“Me and Karma vibe like that.” This week on AP Taylor Swift Podcast we dive deep into “Karma” from Midnights and its surprising literary connections. Continuing from last week's exploration of Emily Dickinson, we unravel how Taylor Swift plays with themes of fate, justice, and reincarnation in this song. We analyze the song's vivid metaphors, from keeping your side of the street clean to flexing like a goddamn acrobat—wait, but who’s flexing? Plus, we debate whether Taylor herself becomes karma by the song’s end and what that means for her storytelling.

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Mentioned in this episode:

• Emily Dickinson
• “Kingdom of Heaven”
• Spiderman
• Aladdin
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• My Lady Jane
• Bridgerton
• Mean Girls
• John Tucker Must Die

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Episode Highlights:

[01:46] What is Karma?

[07:08] “You’re talking shit for the hell of it”

[10:21] “I keep my side of the street clean”

[18:01] “Karma is my boyfriend, Karma is a god”

[22:51] “Spider boy, king of thieves”

[30:20] “Ask me why so many fade but I’m still here”

[35:50] “Karma’s gonna track you down”

[44:44] The purpose of “Karma”

“And I was catching my breath, barefoot in the wildest winter…” What happens when a 21st-century American poet meets a 19th-century one? In this Show & Tell episode, we explore the literary lineage between Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson—two iconic writers whose work spans centuries but shares unmistakable DNA (literally—did you know they might be distant cousins?!). From slant rhymes and stylized punctuation to themes of isolation, longing, and hope, we unpack the poetic parallels between Dickinson’s timeless verses and Taylor’s lyrics. In true Show & Tell fashion, each of us brings a favorite Dickinson poem paired with a Swift song that touch on shared motifs such as separation, isolation, and hope. Tune in to find out which modern-day Taylor tracks sound like 19th-century poetry—and why we think Emily might vibe with Evermore.

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Mentioned in this episode:

The Letters of Emily Dickinson

The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson’s Hope is the Thing with Feathers

They Put Us Far Apart (Poem 474)

It Was Not Death, for I Stood Up (Poem 355)

Message in a Bottle – Taylor Swift

Evermore – Taylor Swift Karma – Taylor Swift Beauty and the Beast (live-action & Broadway versions) Hamilton

Taylor Swift by the Book Ancestry.com – Taylor & Emily’s distant cousin connection Emily Dickinson Museum Tikvah (Hebrew word for hope)

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Episode Highlights:

[06:26] “Message in a Bottle” + they put us far apart

[16:03] “Evermore” + It was not death, for I stood up

[29:31] “Karma” + Hope is a thing with feathers

Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social!

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• Instagram → instagram.com/APTaylorSwift
• YouTube → youtube.com/@APTaylorSwift
• Link Tree →linktr.ee/aptaylorswift
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Krowned Krystals - krownedkrystals.com use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!

Libro.fm - Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here tinyurl.com/aptslibro

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.

“It’s a thug story tell me can you handle that” In honor of April Fool’s Day, we’re diving into Taylor Swift’s funniest, most unexpected performances — from self-parody and satire to flat-out absurdity. This week, we explore Thug Story (2008), her 2009 SNL monologue, “Monologue Song (La La La)”, and the 2021 SNL Three Sad Virgins sketch to understand how Swift uses humor to subvert expectations, reclaim her narrative, and show off her impeccable comedic timing.

Plus: why baking cookies is the running gag that won’t quit, what a “benign violation” is, and whether “Cats” was actually meant to be a comedy.

Take our listener survey: https://aptaylorswift.substack.com/survey/2658723

Subscribe to get new episode updates: aptaylorswift.substack.com/subscribe

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Mentioned in this episode:

“Thug Story” feat. T-Pain (CMT Awards, 2009)

Taylor Swift’s 2009 SNL Monologue Song (la la la) Please Don’t Destroy - Three Sad Virgins (ft. Taylor Swift) - SNL 2021 Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) What’s So Funny? The Science of Why We Laugh by Giovanni Sabato Anatomy of the Gag by Václav Havel

Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture by Jesse David Fox Nanette by Hannah Gadsby (Netflix) APTS E19: Satire

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Episode Highlights:

[04:03] “Thug Story”

[11:04] “Monologue Song (La La La)”

[23:29] “Three Sad Virgins”

Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social!

• TikTok → tiktok.com/@APTaylorSwift
• Instagram → instagram.com/APTaylorSwift
• YouTube → youtube.com/@APTaylorSwift
• Link Tree →linktr.ee/aptaylorswift
• Bookshop.org → bookshop.org/shop/apts
• Libro.fm → tinyurl.com/aptslibro

Contact us at aptaylorswift@gmail.com

Affiliate Codes:

Krowned Krystals - krownedkrystals.com use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!

Libro.fm - Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here tinyurl.com/aptslibro

This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.