Taylor Swift released four new songs as part of The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, an expansion to the glitzy album. The new tracks are Patient Zero, Cleveland!, Pink Clouding and Babylon.
While many believe Cleveland! to have references to Swift’s husband Travis Kelce, who grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Babylon has left fans stumped. Even though they have shown much appreciation for Swift’s new song and praised the lyrics as being typical of the singer, the subject of the track has remained a mystery.
One fan shared snippets of the lyrics on X.
Another asked “Babylon about living the life you don’t want and regretting it?”. Yet another said “Babylon is one of the most Taylor Swift songs to ever Taylor Swift.”
Here’s all about the Babylon lyrics and what it means.
Babylon full lyrics and meaning explained
[Verse 1]
The casino doesn’t like when you run the tables
And though the box is wrapped up nice, it’s just a cage to you
Those electric fences buzz, the stallions leave the stable
And that small town’s even smaller now in your rearview
You ran with all the wild things
A liberated libertine who then longed for home
’cause it’s where you’re from
Aunt Virginia with a church dress on
No elbows on the table, and the neighbors lawn always looked better
Your hand-me-down sweater should’ve been from the mall
[Chorus]
And you hate this song, but you wake up on the train with your headphones gone
Then that melody is all you want
You never knew that it was Babylon ’til it was gone
[Verse 2]
Give the people what they want, then you keep it movin’
Make your plans and friends of strangers, makeup on your tie
Twenty watches in the safe ’cause your time is money
Love is ice upon the ladder that you need to climb
She captured your attention, so free of all pretension
It stopped you cold because she loved you so
Pretty as a picture that you didn’t post
Looking at you like you’re made of solid gold
Never official, you mention that you’re single to the girls at the bar
[Chorus]
You hate this song, but you wake up on the train with your headphones gone
Then that melody is all you want
You never knew that it was Babylon ’til it was gone
[Verse 3]
You’re using nostalgia as a weapon to hurt yourself
But darling, you end up hurting everybody else
The self-harm of never being where you are
It’s bedtime, but you’re sitting in your car
You’re missing all the best parts
And they’re all at home
She’s hanging Christmas lights with your son
Sneak into the bathroom to call her mom
And say, “It’s not working, it’s just not worth it if we’re not what he wants”
[Chorus]
But you love this song, you wake up on the train with your headphones gone
Then that melody is all you want
You never knew that it was Babylon now it’s almost gone
[Refrain]
Aunt Virginia with a church dress on
No elbows on the table, and the neighbor’s lawn always looked better
Your hand-me-down sweater should’ve been from the mall
Babylon historically refers to the city on the banks of the Euphrates in southern Mesopotamia, in what is now Iraq. It has appeared in several songs in the past, including Boney M’s ‘Rivers of Babylon’. Swift uses the Babylon imagery to portray the life of the protagonist who escapes the small town chasing the excitement of a new life.
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However, this becomes a kind of cage in itself, and the chorus captures this realization through the Babylon metaphor. The lyrics also refer to a failed relationship and the bittersweet nature of the song has left fans wondering who it might be about.
Who is Taylor Swift’s Babylon about?
Swift herself has not hinted at anyone in particular in Babylon. There’s also no official statement on who the song might be about. However plenty of fan theories have been shared on social media.
One person felt that the song was a reference to Swift’s failed relationship with Joe Alwyn. A Redditor wrote “Man this song seems inspired from Joe. Benjamin Button is the son.”
The two were in a relationship from September 2016 to March 2023, before they parted ways. Others felt the song was about Justin Bieber.
“I lowkey thought this one was about Justin Bieber. Rose in the industry around the same time as Taylor. Cared too much about money and clout, wouldn’t make it official or public. Uses nostalgia as a weapon. Eventually married and had a son but isn’t present,” another mentioned.
Yet another felt Babylon was about Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas. “Babylon: The Sophie and Joe Story,” the Redditor wrote. Turner, known for Game of Thrones, split up with Jonas in 2023 after four years of marriage and two children together.