Taylor Swift’s “Death by a Thousand Cuts” Lyrics Meaning
Unlike other romantic songs on her album “Lover”, Taylor Swift let it be known from the jump that “Death by a Thousand Cuts” in particular is not inspired by any of her real life goings-on. But it still packs a powerful punch.
What she is doing is likening the breakup from the man she loves to “death by a thousand cuts”. The title is based on an ancient form of Chinese torture whose purpose was to basically kill a person in the slowest way possible. Thus the insinuation is that the songstress feels a likewise sensation, as in gradually perishing.
Or more specifically she is having a difficult, if not impossible, time getting over her ex. This is because he held a special place in every aspect of her life. Moreover in the second verse she alludes to the idea that he more or less cold-heartedly dumped her. This does not appear to be an amicable, mutual breakup. Rather the singer is faced with a broken heart which she doubts will ever fully heal. In other words, she is severely depressed. And as a result she is engaging in a number of questionable activities, such as drinking and halfhearted partying, as coping mechanisms.
Writing Credits for “Death by a Thousand Cuts”
This track was written and produced by Taylor Swift. Swift did both the writing and producing in conjunction with singer/songwriter/producer Jack Antonoff.
Song’s Inspiration
Taylor Swift’s inspiration for writing the song was actually a 2019 romantic comedy entitled Someone Great. According to her, that movie had a significant-emotional impact on her. She was therefore inspired to write this song based on the inspiration she got from the aforementioned movie.
Likewise, “Death by a Thousand Cuts” also reportedly has a strong-sentimental effect on Miss Swift.
The writer and director of Someone Great, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, called the fact that her film is the basis of this song “the most surreal… full circle situation” after becoming privy to it. That’s because Swift’s music, specifically her 2014 track “Clean”, were also major influences on the film itself.
What an interesting revelation!
When was “Death by a Thousand Cuts” released?
23rd August 2019 was the song’s official release date. It was issued as part of the Lover album (which came out as Taylor’s seventh studio album).
In addition to this, other well known hits from Lover include:
Death by a thousand cuts ” is known as Lingchi (a Chinese word), translated variously as the slow process, the lingering death, or slow slicing. It was a form of torture and execution used in China from roughly 900 CE up until the practice ended around the early 1900s.