"Eldest Daughter" Is A Treasure Trove Of Taylor Swift Lyrical Easter Eggs

Swifties knew “Eldest Daughter” was going to be a major highlight of The Life of a Showgirl, but nobody was prepared for how subtly self-referential it would be. The album’s longest song is also the most Easter egg-filled, with tons of lyrical allusions to Taylor Swift’s past work. And uncovering all of the connections adds so much meaning to the already emotional song.

As the fifth song on The Life of a Showgirl, “Eldest Daughter” was already exalted by Swifties even before its release due to Swift’s well-known Track 5 tradition. Sure enough, “Eldest Daughter” proved to be one of the most vulnerable and romantic cuts off the record, as Swift confesses her insecurities and promises she’s “never gonna break that vow” she’s making to her fiancé Travis Kelce.

The title enforces the societal consequences of birth order, as Swift marvels at how her responsibility as the eldest daughter makes her a perfect match for Kelce, who is the youngest child, “raised up in the wild, but now you’re home.”

Throughout the complicated love song, Swift alludes to some of her past lyrics about marriage and her self-confidence, revealing some important changes she’s made since she first wrote those older songs.

1. “White Horse”

The throwback Easter egg fans picked up on quickest was the possible interpolation of Swift’s 2008 single “White Horse” in the chorus of “Eldest Daughter.” On the new song, Swift sings, “I’m not a bad b*tch, and this isn’t savage” in a very similar cadence to how she once sang, “I’m not a princess, this ain’t a fairytale.”

The twist on the “White Horse” lyrics show Swift is now comfortable in herself, even if she doesn’t fit into whatever “trendy” standards are being put on women, and no longer wishes she were some fairytale princess to escape her reality.

2. “Lavender Haze”

Probably the standout lyric in “Eldest Daughter” is, “When I said I don’t believe in marriage, that was a lie.” The line seems to be a direct response to Swift’s 2022 single “Lavender Haze,” in which she openly criticized feeling pressure to get married by society, referring to it as “the 1950s sh*t they want from me.”

In that Midnights track, Swift sang, “All they keep askin' me / Is if I'm gonna be your bride / The only kind of girl they see / Is a one-night or a wife.”

But now, she has a much different view of marriage following her engagement to Kelce.

3. “You’re On Your Own, Kid”

It’s pretty easy to see how “Eldest Daughter” and “You’re on Your Own, Kid” are connected as two Track 5s in which Swift looks back on her younger self. The lyric the feels specfically reminiscent of “YOYOK” is, “I have been afflicted by a terminal uniqueness / I've been dying just from trying to seem cool.” In the opening of the Midnights song, Swift similar sings, “I play it cool with the best of them.”

4. “Mirrorball”

The “trying to be cool” line also connects “Eldest Daughter” to the folklore song “mirrorball,” specifically the lyric, “I’ve never been a natural / All I do is try, try, try.” This sentiment is again brought up in “Eldest Daughter,” as Swift laments how her try-hard personality isn’t deemed cool: “Sad as it seems, apathy is hot.”