Why “Fortnight” Is Almost Definitely About Taylor Swift’s Ex, Matty Healy

Not only is “Fortnight” nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Music Video at the 2025 Grammys, but we’re personally manifesting a Taylor Swift and Post Malone performance. So if you haven’t already, it’s probably a good time to (a) memorize the lyrics and (b) get to know the song on a deeper level. Some questions for us to ponder:

1. What/who is “Fortnight” about?

2. What inspired Taylor’s lyrics?

3. Are there any clues in the music video?

Let’s dive in! 🤓

What Taylor Says the Song “Fortnight” Is About

Tay dove into the meaning of “Fortnight” with Amazon Music, saying the song is “about a dramatic, artistic, tragic kind of take on love and loss.”

More specifically, Taylor said she “always imagined” that “Fortnight” “took place in this American town where the American dream you thought would happen to you didn’t. You ended up not with the person that you loved and now you just have to live with that every day, wondering what would’ve been maybe seeing them out. And that’s a pretty tragic concept really, so I was just writing from that perspective.”

So basically, it’s about exes who are still in their feelings but have both technically moved on. Something we can all relate to!

How the Music Video Connects to the Song’s Meaning

As Taylor put it on Instagram, “When I was writing the ‘Fortnight’ music video, I wanted to show you the worlds I saw in my head that served as the backdrop for making this music. Pretty much everything in it is a metaphor or a reference to one corner of the album or another. For me, this video turned out to be the perfect visual representation of this record and the stories I tell in it.”

The “Fortnight” video also features Taylor sitting at a typewriter with a fountain pen, which offers a clue into the song’s meaning. How, you ask? Well, Taylor once told fans she categorizes her songs into three buckets: Quill Lyrics, Fountain Pen Lyrics, and Glitter Gel Pen Lyrics.

So, the literal fountain pen here...

...implies “Fortnight” is a Fountain Pen Lyrics song. Per Tay, these songs include “modern storyline or references, with a poetic twist. Taking a common phrase and flipping its meaning. Trying to paint a vivid picture of a situation, down to the chipped paint on the door frame and the incense dust on the vinyl shelf. Placing yourself and whoever is listening right there in the room where it all happened. The love, the loss, everything. The songs I categorize in this style sound like confessions scribbled and sealed in an envelope but too brutally honest to ever send.”

So Is “Fortnight” About Matty Healy...or Joe Alwyn?

Fans are convinced that much of The Tortured Poets Department is about Matty Healy, and it seems “Fortnight” might be no exception. There are several clues throughout the music video—like the fact Taylor types on a typewriter, which seems to be a direct reference to the Matty themed lyrics “You left your typewriter at my apartment/Straight from the tortured poets department” in the album’s title track.

And honestly, that’s not the only Matty reference in the music video. Ahem:

That said, there is some fan speculation the song is actually about Joe Alwyn (specifically the length of time it took them to break up):

The Full Lyrics to “Fortnight”

Check them out courtesy of Genius and interpret them yourself!

I was supposed to be sent away
But they forgot to come and get me
I was a functioning alcoholic
’Til nobody noticed my new aesthetic
All of this to say I hope you’re okay
But you’re the reason
And no one here’s to blame
But what about your quiet treason?

And for a fortnight there, we were forever
Run into you sometimes, ask about the weather
Now you’re in my backyard, turned into good neighbors
Your wife waters flowers, I wanna kill her

All my mornings are Mondays stuck in an endless February
I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary
And I love you, it’s ruining my life
I love you, it’s ruining my life
I touched you for only a fortnight
I touched you, but I touched you

And for a fortnight there, we were forever
Run into you sometimes, ask about the weather
Now you’re in my backyard, turned into good neighbors
Your wife waters flowers, I wanna kill her
And for a fortnight there, we were together
Run into you sometimes, comment on my sweater
Now you're at the mailbox, turned into good neighbors
My husband is cheating, I wanna kill him

I love you, it’s ruining my life
I love you, it’s ruining my life
I touched you for only a fortnight
I touched you, I touched you
I love you, it’s ruining my life
I love you, it’s ruining my life
I touched you for only a fortnight
I touched you, I touched you

Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up
’Nother fortnight lost in America
Move to Florida, buy the car you want
But it won’t start up ’til you touch, touch, touch me
Thought of calling ya, but you won’t pick up
’Nother fortnight lost in America
Move to Florida, buy the car you want
But it won’t start up ’til I touch, touch, touch you

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