Does Taylor Swift's 'Department of Tortured Poets' Detail the Stages of Grief?

Taylor SwiftFans have been known to decode the pop star's hidden messages, and there's a theory as to why she's releasing so many variations of her upcoming album. The Department of Tortured Poets.

While Swift, 34, has remained tight-lipped about her 11th studio album, she has revealed some clues that have eagle-eyed Swifties believing each limited-edition version of the LP will represent a different stage of grief.

Since announcing her album at the 2024 Grammys earlier this month, Swift has confirmed three versions of The Department of Tortured Poets: “The Manuscript”, “The Bolter” and “The Albatross”.

By comparing the different covers of each version and their taglines, fans have theorized that Swift will release five issues in total that represent denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. (Elizabeth Kübler Ross first coined the stages of grief in his 1969 book. About death and dying.)

Related: A Guide to Taylor Swift's 'Department of Tortured Poets' Bonus Versions

Taylor Swift is treating her fans to more than one version of her upcoming 11th studio album. Three editions of The Tortured Poets Department will be released on Friday, April 19, the original version and two extra. In addition to the 16 songs on the standard edition, each album variation will include one of the three […]

“The Manuscript” would represent a denial, due to the version's tagline, “I love you, you're ruining my life.” As for “The Bolter”, the catchphrase suggests that it may symbolize anger, as it says: “You can't talk to me about sadness.” “The Albatross,” which asks “Can I cry?”, may represent a negotiation.

“Mark my words, I say this first… these will be the stages of grief, and they will get darker and darker. She's telling the whole story in The Department of Tortured Poets” wrote one user via x.

Another user intervened through xAnd he adds: “The more I think about it, the more I agree with the theory of the 'five variants for the five stages of grief'. Taylor said that she needed to write this album, so it's likely that with several of the songs she laments the end of a relationship she thought would never end.”

Until now, the cover of each limited edition has presented a different shade, which progressively gets darker. Some fans believe Swift will release two more covers representing depression and acceptance before the album drops on Friday, April 19.

In addition to the bonus tracks, Swift released the track list for The Department of Tortured Poets earlier this month, leading fans to speculate that the album is inspired by a breakup. Song titles include “See You Later, London,” “But Dad, I Love Him,” “I Can Fix It (No, Really, I Can),” and “Down Bad.”

Fans have theorized that the album will break up their split. Joe Alwynwhom she dated for six years before their separation in April 2023.

during it Tour of the eras concert earlier this month, Swift admitted she “needed to do” The Department of Tortured Poets.

“It was really a lifesaver for me,” he said at his concert in Melbourne, Australia, according to social media images. “It kind of reminded me why songwriting is something that really helps me in life and I've never had an album where I've needed songwriting more than I needed it. Tortured poets.”

The Department of Tortured Poets It hits stores on April 19.