Taylor Swift Facing Backlash Over New Lyric That Says She Wants to Live In the 1830s
Taylor Swift released her album The Tortured Poets Department on Friday. The album was comprised of 31 new songs; however, one line had fans in an uproar.
“I Hate it Here” is track number 23. Swift sings about wanting to live in the 1830s because she and her friend group felt discontent with living in the current era. “My friends used to play a game where / We would pick a decade / We wished we could live in instead of this / I’d say the 1830s but without all the racists / And getting married off for the highest bid.”
Many listeners note that it is difficult to separate the period from all of the atrocities that were going on at the time, such as rampant racism and sexism. Others also pointed out that the 1830s was also known for the Indian Removal Act and Trail of Tears, in which around 60,000 Native Americans were forcibly displaced from their homes, with many dying during the journey.
Taylor Swift said if she could go back in time she'd want to live in the 1830's (but without all the racists)
— Obviously, you are fired. (@eleven8) April 19, 2024
Girl, then it wouldn't be the 1830s lmaoooo
Outbreaks of Cholera were also happening around Europe, which killed tens of thousands of people. This was also three decades before the Civil War, which means that slavery was still legal in the U.S. Fans believe it greatly minimizes the struggles that enslaved people faced at the time.
Taylor Swift in 1830 without all the racists pic.twitter.com/BlRY0kp742
— David Dennis Jr. (@DavidDTSS) April 19, 2024
However, Swift adds in the song that she wouldn’t feel comfortable living in any era possible because of the issues mentioned by listeners. The song’s next lines go: “Nostalgia is a mind’s trick / If I’d been there, I’d hate it / It was freezing in the palace.”
Many people do acknowledge the fact that Swift wrote these lyrics and why. The execution possibly could have been done better, but it points out the nostalgia many people have for a period they never lived through and the experiences that the people had to endure.
