If you are anything like me, The Tortured Poets Department has been on repeat for the past two weeks since it came out on April 19. The songs are hauntingly beautiful and resonate with many people for various reasons. There is a song at the album that shocks me with the lack of attention it is receiving: “How Did It End”.
The song, “How Did It End” is on the anthology part of her new album, essentially the surprise part of this album, adding an additional 15 songs to what was thought to only be a 16-song album. As I listened to this album in full during the wee hours of the morning, I felt all the emotions one could that early in the morning. The song with the most profound impact was “How Did It End” because of its genius songwriting.
Now, we all know Taylor Swift is a master lyricist, which she has proven time and time again. Behind this master songwriting is her ability to story tell, which is shown in all songs, to be fair, but most clearly in “How Did It End”.
The song is about the conclusion of a relationship where everyone must know: how did it end? The chorus states, “come one, come all, it’s happening again. Empathetic hunger descends. We’ll tell no one, except all of our friends.” This chorus reflects that gossip can spread like wildfire when something so big happens, like the end of a relationship. She is singing from the point of view of someone who has been broken up with, and how haunting and paranoia inducing it is to have this happen. People are not asking out of good character but asking out of a selfish hunger for answers, to then go and tell everyone they know…and then, of course, everyone they also know will be informed.
She also makes an evocative comparison between a childhood playground rhyme to how it feels now. When I was younger, the rhyme went, “so and so sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G” in this song, Taylor Swift says, “My beloved ghost and me sitting in a tree, D-Y-I-N-G.” The comparison highlights not only the feelings now, but the comparison of the innocent view of love at a young age versus how it is can be viewed after heartbreak or at an older age.
Taylor takes this song to tell how the most traumatic part of breakup may not even be the breakup itself, but everyone needing to know every detail of it all and spreading it around.
Taylor is a lyrical genius, which is obvious and present in all songs, but storytelling evolution is clear. She tells stories that carry girls into womanhood, from songs like “The Best Day” and “Teardrops On My Guitar” to the newest songs like “So High School” and “loml.” This song, “How Did It End,” is no exception, as it is a stop along the way of songs to get us through the hard parts of life.