Babylon and its Sister Songs.
Babylon to me feels like a sister song to Dorothea and Tis the Damn Season. Contrasting mundane with famous environments or a before and after. In the beginning, the casino line may refer to the music industry not liking Taylor Swift’s extreme success. Competitive balance, some people have said. Taylor sets up more imagery with the lines about the electric fence and the fleeing stallion, and more importantly the box being a cage despite being wrapped up nicely. The protagonist feels trapped in a gilded cage.
"And that small town's even smaller now in your rear view
You ran with all the wild things
A liberated libertine who then longed for home"
This feels similar to “Tis the Damn Season” where the protagonist of that song misses the small town of origin. The “wild things” may relate to “Where the Wild Things Are”. A libertine is someone who has challenged moral principles. Despite the supposed fun of celebrity or the interesting experiences of youth, the protagonist wanted to go back home. This can be compared to “And the road not taken looks real good now/And it always leads to you and my hometown” in “Tis the Damn Season”.
" 'Cause it's where you're from
Aunt Virginia with a church dress on
No elbows on the table
And the neighbor's lawn always looked better
Your hand-me-down sweater should've been from the mall"
This further sets up the imagery of the small town location where the protagonist is from. This could be compared to Dorothea where small-town family issues can often be memorable, as seen in “Do you ever stop and think about me?
When it was calmer/Skipping the prom/Just to piss off your mom/And her pageant schemes”. In both cases, there is something endearing about the towns where they came from. Taylor does very well with making a scene vivid by adding key details. The “hand-me-down sweater” should’ve been from the mall could mean that the sweater given to her wasn’t very good, and a mall-bought one would be of higher quality. Maybe it’s the thought that counts.
"And you hate this song
But you wake up on the train with your headphones gone
Then that melody is all you want
You never knew that it was Babylon
'Til it was gone."
The song about not realizing what you had until it’s gone does seem to have some similarities with “I Bet You Think About Me” except that “Babylon” is not meant to be a playful jab. At first, the familiar nostalgic song seems annoying, and the main character hates it. That will change later.
"Give the people what they want, then you keep it movin'
Make your plans and friends, a stranger's makeup on your tie
Twenty watches in the safe 'cause your time is money
Love is ice upon the ladder that you need to climb
She captured your attention, so free of all pretension
It stopped you cold."
The main character is moving up in the societal ladder and getting famous. Some people think this is allegorical for Travis Kelce’s NFL career, but many people think what a story is about matters more than who a story is about. Regardless, the societal structure had little room for an actual love because the main character was very focused on job issues. Until now.
"Because she loved you so
Pretty as a picture that you didn't post
Looking at you like you're made of solid gold
Never official
You mention you're single to the girls at the bar."
This may be an unrequited love situation similar to “Teardrops On My Guitar” or “Hey Stephen” at least at first. She was very appealing and loved the main character, but it couldn’t be official perhaps due to job concerns. The main character may be downplaying said relationship because it’s not official, hence “you mention you’re single…”
"You're using nostalgia as a weapon to hurt yourself
But darling, you end up hurting everybody else
The self-harm of never being where you are
It's bedtime, but you're sitting in your car
You're missing all the best parts."
Nostalgia for home, and perhaps an unwillingness to commit to an official relationship, has hurt everyone else. Looking into the past instead of the present and future may be a form of self-harm. The main character needs to actually enjoy life.
"And they're all at home
She's hanging Christmas lights with your son
Sneak into the bathroom to call her mom
And say, "It's not working
It's just not worth it if we're not what he wants"
This may have been a flash forward to a possible future. Their relationship may not have worked after all. (I don’t really know what to make of this).
"But you love this song
You wake up on the train with your headphones gone
Then that melody is all you want
You never knew that it was Babylon
And now, it's almost gone."
The melody that the main character once hated is now loved. It is a memory of home, which the main character didn’t realize was precious or beautiful until it was almost gone. Babylon here is metaphorical for something beautiful due to the ancient city’s grandeur, especially with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. There are also similarities to “Cowboy Like Me”, where Taylor uses the hanging gardens metaphor in “now you hang from my lips like the Gardens of Babylon”, which is an interesting call-back. There is a biblical interpretation of “Babylon” as a symbol of hubris or pride, but this does not make sense with the context of Taylor Swift.
