Everything you lose is a step you take: Why Taylor Swift Owning Her Masters Is About More Than Just Her Masters
We've got a new deep dive episode on "You're On Your Own, Kid" out this week, plus a bonus episode on Taylor Swift owning her masters
In this week’s Deep Dive, we unpack “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” Track 5 from Midnights. From friendship bracelets to blood-soaked gowns, this episode traces how Taylor moves from longing and rejection to agency and acceptance, ultimately flipping the song’s title into something empowering.
And, we had a bonus episode about the news that we can stop asking about Rep TV—I mean, that Taylor Swift owns her masters!
🎧 Listen above and ⬇️ scroll below to read Jodi’s extra credit on the connection between “You’re On Your Own, Kid” and Taylor Swift reclaiming her masters.
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📜 This Week’s Extra Credit by Jodi
Have you ever felt truly, deeply alone? Like everyone and everything in the world is against you, and no one is coming to your rescue? I’ve felt this way myself on more than a few occasions, whether that was the reality of the situation or not: Getting picked on as a child by the neighborhood kids. Having a friend talk about me behind my back and isolate me from the group. Getting laid off at work unexpectedly. These moments made me feel betrayed, powerless, unsure of how to move forward—until I realized I had more control than I thought. What’s gotten me out of this mindset time and time again is realizing I’m not alone, that I am in control, and that I get to decide how I react and what I do next.
This is what makes “You’re On Your Own, Kid” one of Taylor Swift’s most emotionally potent songs. The song covers the emotional landscape of growing up, being let down, and finding ways to forge ahead despite the challenges life throws you. This is also the narrative of Taylor Swift’s most recent redemption arc: the public battle of reclaiming her Masters. When I think about this song, it’s the perfect encapsulation of how Taylor navigated a tumultuous and devastating time in her life and career. I didn’t think of the song in this specific perspective earlier, but given the news of the week, I can’t help but see the overwhelming parallels in the song and the narrative of the last 6 years.
“I wait patiently, he’s gonna notice me”
As we discussed on the podcast, “You’re On Your Own, Kid” is a coming-of-age narrative that covers the trials and loneliness of leading an ambitious life. From waiting for people to notice her, to being disillusioned by people who not only don’t show up to support her, but also “never cared” about her at all, the song spends two verses and two choruses cataloging all the times people have either literally or figuratively abandoned the narrator. “You’re on your own, kid/ you always have been” is a rallying cry for independence and triumph in the face of challenge.
The song shifts in the bridge (of course) when the speaker sees that she can control the narrative here: “I saw some things they can’t take away.” As any self-help book will tell you, you can’t control what happens to you, but you can control your reaction to what happens to you. That’s essentially what happens in the bridge: The speaker recognizes her autonomy and ability to control what she can control, and learns that there’s no reason to be afraid when you realize you can keep moving forward, that “everything you lose is a step you take.”
“I looked around in a blood-soaked gown and saw some things they can’t take away”
The themes of emotional betrayal in the song echo how Taylor was taken for granted and essentially sidelined when she lost the rights to her masters. Back in 2019 when her masters were sold along with the sale of Big Machine Records, Taylor had a choice: she could sink into despair and see this as another example that she’s on her own, she always has been; or, she could find “some things they can’t take away.” Taylor obviously took option B, re-recorded four of her albums, went on the Eras tour, and made “the friendship bracelets.” She found joy and possibility in taking control in spite of what was taken away from her.
And here we are, 6 years later, and not only has Taylor Swift reclaimed her agency—she’s reclaimed her Masters.
Agency isn’t about having the answers immediately and turning a situation around right away. It’s about knowing you have a choice. You can’t control what happens to you—you can control how you react, and what happens next. When I was picked on as a child, I stopped hanging out with the neighborhood kids. When a longtime friend said some hurtful things behind my back, I found new, kinder friends. When I was laid off from a job I loved, I focused on my passions and started my own business. We all face moments of rejection, betrayal, and feeling underestimated or powerless. Those are the moments to look inward, find what friendships or relationships we can count on, and figure out small acts of defiance or clarity that can help us transform how we see the situation and what we do next.
 | A guest post by
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https://substack.com/@aliviagiles/note/p-164770720?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=4ldwxl