Taylor Swift’s “But Daddy I Love Him” Is An Ode To Bad Boys

Taylor Swift is pregnant — no, she’s not, but you should see your faces. On the highly anticipated “But Daddy I Love Him,” from her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, the singer delivers a country-tinged ode to dating bad boys and addresses anyone who has something to say about it.

Swift begins the song by expressing shock at how people turn from supporters to critics on a dime, depending on the man she’s dating. She makes it clear that she doesn’t need anyone’s approval, even teasing a wild scenario. “I’m having his baby — no, I’m not, but you should see your faces,” she sings.

She stands her ground in the bridge, addressing listeners directly with a pointed message. “I’ll tell you something about my good name, it’s mine alone to disgrace,” she sings. That said, she is aware on some level that she’s not making the best decision. “No, I’m not coming to my senses,” she sings. “I know he’s crazy, but he’s the one I want.”

Some fans think the song alludes to 1975 lead singer Matty Healy, who she reportedly dated briefly after splitting from Joe Alwyn in March 2023. The two were linked for two months before splitting over the summer, but their brief relationship sparked criticism, even from Swift’s biggest fans.

The song’s title is a clear reference to The Little Mermaid, in which Ariel famously protests when her dad, King Triton, doesn’t allow her to swim to the surface to meet Prince Eric. Swift is a noted fan of the film, which was released in her birth year, 1989, and even dressed as Ariel for a New Year’s party in 2019.

Just like in the movie, by the end of “But Daddy I Love Him,” the narrator’s father approves of the metaphorical bad boy. But unlike the Disney film, nobody else gives him a chance. “We came back when the heat died down, went to my parents and they came around,” she sings. “All the wine moms are still holding out, but f*ck ’em, it’s over.”

“But Daddy I Love Him” Lyrics

Read the song’s full lyrics below.

I forget how the West was won, I forget if this was ever fun

I just learned these people only raise you to cage you

Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best, clutching their pearls, sighing, “What a mess”

I just learned these people try and save you ‘cause they hate you

Too high a horse for a simple girl to rise above it

They slammed the door on my whole world, the one thing I wanted

Now I’m running with my dress unbuttoned, screaming, “But daddy I love him”

I’m having his baby — no I'm not, but you should see your faces

I’m telling him to floor it through the fences, no, I’m not coming to my senses

I know he’s crazy, but he’s the one I want

Dutiful daughter, all my plans were laid, tendrils tucked into a woven braid

Growing up precocious sometimes means not growing up at all

He was chaos, he was revelry, bedroom eyes like a remedy

Soon enough the elders had convened down at the City Hall

"Stay away from her,” the saboteurs protested too much

Lord knows the words we never heard, just screeching tires and true love

And I’m running with my dress unbuttoned, screaming, “But daddy I love him”

I’m having his baby — no I'm not, but you should see your faces

I’m telling him to floor it through the fences, no, I’m not coming to my senses

I know he’s crazy, but he’s the one I want

I’ll tell you something right now

I’d rather burn my whole life down

Than listen to one more second of all this b*tching and moaning

I’ll tell you something about my good name, it’s mine alone to disgrace

I don’t cater to all these vipers dressed in empath’s clothing

God save the most judgmental creeps who say they want what’s best for me

Sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I’ll never see

Thinking it can change the beat of my heart when he touches me

And counteract the chemistry and undo the destiny

You ain’t gotta pray for me

Me and my wild boy and all this wild joy

If all you want is grey for me, then it's just white noise, then it's just my choice

There’s a lotta people in town that I bestow upon my fakest smiles

Scandal does funny things to pride but brings lovers closer

We came back when the heat died down, went to my parents and they came around

All the wine moms are still holding out, but f*ck ‘em, it’s over

Now I’m dancing in my dress in the sun and even my daddy just loves him

I’m his lady and oh my God, you should see your faces

Time, doesn’t it give some perspective?

And no, you can’t come to the wedding

I know he’s crazy but he’s the one I want

I’ll tell you something right now

You ain’t gotta pray for me, me and my wild boy and all this wild joy

If all you want is grey for me, then it’s just white noise, it’s my choice

Screaming, “But daddy I love him”

I’m having his baby — no I’m not, but you should see your faces

But oh my God, you should see your faces