Not only is “Fortnight” nominated for Record of the year, song of the year, And Best Music Video at the 2025 Grammys, but we’re personally manifesting a performance from Taylor Swift and Post Malone. So if you haven’t already, now is probably a good time to (a) memorize the lyrics and (b) get to know the song on a deeper level. Some questions we need to think about:

1. What/who is “Fortnight” about?

2. What inspired Taylor’s lyrics?

3. Are there any clues in the clip?

Let’s go!

What Taylor He says that the song “Quinzaine” is about

Tay dove into the meaning of “Fortnight” with Amazon Musicstating that the song is about “a dramatic, artistic and tragic vision of love and loss”.

Specifically, Taylor said she “always imagined” that “Fortnight” “was set in this American town where the American dream that you thought you’d achieve didn’t happen.” You found yourself without the person you loved and now you just have to live with it every day, wondering what it would have been like to maybe see them out. And it’s really a pretty tragic concept, so I was just writing from that perspective.

So basically, it’s about exes who are still in their feelings but who have both technically moved on. Something we can all relate to!

How the Music Video Connects to the Meaning of the Song

As Taylor said on Instagram: “When I was writing the music video for ‘Fortnight,’ I wanted to show you the worlds I saw in my head that served as the backdrop for making this music. Almost everything in it is a metaphor or reference to one corner or another of the album. For me, this video turned out to be the perfect visual representation of this record and the stories I tell on it.

The “Fortnight” video also shows Taylor sitting at a typewriter. with a fountain penwhich offers a clue to the meaning of the song. How, you ask? Well, Taylor once told her fans that she puts her songs into three categories: Quill lyrics, Fountain Pen lyrics, and Glitter Gel Pen lyrics.

So, the literal fountain pen here…

…implies that “Fortnight” is a Fountain Pen Lyrics song. By Tay, these songs include “a story or modern references, with a poetic touch. Take a common phrase and reverse its meaning. Trying to paint a vivid picture of a situation, right down to the peeling paint on the door frame and the incense dust on the vinyl shelf. Place yourself and the listener in the room where it all happened. Love, loss, everything. The songs I categorize in this style sound like confessions scribbled and sealed in an envelope, but too brutally honest to ever send.

So, is “Fortnight” about Matty Healy… or Joe Alwyn?

Fans are convinced that a large part of The Department of Tortured Poets it’s Matty Healyand it seems that “Fortnight” is no exception. There are several clues throughout the clip, such as Taylor typing on a typewriter, which appears to be a direct reference to Matty’s themed lyric “You left your typewriter in my apartment/Directly from the Department of Tortured Poets” in the album title. track.

And honestly, that’s not the only reference to Matty in the clip. Hmm:

That said, there East Some fans speculate that the song is actually about Joe Alwyn (specifically how long it took them to break up):

The complete lyrics of “Fortnight”

Check them out courtesy of Genius and interpret them yourself!

I was supposed to be fired
But they forgot to pick me up
I was a functioning alcoholic
Until no one notices my new aesthetic
All this to say that I hope you are well
But you are the reason
And no one here is to blame
But what about your quiet betrayal?

And for fifteen days there we were forever
I meet you sometimes, I ask about the weather
Now you are in my garden, transformed into good neighbors
Your wife waters the flowers, I want to kill her

All my mornings are Mondays stuck in an endless month of February
I took the miracle drug, the effects were temporary
And I love you, it’s ruining my life
I love you, it’s ruining my life
I touched you for only fifteen days
I touched you, but I touched you

And for fifteen days there we were forever
I meet you sometimes, I ask about the weather
Now you are in my garden, transformed into good neighbors
Your wife waters the flowers, I want to kill her
And for fifteen days there we were together
I meet you sometimes, comment on my sweater
Now you’re at the mailbox, transformed into good neighbors
My husband is cheating on me, I want to kill him

I love you, it’s ruining my life
I love you, it’s ruining my life
I touched you for only fifteen days
I touched you, I touched you
I love you, it’s ruining my life
I love you, it’s ruining my life
I touched you for only fifteen days
I touched you, I touched you

I thought about calling you, but you won’t answer
‘Another fifteen days lost in America
Move to Florida, buy the car you want
But it won’t start until you touch me, touch me
I thought about calling you, but you won’t answer
‘Another fifteen days lost in America
Move to Florida, buy the car you want
But it won’t start until I touch you, touch you

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