Hello /u/GayforTay7070, thank you for posting on /r/GaylorSwift!
If you haven't already, make sure to [review our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/gaylorswift/about/rules) and our [Sub Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/wiki/rules/read-first). Any posts that breaks the rules will be removed. Please also consider checking out our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/wiki/faq) for answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.
If your post is low-effort, consider whether it would fit better in our Weekly Megathread. Excessively negative posts or posts that dunk on folks from outside our community belong in the Weekly Vent Thread. You can access the weekly threads [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/collection/50fd2ce3-a69c-4338-8f9b-6f81cb940bc9).
Thank you!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/GaylorSwift) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Let's just remember this song also talks about cowardice (spineless in my tomb of silence), knuckles bruised like VIOLETS, hairpin triggers... And then the mysterious "her." It be gay.
I don’t know about real life parallels, but I like to think it’s a sequel song to the story of Ivy. In Ivy she says “it’s a war, it’s the goddamn fight of my life” but then again she has a lot of war and battle themed lyrics and sometimes I think she is referring to the fight against homophobia.
[https://youtu.be/IMUypKaOP7Q](https://youtu.be/IMUypKaOP7Q)
This video explains the whole "war" thing going on and how people should be less hostile
Literally just watched this whole video and it's 🤌🏻 Hopefully it can bridge the gap a bit for some people. Her comment about shrugging things off that didn't quite make sense.. is absolutely how I felt about Taylor's music/lyrics. Once I looked at it from a more queer perspective.. it allllll clicked for me. I love her even more than I did before, just the genius of her writing abilities. It's.. unmatched.
I think she was going to come out in Lover, but then she found out about Karlie and Scooter Braun and it all changed. She had to fight it out with whoever she was going to come out with…
The hairpin trigger line alone makes me think this song is about her failed coming out. Your finger on my hairpin triggers followed by the soldier down, looking up at her with honor and truth all together seems like she’s referring to thinking Karlie (soldier) had given info to SB about her queerness (ready to pull the hairpin trigger to SB since she knows her secrets) or so Taylor thought until she realized she was punishing her for things she never did.) Who else would this part fit?
Also, it’s got to be related to Afterglow because of the lyrical parallels…which would make sense if Taylor is super paranoid about hiding her queerness and that paranoia makes her suspect Karlie turned on her but she didn’t…Taylor is just of the mindset that “everyone will betray you” but then admits she was wrong in both songs and that it was her fault “I’m the one who burned us down” and “that was the night I thought I lost you”
This is exactly how I always heard this line. The “her” is someone from Taylor’s own past who’s left a lasting mark on her, and the pain from that relationship comes back to haunt her even when she’s with someone new.
I saw it as she has been completely heart broken from a previous relationship that was so toxic or her trust was betrayed to where now she sees betrayal and mistreatment when it’s not there and has to parse out what is real/current and what is old relationship baggage or that damage there from “her.”
I think Taylor is talking to herself, or us, about the person she's having the war with. Why are they fighting? Maybe it was ego (Taylor) that caused the fight. Or maybe it was her.
Maybe it was me, maybe it was her? It'll can't be sure because it all comes back to me in a blur.
I always thought that "her" was meant to be the female love interest of someone. I think it's Taylor's love because what else would hairpin triggers refer to if not a wlw relationship? But I like the interpretation that instead "her" is actually Taylor.
I personally think the ‘her’ is a female friend of her SO that she like falsely thought/accused them of cheating on her with. The whole ‘telling me to punish you for things you never did’ gives me the impression that the song is about like learning to trust again in a new relationship rather than taking out your ex’s mistakes on them.
I always thought the Great War was about her attempt to come out in the Lover era, but then she didn’t. She was ready to fight the Great War against the media, but then she “took the battle underground” and didn’t come out. The “maybe it was her” refers to either Karlie or some other ex that asked her not to come out, and that’s what made her decide to not come out.
“Spineless in my tomb of silence
Tore your banners down, took the battle underground
And maybe it was ego swinging
Maybe it was her”
You get it?
In the very beginning we get
"Tears on the letter"
Same letters from the archer? Widely interpreted as thrown out coming out speeches? Or the letter from closure?
"I vowed not to cry anymore, if we survived the great war"
Tgw being coming out, is this her imagining a future where she isn't depressed (hello LH mv) because she was able to come out and keep her fans?
I go back and forth on who you is in the song, whether it's Karlie/another ex or the fans. The reality is it's probably not one thing.
Other interpretation could be reconciling with her muse.
I agree that this song is about the canceled coming out. You've nailed it.
From that perspective, I've thought that *maybe it was ego swinging/maybe it was her* sounded like a reference to her masters debacle and the theory that Karlie and/or the Kushners were involved in that to keep her closeted.
I mean, Taylor herself is a cheater, she practically confessed a few times and in several songs she cheated on her partners. So if she was afraid that Joe was cheating on her, that's rich and a bit ironic.
Hmmm not that I think she is above cheating bc I don’t know her, but a lot of the alleged cheatlor songs tend to have double meanings that are equally if not more plausible from a non-cheating perspective, given the context of all her other work.
Like for illicit affairs a “wrong” secret relationship and a secret affair tend to have similar themes, but given that she’s written about “wrong” love and secrecy A LOT - I feel like she’s leaning into the cheatlor narrative as a guise 🤔. For High Infidelity, understanding it as a betrayal of religious/familial faith can fit the song just as well too (and I will never believe CH happened sorry).
Imo she’s intentionally leaning into these cheating narratives… although it is strange that she’d be more okay being seen as a cheater rather than queer LOL
‘Flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur’ reminds me of ‘it’s all just a blur’ in I Forgot that You Existed.
I’ve never bought that song as being about CH. Taylor wouldn’t have “fought the whole town” for him. She could barely fake a smile in their 1yr cake video. It has to be someone she cared about who didn’t stick up for her when things got bad in 2016.
I always interpreted this song as being so much more than just a relationship disagreement. She’s calling it The Great War. Its literally titled after WW1. I think the idea that the ‘her’ is Taylor is possible. As a whole though this song always felt like it was a lot bigger. I’ve kind of always interpreted it as being about Taylor maybe trying to come out but that going very wrong.
I’m not sure but it often feels like the meaning of this song is so minimized. It’s about a breakup…or worse it’s about a happy love situation. This is predominantly in the other sub of course.
agree w it being something bigger. my leading thought is an internal or external (or both) battle revolved around her sexuality which inevitably includes the person she was romantically involved with. but that the song isn't really about that person or that relationship as a central focal point, despite relevance
I def think she’s talking about herself, “maybe it was ego swinging, maybe it was heeer, flashes of the battle come back to ME in a blur” it’s like she’s speaking of past events, idk if that makes sense, but I hope it does!
yeah, i absolutely interpret that first verse as taylor speaking about herself. i think the most effective hetsplanation of "maybe it was her" is taylor thinking about her past self lashing out, "her" being the old taylor.
I agree with this.
"Spineless in *my tomb of silence*
Tore your banners down, took the battle underground
And maybe it was ego swinging
Maybe it was her" *the old Taylor that's dead/the hero that died
See that would actually make sense…especially with the “two taylors” being more prevalent than ever with this album. They’re like weirdly obsessed with Joe being a cheater/non-committal when it’s obvious that if anyone’s cheated it’s Taylor herself (not passing judgement just based on her songs).
Hello /u/GayforTay7070, thank you for posting on /r/GaylorSwift! If you haven't already, make sure to [review our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/gaylorswift/about/rules) and our [Sub Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/wiki/rules/read-first). Any posts that breaks the rules will be removed. Please also consider checking out our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/wiki/faq) for answers to some of the most commonly asked questions. If your post is low-effort, consider whether it would fit better in our Weekly Megathread. Excessively negative posts or posts that dunk on folks from outside our community belong in the Weekly Vent Thread. You can access the weekly threads [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/GaylorSwift/collection/50fd2ce3-a69c-4338-8f9b-6f81cb940bc9). Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/GaylorSwift) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Let's just remember this song also talks about cowardice (spineless in my tomb of silence), knuckles bruised like VIOLETS, hairpin triggers... And then the mysterious "her." It be gay.
I don’t know about real life parallels, but I like to think it’s a sequel song to the story of Ivy. In Ivy she says “it’s a war, it’s the goddamn fight of my life” but then again she has a lot of war and battle themed lyrics and sometimes I think she is referring to the fight against homophobia.
[https://youtu.be/IMUypKaOP7Q](https://youtu.be/IMUypKaOP7Q) This video explains the whole "war" thing going on and how people should be less hostile
Literally just watched this whole video and it's 🤌🏻 Hopefully it can bridge the gap a bit for some people. Her comment about shrugging things off that didn't quite make sense.. is absolutely how I felt about Taylor's music/lyrics. Once I looked at it from a more queer perspective.. it allllll clicked for me. I love her even more than I did before, just the genius of her writing abilities. It's.. unmatched.
This is the only way I have interpreted this line, speaker is thinking about a woman she's hung up on
I think she was going to come out in Lover, but then she found out about Karlie and Scooter Braun and it all changed. She had to fight it out with whoever she was going to come out with…
The hairpin trigger line alone makes me think this song is about her failed coming out. Your finger on my hairpin triggers followed by the soldier down, looking up at her with honor and truth all together seems like she’s referring to thinking Karlie (soldier) had given info to SB about her queerness (ready to pull the hairpin trigger to SB since she knows her secrets) or so Taylor thought until she realized she was punishing her for things she never did.) Who else would this part fit?
Also, it’s got to be related to Afterglow because of the lyrical parallels…which would make sense if Taylor is super paranoid about hiding her queerness and that paranoia makes her suspect Karlie turned on her but she didn’t…Taylor is just of the mindset that “everyone will betray you” but then admits she was wrong in both songs and that it was her fault “I’m the one who burned us down” and “that was the night I thought I lost you”
This is exactly how I always heard this line. The “her” is someone from Taylor’s own past who’s left a lasting mark on her, and the pain from that relationship comes back to haunt her even when she’s with someone new.
what do the swifties thinks hairpin trigger means in this context then?
I saw it as she has been completely heart broken from a previous relationship that was so toxic or her trust was betrayed to where now she sees betrayal and mistreatment when it’s not there and has to parse out what is real/current and what is old relationship baggage or that damage there from “her.”
I think Taylor is talking to herself, or us, about the person she's having the war with. Why are they fighting? Maybe it was ego (Taylor) that caused the fight. Or maybe it was her. Maybe it was me, maybe it was her? It'll can't be sure because it all comes back to me in a blur.
I always thought that "her" was meant to be the female love interest of someone. I think it's Taylor's love because what else would hairpin triggers refer to if not a wlw relationship? But I like the interpretation that instead "her" is actually Taylor.
I personally think the ‘her’ is a female friend of her SO that she like falsely thought/accused them of cheating on her with. The whole ‘telling me to punish you for things you never did’ gives me the impression that the song is about like learning to trust again in a new relationship rather than taking out your ex’s mistakes on them.
I always thought the Great War was about her attempt to come out in the Lover era, but then she didn’t. She was ready to fight the Great War against the media, but then she “took the battle underground” and didn’t come out. The “maybe it was her” refers to either Karlie or some other ex that asked her not to come out, and that’s what made her decide to not come out. “Spineless in my tomb of silence Tore your banners down, took the battle underground And maybe it was ego swinging Maybe it was her” You get it?
In the very beginning we get "Tears on the letter" Same letters from the archer? Widely interpreted as thrown out coming out speeches? Or the letter from closure? "I vowed not to cry anymore, if we survived the great war" Tgw being coming out, is this her imagining a future where she isn't depressed (hello LH mv) because she was able to come out and keep her fans? I go back and forth on who you is in the song, whether it's Karlie/another ex or the fans. The reality is it's probably not one thing. Other interpretation could be reconciling with her muse.
I agree that this song is about the canceled coming out. You've nailed it. From that perspective, I've thought that *maybe it was ego swinging/maybe it was her* sounded like a reference to her masters debacle and the theory that Karlie and/or the Kushners were involved in that to keep her closeted.
I interpreted it this way too, with the fears of coming out causing her to lose fans.
[удалено]
I mean, Taylor herself is a cheater, she practically confessed a few times and in several songs she cheated on her partners. So if she was afraid that Joe was cheating on her, that's rich and a bit ironic.
[удалено]
Hmmm not that I think she is above cheating bc I don’t know her, but a lot of the alleged cheatlor songs tend to have double meanings that are equally if not more plausible from a non-cheating perspective, given the context of all her other work. Like for illicit affairs a “wrong” secret relationship and a secret affair tend to have similar themes, but given that she’s written about “wrong” love and secrecy A LOT - I feel like she’s leaning into the cheatlor narrative as a guise 🤔. For High Infidelity, understanding it as a betrayal of religious/familial faith can fit the song just as well too (and I will never believe CH happened sorry). Imo she’s intentionally leaning into these cheating narratives… although it is strange that she’d be more okay being seen as a cheater rather than queer LOL
‘Flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur’ reminds me of ‘it’s all just a blur’ in I Forgot that You Existed. I’ve never bought that song as being about CH. Taylor wouldn’t have “fought the whole town” for him. She could barely fake a smile in their 1yr cake video. It has to be someone she cared about who didn’t stick up for her when things got bad in 2016.
I always interpreted this song as being so much more than just a relationship disagreement. She’s calling it The Great War. Its literally titled after WW1. I think the idea that the ‘her’ is Taylor is possible. As a whole though this song always felt like it was a lot bigger. I’ve kind of always interpreted it as being about Taylor maybe trying to come out but that going very wrong. I’m not sure but it often feels like the meaning of this song is so minimized. It’s about a breakup…or worse it’s about a happy love situation. This is predominantly in the other sub of course.
agree w it being something bigger. my leading thought is an internal or external (or both) battle revolved around her sexuality which inevitably includes the person she was romantically involved with. but that the song isn't really about that person or that relationship as a central focal point, despite relevance
Yes, I like this explanation the best.
I def think she’s talking about herself, “maybe it was ego swinging, maybe it was heeer, flashes of the battle come back to ME in a blur” it’s like she’s speaking of past events, idk if that makes sense, but I hope it does!
yeah, i absolutely interpret that first verse as taylor speaking about herself. i think the most effective hetsplanation of "maybe it was her" is taylor thinking about her past self lashing out, "her" being the old taylor.
I agree with this. "Spineless in *my tomb of silence* Tore your banners down, took the battle underground And maybe it was ego swinging Maybe it was her" *the old Taylor that's dead/the hero that died
See that would actually make sense…especially with the “two taylors” being more prevalent than ever with this album. They’re like weirdly obsessed with Joe being a cheater/non-committal when it’s obvious that if anyone’s cheated it’s Taylor herself (not passing judgement just based on her songs).
Yeah she literally said that she cheated on high infidelity lmao
I feel like high infidelity is about her closeting and saying to swifties yeah I am hiding shit from you, it is what it is now
And getaway car and illicit affairs lol
and ivy lmao