Swift said she was inspired to write "Death by a Thousand Cuts" after watching Netflix's "Someone Great." (Fittingly, the film's writer and director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson was actually inspired by Swift's album "1989," especially its closing track "Clean," which will appear farther down this list.)
The film's protagonist, Jenny (Gina Rodriguez), is forced to reckon with the demise of her 9-year relationship after landing her dream job, which will take her thousands of miles away.
"It's a movie about how she has to end this relationship that she didn't want to end because she's still in love with the person, but they just grew apart, and he's not a jerk," Swift said on Elvis Duran's morning radio show. "It's just sad because it's just realistic. Time passed, and now we're different people, and that is the most devastating thing."
In "Death by a Thousand Cuts," Swift imagines a bygone relationship as a house she can't get into anymore. Now, she can only peer through the windows and catch glimpses of the flickering chandeliers. She goes through life begging for a clear sign — green means go, red means stop — only to be met with yellow lights.
And as if those verses aren't vivid enough, just wait for the bridge — a breathless inventory of moments, feelings, and body parts. They should belong to her now, but instead, they're constant reminders of the life she once shared.
Highlight verse: