Taylor Swift receives criticism for “all racist” lyrics on her new album “Tortured Poets”

Taylor Swift released a new album on Friday, but not all listeners are thrilled about a controversial line from her new song “I Hate It Here.”

In the track from “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology,” a deluxe version of her new album, the Eras Tour singer sings about discontent and the way our memories are distorted by nostalgia, saying she wants to return to an era that ended more than a century before her career began.

“My friends used to play a game where we would pick a decade we’d rather live in than this one. I’d say the 1830s, but without all the racists and the high-marriage marriages,” Swift sings in the track.

What we know about Taylor Swift Previous album by “The Tortured Poets Department”

The Civil War began in 1861, more than 30 years after the decade Swift refers to in the song. At that time, slavery was still widespread in the United States.

“Everyone was looking down because it wasn’t fun. Now it seems like it was never fun back then. Nostalgia is a trick of the mind. If I had been there, I would have hated it,” she sings. “It was freezing in the palace.”

“So many things are wrong with it”: Social media users react to Taylor Swift’s lyrics “I Hate It Here”

The controversial line has drawn the ire of the internet and fueled discussions about Swift’s poetry. Users on X, formerly known as Twitter, reacted to Swift’s “I Hate It Here” lyrics.

“Guys… there is so much wrong with this,” wrote one user, posting a screenshot of Genius’ lyrics.

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“‘I’d say the 1830s, but without all the racists’, now Taylor …” another user commented.

Other fans of X defended Swift’s songwriting skills, citing historical analysis.

“It is an interesting commentary on how we sometimes idealize certain eras without fully considering the realities of life in them,” One commentator said.

“The Tortured Poets Department” contains 31 songs

Swift’s 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, contains 31 songs, including the 15-song deluxe version, The Anthology, which includes “I Hate It Here.” The album explores heartbreak and coming of age, traditional themes for one of the world’s most famous people and songwriters.

The lead single “Fortnight” features rapper and singer Post Malone.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Taylor Swift faces criticism for ‘all the racists’ line on her new album