Taylor Swift faces backlash over song lyric with fans saying this 'can't be real'

Taylor Swift has left fans struggling to believe their ears with one of the lyrics from her new album, The Tortured Poets Department.

As if Swifties weren't excited enough at the idea of getting a new Taylor Swift album today (April 19), the singer surprised people in the middle of the night by announcing her record was actually a double album featuring a whopping 31 songs in total.

Tracks include the single 'Fortnight', featuring Post Malone, as well as a collaboration with Florence & The Machine and even a song believed to reference Kim Kardashian.

But with fans rushing to take in every single one of the tracks from The Tortured Poets Department, it's none of those we're talking about here.

Instead, the lyric that's caught people's attention comes in Swift's track 'I Hate It Here' - the 23rd song on the album.

The song sees Swift sing about going to 'secret gardens' in her mind, saying: "I read about it in a book when I was a precocious child / No mid-sized city hopes and small-town fears / I'm there most of the year 'cause I hate it here."

Taylor Swift's track talks about going back to a decade. (Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

At one point in the song, Swift recalls how her friends 'used to play a game where we would pick a decade we wished we could live in instead of this'.

For her choice, Swift says: "I'd say the 1830s but without all the racists / And getting married off for the highest bid / Everyone would look down 'cause it wasn't fun now / Seems like it was never even fun back then / Nostalgia is a mind's trick / If I'd been there, I'd hate it."

In particular, it's the line 'I'd say the 1830s but without all the racists' which has sparked conversation online, with one listener claiming: "There are so many wrong things about this."

"IS THIS REAL ??," another baffled person commented, as a third wrote: "This can’t actually be real?"

The lyric comes in Swift's song 'I Hate It Here'. (X)

The lyric is definitely real, and some listeners have taken it upon themselves to share their thoughts in a full analysis.

In a Reddit thread dedicated to the song, one person wrote: "Why would she pick the decade lol??? Like all the bigotry aside, there wasn't even proper plumbing back then, medical care was primitive and little to no proper infrastructure.

"Like girl why do you wanna live in such terrible conditions lol?????"

Though the song has left some listeners baffled, others have said it's actually their 'favorite song' from the entire record.

UNILAD has contacted a representative for Taylor Swift for comment.

Topics: Celebrity, Music, Social Media, Taylor Swift

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.