Purgatory
Purgatory as a liminal afterlife state - neither heaven nor hell, a place of waiting and suspension where the soul lingers in an unresolved condition. In Taylor's writing, invoked as the emotional state between death (of a relationship, of hope) and redemption, where the speaker is stuck in a transitional space.
Purgatory represents the in-between state of emotional suspension (not fully alive, not fully dead) where the speaker waits without agency for something to change. Distinct from Hell (final punishment) in that purgatory is transitional and carries the possibility of eventual release.
Appears in 1 song
“I might've lingered in purgatory”
Purgatory represents the speaker's in-between state before being rescued, not fully alive and not fully dead, a liminal space of emotional suspension. Uncle Jerry connects it to the theological tradition of purgatory as the destination of those who die by their own volition or inaction.