Here’s Tay-Tay!

No. I have not turned in my Man Card. Actually, I am playing with an entire deck. You have to in this election year when there are some in Raleigh who have cards up their sleeves and they get to deal as well.

I am playing the Daddy Card. I have a middle-school teenage daughter who has in her time made me listen to all of these songs. Repeatedly.

I am also playing the Generational Card. I am a high school teacher, and if there is a demographic that could affect the outcome of the 2016 elections most, then it is the high school, early college group that has had the privilege of coming to age with Taylor Swift.

So this Taylor Swift mix-tape is dedicated to all of the out-of-touch GOP leaders in Raleigh whose words, actions, lack of actions, and prejudice-driven policies have made me search for answers using the words of an artist half my age who can be both country and pop because she wants to be.

Oh, and she actually writes most of all of her material unlike puppet legislators who are submitting bills written in the dark back rooms of ALEC officials’ offices.

 

1. “Blank Space” – 1989

“I’ve got a blank space, baby
And I’ll write your name.”

Taylor here, I think, is referring to a list of names that bear former loves in her life and there is space for one more. I like the idea of “former” here as in “no longer in office”. In fact, I would say that there are a lot of blank spaces for names of former legislators waiting to filled in November.

2. “Shake It Off” – 1989

‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

Is there really anything else that could be said here? Players, Haters, Heart-Breakers, Fakers – all synonyms for the very people in Raleigh who need to be voted out.

I mean dang! She even raps in this song! Come November 8^th, we can shake it off.

3. “Bad Blood” – 1989

‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
You know it used to be mad love
So take a look what you’ve done
‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
Hey!
Now we got problems
And I don’t think we can solve them
You made a really deep cut
And, baby, now we got bad blood
Hey!

This young woman is reading my mind!!!

At one time we did have some mad love for a few of these people. Even McCrory was a moderate sweeping into Raleigh with a banner of bipartisanship. But look at what’s has actually been done – deep cutting problems.

Bad blood indeed.

4. “Wildest Dreams” – 1989

Sorry. I can’t even imagine how to explain this one. But it is forever etched in my memory because of how many times I had to listen to it.

5. “I Knew You Were Trouble” – Red

‘Cause I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I’d never been
‘Til you put me down, oh
I knew you were trouble when you walked in
So shame on me now
Flew me to places I’d never been
Now I’m lying on the cold hard ground
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble
Oh, oh, trouble, trouble, trouble

Plain and simple message here – we shouldn’t have voted you people in. As soon as both the governor’s mansion and both houses of the General Assembly wen to GOP control, the trouble started.

6. “Style” – 1989

Sorry. This is another song that I can’t even bend to some sort of explanation. It too is forever etched in my memory. My daughter says that it is about Taylor’s relationship with Harry Stiles of One-Direction.

I really will be taking her word for it.

7. “You Belong with Me” – Fearless

If you could see
That I’m the one
Who understands you.
Been here all along.
So, why can’t you see
You belong with me,
You belong with me.

This song represents all of the candidates on the ballot this November who really have the people of North Carolina’s best interests in mind. Their names are on those ballots screaming, “You belong with me!”

8. “Love Story” – Fearless

‘Cause you were Romeo – I was a scarlet letter,
And my daddy said, “Stay away from Juliet”
But you were everything to me,
I was begging you, “Please don’t go”
And I said…

Not just one, but TWO allusions to great literature – Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet and Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter. That’s why it is on this English Teacher’s list.

Reminds all that we need to read good works of literature to exercise the parts of our brains that STEM doesn’t.

9. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” – Red

We are never ever ever getting back together,
We are never ever ever getting back together,
You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me
But we are never ever ever ever getting back together

Like, ever…

Damn right we’re not.

 

10. “22” – Red

Uh oh!
I don’t know about you
But I’m feeling 22
Everything will be alright
If you keep me next to you
You don’t know about me
But I’ll bet you want to
Everything will be alright
If we just keep dancing like we’re
22, ooh-ooh
22, ooh-ooh

Ah, to be young again. Maybe it may feel that way come November.

Enjoy listening.