Taylor Swift once again has the music world talking.
And buzzing. And wondering. And simply theorizing and hypothesizing around the clock.
On March 3, during an Eras Tour stop in Singapore, Swift told attendees that she wanted to show then “something that no one else has seen before.”
Cue the suspenseful music, right?!?
Taylor Swift performs on stage during a concert as part of her Eras World Tour in Sydney on February 23, 2024. (Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)
“If you want to look at the main screen, I want to show you something. This is the final edition of The Tortured Poets Department,” Swift told her fans at the time.
“It’s the final cover … [and] there’s a song called ‘The Black Dog.’ I can’t wait for you to hear it and I just appreciate the enthusiasm.”
The Tortured Poets Department will be released on April 19.
It will be Swift’s 11th studio album.
Taylor Swift does her thing here on stage in Australia. (Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)
As Swift shared her the news of this latest album version, a cover image — shot by Beth Garrabrant — flashed on the screen.
In the sepia-toned shot, the superstar stood with one hand resting on the top of her head and the other by her chin.
“Old habits die screaming,” Swift wrote as a caption via Instagram upon uploading the same snapshot.
In addition to “The Black Dog,” meanwhile, there are three other bonus versions on tap:
“The Manuscript,” “The Bolter” and “The Albatross.”
Each version has been heavily speculated to chronicle Swift’s breakup from Joe Alwyn, from whom Taylor Split in April 2023 after six years as a couple.
Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
In the wake of this new track and album bombshell, Swifts around the globe has been looking up the term “black dog.”
“For many people, this metaphor describes a state of depression characterized by sadness or lack of will, including the loss of desire to partake in activities you once loved,” a definition from BetterHelp, a mental health service, reads.
“This metaphor can be helpful for adults and children living with depression and those with loved ones experiencing symptoms.”
Might this phrase/song title therefore be some kind of metaphor for where Swift was at after her breakup last year?
Taylor Swift performs onstage during NSAI 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards at Ryman Auditorium on September 20, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)
More from BetterHelp, as shared by a Taylor Swift fan on Twitter:
“This metaphor can represent the gradual overtaking of enjoyable activities you once loved, the person you once recognized in the mirror, or the life you once lived.
“The metaphor represents how depression does not take breaks but may feel like a following shadow — a large, lumbering shadow as loyal as a canine.
“At its inception, though, the black dog was not as profound or scary of a metaphor.”
Taylor Swift attends “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” Concert Movie World Premiere at AMC The Grove 14 on October 11, 2023. (Photo Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
In case it isn’t clear, we can’t say for certain what any of the above song titles actually mean.
Swift loves to keep her fans guessing and those same fans love to, well, guess.
Based on rumors that Alwyn cheated on Swift, however, it’s safe to assume that many of these upcoming tracks may be scornful or vengeful in nature.
Lord help Joe Alwyn, folks.
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