Lore & Lyrics

Lore & Lyrics began, quite simply, with a concert.

When my daughter was going through a difficult time, I bought tickets to see her favourite artist. I didn’t yet realise how rare that would be - or how much it would come to mean. In the months leading up to the Eras Tour, I began listening more closely, hoping to recognise a few songs, to feel part of the experience.

Instead, I found myself completely absorbed.

Discovering the writing

What began as preparation quickly became something else. The writing drew me in - its precision, its patterns, the way meaning seems to sit just beneath the surface. When The Tortured Poets Department was released, that connection deepened. The lyricism felt literary in a way I hadn’t expected.

I have always loved language - the close, slow kind of reading that asks what a word is doing and why. I hadn’t realised how much I missed it until I came across The Swiftie & The Scholar. Listening reminded me how much I loved reading this way - taking writing seriously, following an idea, letting meaning unfold.

From listening to tracing

I read for meaning, but I also read for pattern - the two have always worked together for me, one reaching for what a song says, the other for the shape it makes. The podcast gave me a way of reading; that way of reading is what this archive is built on.

You don’t need any of it to enjoy a song. But if you’ve ever noticed an image return, or felt two songs quietly speaking to each other, this is a place to follow that thread. Each song is here in detail - its motifs, its echoes, the references beneath it - but you can come for one line and stay as long as you like.

Lore & Lyrics was created to make those connections visible.

The Swiftie & The Scholar

This project is built on and inspired by The Swiftie & The Scholar - the podcast hosted by Angela McDow and Dr. Jerry Coats.

Together, they explore the lyrics, lore, and literary craft of Taylor Swift’s songwriting, bringing close attention and insight to each song.

Listen on YouTube →