hoax
Written By Taylor Swift & Aaron Dessner
Produced By Aaron Dessner
About
From Genius, the ultimate source of music knowledge
Track 16 on "folklore".
An appropriate final track to an album filled with melancholy and darkness, "hoax" narrates the struggles Taylor endures in a toxic relationship. Although she has been driven to the edge of hopelessness by her lover, Taylor is unable to let go of her doomed relationship.
According to an interview with co-writer Aaron Dessner, "hoax" and "the 1" were the final songs written after the rest of the album was completed, and the two agreed that they should be added to the record as "bookends". Musically, the song shares some similarities to "cardigan," the second track of folklore.
Additionally, in conversation with Dessner during folklore: the long pond studio sessions, Swift stated that the song was her first time exploring multiple themes in one piece:
I think I said, "What if not all of these feelings are about the same person? What if I'm writing about several different, very fractured situations? Like one is about love, and one is about a business thing that really hurt, and one is about a sort of relationship that I considered family, but that really hurt." […] I definitely had the moment of doubt. I had the moment of like, "I don't usually do this, I usually know exactly what I'm writing about," and I was really happy when you kind of pushed me forward, like, "Nope, do the thing that makes you uncomfortable."
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
My only one
My smoking gun
My eclipsed sun
This has broken me down
My twisted knife
My sleepless night
My winless fight
This has frozen my ground
[Chorus]
Stood on the cliffside screaming, "Give me a reason"
Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in
Don't want no other shade of blue but you
No other sadness in the world would do
[Verse 2]
My best laid plan
Your sleight of hand
My barren land
I am ash from your fire
[Chorus]
Stood on the cliffside screaming, "Give me a reason"
Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in
Don't want no other shade of blue but you
No other sadness in the world would do
[Bridge]
You know I left a part of me back in New York
You knew the hero died so what's the movie for?
You knew it still hurts underneath my scars
From when they pulled me apart
You knew the password so I let you in the door
You knew you won so what's the point of keeping score?
You knew it still hurts underneath my scars
From when they pulled me apart
But what you did was just as dark
(Ah, ah, ah)
Darling, this was just as hard
As when they pulled me apart
[Outro]
My only one
My kingdom come undone
My broken drum
You have beaten my heart
Don't want no other shade of blue but you
No other sadness in the world would do