Taylor Swift Reveals Which Song Has Her Favorite Lyrics 'Plot Twist'
Taylor Swift is no stranger to a lyrical plot twist, but there's one song from her discography that she believes has the best unexpected ending.
In her new interview with the New York Times, Swift sat down to discuss some of her greatest songwriting feats, and as far as plot twists go, Swift said a song from her folklore album takes the cake.
"My favorite end plot twist I think that I've done in songwriting is the ending of 'The Last Great American Dynasty.' That's my favorite one."
"It is just so much fun to tell this story about this real woman who lived in history and she defied the social norms and she drove people crazy," Swift said of the narrative that plays out in the song, which is based on the real life of composer and socialite Rebekah Harkness. Quoting the lyrics to her own song, Swift, 36, said of Harkness, "She had a marvelous time ruining everything."
The song goes on to mention "Holiday House," the name of Rebekah's former saltbox house on the coast of Rhode Island. By the end of the story, listeners find out that Rebekah moved away from Holiday House, and 50 years later it was bought by another woman with a big reputation (spoiler alert: it's Swift). While paraphrasing her own lyrics, Swift said, "In the end..she moved away from Holiday House. It sat quietly on that beach, free of women with madness, their men and bad habits. And then it was bought by me."
Fans learn by the end of the track that Swift was referring to her famous Rhode Island beachfront home in Rhode Island, which she purchased in 2013 for $17.75 million, according to the Providence Journal.
@extra_tv We're having a marvelous time learning this is @Taylor Swift's favorite plot twist song ending in her discography 🍋🟩💚 (🎥: New York Times, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour) #taylorswift#erastour#folklore
♬ original sound - ExtraTV
"The Last Great American Dynasty" is a fan-favorite track from her folklore album, which came out in 2020 and won Album of the Year at the 2021 Grammys. It was also included on the setlist for the first portion of the Eras Tour (though it was later cut to make room for the Tortured Poets Department set).
"Every time I get to that part, when I would sing it on tour...I wanted my grin to go from here to here," Swift added in her NYT interview, gesturing to both sides of her head by her ears. "But that looks crazy. So it's like I had to, like, taper down my own excitement."
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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 4:31 PM.