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Taylor Swift fans suspect the singer took a subtle shot at Kanye West on her new album, folklore. The penultimate song, “Peace,” finds Swift reflecting on something she can’t give her partner in a relationship, and during the second verse she sings:
But there’s robbers to the east, clowns to the West
I’d give you my sunshine, give you my best
The lines might seem innocuous, but the song’s official lyrics video suggests the lines are directed at Kanye since they capitalize “West” but not “east.” Fans also suspect the reference to “robbers” is a dig at Scooter Braun and her former label Big Machine, who Swift is in the middle of a complicated legal battle with.
Swift fans quickly picked up on the jab.
On top of the lyrics, Swift’s folklore was going to drop the same day as Kanye’s latest album, DONDA: With Child. However, Kanye’s album failed to materialize.
The lyrics on “Peace” are just another chapter in the long-running Swift/West feud. Their relationship harkens back to West infamously interrupting Swift at the 2009 MTV VMAs. They managed to become friends after the incident, but they’ve been engaged in a public dispute for the past few years which has involved leaked phone calls, veiled shots during awards speeches, and lyrical allusions on Swift songs like “Look What You Made Me Do.”
Read all the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s “Peace” on Genius now.
