pop song. You can’t write: We were making out leaning against the vending machine and your face was alight with the glow of the neon lights and your head was hanging low as you kissed my neck and I was so turned on I was dying inside.

[Arrows]

It’s about realizing you’ve fallen for your friend with benefits.

[LiamVillain]

4 minutes ago, Artistofthedecade said:

"Hang your head low in the glow of the vending machine i'm not dying"

 

This is so 

I imagined the scene based on this line
it felt like it came from a movie

[Machete]

4 minutes ago, The Music Industry said:

How do they not make sense exactly? Just because they're more abstract than literal? 

I think they are abstract to the point of being nonsensical. The explanations being posted are giving reaches

 

9 minutes ago, Itsaliability said:

The song is literally about a summer fling, passionate, rapid, all over the place, and undecisive.

And the lyrics are perfect to evoke such emotions.

NNN this is giving the retroactive excuse she gave for RED being incohesive. "It's an album full of up and downs and multiple emotions like your early 20s" 

[MidnightsAtPeace]

It makes perfect sense.

It's basically about the love that blossomed between her and Joe in 2016. the song starts with taylor stuck in a summer fling or a friends with benefits type of relationship with a guy (Joe), and she constantly has to conceal her true feelings towards him because she thinks that Joe doesnt want a serious relationship or she refuses to bring the subject of her love in fear of getting rejected, "And if I bleed you'd be the last to know" is the part that confirms this interpretation. At the time she didn't have the courage to confess her love, until THE BRIDGE where taylor finally confesses her feelings to Joe, not knowing how he'd react, and then he grinned to confirm that the feelings were mutual.

Edited October 15, 2023 by MidnightsAtPeace

[AndThenTheCocaine]

Idk why yall think this is abstract, to me the picture the songs paints is pretty compelling...

[Pheromosa]

idk it makes sense to me

its not even abstract really 

[ninasayers]

If this is considered "abstract"...

 

I didn't vote because neither do I think the lyrics are meaningful nor is it a bop. 

[sciencemagic]

Every time I hear the Vending machine lyric I just think of the scene from Toy Story 3  now that's a vivid glow! 

 

 

 

[Just a Gay on ATRL]

Quote

 

Fever dream high in the quiet of the night
You know that I caught it (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)
Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)

 

Killing me slow, out the window
I'm always waiting for you to be waiting below
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
What doesn't kill me makes me want you more

 

To me she's just describing a fiery love affair with a boy she perceives as bad/a flake/whatever you want to call it,  who comes with a "price" aka a reckless love affair, and she describes sneaking out her window to see him by giving into the devil on her shoulder rather than listening to the angels on her other shoulder, representing her decision making process to choose this boy. The risk of it all makes her desire him more. This is why the summer in question is cruel.

 

Quote

Hang your head low in the glow of the vending machine
I'm not dying (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)
We say that we'll just screw it up in these trying times
We're not trying (Oh yeah, you're right, I want it)

So cut the headlights, summer's a knife
I'm always waiting for you just to cut to the bone
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
And if I bleed, you'll be the last to know, oh

Her and the boy probably just stopped at a vending machine on their reckless night prowl and she's dismissing any concerns about being out with this bad boy just wandering the city by telling herself "well, I'm not dying, am I?".  Then she justifies it again by saying we're not TRYING to screw this love affair up, even if we end up doing so anyway without trying.

 

Cutting the headlights implies her and  the boy are being secretive while they wander the summer night and this all could potentially hurt her but she doesn't care - even if she is vulnerable with this man in certain ways, she will make sure he's the last to know if she's truly hurt, and she's mentally preparing herself for if he ever does because she knows this is a gamble.

 

[Ger.vaz]

what does the ”vending machine“ exactly mean? 
I have Never understood that
Otherwise it's super coherent.

[Itsaliability]

30 minutes ago, Ger.vaz said:

what does the ”vending machine“ exactly mean? 
I have Never understood that
Otherwise it's super coherent.

*In my understanding*  he's luring her into buying his tricks but she doesn't fall for it hence why she continues, I'm not dying (to have him?!). In these trying times we're not trying, meaning just messing around without any plans for the future.

[Itsaliability]

1 hour ago, Machete said:

I think they are abstract to the point of being nonsensical. The explanations being posted are giving reaches

 

NNN this is giving the retroactive excuse she gave for RED being incohesive. "It's an album full of up and downs and multiple emotions like your early 20s" 

It's not an excuse if it's the truth

Don't know how old are you, but I am in my 20s and dear lord if that ain't exactly the truth.

And back on topic, as I said, the song is pretty literal with its lyrics just presented in an abstract way.