"Hoax" (stylized as "hoax") is the sixteenth track from American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's eighth studio album, folklore, released on July 24, 2020, through Republic Records.
Background[]
Swift confirmed the existence of the song through social media on July 23, 2020.
With hoax being the last song on the album, it embodied all the things the album was thematically. She wondered if all the feeling she wrote about, didn't come from the same person because of the variety in subjects. Swift mentioned that the lyrics "You knew it still hurts underneath my scar from when they pulled me apart" is something everyone in her life knows how she relates to that, but it's still something everyone can relate to.[1]
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
My only one
My smoking gun
My eclipsed sun
This has broken me down
My twisted knife
My sleepless night
My winless fight
This has frozen my ground
[Chorus]
Stood on the cliffside, screaming, "Give me a reason"
Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in
Don't want no other shade of blue but you
No other sadness in the world would do
[Verse 2]
My best laid plan
Your sleight of hand
My barren land
I am ash from your fire
[Chorus]
Stood on the cliffside, screaming, "Give me a reason"
Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in
Don't want no other shade of blue but you
No other sadness in the world would do
[Bridge]
You know I left a part of me back in New York
You knew the hero died, so, what's the movie for?
You knew it still hurts underneath my scars
From when they pulled me apart
You knew the password, so, I let you in the door
You knew you won, so, what's the point of keeping score?
You knew it still hurts underneath my scars
From when they pulled me apart
But what you did was just as dark (Ah, ah, ah)
Darling, this was just as hard
As when they pulled me apart
[Outro]
My only one
My kingdom come undone
My broken drum
You have beaten my heart
Don't want no other shade of blue but you
No other sadness in the world would do
Live performances[]
"hoax" was performed live as a surprise song at The Eras Tour on June 28, 2024, in Dublin, Ireland, mashed up with "Sweet Nothing".
References[]
| folklore | ||
|---|---|---|
| "the 1" • "cardigan" • "the last great american dynasty" • "exile" • "my tears ricochet" • "mirrorball" • "seven" • "august" • "this is me trying" • "illicit affairs" • "invisible string" • "mad woman" • "epiphany" • "betty" • "peace" • "hoax" | ||
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