Cockburn senses Swift is something of a wino, making reference in other songs to “a glass of wine,” “cheap wine,” “rosé flowing,” “cheap-ass screw-top rosé,” “merlot on his mouth,” “priceless wine,” “a bottle of wine,” “the wine,” “my husband’s wine,” “a wine-stained dress,” and “cold wine.”
In Midnights, the drinking continues, with songs about “liquor in our cocktails,” “one drink after another,” and “my fourth drink in my hand.”
This latest offering is Swift all over — sentimental, inventive, memorable, and, as Cockburn’s colleague Alexander Larman labels it, “a bright spot in a bland music industry.” There’s something more brooding, introspective, and self-deprecating about Swift’s lyrics this time around, though, with the songstress admitting to “falling apart” and reflecting on the stress of fame’s constant scrutiny.
