Skipping Throwback Weekends this week to continue the tracklist of my version of Taylor Swift’s latest album…
Taylor Swift’s Asylum
Track #7: ‘But Daddy I Love Him’
If albums had sides anymore, yesterday’s track would have been the end of Side One and today’s the beginning of Side Two. On the back half of the album, we’re leaving the Joe Alwyn relationship behind and focusing on the highs and lows of the past year.
That means our first (and only) Matty Healy song. The Tortured Poets Department has a bunch of them, but I’m not a fan of most. Today’s track, however, is a standout.
‘But Daddy I Love Him’ is the first time I’ve heard Taylor attack her fans, or at least those fans who feel the need to judge her personal decisions. This is an angry, sarcastic song, spitting in the face of everyone who gave her shit for dating a guy who didn’t meet their standards.
“I’ll tell you something ’bout my good name,” she sings, “It’s mine alone to disgrace.” Good for her. I love this look on Taylor, and I love this song.
I forget how the West was won
I forget if this was ever fun
I just learned these people only raise you
To cage you
Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best
Clutchin’ their pearls, sighing, “What a mess”
I just learned these people try and save you
‘Cause they hate you
[Pre-Chorus]
Too high a horse
For a simple girl
To rise above it
They slammed the door
On my whole world
The one thing I wanted
[Chorus]
Now I’m runnin’ with my dress unbuttoned
Scrеamin’, “But, Daddy, I love him”
I’m havin’ his baby
No, I’m not, but you should see your faces
I’m tellin’ him to floor it through thе fences
No, I’m not coming to my senses
I know he’s crazy, but he’s the one I want
[Verse 2]
Dutiful daughter, all my plans were laid
Tendrils tucked into a woven braid
Growin’ up precocious sometimes means
Not growin’ up at all
He was chaos, he was revelry
Bedroom eyes like a remedy
Soon enough, the elders had convened
Down at the city hall
[Pre-Chorus]
“Stay away from her”
The saboteurs
Protested too much
Lord knows the words
We never heard
Just screeching tires and true love
[Chorus]
And I’m runnin’ with my dress unbuttoned
Screamin’, “But, Daddy, I love him”
I’m havin’ his baby
No, I’m not, but you should see your faces
I’m tellin’ him to floor it through the fences
No, I’m not coming to my senses
I know he’s crazy, but he’s the one I want
[Post-Chorus]
I’ll tell you something right now
I’d rather burn my whole life down
Than listen to one more second of all this bitchin’ and moanin’
I’ll tell you something ’bout my good name
It’s mine alone to disgrace
I don’t cater to all these vipers dressed in empath’s clothing
[Bridge]
God save the most judgmental creeps
Who say they want what’s best for me
Sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I’ll never see
Thinkin’ it can change the beat
Of my heart when he touches me
And counteract the chemistry
And undo the destiny
You ain’t gotta pray for me
Me and my wild boy and all of this wild joy
If all you want is gray for me
Then it’s just white noise, and it’s just my choice
[Verse 3]
There’s a lot of people in town that I
Bestow upon my fakest smiles
Scandal does funny things to pride, but brings lovers closer
We came back when the heat died down
Went to my parents and they came around
All the wine moms are still holdin’ out, but fuck ’em, it’s over
[Chorus]
Now I’m dancin’ in my dress in the sun and
Even my daddy just loves him
I’m his lady
And, oh my God, you should see your faces
Time, doesn’t it give some perspective?
And, no, you can’t come to the wedding
I know it’s crazy, but he’s the one I want
[Post-Chorus]
I’ll tell you something right now
You ain’t gotta pray for me
Me and my wild boy and all of this wild joy
(He was chaos, he was revelry)
If all you want is gray for me
Then it’s just white noise, and it’s my choice
[Outro]
Screamin’, “But, Daddy, I love him”
I’m having his baby
No, I’m not
But you should see your faces
But, oh my God, you should see your faces
(He was chaos, he was revelry)
(He was chaos, he was revelry)
Meet Me In Montauk 
Taylor is one of the rare artists whose songs are equally good whether she is writing for a place of joy or heartbreak.
This is another great choice – well placed in your line up as well.
I defend Taylor’s order and storytelling format too – I do believe her visceral “female rage the musical” (as she has apparently recently called TPD Era’s tour section and copyrighted) makes sense to kick off in the fallout of the thrown lifeline mirage promise that was Matt Healey. But as a chronological emotional arc, I do enjoy the pieces of your version here too.
This song is interesting too because it feels like we end up on the Travis side of things. I somehow don’t think Scott Swift came around on the whirlwind of Matt. Either way, I love the line “if all you want is gray for me, then it’s just white noise” because Taylor so clearly feels and operates in passionate and dramatic shades. To want a mundane life or partner for her is to misunderstand her.
you mean she’s referencing Travis in the final chorus? Makes sense. I, too, like to hear Taylor letting her fans know it’s her life and her mistakes to make.