Inside Taylor Swift's Bonus Song 'The Black Dog' Lyrics, Meaning & More

17 May 2024, 12:26 | Updated: 29 August 2024, 16:14

What is Taylor Swift's song 'The Black Dog'? Here are all the details on Taylor Swift's bonus track for ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ and 'The Anthology'.

After announcing it at the 2024 Grammys in February, Taylor Swift breadcrumbed her album 'Tortured Poets Department' with the announcement of bonus tracks.

First, Taylor announced bonus track 'The Manuscript’, then she revealed a second exclusive bonus track titled ‘The Bolter’ followed by the reveal of a third bonus track 'The Albatross'. 'The Black Dog' became the fourth and final bonus track revealed ahead of the album's launch on April 19th.

It turns out these weren't the only extra songs, with Taylor releasing a second album on TTPD day with 15 extra songs!

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In March Taylor announced 'The Black Dog' on X with a link to pre-order the "final edition of The Tortured Poets Department". But what is the song about? Here's what we know...

What is Taylor Swift's song 'The Black Dog'?

'The Black Dog' is a bonus song on Taylor Swift's album 'The Tortured Poets Department'. We all thought you could only get the song if you purchased 'The Black Dog' edition of the album but Taylor announced a secret second album which has all the exclusive songs on it.

There are three other vinyl editions of the album, each with their own bonus track. Those are 'The Albatross', 'The Bolter' and 'The Manuscript'.

Taylor announced 'The Black Dog' with a link to pre-order the special edition of the album. 'The Black Dog' edition of the album has darker artwork than the others. For example 'The Manuscript' is mainly white but this one has artwork of Taylor in front of a black background.

It turns out 'The Black Dog' wasn't the original title of the track. Taylor has shared the first audio recording of the song which she recorded on her phone and at the start she says it's called 'Old Habits Die Screaming'.

Old habits die screaming are the lyrics are the end of the song's chorus and the lyrics that close the song.

What does 'The Black Dog' mean?

The term 'black dog' means 'a way of referring to feelings of depression'. But Taylor uses the term in a few different ways in this song.

For example, The Black Dog sounds like the name of a typical British pub, and that's because it is. There is a pub with this name in Vauxhall, London. This adds to the theory that this song is all about on of her British exes Matty Healy or Joe Alwyn.

A black dog is also often connected to an omen of death, perhaps Taylor's way of representing the death of a relationship. In the song, Taylor sings about feeling betrayed by a partner who goes to 'The Black Dog' with another girl.

What are the lyrics to Taylor Swift's song 'The Black Dog'?

[Verse 1]

I am someone who until recent events

You shared your secrets with

And your location, you forgot to turn it off

And so I watch as you walk

Into some bar called The Black Dog

And pierce new holes in my heart

You forgot to turn it off

[Pre-Chorus]

And it hits me

I just don't understand

[Chorus]

How you don't miss me

In The Black Dog, when someone plays The Starting Line

And you jump up, but she's too young to know this song

That was intertwined in the magic fabric of our dreaming

Old habits die screaming

[Verse 2]

I move through the world with a heart broken

My longing state unspoken

And I may never open up thе way I did for you

And all of those best laid plans

You said I needed a bravе man

Then proceeded to play him

Until I believed it too

[Pre-Chorus]

And it kills me

I just don't understand

[Chorus]

How you don't miss me

In the shower, and remember how my rain-soaked body

Was shaking, do you hate me?

Was it hazing for a cruel fraternity?

I pledged, and I still mean it

Old habits die screaming

[Bridge]

Six weeks of breathing clean air

I still miss the smoke

Were you making fun of me?

With some esoteric joke?

Now I wanna sell my house

And set fire to all my clothes

And hire a priest to come and exorcise my demons

[Chorus]

Even if I die screaming-ing

And I hope you hear it-it-it

And I hope it's shitty in The Black Dog

When someone plays the starting line and you jump up

But she's too young to know this song

That was intertwined in the tragic fabric of my dreaming

This tail between your legs, you're leaving

[Outro]

I still can't believe it

'Cause old habits die screaming