CLEVELAND — It's been nearly two weeks since Taylor Swift released her newest album, "Midnights," and fans are still digging into the meaning behind its songs' lyrics.
That includes a viral post on Twitter, in which one "Swifty" has presented compelling evidence that the 20-song album is actually about the city of Cleveland.
In a thread posted last week, a Cleveland resident named Sophia Cunningham with the Twitter handle @stunningham_ pointed out several of the lyrics in Swift's new album that could be construed as nods to the Sixth City. The thread starts by noting that the 16th track on the "3 am edition" of the album is titled "Paris" and that Cleveland is the "Paris of the midwest."
Not convinced? The song also features the lyrics "I want to transport you to somewhere the culture's clever / Confess my truth in swooping, sloping, cursive letters," which Cunningham took to be a reference to the script Cleveland signs.
The thread goes on to note that while Paris is considered the "City of Lights," Cleveland was the first "City of Light" and that Public Square became the first outdoor public space fully illuminated by electric light in 1879 on April 29 -- a date that Swift references on the song "High Infidelity" and that has been the subject of conspiracy theories among Swifties.
It doesn't stop there.
Cunningham draws a connection between lyrics on "Maroon" and LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers' uniforms as well as lyrics referencing carnations, which happen to be Ohio's official state flower. Other potential references include a song titled "Snow on the Beach," -- Edgewater Park, anybody? -- lyrics referencing rock 'n roll and burning cities, the 1950s, which is when Cleveland's population peaked and even possible nods to Tim Misny and 2016, when the Cavs won the NBA title, among many others.
Earlier this week, Swift announced an upcoming 27-stop stadium tour that didn't include a stop in Cleveland, where she has performed as recently as 2018. But while some might believe that discredits Stunningham's thread, the Twitter user claims that it only lends further credence to it.
"Taylor’s recently announced tour does not include a stop in Cleveland (despite her having performed here for multiple past tours)," Stunningham posted after the tour was announced on Tuesday. "It seems that her team saw this thread and it pushed her even further into the closet about being a secret Clevelander."