I know Taylor made lists categorizing the new songs from TTPD within the Stages of Grief.  I haven’t looked at those so that I could get my own sense of the feelings within each song.  It’s helpful to ascertain the vibe of each song by deciding the main emotion behind it.  Of course songs convey more than one emotion at a time, especially braided lyrics with different character and story strands mixed in one song.  But I tried to decide the primary stage of grief for each one, and learned a lot by pulling lyrics that back-up my opinion.  Let me know if you agree in the comments!

Denial

TTPD

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys-

Track 3

Stage of grief- denial

Oh, here we go again. [annoyed/angry]

He saw forever so he smashed it up [Negative. Sadness/anger?]

Left all these broken parts/Told me I'm better off/But I'm not [depressed/denial]

Once I fix me, he's gonna miss me [bargaining]

Should've known it was a matter of time…/There was a litany of reasons why/We could've played for keeps this time/I know I'm just repeating myself [She’s tried to persuade this person before.  Bargaining is over, Taylor knows it’s over.]

Rivulets descend my plastic smile [Sadness comes out over the feigned happiness. Denial]

My boy only breaks his favorite toys, toy/I'm queen/of sand castles he destroys [denial]

Just say when, I'd play again/He was my best friend/Down at the sandlot/I felt more when we played pretend/Than with all the Ken's [She’d still go back.  Denial.]

Put me back on my shelf/But first - Pull the string/And I'll tell you that he runs/Because he loves me [denial]

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

Track 11

Stage of grief- denial

The jokes that he told across the bar/Were revolting and far too loud/They shake their heads saying, "God help her".../Trust me, I can handle me a dangerous man/No, really I can [He is obnoxious, but she is confident she can tame him.  She makes the bad guys good for a weekend. Acceptance.]

His hands, so calloused from his pistol/Softly traces hearts on my face/And I could see it from a mile away/A perfect case for my certain skillset [Taylor knows she’ll fix this man, and isn’t even nervous about it.  She’s accepted that’s her role.

Whoa, maybe I can't [This line changes the stage of the entire song from accepting the challenge with confidence to realizing she cannot, in fact, fix the bad dude.  This epiphany makes the formerly assured acceptance, denial.

I Can Do It w/a Broken Heart-[acceptance list]

Track 13 = sometimes grandparents

Stage of grief- denial

I can show you lies (one, two, three) [She’s telling us that everything that follows is untrue. There’s deception.]

I was grinning like I'm winning, I was hitting my marks/'Cause I can do it with a broken heart (one, two, three)/I'm so depressed, I act like it's my birthday every day [Taylor is overcompensating in order to continue the ruse that she is Ok.  Nothing is fine with her, though. Denial of her true feelings.]

'Cause I'm a real tough kid,/I can handle my shit/They said, baby, gotta fake it 'til you make it and I did/Lights, camera, bitch smile, even when you wanna die [She’s suicidal, but still performing happiness and getting through her job.]

Breaking down, I hit the floor/All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting, "More" [She’s depressed and the fans can’t see it.]

'Cause I'm miserable/And no one even knows [It’s unsustainable.  She’s in denial that she can continue on faking it til she makes it.]

You know you're good when you can even do it/With a broken heart/You know you're good, I'm good [Who is she trying to convince, the listener or herself?]

Guilty as Sin?!

Track 9

Stage of grief- Denial (of homophobia)

My boredom's bone deep [deeply unhappy. Sad.]

Am I allowed to cry? [Sad]

This cage was once just fine…/I dream of cracking locks/Throwing my life to the wolves/Or the ocean rocks [The cage/closet is depressing and she needs to leave it, one way or the other. Restless. Sad.]

I keep these longings locked/In lowercase inside a vault [Gay vault songs stay locked up.  Denying her true self.]

I keep recalling things we never did/Messy top lip kiss/How I long for our trysts/Without ever touching his skin/How can I be guilty as sin? [Sexy fantasy.  Escapism. Denial of being locked in the closet.]

Someone told me/There's no such thing as bad thoughts/Only your actions talk [Justification. Denial that these thoughts are “bad” because she’s not acting upon them.]

What if the way you hold me/Is actually what's holy? [More justification.  I’m saying that from her perspective that what she wants is bad/sinful. Denial that they will approve or make it easy.]

If long suffering propriety/Is what they want from me/They don't know how you've haunted me/So stunningly/I choose you and me/... Religiously [But she is just dreaming of a different future in this song.  She’s still locked in the cage/closet.  Denial.]

What if I roll the stone away?/They're gonna crucify me anyway [Imagining a different life.  Escape seems sweet no matter the consequence.  Denying reality.]

The Anthology

The Bolter-

Track 13/29

Stage of grief- Denial (chronically escaping from feelings)

A curious child, ever reviled [Sad.]

Behind her back, her best mates laughed/And they nicknamed her "The Bolter" [Mean kids make people sad.]

Ended with the slam of a door/Then he'll call her a whore/Wish he wouldn't be sore [She seems detached about his negative reaction.  Anger more than sadness?]

But as she was leaving/It felt like breathing [Relief.  Acceptance.]

It felt like freedom [Relief. Acceptance.]

That's when she sees the littlest leaks/Down in the floorboards/And she just knows/She must bolt [She runs away from the slightest problem.  Denying feelings and emotions.]

Excellent fun 'til you get to know her/Then she runs like it's a race [Escapism. Denial.]

There's an escape in escaping [Denial.]

I Hate it Here-

Track 7/23

Stage of grief- denial 

This place made me feel worthless [Reality made Taylor feel demoralized. Depressed.]

I'm lonely but I'm good/I'm bitter but I swear I'm fine [She is lonely and bitter which is sad anger.  But she is trying to ignore those bad feelings, by saying she’s good and fine.  She’s essentially bargaining with herself to force a good outlook. Bargaining.]

All you'll ever be is/My eternal consolation prize [It’s a let down.  It’s been degraded.  Sad.]

If comfort is a construct/I don't believe in good luck [Negative outlook.  Unfulfilled. Depressed.]

You see I was a debutant/ in another life but/Now I seem to be scared to go outside [Things used to be better, but now she’s scared and has to forgo good things.  Sad.]

I hate it here so I will go to/Secret gardens in my mind/People need a key to get to [In her mind, Taylor escapes reality because it’s depressing.  Denial.]

No mid-sized city hopes and small town fears/I'm there most of the year/Cause I hate it here [She is avoiding life as it is now in order to feel fearless and happy. Denial.]

I'll save all my romanticism for my inner life and I'll get lost on purpose [Escapism is the major way Taylor solves problems. Denial.]

Lunar valleys in my mind/…I dreamed about it in the dark/The night I felt like I might die [Something terrible happened that made Taylor desperate.  So she traveled away from the problem inside her mind.  Denial.]

Lucid dreams like electricity, the current flies through me,/And in my fantasies I rise above it/And way up there, I actually love it [The times that Taylor feels and connects with anything is when she uses her imagination to abscond from her actual depressing circumstances. Denial.]

I Look in People's Windows

Track 9/25

Stage of grief- denial 

…I got carried away

I'm afflicted by the not knowing

Transfixed…

What if your eyes looked up and met mine/One more time [Dreaming, wishing = denial.]

What are the chances you'd be/Downtown, downtown, downtown [Looking for someone who won’t be there, in the hopes things will turn around. Denial.]

Does it feel alright to not know me?/I'm addicted to the "if only" [Denial.]

So High School-

Track 6/22

Stage of grief- Denial

This song has a lot of lines that can be deciphered in antithetical ways:

'Cause I feel so high school every time I look at you [Sentimental reminiscing or immature?]

I wanna find you in a crowd just to hide from you [Opposites.  Shy & flirty or a duty?]

I feel like laughing in the middle of practice [Practicing can be fun and social.  She feels light and happy?  Most coaches want serious engagement so depending on how much silliness, it could be looked down upon though.  She feels like engaging in anti-social, inappropriate behavior?] 

Cheeks pink in the twinkling lights [From activity?  From flirting or attraction? Or embarrassed?]

Do that impression you did of your dad again [It’s been done before.  Either she really likes it, or this is a sarcastic way of saying the bit is tired.]

Get my car door, isn't that sweet? (That sweet)/Then pull me to the backseat (backseat)/No one's ever had me (had me), not like you [Is it nice and she likes being sexed-up in the car?  Or is she being sarcastic that yes, he opened the door, but then mauled her like a bear?]

I'm trying to stifle my sighs [sexy or annoyed?]

I'll drink what you think and I'm high/From smoking your jokes all damn night [I guess it depends what kind of high she’s referring to:  Silly and funny?  Sexy?  Or just glazed over?]

Bittersweet/16… [There’s good and bad in this nostalgia that the person puts her in.]

Taylor emphasizes this is what HE wants:

Tell me 'bout the first time you saw me…/You knew what you wanted, and, boy, you got her [It’s not Taylor’s feelings or desire, she is focused on what he saw and what he wanted.]

It's true, swear, scouts honor [What’s true?  He got what he wanted.  Could be sarcasm here, too.]

She is acclimatizing to what he and society want from her.  She is not actually pleased or enjoying herself or happy here:

You know how to ball, I know Aristotle [I mean, sports-yay!  But she’s not saying this other person has her same intellect.]

I'm sinking, our fingers entwined [However you slice it, “sinking” isn’t a good thing]

Truth, dare, spin bottles (yeah) [games]

Are you gonna marry, kiss, or kill me? (Kill me) [Not a good sign.]

Touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto [This is decidedly negative.  What girl wants to be groped in front of his friends???  This is not sexy behavior.]

I'm hearing voices like a madman [What?  Why.  This doesn’t seem like a good thing at all.]