What's The Real Meaning Of But Daddy I Love Him By Taylor Swift? Here's What We Think

Of all the 16 tracks that were announced on Taylor Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department" ahead of its April 19 release, few had fans raising their eyebrows quite like "But Daddy I Love Him." The statement of defiance seems out of left field for noted good-girl Miss Americana, and in some ways, sounds more like the title of a Lana Del Ray song. But though Swift has admitted to being influenced by the sad girl singer, track six on TTPD bears no resemblance to the slow indie tunes of Swift's crooner friend. Rather, it is an upbeat country pop bop evoking the same romantic runaway-with-me vibes of "Fearless" hit "Love Story" and "Wildest Dreams" from "1989."

Although Swift hasn't said much about the track herself, fans have quickly gleaned that the folky tune is not really a typical love song, if even one at all. Instead, it's more of a tongue-in-cheek, defiant statement against those who try to yuck your yum, or particularly, those who believe they have the right to tell you who you shouldn't love. 

Let's get one thing clear about "But Daddy I Love Him." Swift is not speaking to her actual father, Scott Swift. Instead, she appears to be making a tongue-in-cheek reference to the 1989 film "The Little Mermaid" or rather, the meme, which depicts Ariel, a petulant 16-year-old mermaid, using this exact statement to defend her quest to put her life at risk in pursuit of love. The statement and clip have been meme-fied ad nauseam on TikTok, often by people defending their romantic interests. 

Swift appears to echo the character's sentiment in the chorus of "But Daddy I Love Him," painting an image of herself being so caught up in the haze of love that it may well look like delusion from the outside. Lyrics like "Now I'm running' with my dress unbuttoned, screaming, 'But daddy I love him,'" evoke that very same imagery of Disney princesses (or even that of Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet") risking it all for love despite the fact that others in their life strongly disapprove. In Swift's case though, she's not backing down. "No I'm not coming to my senses. I know it's crazy but he's the one that I want," she proudly declares two lines later.

This doesn't mean Swift isn't aware that people are judging her; in the first verse, she directly makes references to "Hannahs" and "Sarahs" in church who "clutch their pearls" and declare "What a mess" as they watch Swift fall for a man they believe to be bad news. But rather than retreat, Swift instead toys with their judgmental assumptions, and jokes, "I'm having his baby ... no I'm not, but you should've seen your faces."

Though we don't have confirmation from Swift herself on who "But Daddy I Love Him" is really about, some fans theorize the track takes inspiration from the backlash that surrounded her controversial 2023 relationship with Matty Healy. Lyrics like, "Soon enough the elders had convened down at the City Hall 'Stay away from her," appear to be an on-the-nose reference to Swifties (or perhaps even her own team) insisting The 1975 singer back off their precious pop queen. 

lmao taylor saw your think pieces about matty healy and wrote but daddy I love him

— ellie schnitt (@holy_schnitt) April 19, 2024

As the song progresses, Swift's feelings about these individuals who believe they know what's best for her become clear. "I'd rather burn my whole life down than to listen to one more second of this b****** and moaning" she laments in the third verse. She doubles down on this in a later stanza with a more scathing call-out, referring to the critics as "judgmental creeps [....] sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I'll never see/Thinking it can change the beat of my heart when he touches me." A review of Swift's actions in May 2023 seem to echo this sentiment. According to Buzzfeed News, days after the 1975 frontman's offensive comments about Ice Spice went viral, the "Anti-Hero" singer proudly declared to a stadium of fans that she was the happiest she'd ever been, which some interpreted as a defense of her relationship, as well as confirmation that she had tuned out the negative opinions about it. Although the romance did not last, TMZ later reported that the negative press surrounding Healy had no influence on Swift's decision to break up with him. With that in mind, if there's one message to take away from "But Daddy I Love Him," it's that the singer isn't looking for approval from anywhere but her own heart.