Taylor Swift Fans Think “thanK you aIMee” Is About Kim Kardashian

Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department rollout came with a highly theorized (but still shocking) double album surprise — and fans think one of the new songs, “thanK you aIMee,” is about Kim Kardashian.

If you went to sleep before 2 a.m. ET on the morning of April 19, you probably woke up and read Swift’s double album explanation with bleary eyes. “This period of the author’s life is now over, the chapter closed and boarded up,” she wrote. “There is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed.”

In other words, if “thanK you aIMee” is about Swift and Kardashian’s highly publicized drama (more on that in a bit), it doesn’t necessarily mean she wants to keep the feud going. In fact, the “thanK you aiMee” lyrics explain that she’s grateful for past beef, in a roundabout way.

The Crafty Title

The most obvious clue about the subject of Swift’s new song is the title — which is all lowercase, except for three letters that just so happen to spell out “KIM.” No other songs on The Tortured Poets Department follow that jumbled title convention, so fans quickly picked up on the apparent hint. One listener on X (formerly Twitter) suggested that Kim and North West might have a “Wait, is this f*cking play about us?” moment when listening to the song.

Swift actually sets up such a scenario in the track: “One day, your kid comes home singin’ a song that only us two is gonna know is about you.” (And hey, North is a “Shake It Off” fan.)

Like Britney Spears before her, Swift found a way to hide a sneaky message in a variation of “Amy.” Pop tradition lives on!

Andrea Swift Is Involved

Throughout the song, Swift depicts the lasting impact of a school bully whose “bronze, spray-tanned statue” stands in her hometown. Whether this is a literal bully or a grown-up adversary, “Aimee” hurt Swift at a formative time in her life, and takes up some serious mental real estate to this day.

“It wasn’t a fair fight, or a clean kill,” Swift sings, hinting at a messy feud or potential power imbalance when Aimee would mock her in the local paper, or threaten to push her down the stairs.

Swift even gets her mom, Andrea, involved in the biting track: “Everyone knows that my mother is a saintly woman, but she used to say she wished that you were dead.”

While Swifties will likely never get confirmation about the subject of “thanK you aIMee,” Swift and Kardashian did have quite a public feud following the release of Kanye West’s “Famous.” ICYMI at the time, West claimed in the song that he “made that b*tch famous,” singing about Swift.

Swift took issue with this, and Kardashian leaked a video of a phone call intended to show the singer was OK with the line — only as Swift pointed out, West never told her he’d dub her a “b*tch.” Kardashian also seemed to subtweet Swift in a tweet likening her to a snake, and her fans followed suit. “I went through some really low times for a while because of it,” Swift said about the name-calling at a 2018 concert.

Despite it all, the prevailing message of “thanK you aIMee” is gratitude. “I wrote a thousand songs that you find uncool,” she sings. “I built a legacy which you can’t undo. But when I count the scars, there’s a moment of truth: that there wouldn’t be this, if there hadn’t been you.” She also thanks Aimee for helping her “heal” over time.

Is “Cassandra” About Kim Kardashian?

The lyrics from “thanK you aIMee” may not be the only reference to Kardashian on The Tortured Poets Department, according to fans. Listeners on X also noted that “Cassandra” makes references to a cell filled with snakes. Cassandra from Greek mythology, whose prophecies are never believed, seemingly inspired the titular character.

“When it's ‘Burn the b*tch,” they’re shrieking,” Swift sings (potentially referencing West’s “Famous” call-out). “When the truth comes out, it's quiet.”

“thanK you aIMee” Lyrics

Read the song’s full lyrics below.

When I picture my hometown

There's a bronze spray-tanned statue of you

And a plaque underneath it

That threatens to push me down the stairs, at our school

And it was always the same searing pain

But I dreamed that one day, I could say

All that time you were throwin' punches, I was buildin' somethin'

And I can't forgive the way you made me feel

Screamed "F--k you, Aimee" to the night sky, as the blood was gushin'

But I can't forget the way you made me heal

And it wasn't a fair fight, or a clean kill

Each time that Aimee stomped across my gravе

And then she wrote hеadlines

In the local paper, laughing at each baby step I'd take

And it was always the same searing pain

But I prayed that one day, I could say

All that time you were throwin' punches, I was buildin' somethin'

And I couldn't wait to show you it was real

Screamed "F--k you, Aimee" to the night sky, as the blood was gushin'

But I can't forget the way you made me heal

Everyone knows that my mother is a saintly woman

But she used to say she wished that you were dead

I pushed each boulder up the hill

Your words are still just ringing in my head, ringing in my head

I wrote a thousand songs that you find uncool

I built a legacy which you can't undo

But when I count the scars, there's a moment of truth

That there wouldn't be this, if there hadn't been you

And maybe you've reframed it

And in your mind you never beat my spirit black and blue

I don't think you've changed much

And so I changed your name, and any real defining clues

And one day, your kid comes home singin'

A song that only us two is gonna know is about you, 'cause

All that time you were throwin' punches, it was all for nothin'

And our town, it looks so small, from way up here

Screamed "Thank you, Aimee" to the night sky, and the stars are stunnin’

‘Cause I can't forget the way you made me heal

Everyone knows that my mother is a saintly woman

But she used to say she wished that you were dead

So I pushed each boulder up that hill

Your words were still just ringin' in my head, ringin' in my head

Thank you, Aimee

Thank you, Aimee