What (or Who) is “Father Figure” by Taylor Swift About?

Download Article

A guide to this new track from The Life of a Showgirl

Co-authored by Jojo Johnson and Annabelle Reyes

Last Updated: November 6, 2025 Fact Checked

Download Article

• What is “Father Figure” about?
|
• Who is “Father Figure” about?
|
• Lyrical Analysis
|
• Song Facts
|
• Related Songs
|
• Video

|Show more |Show less

Calling all Swifties and showgirls! Taylor Swift is known for packing her music with metaphors, easter eggs, and vivid storytelling, and her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, is no exception. If you’re ready to dive into the deeper meanings behind the lyrics, you’re in luck! We’ve compiled a complete guide to one of the album’s most talked-about tracks, “Father Figure.” Read on for everything you need to know, including a thorough breakdown of the song’s lyrics and ideas on who it might be about, with insights from Taylor Swift content creator Maria Ceschan.

“Father Figure” by Taylor Swift Lyrics Meaning

According to Taylor Swift content creator Maria Ceschan, “Father Figure” is about Taylor’s early days in the music industry. The song starts from the perspective of a record executive who promises to be a “father figure,” but their relationship sours. It’s likely about Scott Borchetta, CEO of Taylor’s former label.

Steps

Section 1 of 5:

What is “Father Figure” about?

Download Article

1. 
   “Father Figure” is likely about Taylor’s early days in the music industry. More specifically, the song is about the exploitation young artists face in the music industry. Ceschan says, “For me, the song tells the story of Taylor’s masters being sold against her wishes by someone she once trusted as a ‘father figure’ in the industry, and her eventual success in reclaiming them. She repeats the line ‘I protect the family’ 6 times throughout the song. Many Swifties believe that is intentional and represents the 6 albums she now fully owns again (Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, and reputation).”

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Maria Ceschan is a Taylor Swift fandom content creator and digital marketing expert based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She manages several popular social media accounts celebrating Taylor Swift’s music, lyrics, and fandom culture.
Advertisement

Section 2 of 5:

Who is “Father Figure” about?

Download Article

1. 
   “Father Figure” could be about Scott Borchetta. Ceschan notes, “The song starts from the perspective of someone in the music industry Taylor admired and looked up to as a sort of father figure. Many speculate she is referring to Scott Borchetta (the former CEO of her old record label) who is credited with ‘discovering’ her. It offers a glimpse into how this person may have guided her early career while also shining a light on the darker, more manipulative side of the music industry. You really get a sense for the hidden power dynamics and the control executives can hold over young artists throughout the song.”

   • Scott Borchetta is the CEO of Big Machine Records, the label that signed Taylor at the beginning of her career. When Taylor left the label in 2018, she was surprised and devastated to learn that Borchetta had sold the master recordings of her first 6 albums to Scooter Braun, even though Taylor had voiced her desire to buy them herself.
   • “Midway through the track, the perspective shifts to Taylor’s,” Ceschan continues. “She describes noticing changes in this ‘father figure’ and realizing that questionable decisions were being made at her expense (many think this is the major hint at Scott selling her masters). The lyrics capture the broken trust and the loss of loyalty in the relationship.”
   • Taylor was able to successfully purchase her masters in 2025, meaning she now owns all of her music.
   • Note: Some fans think the song is about Swift’s previous friendship/mentorship with Olivia Rodrigo, with Swift taking on the role of the “father figure.” We don’t think this is the most likely interpretation, and we’ll go over why in our lyrical analysis below!

Section 3 of 5:

“Father Figure” Lyrical Analysis

Download Article

1. 1
   The song is from the perspective of an executive taking an artist under his wing. The first verse opens with the lines, “When I found you, you were young, wayward, lost in the cold, / pulled up to you in the Jag’, turned your rags into gold.” These lyrics establish the power dynamic between the executive and the artist—he’s wealthy and powerful, and he holds the keys to the artist’s future success.
2. 2
   The relationship between the executive and the artist begins to sour. At first, the executive is kind and flattering, saying things like “you remind me of a younger me” and praising the artist’s potential. He promises to be the artist’s “father figure” and “protect the family,” but underneath the warm exterior, there’s a harsher truth. “This love is pure profit,” Taylor sings on the chorus, illustrating the fact that the executive only cares about the money the artist can make for him—their relationship is purely transactional.

   • "The family" could be a metaphor for Swift's albums.
3. 3
   This point is illustrated again in a lyric from the second verse. Swift sings, “I showed you all the tricks of the trade / all I asked for is your loyalty, my dear protégé.” In other words, in order to get the mentorship and protection the executive talks about, the artist must continue to produce music and make money for him. As soon as she stops doing this, the executive won’t hesitate to throw her under the bus.

   • This language is reminiscent of the open letter Taylor posted after Borchetta sold her masters: “This is what happens when you sign a deal at fifteen to someone for whom the term ‘loyalty’ is clearly just a contractual concept. And when that man says ‘Music has value,’ he means its value is beholden to men who had no part in creating it.”
   • The line “I can make deals with the devil because my d*ck’s bigger” from the song’s chorus may also be an allusion to Borchetta’s willingness to sell Taylor’s masters specifically to Braun, a man Taylor had an extremely negative opinion of.
   • “Any time Scott Borchetta has heard the words 'Scooter Braun' escape my lips, it was when I was either crying or trying not to. He knew what he was doing; they both did. Controlling a woman who didn’t want to be associated with them,” she wrote in her letter.
4. 4
   In the final chorus, the perspective shifts from the executive to the artist. “By the end,” Ceschan says, “Taylor reframes the story and takes back her power by ultimately regaining what was stolen from her.” The last chorus of the song takes on a whole new energy, with the artist reclaiming her power. “You made a deal with this devil, turns out my d*ck’s bigger,” she sings. The final lines drive home the artist’s victory: “Mistake my kindness for weakness and find your card cancelled / I was your father figure / you pulled the wrong trigger / this empire belongs to me.”

   • In these lyrics, he’s no longer the boss in charge of her—she’s the one with the “bigger d*ck,” the one who owns the empire.
   • And, now that she’s reclaimed her agency, the executive’s credit card is cancelled, meaning he can no longer make money off of her.
Advertisement

Section 4 of 5:

“Father Figure” Fun Facts

Download Article

1. “Father Figure” was released on October 3, 2025. It is the 4th track on The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, which was released on the same date. The song was produced by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback, and it was written by Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback, and George Michael.

   • George Michael received a writing credit for “Father Figure” because it interpolates his 1987 song of the same name.
   • Michael passed away in 2016, but his estate released a statement about the track: “We were delighted when Taylor Swift and her team approached us earlier this year about incorporating an interpolation of George Michael’s classic song ‘Father Figure’ into a brand new song of the same title to be featured on her forthcoming album.”

Section 5 of 5:

Related Songs

Download Article

1. Can’t get enough of Taylor Swift’s lyrics? We feel you! Luckily, we’ve got a few other lyrical breakdowns of Taylor songs for you to browse. Check them out below:

   • “Look What You Made Me Do”
   • “Fortnight”
   • “Champagne Problems”
   • “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”
   • All the songs from the Reputation Album
   • Are you an expert on Taylor Swift lyrics? Test yourself with this fun quiz!
Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Video

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!