the lakes

Mood

Production Style

Background

A bonus track on folklore's deluxe edition, 'the lakes' was produced by Jack Antonoff and references the English Lake District — home to the Romantic poets Wordsworth, Coleridge, and others. The production is lush and orchestral, fitting the song's literary aspirations.

Meaning & Interpretation

The song is about escaping the modern world with a lover — retreating to the Lake District where the Romantic poets found beauty and meaning away from society's cruelty. Taylor imagines a life where no one is around to twist her words, drawing a direct line between the Romantics' retreat from industrialization and her own desire to escape the internet age. The lakes represent a fantasy of peace that Taylor knows she can never fully inhabit, which makes the longing all the more powerful.

Personal Connection

The track became a statement of artistic identity — Taylor aligning herself with the Romantic literary tradition and declaring that her deepest impulse is not pop spectacle but poetic retreat.