“Time won’t fly, it’s like I’m paralyzed by it.” What happens when you try to pin down something as slippery as time itself? This week’s episode gets philosophical as we explore how Taylor Swift uses time as a literary device—as narrative structure, as metaphor, as a way to measure how much we’ve changed. From flashbacks and tense shifts to nostalgia and the ache of looking back, we unpack how time shapes Taylor’s storytelling. Maansi traces the dramatic irony of “15” (Fearless, 2008), Jenn explores how “Timeless” (Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), 2023) removes time to reveal the purest form of love, and Jodi breaks down the stream-of-consciousness time travel of “All Too Well” (Red, 2012). Grab your clocks, calendars, and time-turners—class is in session.

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Memento (2000 film)
• The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
• Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
• Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf
• Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel
• Inside Out (2015 film)
• The Merge, [Author]
• StoryGraph
• Atonement, Ian McEwan
• The Ministry of Time, Kaliane Bradley
• Outlander, Diana Gabaldon
• The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young
• The Good Place (Jeremy Bearimy)

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Episode Highlights:

[01:12] Time as a literary device: structure, theme, and symbolism

[08:52] “Fifteen,” Fearless

[20:23] “Timeless,” Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)

[31:39] “All Too Well,” (Red)

Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social!

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• Instagram → instagram.com/APTaylorSwift
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This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.

“I cry a lot but I am so productive, it’s an art.” This week, we’re doing a deep dive on “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” (The Tortured Poets Department, 2024, Track 13), written by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff. A continuation of our Strong Women series, this episode goes line by line through one of Taylor’s most devastatingly relatable songs. We explore the rhetorical triangle of the I, the you, and the they; the “performative perkiness” of the chorus; why the poetry meter literally snaps to the beat of a performance; the crucial evidence hiding in drawers; and how dark humor becomes a coping mechanism. Whether you’re a Type A eldest daughter, a new mom, or anyone who has ever had to show up for work when their heart was broken, this one hits. Try and come for our job.

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• The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift (2024)
• The Eras Tour Concert Film / Documentary
• Moulin Rouge! (2001 film)
• Harley Quinn / Birds of Prey (2020 film)
• Barbie (2023 film)

• [02:17] Verse one: “She’s having the time of her life” — glittering prime, sequined stars, and the opening twist
• [08:23] Pre-chorus: “I’m a real tough kid” — internalizing what we’re told as little girls
• [20:23] The chorus: “I’m so depressed I act like it’s my birthday every day” — dark humor as coping
• [39:24] “Try and come for my job” — who is she talking to?
• [50:54] Why this is a twofer song: the sad version and the celebration version

• TikTok → tiktok.com/@APTaylorSwift
• Instagram → instagram.com/APTaylorSwift
• YouTube → youtube.com/@APTaylorSwift
• Link Tree → linktr.ee/aptaylorswift
• Bookshop.org → bookshop.org/shop/apts
• Libro.fm → tinyurl.com/aptslibro

Contact us at aptaylorswift@gmail.com

Krowned Krystals — krownedkrystals.com — use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!

Libro.fm — Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here: tinyurl.com/aptslibro

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.

"Never be so kind, you forget to be clever; Never be so clever, you forget to be kind." We're celebrating Women's History Month the only way we know how: looking at strong women in Taylor Swift’s music. Jenn traces the wisdom and boldness Taylor inherited from her grandmother in "Marjorie" (evermore, 2020), Jodi unpacks the resilience hiding in plain sight throughout "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart" (The Tortured Poets Department, 2024), and Maansi makes the case that "Eldest Daughter" (The Life of a Showgirl, 2025) is basically the anthem of every firstborn girl who had to figure it out before anyone else did. Plus: why the Iceland women's strike of 1975 worked, and why Taylor Swift might be the only person capable of organizing a global one.

Subscribe for free to get episode updates or upgrade to paid to get our After School premium content: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe. After School subscribers get monthly bonus episodes, exclusive content, and early access to help shape future topics!

Stay up to date at aptaylorswift.com

Mentioned in this episode:

• Unlikable Female Characters, Anna Bogutskaya
• Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
• Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
• The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
• Play the Patriarchy, Reductress
• "The End of an Era" Documentary
• "Marjorie," evermore (2020)
• "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart," The Tortured Poets Department (2024)
• "Eldest Daughter," The Life of a Showgirl (2025)
• Iceland Women's Strike, 1975

Episode Highlights:

[00:34] Introduction to strong women

[05:59] "Marjorie," evermore (2020)

[16:03] "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart," The Tortured Poets Department (2024)

[23:42] "Eldest Daughter," The Life of a Showgirl (2025)

Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social!

• TikTok → tiktok.com/@APTaylorSwift
• Instagram → instagram.com/APTaylorSwift
• YouTube → youtube.com/@APTaylorSwift
• Link Tree → linktr.ee/aptaylorswift
• Bookshop.org → bookshop.org/shop/apts
• Libro.fm → tinyurl.com/aptslibro

Contact us at aptaylorswift@gmail.com

Affiliate Codes:

Krowned Krystals - krownedkrystals.com use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!

Libro.fm - Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here tinyurl.com/aptslibro

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.