20 Times Taylor Swift Has Cursed in Her Lyrics

Taylor Swift has always been explicit in her songs — delivering crystal-clear messages with uber-specific details. And in the last five years, she’s also been explicit in the “parental advisory” definition of the word — meaning she’s now comfortable dropping an F-bomb here and there.

When Swift released her sixth studio album, reputation, in 2017, her return to music after three years was a triumphant one, as she took control of her own narrative and cemented her transformation from America’s sweetheart to proudly feminist idol. And her declaration in the album cut “I Did Something Bad” that “If a man talks sh– then I owe him nothing” formally marked her dive into the world of curse words.

Sure, there are a few instances of a pre-reputation Taylor letting out some of the less offensive expletives. If you listen closely, you’ll even find one in her debut album: “You never did give a damn thing, honey,” she sings in the bridge of the emotional ballad “Cold as You.” But the death of “OId Taylor” is when the swear words really began to soar.

With Lover in 2019 came the line “I’d be a bi—, not a baller” from “The Man.” But Swift’s first explicitly explicit tracks did not arrive until her pandemic-era 2020 sister albums folklore and evermore. Opening the former with the line “I’m doing good, I’m on some new sh–” was just the start; iconic lyrics like “’What a shame she’s f—ed in the head,’ they said” followed shortly after.

On her 10th studio set Midnights, the lyrics have become more colorful than ever. The 13-track project includes six explicit songs, with the curse words ranging from “hell” to “f—in’” to one we surely did not have on our bingo card: “di–head.”

As the pop superstar continues to embrace her honest lyricism, keep reading for 20 times Taylor Swift has cursed in her songs.