“Marjorie”The superstar’s ode to her late grandmother is about living with – and grieving for – her legacy
Back in 2020, when Taylor Swift was churning out new material faster than Covid variants could emerge, she released “Evermore” as a sister album to “Folklore.” Together with collaborators Jack […]
Back in 2020, when Taylor Swift was churning out new material faster than Covid variants could emerge, she released “Evermore” as a sister album to “Folklore.” Together with collaborators Jack Antonoff and The National’s Aaron Dessner, Swift managed to create yet another cathartic masterpiece, an album dedicated to learning life’s lessons from those who came before us. This is exemplified by the track “Marjorie,” a touching song dedicated to Swift’s late grandmother.
Released in December to coincide with her 31st birthday, Swift intended the album to help those who feel their grief more acutely during the holiday season, telling Variety that “this holiday will be a lonely one for most of us and if there are any of you out there who turn to music to cope with missing loved ones the way I do, this is for you.”
The Meaning Behind “Marjorie”
The thirteenth song on the album – a spot reserved for Swift’s most sentimental tracks – is dedicated to her grandmother, Marjorie Finlay. A talented opera singer and television personality, Finlay was an inspirational figure for Swift. She credits her grandmother with instilling her love of music and her drive to succeed in a notoriously difficult industry.
Credit: Wikipedia
In “Marjorie,” Swift is paying homage to her grandmother – even including her voice, rescued from old recordings and used as backing – but also expressing her grief that still lingers long after Finlay’s death in 2003. She wishes her adult self could have learned more from this woman whom she so admired, because she was too young to appreciate it then; a sentiment many can relate to after losing a grandparent.
What died didn’t stay dead
You’re alive, so alive
The autumn chill that wakes me up
You loved the amber skies so much
Long limbs and frozen swims
You’d always go past where our feet could touch
And I complained the whole way there
The car ride back and up the stairs
I should’ve asked you questions
I should’ve asked you how to be
Asked you to write it down for me
Should’ve kept every grocery store receipt
‘Cause every scrap of you would be taken from me
Watched as you signed you name Marjorie
All of your closets of backlogged dreams
And how you left them all to me
The Universality of Grief
As Chris Willman of Variety wrote in his review, “Marjorie will leave a dry eye only in houses that have never known death.” It is a song about communing with someone who is gone, and striving to recall their presence as if you could somehow glean new wisdom from your memories. For anyone who has experienced grief, this song will speak to that part of you that still clings to a loved ones’ possessions, or enjoys a good cry over old photographs.
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