“Letter to an Old Poet” by boygenius
Boygenius is the girl group consisting of Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker whose debut LP, “The Record”, was just released on 31 March 2023, through Interscope Records. The album was supported by these singles:
Thus far the group has a couple of EPs under their collective belt. The first of those, a self-titled EP project that came out in 2018, met with notable critical acclaim (and the second EP being a demo version of the first). Owing to this, “The Record” has also been receiving a lot of press, with “Letter to an Old Poet” being the last song on its playlist.
On that note, it should be pointed out that this song concludes with an interpolation of “Me & My Dog”, which is one of the tracks from the original Boygenius EP, as well as being one of the group’s most-recognizable songs to date.
Dacus, Bridgers and Baker are all multi-talented from a musical perspective and as such are individually credited with writing and producing this song.
“Letter to an Old Poet” is a Unique Song of Unreciprocated Love
This song, most simply explained, is about unreciprocated love, i.e. the addressee being someone the vocalist has given her all to, with the latter eventually having to admit that said individual doesn’t appreciate her efforts.
Such narratives are so common that they’re found on virtually every pop album. But what makes this case different is how the other party is depicted.
For example, usually the unappreciative addressee is shown as being abusive, but such is not necessarily so in this case. Rather, it’s as if since this person is not an overt A-hole, he or she (probably a she, all lyrics considered) rather under the impression that they’re a good partner.
As further implied in the first verse, it’s as if the addressee doesn’t know that there’s more to being a lover than not dissing the one you love (even though she occasionally does that also). For instance, significant others need to be encouraging also, but this person comes off as the type who never offers a kind word, even when the situation logically calls for it.
So the vocalist also doesn’t go about demeaning the addressee per se. But this person making her feel as if they are ‘equals’, in the narrator’s eyes, is unjust, because now Phoebe (and co.) is convinced that she’s actually superior to her.
“You’re not special, you’re evil
You don’t get to tell me to calm down
You made me feel like an equal
But I’m better than you
And you should know that by now
When you fell down the stairs
It looked like it hurt and I wasn’t sorry
I should have left you right there
With your hostages, my heart and my car keys
You don’t know me”
And it isn’t such that the vocalist has come down with her own case of hubris. Rather, it’s as if she’s been righteously tolerating the addressee’s callous, unappreciative attitude for so long that now she’s become convinced, contrary to the impression she held earlier, that she is “evil”.
Though again, it wouldn’t be along the lines of the addressee being the hardcore wicked type. Instead, she reads like the type of individual you have to really get close to the person in order to notice her true character.
And considering that this piece is addressed “to an old poet”, that would likely mean that it is based on a real-life experience and perhaps one where one of the members of Boygenius was dating someone who is a musician like herself. Or, going out on a limb a bit, it can be that the addressee is referred to as a “poet” due to his or her cunningness.
But to reiterate, even if this person is painted as the bad guy in the end, some of the blame also falls on the vocalist for tolerating such behavior. Or as Bridgers has explained this piece, it’s “about when someone has so much power over you, they stop being a person”.
Interpreted otherwise (theoretically), the vocalist putting the addressee on a pedestal to begin with was also putting herself in a position to be disappointed by this person later down the line.
A Fan’s Reaction
“A few days ago I lost my sister, who happened to be the only family I had left. Now I realize how incredibly difficult it is going to be not to have any family support. During this challenging period of my life, my poodle Ticky and I will have to be here for each other.
As I listened to this song, the ‘Me and My Dog’ part really touched my heart. ‘Letter’ is truly a source of comfort for me at this trying times and it has given me enough hope for the future. It’s hard to put into words how much it means to me.”
– Fabiola
