In Defense of... "Robin"
Way to go, tiger.
Haunting us like our childhood that’s been outgrown and left behind, track 30, “Robin,” from Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology is an underrated ballad that leaves chills from start to finish.
“Robin” laughs in the faces of those who claim Swift only writes of lost loves and breakups. Painting a delicate yet powerful image of animals and adolescence, “Robin” deserves more recognition. While TTPD contains some of Swift’s best work and “Robin” has many tracks to compete with for the top spot on the album, “Robin” should be appreciated for its storytelling, poeticism, nostalgia, and relatability, regardless of if you’re a parent, adult, or a naive child yourself.
“Robin” begins simply, highlighting Swift’s angelic yet commanding voice. “Long may you reign / You’re an animal / You are bloodthirsty / Out window panes talking utter nonsense / You have no idea,” Swift begins. Pairing with the melancholic pings of the piano, Swift sets the scene for what will be a heart-wrenching ballad that brings us back to younger, more nonsensical naive days.
“Strings tied to levers / Slowed down clocks tethered / All this showmanship / To keep it, for you / In sweetness / Way to go, tiger / Higher and higher / Wilder and lighter / For you,” Swift then sings. Taking on the point of view of a parent to a young child, Swift reminds us of the effort and encouragement it takes to maintain a specific innocence, for as long as possible.
Keeping a crispness that captivates and creates a sense of care, Swift sings as if she’s looking into the eyes of a young child, right in front of her. “Long may you roar / At your dinosaurs / You're a just ruler / Covered in mud, you look ridiculous / And you have no idea,” Swift goes on. Her lyrics laugh with a sense of jealousy at the children who have no idea of what awaits them in life.
“Buried down deep and out of your reach, the secret we all vowed to keep it, from you / In sweetness / Way to go, tiger / Higher and higher / Wilder and lighter / For you,” Swift sings. Transitioning back to a more forward point of view of a parent speaking gently to a child, Swift makes us wonder: Did my parents keep a secret from me too?
Finishing the song sweetly and sincerely, Swift sings, “You got the dragonflies above your bed / You have a favorite spot on the swing set / You have no room in your dreams for regrets / You have no idea / The time will arrive for the cruel and the mean / You'll learn to bounce back just like your trampoline / But now we'll curtail your curiosity / In sweetness / Way to go, tiger / Higher and higher / Wilder and lighter / For you.” Beginning to spill the secret Swift just said she kept, she summarizes what it’s like to grow up. It’s not any more complicated than your childhood trampoline – you fall down but you bounce back.
Swift’s “Robin” is pensive and powerful, somber and sorrowful. Reminding us of a sweeter past while painting a picture of what’s to come with our own children – a constant maintenance of their innocence and naivete – “Robin” may be a slower track, but don’t we wish our childhood went a little slower, too?
