Taylor Swift’s Surprise Song “The Bolter” – Meaning and Lyrics

April 19, 2024, 5:54 p.m.

Taylor Swift’s exclusive bonus track “The Bolter” from “The Tortured Poets Department” is now available. We examine its meaning and the lyrics.

Taylor Swift gave the people what they wanted in the lead-up to the release of her 2024 album, “Tortured Poets Department.” She announced an exclusive bonus track titled “The Bolter,” which she unveiled during her The Eras Tour in Melbourne, Australia, in front of thousands of screaming Swifties.

“The Bolter” is one of four bonus tracks, along with “The Manuscript” and “The Black Dog”. However, the “So Long, London” singer surprisingly released a double album on April 19, releasing “Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” which features 15 additional songs, including the four bonus tracks.

There are so many hints that the album is about her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, but there are also references to her time with Matty Healy and Travis Kelce.

But what is Taylor Swift’s “The Bolter” about, what does it mean and what are the lyrics?

What is the meaning of “The Bolter”, the song by Taylor Swift?

In the song “The Bolter”, Bolter is given as a “nickname” to a girl who runs away from relationships. The meaning of the word is “a person or animal that runs away or runs away”, but it is likely that Taylor also used this term for its multiple meanings.

For example, a bolter is a type of firearm, a powerful weapon. It is also a term used in aviation when a pilot fails to land an aircraft carrier. When it comes to Taylor’s lyricism and coded meanings, it’s likely that she drew inspiration from these definitions as well.

The use of British slang “mates” in the song also leads people to believe that it is her “exit” from relationships she had with British men like Joe Alwyn, Harry Styles and Matty Healy .

Taylor Swift goes to the club with her parents and Travis Kelce

What are the lyrics to “The Bolter”?

[Verse 1]

Obviously she almost drowned

When she was six years old in freezing water

And I can confirm that she did

A curious child, always vilified

By everyone except his own father

With a rather captivating face

Splendidly selfish, deliciously helpless

Very fun until you get to know her

Then she runs like it’s a race

Behind his back, his best friends were laughing

And they nicknamed her “The Bolter”

[Chorus]

I started with a kiss

“Oh, we need to stop meeting like that.”

But it always ends with speeding in a city car

In the car one evening

Ended with the slam of a door

Then he’ll call her a whore

I wish he wasn’t in pain

But as she left

It was like breathing

[Post-Chorus]

His whole fucking life

Flashed before his eyes

It’s like the time has come

She fell through the ice

Then I came out alive

[Verse 2]

He was a jerk, he really wanted her

Like any good trophy hunter

And she loved the taste of it

Tame a bear, make it take care of

Watch him jump then pull him down

And at first glance it’s destiny

When everything is rosy, the portraits pose

Central Park Lake in small rowing boats

What a lovely Saturday

This is where she sees the slightest leaks

In the floor boards

And she just knows she has to run away

[Chorus]

I started with a kiss

“Oh, we need to stop meeting like that.”

But it always ends with speeding in a city car

In the car one evening

Ended with the slam of a door

Then he’ll call her goodbye

I wish he wasn’t in pain

But as she left

It was like breathing

[Post-Chorus]

His whole fucking life

Flashed before his eyes (Ah-ah-ah)

It’s like the time has come

She fell through the ice

Then I came out alive

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