Is Taylor Swift’s ‘Carolina‘ Leaving Clues to Her Relationship With Karlie Kloss?
Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss’ relationship has been a rumor forever. More than best friends (but not now), the two were rumored to be lovers. Now, Swift just released her new song “Carolina” from the Where the Crawdads Sing soundtrack.
There’s no way this song isn’t giving fans breadcrumbs about Swift’s alleged relationship with Karlie Kloss.
A good place to start is with the lyrics.
Taylor Swift “Carolina” lyrics
To know the lyrics you need to know the plot of Where the Crawdads Sing. The movie is adapted from the book of the same title. The movie comes out July 15, 2022.
Here’s a very simple plot summary. The main character Kya grows up alone and isolated in the marshes of Carolina. A local football hero is found murdered. The police accuse Kya of his murder.
The novel has themes of isolation and secrets. That matches the isolation and secrets Taylor and Karlie must feel hiding their past affair.
Read the lyrics.
The first verse of “Carolina”:
[Verse]
Oh, Carolina creeks running through my veins
Lost I was born, lonesome I came
Lonesome I’ll always stay
Carolina knows why, for years, I roam
Free as these birds, light as whispers
Carolina knows
Carolina, in the book, refers to the marshes that keeps Kya’s secrets. Carolina, in the song, refers to secrets of Taylor’s it keeps
[Pre-Chorus]
And you didn’t see me here
No, they never did see me here
And she’s in my dreams
Here, Taylor tells Carolina that you didn’t see me here, that Taylor is in Carolina’s dreams and no one saw them. It’s imploring Carolina to keep their secret hidden.
[Chorus]
Into the mist, into the clouds
Don’t leave
I make a fist, I’ll make it count
And there are places I will never, ever go
And things that only Carolina will ever know
The last two lines are the most important of this verse. In these lines, Taylor refers to the secret, the relationship between her and Karlie, as a place she will never revisit. It is a place that only “Carolina will ever know.”
[Verse 2]
Carolina stains on the dress she left
Indelible scars, pivotal marks
Blue as the life she fled
Carolina pines, won’t you cover me?
Hide me like robes down the back road
Muddy these webs we weave
“Carolina stains on the dress she left” is important.
Taylor Swift uses “dress” to hint at Karlie Kloss relationship
“Dress” is an important concept in Taylor’s music and her rumored relationship with Karlie Kloss.
Swift wrote “Dress” on the Reputation album. Its lyrics leave more clues to her and Karlie Kloss.
The very first lines in the first verse of “Dress”:
Our secret moments in your crowded room
They’ve got no idea about me and you
Swift constantly tells Karlie that no one knows about their relationship. Even in a “crowded room” surrounded by many other people, their relationship is unknown.
Later on in the chorus from “Dress”:
Say my name and everything just stops
I don’t want you like a best friend
Only bought this dress so you could take it off
Take it off (ha, ha, ha)
We all know that Taylor and Karlie were best friends. Karlie posted on Instagram a photo of Taylor kissing her on the cheek with the caption “Happiest of Birthdays to my ride or die @taylorswift”
Here, Taylor tells Karlie she doesn’t just want to be best friends. She bought this dress for her just so Karlie could take it off.
Now, in “Carolina,” Swift once again refers to the dress in the second verse.
Carolina stains on the dress she left
Indelible scars, pivotal marks
“Carolina stains” refers to Karlie physically leaving a dress behind with Taylor.
It could also be metaphorical for Karlie and Taylor’s relationship ending.
The dress signifies their relationship. “Indelible scars/pivotal marks” means the scars and pain of their relationship ending. “Pivotal marks” means the memories of that very special time together left on Taylor. “The dress she left” implies the relationship the two ended. It may even imply that Karlie was the one to go, leaving the relationship behind, but Taylor still held on.
“Pivotal marks” is especially important now because Swift appears to have moved on with Joe Alwyn. Yet deep inside will always be this once in a lifetime love with Karlie.
Why are these “pivotal marks”?
Swift and Kloss were in their early 20s when they were together. Both were the same age, similar backgrounds, and they shared this strong physical and emotional desire with each other.
Yet, because of their popularity and society’s prejudice, they could never be free to admit their love openly.
So, Swift can only remember it with scars and marks.
“Carolina”s second verse continues:
Carolina pines, won’t you cover me?
Hide me like robes down the back road
Muddy these webs we weave
Taylor asks Carolina to conceal the relationship. “Won’t you cover me?” may also refer to a physical embrace from Karlie.
Swift yearns for Karlie, but as we know, it’s hard for Swift to turn back now. She has Alwyn. Karlie is married to Joshua Kushner.
“Muddy these webs we weave” also refers to their relationship. The passage of time “muddies” the memory of their time together. Their secret affair, the cover-ups, these “webs” they weaved fade with time.
In the outro, Swift again repeats the chorus.
Into the mist, into the clouds
Don’t leave
I make a fist, I’ll make it count
And there are places I will never, ever go
And things that only Carolina will ever know
“And there are places I will never, ever go” signifies that time of her life with Karlie is long gone.
“Places I will never, ever go” has dual meanings. She may refuse to go back to those memories. It could be out of anger. Swift apparently cut off their friendship because Kloss was too tight with Scooter Braun (who ended up owning, and subsequently, selling her masters).
The line may have another meaning. Swift may fear the bittersweet feelings remembering their time together. So, she tries to not think about them.
When Swift sings “And things that only Carolina will ever know,” it means Karlie is the only person who will ever know their experience together.
“Carolina” is Karlie
Taylor constantly refers to Carolina as a location in the song. It represents Karlie though.
CARoLI = KARLIE.
The clues are all right there.
The whole song, the lyrics, the title.
Taylor Swift, yet again, has dropped more hints about her relationship with Karlie Kloss. This time in her song “Carolina.”
