As crowds turned their gaze to the heavens on April 8 to witness a total solar eclipse stretching across a significant portion of the Eastern United States, pop sensation Taylor Swift unveiled fresh eclipse-inspired lyrics from her forthcoming album, "The Tortured Poets Department."

Swift took to her Instagram story to share a video featuring an old-fashioned typewriter, meticulously typing out the following verses:

"Crowd roars at her touch,Half moon's glow,Full eclipse."

Following the revelation of these lyrics, fans swiftly delved into speculation about their significance. Many conjectured that the words might belong to the upcoming track titled "Clara Bow," which features in her track list.

Clara Bow, a luminary of the silent film era in the 1920s, ascended to fame as an actress. Her celebrity status made her a constant subject of tabloid scrutiny, particularly noted for her penchant for revelry captured in photographs while indulging in drinking and dancing.

Fans pointed out various reasons they believed the lyrics could be associated with "Clara Bow." One such reason was Bow's reputed use of "moon manicures," which could tie into the mention of the moon in the lyrics.

Additionally, a fan noted on X that a total solar eclipse occurred in 1925, a significant year for Bow. This historical context could provide further support for the speculation that the eclipse-themed lyrics might be linked to the song "Clara Bow."

Another fan expressed their belief that there are parallels between Bow's life and Taylor Swift's own experiences.

"These are Clara Bow lyrics, I feel... drawing parallels between her own life and the life of a notable actress who was also deeply troubled, ohhh," the X user mused.

Another individual highlighted a photo of Bow on a Moon Motor Car from a promotional photoshoot.

"Moonshine was popularized during prohibition, the same time that scandals started surrounding Clara Bow’s career. She left the public eye in 1933, the same year prohibition ended. Aka a full eclipse from the public eye fueled by moonshine?" remarked yet another X user, drawing connections between the actor and the lyrics.

Some fans speculated that the eclipse-themed lyrics could be from songs like "Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?" or "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart."

Numerous observers noted Taylor Swift's use of the rare solar event to promote her album. "@folkIegends" humorously remarked, "Taylor said let me give the girls a caption to use on their eclipse photos."

This isn't the first time Swift has made announcements on the day of a solar eclipse. During the 2017 event, she famously deleted all of her social media posts and shared a cryptic 10-second video featuring a reptilian tail. This unconventional move turned out to be a promotion for her then-upcoming album, "Reputation," which was released on November 10, 2017.

When does ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ come out?

“The Tortured Poets Department” releases April 19, 2024.

‘The Tortured Poets Department’ track list

“The Tortured Poets Department” will feature 16 standard songs.

  • “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone
  • “The Tortured Poets Department”
  • “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”
  • “Down Bad”
  • “So Long, London”
  • “But Daddy I Love Him”
  • “Fresh Out The Slammer”
  • “Florida!!!” featuring Florence and the Machine
  • “Guilty as Sin?”
  • “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
  • “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”
  • “LOML”
  • “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”
  • “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”
  • “The Alchemy”
  • “Clara Bow”

Known bonus tracks:

  • “The Manuscript”
  • “The Bolter”
  • “The Albatross”
  • “The Black Dog”

What is 'The Tortured Poets Department'

While Taylor Swift hasn't explicitly clarified the title of her forthcoming album, her fans have been speculating that it may reference her former partner, Joe Alwyn.

In a 2022 interview, Alwyn had mentioned being part of a group chat with his friends titled "The Tortured Man Club."

During a performance in Melbourne, Australia on Feb. 16, Swift shared with fans that she felt a deep need to create this upcoming album.

"‘Tortured Poets’ is an album, I think more than any of my albums that I’ve ever made — I needed to make it," she expressed at the time. "It was really a lifeline for me. The things I was going through, the things I was writing about, it reminded me of why songwriting actually gets me through my life. I’ve never had an album where I’ve needed songwriting more than I needed it on ‘Tortured Poets.’"

News of Swift and Alwyn's breakup grabbed headlines in spring 2023. Since then, Swift has remained in the spotlight with her highly successful "Eras Tour" and her public relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce.