What's The Real Meaning Of The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived By Taylor Swift? Here's What We Think

Taylor Swift released her 11th studio album, "The Tortured Poets Department," on April 19, and everyone is naturally pouring over the lyrics. It's no surprise that Swift wrote about her exes. But Swifties everywhere were surprised by how much she seemingly revealed about her short-lived romance with Matty Healy in several of her new songs. One such tune, "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived," hints that it's about Healy — and that Swift attaches strong, negative emotions to the 1975 frontman.

While Healy claimed he would never date Swift before their fling, he did nonetheless in 2023. The two were first linked that May, just a month after Swift's split from Joe Alwyn. Swifties weren't impressed by their muse's choice. The British singer is a controversial figure who had previously dissed Swift and questioned her popularity. "She wasn't a big impact on my life. It's just interesting to me how interested the world is about Taylor Swift," he told Q magazine in 2016 when addressing a "flirtation" they had in 2014 (via NME).

When Swift and Healy went their separate ways a month in, her fans couldn't have been happier. That is, until her album drop. "The matty healy thing could have been a bizarre wrinkle in taylor swift lore and now it is the backbone of a major turning point in her career lmao," a user wrote on X, previously known as Twitter. And "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" suggests she took the breakup hard.

The title of the song itself suggests Taylor Swift took a jab at Matt Healy with "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived." He seems to resent that the public believes he's short when he's 5-foot-11. "It's the f***ing rest of the band," he said in a video Pop Crave shared on X in 2022. Swift also seemingly threw shade a Healy's signature look comprised of a suit and tie. "Gazing at me starry-eyed / In your Jehovah's Witness suit," she sings, possibly comparing his style to the religion followers' way of dressing.

The lyrics also indicate the breakup wasn't consensual and that Healy disappeared on her. "You tried to buy some pills / From a friend of friends of mine / They just ghosted you / Now you know what it feels like," she wrote, potentially also referring to Healy's history of addiction and use of anxiety meds. Also, Swift's mention of the season offered another hint that "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" is about her apparently not-so-casual fling with Healy.

"I just want to know / If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal," the lyrics read. Reports announced their split in early June 2023, just as Swift was getting ready for summer. None of this suggests Swift has fond memories of her time with Healy, but the biggest proof comes at the end. "I'll forget you, but I'll never forgive / The smallest man who ever lived."

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