Taylor Swift's Father Figure lyrics have no doubt already been pored over and analysed to the max by Swifties, and for good reason. After listening to the The Life of A Showgirl track, many were left wondering exactly who is Taylor Swift's Father Figure about? Allow us to explain.
While on first listen you might be inclined to believe that the Father Figure lyrics allude to an up-and-coming singer who betrayed Swift after her mentorship, when we lay it out like that we can't help but think this all sounds a little familiar….
The song, which interpolates George Michael's 1987 song of the same title, tells a far too common story of exploitation in the music industry.
So, come along with us as we unpack Taylor Swift's Father Figure lyrics in full.
A die-hard Swiftie unpacks all the easter eggs, song meaning, and lyrics.
Taylor Swift Father Figure lyrics explained
Swift has been known to sing from other people's perspectives, so with that in mind it seems like her Father Figure lyrics are actually from the point of view of the music executive who gave her her first break and explores the early days of her career.
“When I found you, you were young, wayward, lost in the cold / Pulled up to you in the Jag', turned your rags into gold. The winding road leads to the chateau / “You remind me of a younger me” / I saw potential."
Through the song, Swift unpacks the ongoing exploitation of artists in the music industry in explicit lyrics, with the nameless executive seemingly trying to convince Taylor that they will look out for her and have her best interests in mind.
Swift sings that he takes on this “father figure” to win over her trust despite not sincerely looking out for her. The chorus builds on this, saying “I can make deals with the devil because my dick’s bigger / This love is pure profit.”
Clearly, this relationship is also very much a business exchange, with the “pure profit” seemingly being the only reason this relationship works and meaning that she were to stop bringing in the money, they wouldn't have her back.
"You had to make your own sunshine, but now the sky is opalite."
Likewise, it sounds like her mentor was ultimately only here for her when they were still able to exert ultimate control over Swift, as is alluded to in lyrics like “I pay the check before it kisses the mahogany grain / Said, “They want to see you rise, they don't want you to reign” / I showed you all the tricks of the trade / All I ask is for your loyalty / My dear protégé”.
The bridge and final chorus get into the final outcome of this relationship, with Swift turning the power dynamic on its head and asserting her own control. Yes, Tay-Tay.
“You made a deal with this devil, turns out my dick's bigger / You want a fight, you found it / I got the place surrounded You'll be sleeping with the fishes before you know you're drowning / Whose portrait's on the mantle? / Who covered up your scandals? / Mistake my kindness for weakness and find your card cancelled / I was your father figure / You pulled the wrong trigger / This empire belongs to me.”
Facts.
Who is Taylor Swift's Father Figure about?
As we know all too well, Swift has faced a number of battles after leaving her first record label Big Machine Records where she worked with CEO Scott Borchetta.
Likewise, after Swift's masters were sold to Scooter Braun back in 2019, the singer expressed her understandable frustration over the transaction, saying in an open letter:
“For years I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work. Instead I was given an opportunity to sign back up to Big Machine Records and ‘earn’ one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in. I walked away because I knew once I signed that contract, Scott Borchetta would sell the label, thereby selling me and my future. I had to make the excruciating choice to leave behind my past. Music I wrote on my bedroom floor and videos I dreamed up and paid for from the money I earned playing in bars, then clubs, then arenas, then stadiums.”
She explained, “When I left my masters in Scott’s hands, I made peace with the fact that eventually he would sell them. Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the buyer would be Scooter. Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words ‘Scooter Braun’ escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to. He knew what he was doing; they both did. Controlling a woman who didn’t want to be associated with them. In perpetuity. That means forever.”
Ultimately, Swift describes her masters being sold to Scooter Braun specifically as her “worst case scenario.”
“This is what happens when you sign a deal at fifteen to someone for whom the term ‘loyalty’ is clearly just a contractual concept. And when that man says ‘Music has value,’ he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it.”
Damn. With all of that in mind, it gives the Father Figure lyrics a whole other layer of meaning.
Ultimately, Swift finally bought back her masters this year, restoring order to the Swiftie land and reinforcing the lyric "This empire belongs to me."
Yes. Taylor. 👏
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Keen to get into Taylor Swift's Father Figure lyrics for yourself? You can find the full lyrics below, along with her visualiser for it.
Taylor Swift's Father Figure lyrics in full
1st verse
When I found you, you were young, wayward, lost in the cold
Pulled up to you in the Jag’, turned your rags into gold
The winding road leads to the chateau
“You remind me of a younger me”
I saw potential
Chorus
I’ll be your father figure
I drink that brown liquor
I can make deals with the devil because my dick’s bigger
This love is pure profit
Just step into my office
I dry your tears with my sleeve
Post-Chorus
Leave it with me
I protect the family
Leave it with me
I protect the family
Verse 2
I pay the check before it kisses the mahogany grain
Said, “They want to see you rise, they don’t want you to reign”
I showed you all the tricks of the trade
All I ask is for your loyalty
My dear protégé
Chorus
I’ll be your father figure
I drink that brown liquor
I can make deals with the devil because my dick’s bigger
This love is pure profit
Just step into my office
They’ll know your name in the streets
Post-Chorus
Leave it with me
I protect the family
Bridge
I saw a change in you
My dear boy, they don’t make loyalty like they used to
Your thoughtless ambition sparked the ignition
On foolish decisions which lead to misguided visions
That to fulfill your dreams
You had to get rid of me
I protect the family
Chorus
I was your father figure
We drank that brown liquor
You made a deal with this devil, turns out my dick’s bigger
You want a fight, you found it
I got the place surrounded
You’ll be sleeping with the fishes before you know you’re drowning
Whose portrait’s on the mantle?
Who covered up your scandals?
Mistake my kindness for weakness and find your card cancelled
I was your father figure
You pulled the wrong trigger
This empire belongs to me
Post-Chorus
Leave it with me
I protect the family
Leave it with me
I protect the family
Leave it with me
Outro
You know, you remind me of a younger me
I saw potential
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