Skripsi Indy Christiani Imbo (F041191058)

AN ANALYSIS OF IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION IN SONG LYRICS
FROM TAYLOR SWIFT‟S ALBUM „MIDNIGHTS‟
A THESIS
Submitted to the Faculty of Cultural Sciences of Hasanuddin University

in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements to Obtain Bachelor‟s Degree
in English Literature Study Program
INDY CHRISTIANI IMBO

F041191058
ENGLISH LITERATURE STUDY PROGRAM

FACULTY OF CULTURAL SCIENCES
HASANUDDIN UNIVERSITY
MAKASSAR
2023
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Praises and gratitude to the presence of God Almighty, due to His
abundant blessings and guidance throughout the completion of this thesis entitled
"An Analysis of Idiomatic Expression in Song Lyrics from Taylor Swift‟s Album
„Midnights‟". Without His help, the writer would not have been able to complete
this thesis properly.
This thesis is submitted as partial fulfillment of requirements to obtain
bachelor‟s degree in English Literature Study Program, Faculty of Cultural
Sciences, Hasanuddin University. The writer realizes that in writing this thesis,
there are still many shortcomings. Therefore, the writer expects constructive
criticism and input for the improvement of this thesis.
In writing this thesis, the writer faced various obstacles. Therefore, the
writer would like to thank those who have helped the writer in completing this
thesis, they are:
1. Prof. Dr. Ir. Jamaluddin Jompa, M.Sc., as The Chancellor of Hasanuddin
University.
2. Prof. Dr. Akin Duli, M.A., as The Dean of Faculty of Cultural Sciences of
Hasanuddin University.
3. Dra. Nasmilah, M.Hum, Ph.D. and Sitti Sahraeny, S.S., M.AppLing., as
The Head and Secretary of English Literature Study Program.
4. Dr. Harlinah Sahib, M. Hum and Dr. Karmila Mokoginta, S.S., M.Hum.,
M.Arts., as the supervisors who have set aside their time to help and correct
the draft of this thesis.
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5. Prof. Dr. Noer Jihad Saleh, M.A. and Dr. Sukmawaty, M. Hum, as the
examiners who have been set aside their time for the writer‟s thesis
examination.
6. All lectures, who have taught many things so that the writer can write this
thesis.
7. All administrative staff, who have helped the writer prepare the
administrative matters.
8. The writer‟s parents, who always support and pray for the writer, especially
in the completion of this thesis.
9. Abdul Rauf Musadat, Andi Nur Atirah, and Harissa who have always
supported directly in the process of the writer‟s research.
10. The writer herself, for always being open to learning.
May God repay their kindnesses, and hopefully this thesis can be useful for
many people.
Makassar, July 3rd 2023

Best Regards,
Indy Christiani Imbo
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Idioms in „Midnights‟ Album ..................................................................19

Table 2.Types of Idioms in The Song „Lavender Haze‟ ........................................26
Table 3.Types of Idioms in The Song „Maroon‟....................................................26
Table 4. Types of Idioms in The Song „Anti-Hero‟ ...............................................27
Table 5.Types of Idioms in The Song „Snow on The Beach‟ ................................28
Table 6. Types of Idioms in The Song „You‟re on Your Own, Kid‟ .....................29
Table 7. Types of Idioms in The Song „Midnight Rain‟ ........................................30
Table 8. Types of Idioms in The Song „Vigilante Shit‟ .........................................30
Table 9. Types of Idioms in The Song „Bejeweled‟ ..............................................31
Table 10. Types of Idioms in The Song „Labyrinth‟ .............................................32
Table 11. Types of Idioms in The Song „Karma‟ ..................................................32
Table 12. Types of Idioms in The Song „Sweet Nothing‟ .....................................33
Table 13. Types of Idioms in The Song „Question…?‟ .........................................33
Table 14. Types of Idioms in The Song „Mastermind‟ ..........................................34
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ....................................................................................... i
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................. iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... iv
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... vi
ABSTRAK ............................................................................................................ vii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................1
A. Background ................................................................................................................. 1
B. Identification of Problems ......................................................................................... 4
C. Scope of Problems...................................................................................................... 5
D. Research Questions .................................................................................................... 5
E. The Objectives of Study ............................................................................................ 5
F. The Significance of Study ......................................................................................... 6
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................7
A. Previous Studies ......................................................................................................... 7
B. Theoretical Background ............................................................................................ 9
1. Definition of Idiomatic Expressions ...................................................................... 9
2. Types of Idiom ....................................................................................................... 11
C. „Midnights‟ Album................................................................................................... 14
CHAPTER III RESEACRH METHODOLOGY ..................................................16
A. Research Design ....................................................................................................... 16
B. Technique of Data Collection ................................................................................. 16
C. Technique of Data Analysis .................................................................................... 17
D. Research Procedure .................................................................................................. 17
CHAPTER IV DATA AND ANALYSIS ..............................................................19
A. Data Presentation...................................................................................................... 19
B. Data Analysis ............................................................................................................ 24
1. Types of Idioms in „Midnights‟ Album .............................................................. 25
2. The Meanings of Idioms in „Midnights‟ Album ................................................ 35
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS .......................................89
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A. Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 89
B. Suggestions ............................................................................................................... 89
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................91
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ABSTRACT
Indy Christiani Imbo. 2023. An Analysis of Idiomatic Expression in Song Lyrics

from Taylor Swift‟s Album „Midnights‟ (supervised by Harlinah Sahib and
Karmila Mokoginta).
This study aims to: (1) to find out the types of idiomatic expressions used in
songs lyrics of Taylor Swift‟s album „Midnights‟; and (2) to analyze the meanings
of each idiomatic expression used in songs lyrics of Taylor Swift‟s album
„Midnights‟.
The method used in this research was descriptive qualitative method. The
sources of the data are thirteen songs by Taylor Swift in the album „Midnights‟
which contain idioms. The writer collected the data by searching and downloading
Taylor Swift‟s „Midnights‟ album from YouTube channels, and listening to the
songs and read the lyrics of the songs, then identifying parts of the songs lyrics
that contain idioms; and analysed them by identifying the idioms in the songs
based on Boatner and Gates (1975) theory, and describing the meaning of idioms,
then tabulating the idioms analysis.
The findings indicate that 88 idiomatic expressions appear in the lyrics of

the songs, and the most dominant type is phraseological idiom (50 idioms). There
are also lexemic idioms with 37 idioms, and 1 frozen idiom. There is no proverbs
found in the analysis. The findings of this study imply that phraseological idioms
are more frequently used in the lyrics of the 'Midnights' album. The findings also
imply that there are some themes contained in the songs in the album.
Keywords: Idiom, Album „Midnights‟, Taylor Swift
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ABSTRAK
Indy Christiani Imbo. 2023. Analisis Ekspresi Idiom dalam Lirik Lagu dari
Album Taylor Swift „Midnights‟ (dibimbing oleh Harlinah Sahib dan Karmila
Mokoginta).
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk: (1) mengetahui jenis-jenis ekspresi idiom

yang digunakan dalam lirik lagu dari album „Midnights‟ Taylor Swift; (2)
menganalisis makna dari setiap ekspresi idiom yang digunakan dalam lirik lagu
dari album „Midnights‟ Taylor Swift.
Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif

kualitatif. Sumber data dalam penelitian ini adalah tiga belas lagu Taylor Swift
dalam album Midnights yang mengandung makna idiom. Penulis mengumpulkan
data penelitian dengan mencari dan mengunduh album „Midnights‟ Taylor Swift
dari saluran YouTube, dan mendengarkan lagu-lagu tersebut dan membaca lirik
dari lagu-lagu tersebut, kemudian mengidentifikasi beberapa bagian dari lirik
lagu-lagu tersebut yang mengandung idiom; dan menganalisis data tersebut
dengan mengidentifikasi idiom-idiom yang ditemukan berdasarkan teori Boatner
dan Gates (1975), dan mendeskripsikan makna setiap idiom, lalu membuat tabel
untuk hasil analisis idiom-idiom tersebut.
Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa 88 ekspresi idiom ditemukan dalam

lirik lagu-lagu tersebut, dan idiom paling dominan adalah idiom fraseologis (50
idiom). Terdapat juga idiom leksemik dengan 37 idiom, dan 1 idiom beku. Tidak
ada idiom peribahasa yang ditemukan dalam analisis ini. Hasil penelitian
menyiratkan bahwa idiom fraseologis lebih sering digunakan dalam lirik lagu dari
album „Midnights‟. Hasil penelitian juga menunjukkan ada beberapa tema yang
terkandung di lagu-lagu dalam album tersebut.
Keywords: Idiom, Album „Midnights‟, Taylor Swift
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background
Language is very important, both in the process of thinking and in human
activities. Bloomfield (1933: 149) states that language is an element of human
culture that plays an important role. We usually use language to communicate
with other people, in other words it can be said that language as a communication
tool has an important role in human activity.
Keraf (1997:1) states that language as a means of communication between
humans, consists of two parts, namely form and meaning. Form is the part of
language that can be absorbed by the five senses, namely by hearing or seeing,
while meaning is the content contained in the form which causes a certain
reaction in the mind of the listener or reader.
In communicating, both verbal and writing, people usually use idioms,
metaphors, or expressions in their sentences. The purpose of using these
expressions of idioms in communication is so prominent that the other person
(listener) or reader feels more interested in the things they are read or listening.
Idioms are usually used in everyday communication to express something
implicitly or indirectly from the speakers to readers, for example, „give in‟ is an
idiom that means „surrender‟. This idiomatic meaning is completely unrelated to
the literal meaning of the individual words „give‟ and „in‟.
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There are many ways that can be done in practicing, especially English, in
a fun way, for example from watching movies, podcasts, language learning
applications and the most form of fun ways is songs. Listening to music or songs,
the most basic way, is usually used to hone English skills.
The concept of idioms are usually used in everyday conversation and
writing. Idioms are usually made up of short words, but are used in the
appropriate context and circumstances and in the right way. Conversations using
idioms can make the spoken sentences becomes alive.
One of the uses of idioms in a sentence can be found in song lyrics. Songs
are a medium for expressing feelings and ideas which contain many interesting
things behind the lyrics of the song. Songs lyrics are written in the language used
by the songwriters as a tool to convey their feelings. At times, lyrics cannot be
easily understood or interpreted. Songwriters usually include many expressions
in songs lyrics, and most of the expressions found are in the form of idioms.
According to Rahayu (2019: 1), song is a type of poetry that can be sung or
conveyed with a melody with various expressions from the carrier.
Many people can sing songs in English, unfortunately many of them do not
really understand the meaning of the songs they sing. The meaning of a song is
very important in enjoying a song.
In expressing their experiences, songwriters play with words and language
to create attractiveness and uniqueness to their lyrics or poetry. This language
game can be in the form of vocal games, language styles, or deviations from the
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meaning of words and is strengthened by the use of melodies and musical
notation that is adapted to the lyrics of the song, therefor the listener is
increasingly carried away with what the composer is thinking (Awe, 2003).
Songs are currently growing rapidly following the flow of modernization.
This development can be seen in the song's creativity for expression with easy-
to-remember lyrics, so that it is widely liked by the wider community. One of
them is Taylor Swift, who made her first debut as a professional singer by
releasing the album "Tim McGraw" in 2006.
As in every Taylor Swift song in her other albums, Taylor surely provide
some lyrics that have no literal meanings.
The writer chose the song lyrics of Taylor Swift's album „Midnights‟ for
Taylor Swift's songs are very popular for many people, especially at present.
Taylor Swift is known as a singer and songwriter who always puts some or many
idioms in each of her songs lyrics. „Midnights‟ is the tenth album of Taylor
Swift, released on October 21, 2022. This album is the newest by Taylor Swift
which contains thirteen songs, they are Lavender Haze, Maroon, Anti-Hero,
Snow on The Beach (featuring Lana Del Rey), You‟re on Your Own, Kid,
Midnight Rain, Question…?, Vigilante Shit, Bejeweled, Labyrinth, Karma, Sweet
Nothing, Mastermind.
In the „Midnights‟ album, there are so many types of idioms that can be
analyzed in each of the songs in the album. That is another reason, the writer
chose Taylor Swift‟s „Midnights‟ album.
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There are unique facts about this album. „Midnights‟ contains songs about
Taylor‟s experiences with insomnia. Through her songs, Taylor seems to wish to
tell the various emotions she feels on nights when she can‟t sleep. The post about
the release of „Midnights‟ also broke the record for the most likes of Taylor
Swift‟s post about her other album announcement, with the number of likes
achieved on Twitter reaching 1.1 million likes and 8 million more likes on
Instagram.
Based on the background above, the writer is interested in doing this
research entitled “An Analysis of Idiomatic Expression in Song Lyrics from
Taylor Swift‟s Album „Midnights‟” to describe the form of idioms in writing
song lyrics in Taylor Swift's latest album 'Midnights'.
B. Identification of Problems
According to the explanation above and based on writer personal
observation, the writer investigates the problems that can be identified as
follows:
1. The issue of idiom is rarely explored. However, it is frequently used in daily
conversations.
2. Understanding idiomatic expressions is difficult to be done, especially for
people who use English as a foreign language.
3. Song is one of the media for learning English. However, there are still many
idioms in English songs.
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C. Scope of Problems
1. Based on the previous explanation, the writer limited this study by only
focusing on one of the semantic elements, namely idiom in the song lyrics.
2. The writer choose the lyrics of Taylor Swift's newest album „Midnights‟.
3. There are some theories about idiom proposed by some expert, such as Leech
(1974), Lou (2007), and Fernando (2009). But in this study, the writer
analyzes the types of idioms by using Boatner dan Gates theory (1975) which
classifies the four types of idioms.
D. Research Questions
From the statement background above, the writer formulates two research
questions as follows:
1. What types of Idiomatic Expressions are used in songs lyrics of Taylor Swift's
album „Midnights‟?
2. What is the meanings of each Idiomatic Expression found in songs lyrics of
Taylor Swift's album „Midnights‟?
E. The Objectives of Study
Related to the problems mentioned above, the objectives of the study can be
stated below:
1. To find out the types of idiomatic expressions used in songs lyrics of Taylor
Swift's album „Midnights‟.
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2. To analyze the meanings of each idiomatic expression used in songs lyrics of
Taylor Swift's album „Midnights‟.
F. The Significance of Study
This study is expected to provide several benefits for the readers.
Theoretically, the findings of this study can be used as a reference to gain
knowledge on idioms, especially for the next researcher who will going to
conduct related objects.
Practically, this study is also expected to contribute more systematic
conceptual understanding of idioms. It is hoped that this study will inspire
English teachers to convey idioms understanding to their students through
engaging medium, such as songs.
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CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
A. Previous Studies
The purpose of this chapter is to describe the literature which is relevant to
the topic of the study including previous studies required as material to consider
for this research, as well to support the construction of the theoretical
background. From several journals that have been read by the writer, the writer
found several journals relevant to research on idiom.
The first, by Dinda Lazuardia (2022) entitled “The Idiomatic Expression in
Taylor Swift‟s Songs of Folklore Album”. This research was done by using
descriptive qualitative method to analyze Taylor Swift‟s song lyrics in the
Folklore album with eight types of idiomatic expressions according to Lou‟s
(2007) theory. After analyzing the data, the researcher found that there are 68
idiomatic expressions appeared in the song lyrics dominated by idiomatic
expression with adjectives and nouns in combination (36), idiomatic expression
with two-word verb (10), idiomatic expression with verbs and nouns used
together idiomatically (9), idiomatic expression with verbs and preposition (8),
idiomatic expression with preposition or adverbs (4), and idiomatic expression
with adjectives phrases (1). This research shows that idiomatic expression with
adjective and nouns in combination are more populary used in the song lyrics
than other types of idiomatic expression.
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The second relevant study was done by Vega Tannya Marz (2016) entitled
“Idiomatic Expression Found in Taylor Swift‟s 1989 Album”. This research was
done by using library research as the method of research and descriptive method
as the method of data analysis. The data is ten of Taylor Swift‟s songs in 1989
album which are chosen randomly. After analysis the data, the researcher found 8
various of idiom in Taylor Swift‟s songs, they are: verb and preposition, verbal
expression, idiomatic in comparison, adjective phrase, two words verb, adjective
and noun, idiomatic expression with preposition, and idiomatic expression with
verb and noun in combination. This research found that most of Taylor Swift‟s
song used verb and preposition form of idiomatic expression.
Another relevant study is proposed by Nguyen Van Thao and Herman
(2021) entitled “An Analysis of Idiomatic Expressions Found in Ed Sheeran‟s
Selected Lyrics Songs”. This research was done by using qualitative research
which focused on content or document analysis. The songs from Ed Sheeran‟s
album, Divine, were chosen as the data source in this research. The data were
analyzed by using the theory of Makkai (1972). After analyzing the data, the
researchers found that there are two idiomatic expressions depicted in the lyrics
songs, they were phrasal verb idiom and 4 tournure idiom. Phrasal verb idiom
was the most dominant with 6 data (60%) and tournure idiom with 4 data (40%).
There are some similarities between previous and the current study. The
previous and current study both are talking about idioms in a song lyrics. The
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differences are data objects being analyzed and the theory used to analyze the
data. The first relevant study uses an object in the form of an album from Taylor
Swift „Folklore‟. The second relevant study also uses Taylor Swift album „1989‟
as the data object. Finally, the third or the last relevant study is slightly different
from another relevant studies, where the data object is the songs from Ed
Sheeran‟s album „Divine‟.
These studies indicate that there are still many songs that contain several or
many idioms that need to be studied in order to know their real meanings.
Although there are some similarities in these studies, the writer choose Taylor
Swift‟s newest album, which is „Midnights‟ (2022). Boatner and Gates (1975)
theory is selected to identify the song lyrics in the „Midnights‟ album.
B. Theoretical Background
1. Definition of Idiomatic Expressions
Idiom (idiomatic expression) is a type of informal language that have a
meaning different from the meaning of the words in the expression. There are
several opinions regarding the meaning of idioms. According to Biber, et al
(2006), idiomatic expressions are expressions with a meaning which is
entirely different from the meaning of their parts. Herman and Purba (2020:2)
argue that idiomatic expressions (idioms) are multi-word phrases which that
combines the literal senses of the individual words in each phrase. In the other
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hand, idiomatic phrase is an expression whose meaning does not conform to
the principle of compositionality, and unrelated to the meaning of its parts. As
an example “hit the sack”, literally meaning as “hit or punching a bag”.
however, “hit the sack” means “ sleep”. It can be concluded that the idiom is a
combination of two or more words that produce a special meaning.
Semantically, idiom expresses new meanings that cannot be traced based
on the lexical meanings of its elemental words. At a glance, idiom shows
some similarities with compound words. When traced again, there are
important differences between compound words and idiom. Compound words
are meanings that express new meanings that can still be traced based on the
lexical meaning of the words that form them, while idiom cannot be traced
based on the individual words that form the idiom.
This statement is also supported by the opinion of Chaer (2009: 74)
which states that the meaning contained in idiom is not in accordance with the
rules of language from a lexical or grammatical meanings. When several
words form a single unit called an idiom, a different meaning is formed from
the meaning of the constituent words one by one.
In the end, it can be concluded that the meaning of an idiom is a new
meaning that is created when several words are combined to form a single unit
or more called idiom. The way to find out whether a word is an idiom or not is
by associating the sentence expressed with the topic of conversation. If in the
sentence there is a word that is strange or does not make sense, it can be said
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that it is an idiom. In the end, to understand idioms, it is necessary to learn and
increase the vocabulary of idioms.
2. Types of Idiom
Idiom is a form of expression of words or phrases that have different
meanings that can also be understood in terms of its general use. Boatner
(1975: 6) states that idiom is a description of new meanings in a group of
words that have a specific meaning.
In „A Dictionary of American Idiom‟, Boatner and Gates (1975: 148)
divide idioms into four types, namely:
A. Lexemic Idioms
Lexemic idioms are idioms related to part of speech, such as:
a. Verbal in Nature
This idiom is an idiom that contains and means a verb, for example:
- Turned up: changing
- Look forward: to seek
- Get to: to arrive
b. Nominal in Nature
This idiom is an idiom that contains and means a noun, for example:
- A fish story: an amazing story
- A wild guess: a prediction
- Cup of joe: cup of coffee
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c. Adjective in Nature
This idiom is an idiom that contains and means an adjective, for
example:
- Go on: be fast
- Mad as a hornet: very angry
- Brand-new: completely new

d. Adverbial in Nature
This idiom is an idiom that contains and means an adverb, for example:
- Over and over: repeatedly
- World without end: forever
- Dead of night: in the middle of night
B. Phraseological Idioms
This idiom form uses words or phrases in writing or speech that are
used by certain people or groups, usually consists of a single clause. This
idiom can be rephrased in another way in the same language without
changing its meaning by giving it a slightly different emphasis. The
difference between this idiom and other idioms is in the number of words
more than other idioms, such as:
- Between the devil and the deep blue ocean: Being in a difficult situation
where you have to choose two complicated choices
- Give it a go: to try something
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- Bite off more than you can chew: Taking on a task beyond capacity
C. Frozen Idioms
There are a limited number of frozen idioms that can be said or written
in various ways without destroying the meaning of the idiom. The
frozenness of this idiom is based on its uniqueness, that is, it cannot be
passive, for example:
- Piece of cake: something easily achieved

- Kick the bucket: die
If this idiom is passivated, an idiom with an ambiguous meaning will
be formed, for example:
- Bucket kicked by the pilot
As the sentence changes in the idiom above, the meaning of the idiom
is lost because it is passive and can no longer be said as idiom.
D. Proverbs
Proverbs are idiomatic expressions that refer to human experiences and
provide advice or warnings. For example:
- All roads lead to Rome: There are many ways to achieve a goal
- A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step: No matter how
big the task or challenge is, it can only be completed when we start it
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Based on several explanations regarding the types of idiomatic
expressions according to Boatner and Gates (1975), it can be concluded
that there are four types based on the theory used. One of them is Lexemic
Idiom which has other types of branches, apart from Phraseological Idiom,
Frozen Idiom, and Proverbs. Idiomatic also has differences in terms of
usage in terms of words or phrases based on four types idiomatic and
contextual meaning.
C. „Midnights‟ Album
Song is one of the rhythmic media that can function as a conveyer of the
intentions of someone who sings it. In a song there are song lyrics that make a
song feel more alive and the message that a singer wants to convey will be felt.
Song is a form of music in the form of a framework including melody and
rhythm which is composed of norms, tempo and dynamics. In a narrow sense, the
song is synonymous with melody. When someone hears the lyrics of a song and
sings it repeatedly, they are unconsciously memorizing vocabulary.
Sitorus and Herman (2019) state that lyrics are the words of a song,
especially a pop song, or a short poem that expresses the personal thoughts and
feelings of the person who wrote it. This means not only the arrangement of
words into sentences, but also the representation of the songwriter‟s feelings and
emotions to describe their feelings such as desires, struggles, love, ideas and,
feelings.
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This also happened to Taylor Swift, who finally released her latest album,
titled „Midnight‟, on October 21, 2022. 'Midnights' is Taylor's tenth album in her
career as a singer. „Midnights‟ contains songs about her experiences when she
experienced insomnia. Through her song, Taylor seems to want to tell the various
emotions she feels on nights when she cannot sleep. She also admitted that she
wrote the songs on this album at night.
In the album 'Midnights', there are thirteen songs that were successfully
written by Taylor who admits that the number of her songs is thirteen which is
her favorite and lucky number. The thirteen songs that Taylor managed to
produce in her 'Midnights' album are; Lavender Haze, Maroon, Anti-Hero, Snow
on The Beach (featuring Lana Del Rey), You‟re on Your Own, Kid, Midnight
Rain, Question…?, Vigilante Shit, Bejeweled, Labyrinth, Karma, Sweet Nothing,
and Mastermind.
It is known that the singer whose fan name is Swifties is never negligent in
inserting idioms in her song lyrics, including the album 'Midnights' which will be
examined by the writer.
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CHAPTER III
RESEACRH METHODOLOGY
A. Research Design
In conducting this research, the writer used descriptive qualitative method.
The qualitative research referred to the meaning, concepts, definitions,
characteristics, metaphors, symbols and description of things (Angrosino, 2007).
Ali (1985:124) states that descriptive research is applied to solve the current
problem by stating the problem, collecting and analyzing the data to answer the
problem and arrange conclusion of the research.
The writer used descriptive qualitative method design which gives
description of idiom in the Taylor‟s songs lyrics in „Midnights‟ album. Then the
writer found the meanings each of them. The data were taken from the idioms in
songs lyrics of Taylor Swift's album „Midnights‟, obtained from published
written materials needed by the writer.
B. Technique of Data Collection
In this stage, the writer collected the data in the several steps as follows:
1. Searching and downloading Taylor Swift‟s „Midnights‟ album (songs and
lyrics) from YouTube channels.
2. Listening to the songs and read the lyrics of the songs.
3. Identifying parts of the songs lyrics that contain idioms.
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C. Technique of Data Analysis
After collecting the data, the data will be analyzed based on the following
steps:
1. Identifying idioms in the songs lyrics of Taylor Swift‟s „Midnights‟ album.
The writer classified the idioms based on Boatner and Gates theory. The
writer read the songs lyrics line by line and verse by verse carefully to find out
phrases or clauses which are idioms. Then, grouping the data that have been
found into idiomatic types based on Boatner and Gates (1975) theory.
2. Describing
In this step, the writer described the meaning of idioms found in the lyrics by
using dictionaries and google.
3. Tabulating the idioms analysis
The final step, the writer put the idioms found and the interpretation of idioms
in the table, so the reader gets easier in understanding them.
D. Research Procedure
The writer conducted this research using descriptive qualitative method, as
follows:
1. Data collection
The data collection process was carried out by observing thirteen songs in the
album 'Midnights'.
2. Data reduction and classification
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The writer began to filter the existing data according to what is needed,
namely idioms based on the theory of Boatner and Gates. Then the data were
classified based on the types of idioms according to the Boatner and Gates
theory.
3. Data view
After getting the data, the writer designed the rows and columns in tabular
form to display the idioms' data based on their types and meanings.
4. Draw a conclusion
The contents of the conclusion include the results found in the research, such
as the number of each type of idioms and additional information obtained
from this research.
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CHAPTER IV
DATA AND ANALYSIS
The writer used the theory of Boatner and Gates (1975) which contains four
types of idioms, namely; Lexemic Idioms (verbal, nominal, adjective, and adverbial),
Phraseological Idioms, Frozen Idioms, and Proverbs. Therefore, in this chapter, the
findings were examined to answer the two research questions of this study. In
addition, the findings are in the form of an analysis of contextual meanings and types
of idiomatic expressions used in the song lyrics of Taylor Swift‟s „Midnights‟ album
based on Boatner and Gates' theory.
A. Data Presentation
The writer found eighty-eight idioms in „Midnights‟ album based on Boatner
and Gates theory. The eighty-eight idioms found in thirteen songs of Taylor Swift
as the representative data based on „Midnights‟ album. The data are presented in
the following table.
Table 1. Idioms in „Midnights‟ Album
No. Idiom Sentence

Lavender Haze
1. read into you don't really read into my melancholia
2. lavender haze I feel the lavender haze
3. a one night is a one-night or a wife
4. give a damn I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say
19
5. get it off my desk get it off my desk
6. lavender haze lavender haze creeping up on me
creeping up on me
7. get it off your chest get it off your chest
Maroon
8. end up on the floor how'd we end up on the floor, anyway?
9. the burgundy on my t- the burgundy on my t-shirt

shirt
10. splashed your wine when you splashed your wine into me
11. the blood rushed into how the blood rushed into my cheeks
my cheeks
12. the mark on my the mark they saw on my collarbone
collarbone
13. (like) the rust that (like) the rust that grew between telephones
grew between
telephones
14. carnations you had carnations you had thought were roses, that's us
thought were roses
15. the rubies that I gave the rubies that I gave up
up
16. the lips I used to call the lips I used to call home
home
17. sight of us did we lose sight of us again?
18. head in your hands sobbing with your head in your hands
Anti-Hero
19. midnights become my midnights become my afternoons
afternoons
20. depression works the when my depression works the graveyard shift
graveyard shift
21. I'll stare directly at the I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the
sun, but never in the mirror
mirror
22. slowly lurching slowly lurching toward your favorite city
toward your favorite
city
23. I disguise as altruism I disguise as altruism like some kind of
20
like some kind of congressman
congressman
24. be left to my own I should not be left to my own devices
devices
25. have ghosted all of the people I've ghosted
26. rooting for It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-
hero
27. the anti-hero It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-
hero
28. a monster on the hill and I'm a monster on the hill
29. at teatime at teatime
30. a sexy baby I feel like everybody is a sexy baby
Snow on The Beach
31. snow at the beach it‟s like snow at the beach
32. coming down but it's coming down
33. your eyes are flying but your eyes are flying saucers from another
saucers from another planet
planet
34. flying in a dream flying in a dream
35. stars by the pocketful stars by the pocketful
36. someone lit from someone lit from within

within
You‟re on Your Own, Kid
37. I play it cool with the I play it cool with the best of them
best of them
38. from sprinkler from sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes
splashes to fireplace
ashes
39. search the party of I search the party of better bodies
better bodies
40. something different something different bloomed
bloomed
21
41. the jokes weren't the jokes weren't funny
funny
42. I looked around in a I looked around in a blood-soaked gown
blood-soaked gown
43. the bridges burned the bridges burned
44. hosted parties I hosted parties
45. pages turned cause there were pages turned
Midnight Rain
46. my town was a my town was a wasteland full of cages, full of

wasteland full of fences
cages, full of fences
47. my boy was a my boy was a montage, a slow motion, love
montage, a slow potion
motion, love potion
48. he was sunshine, I was he was sunshine, I was midnight rain
midnight rain
49. I peered through a I peered through a window
window
50. every day for him it‟s every day
Vigilante Shit
51. get even get even
52. thick as thieves picture me thick as thieves with your ex-wife
53. draw the cat eye draw the cat eye
54. cold hard proof she needed cold hard proof
55. white collar crimes white collar crimes
56. rise above ladies always rise above
57. simply had enough the lady simply had enough
58. he was doing lines and he was doing lines and crossing all of mine
crossing all of mine
22
59. I'm on my vigilante I'm on my vigilante shit again
shit again
Bejeweled
60. got graded on a curve then got graded on a curve
61. reclaim the land I can reclaim the land
62. sadness became my sadness became my whole sky

whole sky
63. baby love baby love
64. as a present I gave you as a present
65. baby boy baby boy
66. the extra credit did all the extra credit
67. going out I'm going out tonight
68. polish up I polish up real
Labyrinth
69. breathe through breathe through
70. be getting over I'll be getting over you my whole life
71. turn it right around how'd you turn it right around
72. bounce back everybody just expects me to bounce back
73. break through break through
74. the plane was going I thought the plane was going down
down
75. you would break your you would break your back to make me break a
back to make me smile
break a smile
Karma
76. you'll see the glare of you'll see the glare of everyone you burned
everyone you burned
23
77. weave your little webs weave your little webs of opacity
of opacity
78. rattling your ground rattling your ground
79. coming back around it‟s coming back around
Sweet Nothing
80. sweet nothings sweet nothings
81. what a mind what a mind
Question…?
82. we had one thing we had one thing going on

going on
83. got swept away in the got swept away in the gray
gray
84. second best after that second best after that meteor strike
meteor strike
85. too much when she said it was too much
86. half-moon eyes half-moon eyes
Mastermind
87. the touch of a hand lit the touch of a hand lit the fuse
the fuse
88. the dominoes the dominoes cascaded in a line
cascaded in a line
B. Data Analysis
In this study, the writer found three types of idiomatic expressions in
„Midnights‟ album according to Boatner and Gates' theory of four types of idioms,
namely: Lexemic Idiom (verbal, nominal, adjective, and adverbial), Phraseological
Idiom, Frozen Idiom, and Proverbs. The writer also described the meaning of each
idioms in the „Midnights‟ album.
24
1. Types of Idioms in „Midnights‟ Album
In this section, the writer aims to initiate a discussion about the findings.
Based on the results of the research conducted by the writer on the idiom
expressions in the „Midnights‟ album which is the newest album by Taylor
Swift. In this research, the writer used the theory of Boatner and Gates (1975)
about the types of idiomatic expressions.
According to Boatner and Gates (1975), idioms are divided into four types,
namely Lexemic Idiom (verbal, nominal, adjective, and adverbial),
Phraseological Idiom, Frozen Idiom, and Proverbs. In this research, the writer
found eighty-eight idioms types based on Boatner and Gates' theory (1975) in
the „Midnights‟ album, as the following:
1) Lexemic Idioms: 37 idioms
a. Verbal in nature: 15 idioms
b. Nominal in nature: 17 idioms
c. Adjective in nature: 4 idioms
d. Adverbial in nature: 1 idioms
2) Phraseological Idioms: 50 idioms
3) Frozen Idiom: 1 idiom
4) Proverbs: 0
From the results of the research above, it can be seen that the most
dominant type of idiom used in „Midnights‟ album is Phraseological idioms.
25
1) Lavender Haze
There are three types of idioms in this song, they are Lexemic Idioms
(verbal and nominal), Frozen Idiom, and Phraseological Idioms.
Table 2. Types of Idioms in The Song „Lavender Haze‟
No. Idiom Sentence Meaning Types of Idiom

1. read into you don't really read you don't really Lexemic idiom
into my melancholia understand my (verbal in nature)
melancholia
2. lavender haze I feel the lavender I feel the feeling of
haze love Lexemic idioms
3. a one night is a one-night or a is a temporary love or (nominal in nature)
wife a wife
4. give a damn I'm damned if I do I'm damned if I do
give a damn what care about what Frozen idiom
people say people say
5. get it off my get it off my desk get those gossip out as
desk soon as possible
6. lavender haze lavender haze the feeling of love
creeping up on creeping up on me enters me Phraseological
me Idioms
7. get it off your get it off your chest tell me everything you
chest want to say
2) Maroon
There are two types of idioms in this song, they are Phraseological
Idioms and Lexemic Idioms (nominal and verbal).
Table 3. Types of Idioms in The Song „Maroon‟

1. end up on the how'd we end up on how‟d we break up so
floor the floor, anyway? soon, anyway?
2. the burgundy the burgundy on my the deep love that I
on my t-shirt t-shirt have
26
3. splashed your when you splashed when you gave your
wine your wine into me love all you want into
me
4. the blood how the blood rushed how you made me
rushed into into my cheeks blush
my cheeks
5. the mark on the mark they saw on the passion of love they
my collarbone my collarbone saw in me Phraseological
6. (like) the rust (like) the rust that like an inseparable Idioms
that grew grew between couple
between telephones
telephones
7. carnations carnations you had an empty love that you
you had thought were roses, thought was a beautiful
thought were that's us love, that‟s us.
roses
8. the rubies that the rubies that I gave all the things I've
I gave up up sacrificed
9. the lips I used the lips I used to call the words I used to
to call home home trust
10. sight of us did we lose sight of did we lose our aims Lexemic idiom
us again? again? (nominal in nature)
11. head in your sobbing with your sobbing and Lexemic idiom
hands head in your hands apologizing (verbal in nature)
3) Anti-Hero
Idioms and Lexemic Idioms (verbal, nominal, adverbial, and adjective).
Table 4. Types of Idioms in The Song „Anti-Hero‟

1. midnights midnights become my at night I can never
become my afternoons sleep
afternoons
2. depression when my depression when my depression
works the works the graveyard keeps me from
graveyard shift shift sleeping
3. I'll stare I'll stare directly at I would rather face all
directly at the the sun, but never in obstacles than face my
27
sun, but never the mirror own weakness
in the mirror Phraseological
4. slowly slowly lurching always destroying Idioms
lurching toward your favorite everything
toward your city
favorite city
5. I disguise as I disguise as altruism I pretend to do good
altruism like like some kind of things like a
some kind of congressman congressman (likes
congressman seeking attention)
6. be left to my I should not be left to I should not be left
own devices my own devices alone
7. have ghosted all of the people I've all of the people I gave
ghosted trouble to Lexemic idioms
8. rooting for It must be exhausting It must be exhausting (verbal in nature)
always rooting for always being around
the anti-hero the anti-hero
9. the anti-hero It must be exhausting It must be exhausting
always rooting for always rooting for the Lexemic idioms
the anti-hero disturber (nominal in nature)
10. a monster on and I'm a monster on and I‟m a
the hill the hill troublemaker
11. at teatime at teatime when everyone gets Lexemic idioms
together (adverbial in
nature)
12. a sexy baby I feel like everybody I feel like everybody is Lexemic idioms
is a sexy baby fascinating (adjective in
nature)
4) Snow on The Beach (featuring Lana Del Rey)
There are two types of idioms in this song, they are Lexemic (nominal
and verbal) and Phraseological Idioms.
Table 5. Types of Idioms in The Song „Snow on The Beach‟

1. snow at the it‟s like snow at the it's like love that Lexemic idioms
beach beach comes suddenly (nominal in nature)
2. coming down but it's coming down but it happens Lexemic idioms
(verbal in nature)
28
3. your eyes are but your eyes are but your eyes are so
flying saucers flying saucers from enthusiastic to see me
from another another planet
planet
4. flying in a flying in a dream feel free Phraseological
dream Idioms
5. stars by the stars by the pocketful full of happiness
pocketful
6. someone lit someone lit from someone who has a
from within within radiating aura
5) You‟re on Your Own, Kid
Idioms and Lexemic Idiom (nominal).
Table 6. Types of Idioms in The Song „You‟re on Your Own, Kid‟

1. I play it cool with I play it cool with I act like I don't like
the best of them the best of them you
2. from sprinkler from sprinkler from childhood to the
splashes to splashes to present
fireplace ashes fireplace ashes
3. search the party I search the party of I seek pleasure in
of better bodies better bodies other men
4. something something different find new happiness
different bloomed
bloomed Phraseological
5. the jokes weren't the jokes weren't humiliation covered Idioms
funny funny in jokes
6. I looked around I looked around in a I live my life in
in a blood-soaked blood-soaked gown humiliation and
gown ridicule
7. the bridges the bridges burned can't go back to the
burned past anymore
8. hosted parties I hosted parties I became the center of
attention
9. pages turned cause there were cause there were a Lexemic idiom
pages turned new life (nominal in nature)
29
6) Midnight Rain
Idioms and Lexemic Idiom (nominal).
Table 7. Types of Idioms in The Song „Midnight Rain‟

1. my town was a my town was a my life was very
wasteland full of wasteland full of desolate and bridled
cages, full of cages, full of fences
fences
2. my boy was a my boy was a my boyfriend was
montage, a slow montage, a slow someone who is Phraseological
motion, love motion, love potion innocent, really crave Idioms
potion love
3. he was sunshine, he was sunshine, I he was a kind
I was midnight was midnight rain hearted, while I was
rain a destroyer
4. I peered through I peered through a I started to reminisce
a window window (those memories)
deeper
5. every day for him it‟s every for him, it (those Lexemic idiom
day memories) is his life (nominal in nature)
7) Vigilante Shit
There are two types of idioms in this song, they are Lexemic Idioms
(verbal, nominal, and adjective) and Phraseological Idioms.
Table 8. Types of Idioms in The Song „Vigilante Shit‟

1. get even get even fight back
2. thick as thieves picture me thick as picture me being
thieves with your close friends with Lexemic idioms
ex-wife your ex-wife (verbal in nature)
3. draw the cat eye draw the cat eye wearing makeup
4. cold hard proof she needed cold she needed valid
30
hard proof proof Lexemic idioms
5. white collar white collar crimes crime of misuse of (nominal in nature)
crimes funds
6. rise above ladies always rise ladies are always Lexemic idioms
above better (adjective in
nature)
7. simply had the lady simply had the lady no longer
enough enough have boundaries
8. he was doing he was doing lines he used to act as he
lines and crossing and crossing all of pleased and violated Phraseological
all of mine mine his boundaries Idioms
9. I'm on my I'm on my vigilante I'll settle it my own
vigilante shit shit again way again (vigilante)
again
8) Bejeweled
Idioms and Lexemic Idioms (nominal and verbal).
Table 9. Types of Idioms in The Song „Bejeweled‟

1. got graded on a then got graded on a then suffered for it
curve curve (the effort)
2. reclaim the I can reclaim the I can take back what Phraseological
land land I've given Idioms
3. sadness sadness became my sadness helped me to
became my whole sky reach my dream
whole sky
4. baby love baby love darling
5. as a present I gave you as a I gave you attention Lexemic idioms

present (nominal in nature)
6. baby boy baby boy darling
7. the extra credit did all the extra did all the hard effort
credit (in the relationship)
8. going out I'm going out tonight I'm having fun tonight Lexemic idioms
(verbal in nature)
9. polish up I polish up real I get better for real
31
9) Labyrinth
There are two types of idioms in this song, they are Lexemic Idioms
(verbal and adjective) and Phraseological Idioms.
Table 10. Types of Idioms in The Song „Labyrinth‟

1. breathe through breathe through surrender
2. be getting over I'll be getting over I will forget you my Lexemic idioms
you my whole life whole life (verbal in nature)
3. turn it right how'd you turn it how‟d you save me
around right around
4. bounce back everybody just everybody just
expects me to bounce expects me to get
back back up
5. break through break through in a mess Lexemic idioms
(adjective in
nature)
6. the plane was I thought the plane I thought it was
going down was going down hopeless
7. you would you would break your you will work hard to Phraseological
break your back to make me make me smile Idioms
back to make break a smile
me break a
smile
10) Karma
Idioms and Lexemic Idiom (verbal).
Table 11. Types of Idioms in The Song „Karma‟
32
1. you'll see the you'll see the glare of you'll see the stares
glare of everyone you burned of everyone you hurt
everyone you
burned Phraseological
2. weave your little weave your little spread your Idioms
webs of opacity webs of opacity arbitrary lies
3. rattling your rattling your ground rock your life
ground
4. coming back it‟s coming back it (the karma) will Lexemic idiom
around around come back (to you) (verbal in nature)
11) Sweet Nothing
There is only one type of idioms in this song, namely Lexemic Idioms
(nominal).
Table 12. Types of Idioms in The Song „Sweet Nothing‟

1. sweet nothings sweet nothings sweet things that do
not need anything in Lexemic idioms
return (nominal in
2. what a mind what a mind extraordinary mind nature)
12) Question…?
Idioms and Lexemic Idioms (adjective and nominal).
Table 13. Types of Idioms in The Song „Question…?‟

1. we had one we had one thing we were in a
thing going on going on relationship
2. got swept away got swept away in the immersed in the Phraseological
in the gray gray situation Idioms
3. second best after second best after that not as good as that
that meteor meteor strike passionate
33
strike relationship
4. too much when she said it was when she said it was Lexemic idioms
too much sickening (adjective in
nature)
5. half-moon eyes half-moon eyes stress Lexemic idioms
(nominal in
nature)
13) Mastermind .
There is only one type of idioms in this song, namely Phraseological
Idioms.
Table 14. Types of Idioms in The Song „Mastermind‟

1. the touch of a the touch of a hand the touch of your
hand lit the fuse lit the fuse hand arouses passion Phraseological
2. the dominoes the dominoes everything is going as Idioms
cascaded in a cascaded in a line I wanted
line
In the „Midnights‟ album, the writer did not get the Proverbs type of idiom.
However, Proverbs can be found in other songs of Taylor Swift, like „My Tears
Ricochet‟ and „Cardigan‟. The followings are two examples.
1) “We gather stones never knowing what they‟ll mean. Some to throw, some to
make a diamond ring”.
This proverb is a fragment of the lyrics from the „Folklore‟ (2020) album in
the song „My Tears Ricochet‟. This proverb means „we never know what
will happen to all the things we have done‟.
2) “A friend to all is a friend to none”.
34
This proverb is a fragment of the lyrics from the „Folklore‟ (2020) album in
the song „Cardigan‟. This proverb means „being friendly does not mean
have any real friends‟ In fact, this is a phrase coined by Aristotle. He
emphasized that it is impossible to be true friends with everyone.
2. The Meanings of Idioms in „Midnights‟ Album
In this section, the writer analyzed the meaning of idioms found in
„Midnights‟ album. Based on the meanings of the idioms lyrics, the writer
realized that each song in this album has its own themes. Therefore, the writer
also analyzed the themes of each song and the biggest theme of „Midnights‟
album.
1) Lavender Haze
The song Lavender Haze is the first single from Taylor Swift's
'Midnights' (2022) album. The song tells about the struggle of Taylor Swift
and her boyfriend to escape the attacks of haters and gossip spreaders. The
lyrics of this song were inspired by her story with Joe Alwyn, where at that
time their relationship was always buffeted by gossip about the many exes of
Taylor Swift. But fortunately Joe Alwyn did not care about all that gossip
and always believed in Taylor Swift. The word 'Lavender Haze' itself
actually means love mist, to describe their relationship which was always
shrouded in love mist so they could ignore all negative gossip.
35
In the song Lavender Haze, the writer found seven idioms, consisting of
three lexemic idioms (one verbal in nature idiom and two nominal in nature
idioms), one frozen idiom, and three phraseological idioms.
a. Lexemic Idioms
Lexemic idioms are idioms related to part of speech.
a) Verbal in nature
Verbal in nature is the type of idioms that contain the meaning of a
verb in a sentence.
“you don't really read into my melancholia. . .”
Idiom Sentence Meaning Types of Idiom

read into you don't really you don't really Lexemic Idiom
read into my understand my (verbal in
melancholia melancholia nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, 'read into' means 'understand' which is a
verb. This idiom is meant to Taylor‟s boyfriend for not understanding her
sadness caused by people always making bad gossip, but her boyfriend can
always sort things out and make her feel better.
b) Nominal in nature
Nominal in nature is the type of idioms that contain the meaning of a
noun in a sentence.
“I feel the lavender haze”
36
lavender I feel the lavender I feel the feeling of love Lexemic idiom
haze haze (nominal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „lavender haze‟ means „the feeling of
love‟ which is a noun. This idiom means Taylor feels the feeling of love
from his boyfriend, although there are many haters out there.
“. . . is a one-night or a wife”

a one is a one-night or a is a temporary love or a Lexemic idiom
night wife wife (nominal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „a one-night‟ means „a temporary love‟
which is a noun. This idiom tells about people kept making fun of Taylor,
whether she would be his true love or just a temporary love.
b. Frozen Idiom
Frozen idioms are limited in number and cannot be passive.
“I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say”

give a I'm damned if I I'm damned if I do care Frozen idiom
damn do give a damn about what people say
37
what people say
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „give a damn‟ means „care‟. The freezing
of this idiom is based on its uniqueness, where this idiom cannot be in a
passive form or written in other ways without destroying the meaning of the
idiom. In this idiom, Taylor starts to not care about what people say. She just
wants to enjoy her love now.
c. Phraseological Idioms
The difference between this idiom and other idioms is that the number of
words in this idiom is more than other idioms.
“get it off my desk”

get it off get it off my desk get those gossip out as Phraseological
my desk soon as possible idiom
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „get it off my desk‟ means „get those gossip
out as soon as possible‟. In the end, Taylor ignores those people who like to
spread gossip, and let them do what they want.
“lavender haze creeping up on me”

lavender lavender haze the feeling of love Phraseological
38
haze creeping up on me enters me idiom
creeping
up on me
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „lavender haze creeping up on me‟ means
„the feeling of love enters me‟. This phraseological idiom means Taylor
clearly feels the deep feeling of love from her boyfriend.
“get it off your chest”

get it off get it off your tell me everything you Phraseological
your chest chest want to say idiom
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „get it off your chest‟ means „tell me
everything you want to say‟. The meaning of this idiom is almost the same
as „get it off my desk‟, where Taylor does not care about what people say and
tell them to tell her everything they want to say, because she does not care
anymore.
Based on the meanings of those idioms above, the writer concluded the
theme of the song Lavender Haze is „falling in love‟.
2) Maroon
39
In the song Maroon, Taylor Swift reminisces about her ex-boyfriend who
became a fond memory but could not last. 'Maroon' is the title for this song,
because Taylor describes her deep love as the color maroon, a color that is
darker than red.
The writer found eleven idioms in this song, consisting of nine
phraseological idioms and two lexemic idioms (one nominal in nature idiom
and one verbal in nature idiom).
a. Phraseological Idioms
“how'd we end up on the floor, anyway?”

end up on how'd we end up how‟d we break up so Phraseological
the floor on the floor, soon, anyway? idiom
anyway?
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „end up on the floor‟ means „break up so
soon‟. In this idiom, Taylor wrote that her ex asked why they could break up
so quickly, even though their relationship was so beautiful.
“the burgundy on my t-shirt”

the the burgundy on the deep love that I Phraseological
burgundy my t-shirt have idiom
40
on my t-
shirt
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „the burgundy on my t-shirt‟ means „the
deep love that I have‟. This idiom expresses how deep the love Taylor had at
that time for her ex.
“. . . when you splashed your wine into me”

splashed when you when you gave your Phraseological
your wine splashed your love all you want into idiom
wine into me me
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „splashed your wine‟ means „gave your
love all you want‟. Actually this idiom is a continuation of the previous
idiom lyrics. This idiom tells how Taylor fell deeply in love with her ex when
he showed or gave her all his love to Taylor Swift.
“. . . how the blood rushed into my cheeks”

the blood how the blood how you made me blush Phraseological
rushed into rushed into my idiom
my cheeks cheeks
The Meaning
41
Based on the context of the song, „the blood rushed into my cheeks‟ means
„you made me blush‟. This is a continuation of the previous idiom. This
idiom tells about the effect of „splashed your wine‟ which made Taylor
become so happy that her cheeks turned red (blushing).
“the mark they saw on my collarbone”

the mark the mark they saw the passion of love Phraseological
on my on my collarbone they saw in me idiom
collarbone
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „the mark on my collarbone‟ means „the
passion of love in me‟. This idiom tells about the people who saw Taylor
passionately in love with her ex.
“the rust that grew between telephones”

(like) the rust (like) the rust that like an inseparable Phraseological
that grew grew between couple idiom
between telephones
telephones
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „the rust that grew between telephones‟
means „like an inseparable couple‟. This idiom tells of how people saw
42
Taylor and her ex's relationship once like the rust that grows between the
telephones. The rust is like the bond that made Taylor and her ex such an
inseparable couple.
“carnations you had thought were roses, that's us”

carnations carnations you an empty love that you Phraseological
you had had thought were had thought was a idiom
thought roses, that's us beautiful love, that‟s us.
were roses
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „carnations you had thought were roses‟
means „an empty love that you had thought was a beautiful love‟. This
idiom makes it clear that their love was actually not as beautiful as it seems,
at least to Taylor.
“the rubies that I gave up”

the rubies that the rubies that all the things I've Phraseological
I gave up I gave up sacrificed idiom
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „the rubies that I gave up‟ means „all the
things I have sacrificed‟. This idiom tells that Taylor has done everything
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for her love, no matter what it was, although in the end their relationship
ended.
“the lips I used to call home”

the lips I used the lips I used the words I used to trust Phraseological
to call home to call home idiom
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „the lips I used to call home‟ means „the
words I used to trust‟. In this idiom, Taylor talks about how much she
believed in her ex.
b. Lexemic Idioms
a) Nominal in nature
noun in a sentence.
“. . . did we lose sight of us again?”

sight of us did we lose did we lose our goals Lexemic idiom
sight of us again? (nominal in
again? nature)
The Meaning
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Based on the context of the song , „sight of us‟ means „our goals‟ which is a
noun. In this idiom, showing Taylor's emotions over the end of their
relationship makes her wonder how they could have lost the goals they had set
together.
b) Verbal in nature
verb in a sentence.
“sobbing with your head in your hands”

head in sobbing with your sobbing and apologizing Lexemic idiom
your head in your (verbal in
hands hands nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „head in your hands‟ means „apologizing‟
which is a verb. In this idiom, Taylor tells how her ex used to always solve
problems by crying and apologizing.
theme of the song Maroon is „nostalgia‟.
3) Anti-Hero
The song Anti-Hero is about everything Taylor Swift hates about herself.
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Through this song, Taylor Swift talks about when she experienced mental
health disorder and depression every night. This mental health disorder
caused a rift in Taylor Swift's relationship with the people she loves.
In the song Anti-Hero, the writer found twelve idioms, consisting of six
phraseological idioms and six lexemic idioms (two verbal in nature idioms,
two nominal in nature idioms, one adverbial in nature idiom, and one
adjective in nature idiom).
“midnights become my afternoons”

midnights midnights become at night I can never Phraseological
become my my afternoons sleep idiom
afternoons
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „midnights become my afternoon‟ means „at
night I can never sleep‟. In this lyrics, Taylor relates that she cannot sleep
every night due to depression.
“. . . when my depression works the graveyard shift”

depression when my when my depression Phraseological
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works the depression works keeps me from sleeping idiom
graveyard the graveyard
shift shift
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „depression works the graveyard shift‟
means „depression keeps me from sleeping‟. In the sense of this idiom, it is
clear that Taylor's depression keeps her from sleeping.
“I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror”

I'll stare I'll stare directly I would rather face all Phraseological
directly at at the sun, but obstacles than face my idiom
the sun, but never in the own weakness
never in the mirror
mirror
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in
the mirror‟ means „I would rather face all obstacles than face my own
weakness‟. In this idiom, Taylor states that it is easier for her to face obstacles
or problems than to face her own weakness, namely her anxiety.
“. . . slowly lurching toward your favorite city”

slowly slowly lurching always destroying Phraseological
lurching toward your everything idiom
toward your favorite city
favorite city
The Meaning
47
Based on the context of the song, „slowly lurching toward your favorite city‟
means „always destroying everything‟. In the lyrics of this idiom, Taylor
describes herself as a monster who destroying everything, so it is not
appropriate to be friends with.
“I disguise as altruism like some kind of congressman”

I disguise as I disguise as I pretend to do good Phraseological
altruism like altruism like some things like a idiom
some kind of kind of congressman
congressman congressman
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „I disguise as altruism like some kind of
congressman‟ means „I pretend to do good things like a congressman‟. In
this lyrics, Taylor reveals that sometimes she has narcissistic traits. One of
them is by acting like a congressman who likes to do good to seek public
attention.
“I should not be left to my own devices”

be left to my I should not be left I should not be left Phraseological
own devices to my own devices alone idiom
The Meaning
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Based on the context of the song, „be left to my own devices‟ means „be left
alone‟. In this lyrics, Taylor says that she should not be left alone, because she
is about to start getting into trouble.
b. Lexemic Idioms
a) Verbal in nature
verb in a sentence.
“all of the people I've ghosted . . .”

I‟ve all of the people all of the people I gave Lexemic idiom
ghosted I've ghosted trouble to (verbal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „I‟ve ghosted‟ means „I gave trouble to‟
which is a verb. In this snippet of lyrics, Taylor feels that the people who get
in trouble because of her stands watching her when she cannot sleep at night.
“It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero”

rooting for It must be It must be exhausting Lexemic idiom
exhausting always always being around (verbal in
rooting for the anti- the anti-hero nature)
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hero
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „rooting for‟ means „being around‟ which
is a verb. Taylor says that she had a very low self-esteem, where she felt that
her friends were bothered by her presence.
noun in a sentence.
“It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero”

anti-hero It must be It must be exhausting Lexemic idiom
exhausting always rooting for the (nominal in
always rooting for disturber nature)
the anti-hero
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „the anti-hero‟ means „the disturber‟
which is a noun. This idiom is part of the lyrics of the previous idiom. Taylor
shared that she had felt that she was a disturber, which made her friends
definitely uncomfortable around her.
“. . . and I'm a monster on the hill”

a monster and I'm a monster and I‟m a troublemaker Lexemic idiom
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on the hill on the hill (nominal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „a monster on the hill‟ means „a
troublemaker‟ which is a noun. In this lyrical clip, Taylor compares herself
to others she considers better than herself.
c) Adverbial in nature
Adverbial in nature is the type of idioms that contain the meaning of
an adverb in a sentence.
“at teatime . . .”

at teatime at teatime when everyone gets Lexemic idiom
together (adverbial in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „at teatime‟ means „when everyone gets
together‟ which is an adverb of time. This idiom is used by Taylor to
describe that (according to her) everyone gathered agreed that Taylor was a
troublemaker.
d) Adjective in nature
Adjective in nature is the type of idioms that contain the meaning of an
adjective in a sentence.
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“I feel like everybody is a sexy baby”

a sexy I feel like I feel like everybody is Lexemic idiom
baby everybody is a fascinating (adjective in
sexy baby nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „a sexy baby‟ means „fascinating‟ which is
an adjective. In this lyrics, Taylor says that she sometimes finds everyone
around her so attractive, whereas she is just an embarrassing monster.
theme of the song Anti-Hero is „anxiety‟.
4) Snow on The Beach (feat Lana Del Rey)
Snow On The Beach means Taylor‟s feeling of falling deeply in love
with someone who never expected to love him so much, just like the snow
that sometimes falls unexpectedly.
In the song Snow on The Beach, the writer found six idioms, consisting
of two lexemic idioms (one nominal in nature idiom and one verbal in nature
idiom) and four phraseological idioms.
a. Lexemic Idioms
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noun in a sentence.
“it‟s like snow at the beach”

snow at the it‟s like snow at it's like love that comes Lexemic idiom
beach the beach suddenly (nominal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „snow at the beach‟ means „love that
comes suddenly‟ which is a noun. In the lyrics, it can be seen that Taylor
defines love that comes to her suddenly like snow on the beach. A strange but
beautiful feeling of love.
b) Verbal in nature
verb in a sentence.
“. . . but it's coming down”

coming but it's coming but it happens Lexemic idiom
down down (verbal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „coming down‟ means „happens‟ which is a
verb. This idiom is a fragment of the lyrics which states that love that comes
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suddenly seems impossible but in the end it happens.
b. Phraseological Idiom
“. . . but your eyes are flying saucers from another planet”

your eyes are but your eyes but your eyes are so Phraseological
flying saucers are flying enthusiastic to see me idiom
from another saucers from
planet another planet
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „your eyes flying saucers from another
planet‟ means „your eyes are so enthusiastic to see me‟. This idiom
fragment explains that Taylor was scared and worried, but her boyfriend
seemed very enthusiastic to see her, so Taylor became convinced of love.
“flying in a dream”

flying in a flying in a feel free Phraseological
dream dream idiom
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „flying in a dream‟ means „feel free‟. This
idiom states that Taylor feels free when in love.
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“. . . stars by the pocketful”

stars by the stars by the full of happiness Phraseological
pocketful pocketful idiom
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „stars by the pocketful‟ means „full of
happiness‟. In this lyrics, Taylor describes her feelings filled with happiness
due to love received so suddenly.
“. . . someone lit from within”

someone lit someone lit someone who has a Phraseological
from within from within radiating aura idiom
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „someone lit from within‟ means „someone
who has a radiating aura‟. „Someone‟ means Taylor‟s boyfriend who gives
her a true love. Taylor wrote that she had never seen someone who had an
aura radiating like her boyfriend.
theme of the song Snow On The Beach is „falling in love‟, same as the song
„Lavender Haze‟.
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5) You‟re on Your Own, Kid
In the song You're on Your Own, Kid, Taylor Swift tells the journey of
a woman who secretly loves a man, tries so hard to get his attention, until in
the end she remains alone.
The song You‟re on Your Own, Kid, the writer found nine idioms,
consisting of eight phraseological idioms and one lexemic idiom (one
nominal in nature idiom).
“. . . I play it cool with the best of them”

I play it cool I play it cool with I act like I don't like you Phraseological
with the the best of them idiom
best of them
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „I play it cool with the best of them‟ means
„I act like I don't like you‟. This lyrics expresses Taylor pretending to be
calm as if she does not have any feelings for the man she loves.
“. . . from sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes”
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from from sprinkler from childhood to the Phraseological
sprinkler splashes to present idiom
splashes to fireplace ashes
fireplace
ashes
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „from sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes‟
means „from childhood to the present‟. This piece of lyrics tells of Taylor
who has waited from childhood until she is now an adult. She has waited a long
time to be with the man she loves.
“I search the party of better bodies”

search the I search the I seek pleasure in other Phraseological
party of better party of better men idiom
bodies bodies
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „search the party of better bodies‟ means
„seek pleasure in other men‟. This idiom means that Taylor is trying to find
another man to forget the man she loves. Taylor stopped expecting her love in
return because she realized that the man she had been waiting patiently for to
receive her affections had never liked her.
“something different bloomed writing in my room”
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something something find new happiness Phraseological
different different bloomed idiom
bloomed
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „something different bloomed‟ means „find
new happiness‟. This idiom tells about Taylor who finally found new
happiness by writing in her room. Just like people in general who calm down by
writing, both journals and diaries. In this context, Taylor can be interpreted as
finding new happiness by writing songs.
“the jokes weren't funny . . .”

the jokes the jokes weren't humiliation covered in Phraseological
weren't funny jokes idiom
funny
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „the jokes weren't funny‟ means
„humiliation covered in jokes‟. This idiom implies that Taylor has gone
through life receiving many insults in the form of jokes but has survived to this
day.
“I looked around in a blood-soaked gown . . .”

I looked I looked around I live my life in Phraseological
around in a in a blood- humiliation and ridicule idiom
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blood-soaked soaked gown
gown
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „I looked around in a blood-soaked gown‟
means „I live my life in humiliation and ridicule‟. Just like the previous
idiom, Taylor emphasizes that her life is not always beautiful, in fact she has
gone through a very bad life by receiving a lot of insults and ridicule.
“. . . the bridges burned”

the bridges the bridges can't go back to the past Phraseological
burned burned anymore idiom
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „the bridges burned‟ means „can't go back
to the past anymore‟. This idiom is meaningful for Taylor not to return to the
bad past for her. For Taylor, everything that was happening now were steps
she had taken in the past, so it was time to deal with them.
“I hosted parties . . .”

hosted parties I hosted parties I became the center of Phraseological
attention idiom
The Meaning
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Based on the context of the song, „hosted parties‟ means „became the center of
attention‟. In this idiom, Taylor tells that she became the center of attention
and used to hide all her weaknesses as if she had found the perfect love.
b. Lexemic Idioms
noun in a sentence.
“. . . cause there were pages turned”

pages cause there were cause there were a new Lexemic idiom
turned pages turned life (nominal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „pages turned‟ means „a new life‟. This
idiom is related to the idiom 'the bridges burned'. In this idiom, Taylor knows
that she can no longer go back in time because now she has a new life. She
wants to start everything from scratch in a better way.
Based on the meanings of those idioms above, the writer concluded
the theme of the song You're on Your Own, Kid is „one-sided love‟.
6) Midnight Rain
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This song tells about Taylor Swift who prefers career over love. In the
song Midnight Rain, Taylor describes herself as someone who ended a
relationship in favor of her career. So in this song, Taylor has hurt her ex‟s
feelings. Midnight Rain is described by Taylor as a figure of herself who is a
destructive storm in her relationship.
In the song Midnight Rain, the writer found five idioms, consisting of
four phraseological idioms and one lexemic idiom (nominal in nature).
“my town was a wasteland full of cages, full of fences”

my town my town was a my life was very Phraseological
was a wasteland full of desolate and bridled idiom
wasteland cages, full of
full of fences
cages, full
of fences
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „my town was a wasteland full of cages,
full of fences‟ means „my life was very desolate and bridled‟. In this idiom,
Taylor describes her life as a celebrity. Even though this song is about Taylor
choosing her career over love, Taylor still admits that life in her career is very
desolate and bridled.
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“my boy was a montage, a slow motion, love potion”

my boy was a my boy was a my boyfriend was Phraseological
montage, a montage, a someone who is idiom
slow motion, slow motion, innocent, really crave
love potion love potion love
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „my boy was a montage, a slow motion,
love potion‟ means „my boyfriend was someone who is innocent, really
crave love‟. This idiom is used by Taylor to describe her boyfriend who is
very innocent and only wants love from her. However, Taylor even broke her
heart by leaving him because of a career.
“he was sunshine, I was midnight rain”

he was he was he was a kind hearted, Phraseological
sunshine, I sunshine, I was while I was a destroyer idiom
was midnight midnight rain
rain
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „he was sunshine, I was midnight rain‟
means „he was a kind hearted, while I was a destroyer‟. In this idiom,
Taylor admits her boyfriend is a very nice person who wants peace and love,
while Taylor is a destructive storm who prefers to leave her boyfriend
because she still wants to pursue fame.
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“I peered through a window”

I peered I peered through I started to reminisce Phraseological
through a a window (those memories) deeper idiom
window
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „I peered through a window‟ means „I
started to reminisce (those memories) deeper‟. In this idiom, Taylor starts
to remember all the memories she has with her boyfriend. In the end, Taylor
remembers him as a kind and genuine man.
b. Lexemic Idiom
noun in a sentence.
“. . . for him it‟s every day”

every day for him it‟s every for him, it (those Lexemic idiom
day memories) is his life (nominal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „every day‟ means „his life‟ which is a
noun. In this idiom, what is meant is the memories of Taylor and her
boyfriend that her boyfriend always cherishes and never forgets, even those
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memories seem to become his life.
the theme of the song Midnight Rain is „reminisce‟.
7) Vigilante Shit
The song Vigilante Shit tells about Taylor Swift who takes revenge on
her exes because she was betrayed before. Vigilante Shit is described as a
form of revenge that Taylor will carry out in her own way. Also in this
revenge song, Taylor tells of herself teaming up with her ex-boyfriend's ex-
wife to get revenge.
In the song Vigilante Shit, the writer found nine idioms, consisting of
six lexemic idioms (three verbal in nature idioms, two nominal in nature
idioms, and one adjective in nature idiom) and three phraseological idioms.
a. Lexemic Idioms
a) Verbal in nature
verb in a sentence.
“. . . get even”

get even get even fight back Lexemic idiom
(verbal in
nature)
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The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „get even‟ means „fight back‟ which is a
verb. In this revenge song, this idiom is meaningful for Taylor's ex, where
Taylor knows that she will win in the end, so Taylor suggests to her ex that he
should try to fight back.
“picture me thick as thieves with your ex-wife”

thick as picture me thick as picture me being close Lexemic idiom
thieves thieves with your friends with your ex- (verbal in
ex-wife wife nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „thick as thieves‟ means „being close
friends‟ which is a verb. In this idiom, Taylor describes herself and her ex-
boyfriend's ex-wife as friends and apparently working together for revenge.
“draw the cat eye”

draw the draw the cat eye wearing makeup Lexemic idiom
cat eye (verbal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „draw the cat eye‟ means „wearing
makeup‟ which is a verb. This idiom appears to indicate that men easily fall
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for beautiful women (who generally use make-up).
noun in a sentence.
“she needed cold hard proof”

cold hard she needed cold she needed valid proof Lexemic idiom
proof hard proof (nominal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „cold hard proof‟ means „valid proof‟
which is a noun. This idiom means proof of an affair. In the story of this song,
Taylor helps her ex-boyfriend's ex-wife to get proof of an affair to get
revenge.
“white-collar crimes”

white white collar crime of misuse of funds Lexemic idiom
collar crimes (nominal in
crimes nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „white collar crimes‟ means „crime of
misuse of funds‟ which is a noun. In this song, this idiom is used by Taylor
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to describe her ex-boyfriend's crimes that have gone too far. Not only an
affair, it turns out he also committed a crime of misuse of funds.
c) Adjective in nature
“ladies always rise above”

rise above ladies always rise ladies are always better Lexemic idiom
above (adjective in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „rise above‟ means „better‟ which is an
adjective. In this lyrics, Taylor states that women are always better than men
because women know what people want from them, which is sweet and kind.
That is why the woman no longer have boundaries.
b. Phraseological Idioms
“the lady simply had enough”
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simply had the lady simply the lady no longer have Phraseological
enough had enough boundaries idiom
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „simply had enough‟ means „no longer
have boundaries‟. This idiom is related to the previous idiom „rise above‟
which states that women no longer have limits or boundaries on what they
want. They don't need to conform to other people's wishes, such as women
should be gentle and fun, and revenge is a rude trait that a woman should not
have.
“he was doing lines and crossing all of mine”

he was doing he was doing he used to act as he Phraseological
lines and lines and pleased and violated his idiom
crossing all of crossing all of boundaries
mine mine
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „he was doing lines and crossing all of
mine‟ means „he used to act as he pleased and violated his boundaries‟. In
this lyrical idiom, Taylor describes the bad character of her ex-boyfriend who
was always arbitrary and disrespectful to Taylor, by doing whatever he
pleased without respecting boundaries.
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“I'm on my vigilante shit again”

I'm on my I'm on my I'll settle it my own way Phraseological
vigilante vigilante shit again (vigilante) idiom
shit again again
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „I'm on my vigilante shit again‟ means „I'll
settle it my own way again‟. This idiom's lyrics represent the title of this
song. Taylor will seek revenge in her own way (vigilante).
theme of the song Vigilante Shit is „revenge‟.
8) Bejeweled
Through the lyrics of Bejeweled, Taylor Swift discusses the self-esteem
of a woman who is still high even though she has been hurt. Taylor also
mentions in this song that her overly good nature makes her easy for men to
take advantage of.
In the song Bejeweled, the writer found nine idioms, consisting of three
phraseological idioms and six lexemic idioms (four nominal in nature idioms
and two verbal in nature idioms).
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“. . . then got graded on a curve”

got graded then got graded then suffered for it (the Phraseological
on a curve on a curve effort) idiom
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „got graded on a curve‟ means „suffered
for it (the effort)‟. In this idiom, Taylor realizes she has been too good for
trying so hard in her relationship, but in the end she is the one who suffers
because of all her efforts.
“I can reclaim the land”

reclaim the I can reclaim the I can take back what I've Phraseological
land land given idiom
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „reclaim the land‟ means „take back what
I've given‟. In this song, Taylor talks about herself being hurt, but that does
not make it worse. Taylor states that she could take back what was rightfully
hers and take back what she has given in her relationship.
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“sadness became my whole sky”

sadness sadness became sadness helped me to Phraseological
became my my whole sky reach my dream idiom
whole sky
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „sadness became my whole sky‟ means
„sadness helped me to reach my dream‟. In the lyrics of this idiom, Taylor
describes that her tears of sadness are not wasted. It was precisely that
sadness that made Taylor stronger and able to achieve what she wanted to get.
b. Lexemic Idioms
noun in a sentence.
“baby love . . .”

baby love baby love darling Lexemic idiom
(nominal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „baby love‟ means „darling‟ which is a
noun. This endearment term is used by Taylor to call her boyfriend at the
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beginning of the song lyrics.
“I gave you as a present”

as a I gave you as a I gave you attention Lexemic idiom
present present (nominal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „as a present‟ means „attention‟ which is a
noun. In this idiom, Taylor describes her efforts in her relationship, where she
has shown concern and gave all her attention to her boyfriend.
“baby boy . . .”

baby boy baby boy darling Lexemic idiom
(nominal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „baby boy‟ means „darling‟ which is a
noun. Just like 'baby love', this idiomatic term is also used by Taylor to call
her boyfriend.
“. . . did all the extra credit”
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the extra did all the extra did all the hard effort (in Lexemic idiom
credit credit the relationship) (nominal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „the extra credit‟ means „the hard effort‟
which is a noun. In this idiom, Taylor explains that she has done a lot for her
boyfriend. In the end she realized that she was too good and trying too hard in
relationships.
b) Verbal in nature
verb in a sentence.
“I'm going out tonight”

going out I'm going out I'm having fun tonight Lexemic idiom
tonight (verbal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „going out‟ means „having fun‟ which is a
verb. This idiom tells Taylor is going to have a great time tonight. Taylor did
not dwell on her grief and was able to turn things around quickly.
“I polish up real”
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polish up I polish up real I get better for real Lexemic idiom
(verbal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „polish up‟ means „get better‟ which is a
verb. This idiom is used by Taylor to describe herself as being better than
before. It feels like she has been polished to new and shines after leaving her
ex-boyfriend.
the theme of the song Bejeweled is „get back up‟.
9) Labyrinth
Labyrinth tells of Taylor Swift's anxiety and confusion when she
realizes she has fallen in love again after experiencing the pain of a breakup
and thinks she will never be able to love again.
In the song Labyrinth, the writer found seven idioms, consisting of five
lexemic idioms (four verbal in nature idioms and one adjective in nature
idiom) and two phraseological idioms.
a. Lexemic Idioms
a) Verbal in nature
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verb in a sentence.
“. . . breathe through”

breathe breathe through surrender Lexemic idiom
through (verbal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „breathe through‟ means „surrender‟
which is a verb. The song tells of Taylor who does not believe that she is
falling in love again, because she has given up on romance before. This idiom
is described as Taylor's surrender before her new love came.
“I'll be getting over you my whole life”

be getting I'll be getting over I will forget you my Lexemic idiom
over you my whole life whole life (verbal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „be getting over‟ means „forget‟ which is a
verb. This lyrics tells about Taylor who feels insecure and does not believe in
the new love that comes to her. It makes her feel that she should forget about
him for the rest of her life because she is not sure about the new love.
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“how'd you turn it right around”

turn it right how'd you turn it how‟d you save me Lexemic idiom
around right around (verbal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „turn it right around‟ means „save‟ which
is a verb. This lyrics tells that Taylor thought that there was no longer any
hope for Taylor to be happy in her love life, but that it turns out to be wrong.
A man comes to her seems to save Taylor from that thought.
“everybody just expects me to bounce back”

bounce everybody just everybody just expects Lexemic idiom
back expects me to me to get back up (verbal in
bounce back nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „bounce back‟ means „get back up‟ which
is a verb. This lyrics tells that how Taylor hates it because everyone who see
her fall and grieve could only hope that Taylor could get back up on her own.
They were not the same as the man now helping Taylor to get back up.
b) Adjective in nature
76
“. . . break through”

break break through in a mess Lexemic idiom
through (adjective in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „break through‟ means „in a mess‟ which is
an adjective. This idiom defines Taylor's life before the man came into her
life. Taylor felt her life was very messy because she lost faith in love.
b. Phraseological Idioms
“I thought the plane was going down”

the plane I thought the I thought it was Phraseological
was going plane was going hopeless idiom
down down
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „the plane was going down‟ means „it was
hopeless‟. This idiom is used by Taylor to describe her mind that had thought
that she had no hope. But in fact, the man came and seemed to save her from
77
the void.
“you would break your back to make me break a smile”

you would you would break you will work hard to Phraseological
break your your back to make me smile idiom
back to make me break a
make me smile
break a
smile
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „you would break your back to make me
break a smile‟ means „you will work hard to make me smile‟. In this lyrics,
Taylor conveys to the man that she has gone through many things that broke
her and finds it difficult to believe in love again, so if he wants to be with her,
then he will need a lot of effort to be able to make her smile again and feel
love again.
theme of the song Labyrinth is „insecure‟.
10) Karma
The lyrics of Karma tell of Taylor Swift confronting people from her
past (her exes), warning them of the consequences of their past actions.
Taylor believes that what is done will return to the person who did it.
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In the song Karma, the writer found four idioms, consisting of three
phraseological idioms and one lexemic idiom (verbal in nature).
“. . . you'll see the glare of everyone you burned”

you'll see the you'll see the you'll see the stares of Phraseological
glare of glare of everyone you hurt idiom
everyone you everyone you
burned burned
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „you'll see the glare of everyone you
burned‟ means „you'll see the stares of everyone you hurt‟. In this lyrics,
Taylor tells her ex that if he dares, try to look (face) the people he has hurt.
Because in the end, everything will come back to him.
“. . . weave your little webs of opacity”

weave weave your little spread your arbitrary Phraseological
your little webs of opacity lies idiom
webs of
opacity
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „weave your little webs of opacity‟ means
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„spread your arbitrary lies‟. In this song, Taylor's ex-boyfriend is described
as a spider who continues to weave his web which means he continues to
spread his lies arbitrarily.
“. . . rattling your ground”

rattling rattling your rock your life Phraseological
your ground idiom
ground
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „rattling your ground‟ means „rock your
life‟. In the song, Taylor also describes karma as thunder that will rock her
ex's life. This lyrics can be like a threat to her ex because he has done
something bad.
b. Lexemic Idiom
a) Verbal in nature
verb in a sentence.
“it‟s coming back around . . .”

coming it‟s coming back it (the karma) will come Lexemic idiom
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back around back (to you) (verbal in
around nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „coming back around‟ means „will come
back‟ which is a verb. In her song, Taylor says that karma will return to those
who do bad things, especially to her ex.
theme of the song Karma is literally „karma‟.
11) Sweet Nothing
In this song, Taylor Swift tells about her beautiful relationship with her
boyfriend, where her boyfriend does not seek anything from her in this
relationship, aka "nothing", and for Taylor, that is very sweet.
In the song Sweet Nothing, the writer found two idioms, namely
lexemic idioms (nominal in nature idiom).
a. Lexemic Idioms
noun in a sentence.
“sweet nothings”

sweet sweet nothings sweet things that Lexemic idiom
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nothings do not need (nominal in
anything in return nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „sweet nothings‟ means „sweet things that
do not need anything in return‟ which is a noun. This lyrics which is also
the title of this song describes the beautiful thing that Taylor feels. Taylor
received sincere love that does not require anything in return. The man in this
song is described as being very kind and genuine to Taylor, unlike Taylor's
exes who usually just wanted something from Taylor.
“what a mind”

what a what a mind extraordinary mind Lexemic idiom
mind (nominal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „what a mind‟ means „extraordinary
mind‟ which is a noun. In this song, Taylor is described as a woman who
likes to write poem. 'What a mind' is a compliment from her boyfriend who
loves her poem.
theme of the song Sweet Nothing is literally „true love‟.
12) Question…?
82
The song Question…? is Taylor's curious feelings about her ex, as
Taylor wants to know if her ex is happier being with her or his new
girlfriend. In this song, Taylor asks a lot about her ex's relationship with
another woman.
In the song Question…?, the writer found five idioms, consisting of
three phraseological idioms and two lexemic idioms (one adjective in nature
idiom and one nominal in nature idiom).
“we had one thing going on . . .”

we had we had one thing we were in a Phraseological
one thing going on relationship idiom
going on
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „we had one thing going on‟ means „we
were in a relationship‟. In this song, Taylor reminisces about her past
relationship with her ex. For Taylor, the relationship was beautiful back then.
“. . . got swept away in the gray”

got got swept away in immersed in the Phraseological
83
swept the gray situation idiom
away in
the gray
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „got swept away in the gray‟ means
„immersed in the situation‟. In this song, Taylor also wishes that she was
reunited with her ex and they both get immersed into the situation, so they
can enjoy their time together.
“. . . second best after that meteor strike”

second best second best after not as good as that Phraseological
after that that meteor passionate relationship idiom
meteor strike
strike
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „second best after that meteor strike‟
means „not as good as that passionate relationship‟. In this lyrics, Taylor
questions whether her ex and his current girlfriend's relationship is not as
passionate as when he was with Taylor.
b. Lexemic Idioms
a) Adjective in nature
84
“. . . when she said it was too much”

too much when she said it when she said it was Lexemic idiom
was too much sickening (adjective in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „too much‟ means „sickening‟ which is an
adjective. In this lyrical fragment, Taylor describes many suppositions. One
of them was Taylor's question to her ex; if her ex's girlfriend found their
relationship sickening, would her ex still fight or just let the girl go.
noun in a sentence.
“half-moon eyes . . .”

half-moon half-moon eyes stress Lexemic idiom
eyes (nominal in
nature)
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „half-moon eyes‟ means „stress‟ which is a
noun. In this song, Taylor also teases her ex by thinking that if her ex's
85
girlfriend was with another man, he would be stressed.
theme of the song Question…? is „curiosity‟.
13) Mastermind
The song chronicles Swift's confession in designing and pursuing her
relationship with her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. She also mentioned that
basically, women try their best to make their relationships work and
without having to look like they're struggling.
In the song Mastermind, the writer found two idioms, namely
phraseological idioms.
The difference between this idiom and other idioms is that the number
of words in this idiom is more than other idioms.
“the touch of a hand lit the fuse”

the touch the touch of a hand the touch of your hand Phraseological
of a hand lit the fuse arouses passion idiom
lit the
fuse
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „the touch of a hand lit the fuse‟ means
86
„the touch of your hand arouses passion‟. In the lyrics of this song, Taylor
says that the touch of her boyfriend's hand that she managed to get has
aroused her passion.
“the dominoes cascaded in a line”

the the dominoes everything is going as I Phraseological
dominoes cascaded in a wanted idiom
cascaded in line
a line
The Meaning
Based on the context of the song, „the dominoes cascaded in a line‟ means
„everything is going as I wanted‟. The song tells how Taylor admits that
she was the one who got her and her boyfriend together. All according to
plan and looks very smooth.
theme of the song Mastermind is „confession‟. In this song, Taylor confesses
about her successful plan to get her boyfriend.
This album has one big theme and each song represents that theme. Taylor Swift
has revealed herself that 'Midnights' is a collection of music written at midnight. The
biggest clue to the album's theme is „what keeps Taylor up at night?‟.
87
Based on the themes of each song that the writer examined, the writer found that
not all themes in the song are the same. In the 13 Taylor songs, the writer concluded
that there are 12 themes, namely; falling in love, nostalgia, anxiety, one-sided love,
reminisce, revenge, get back up, insecure, karma, true love, curiosity, and confession.
Based on these themes, the writer concluded that the big theme of Midnights album is
the emotional turmoil that is felt at midnight.
88
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
In this chapter, the writer presents the conclusions of the study and the
suggestions from the writer for the next studies in the same field.
A. Conclusions
Based on the results of the study found by the writer, it is concluded that:
1. The idioms found in the album 'Midnights' based on Boatner and Gates'
theory (1975) are 88 idioms that can be divided into three types; 37 Lexemic
Idioms (15 Verbal in Nature idioms, 17 Nominal in Nature idioms , 4
Adjective in Nature idioms, 1 Adverbial in Nature idioms), 1 Frozen Idiom,
and 50 Phraseological Idioms which is the most dominant type of idioms.
Proverbs were not found in the album „Midnights‟, but some proverbs can be
found in other albums such as „Folklore‟ (2020).
2. There were 12 song themes of „Midnights‟ album; falling in love, nostalgia,
anxiety, one-sided love, reminisce, revenge, get back up, insecure, karma, true
love, curiosity, and confession, while the biggest theme is the emotional
turmoil that is felt at midnight.
B. Suggestions
There are some suggestions from the writer, they are:
89
1. In the album 'Midnights', the writer found many types of idioms, but did not
find any kinds of proverbs. Therefore, the writer also suggests other
researchers to use other research objects to find all types of idiomatic
expressions.
2. The writer suggested that the themes of „Midnights‟ album can be useful as
reflection of the thirteen songs of Taylor Swift, especially for the reflection of
the phenomenal album „Midnights‟.
90
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AN ANALYSIS OF IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION IN SONG LYRICS

FROM TAYLOR SWIFT‟S ALBUM „MIDNIGHTS‟

Submitted to the Faculty of Cultural Sciences of Hasanuddin University

INDY CHRISTIANI IMBO

ENGLISH LITERATURE STUDY PROGRAM

Praises and gratitude to the presence of God Almighty, due to His

this thesis properly.

This thesis is submitted as partial fulfillment of requirements to obtain

bachelor‟s degree in English Literature Study Program, Faculty of Cultural

criticism and input for the improvement of this thesis.

thesis, they are:

1. Prof. Dr. Ir. Jamaluddin Jompa, M.Sc., as The Chancellor of Hasanuddin

3. Dra. Nasmilah, M.Hum, Ph.D. and Sitti Sahraeny, S.S., M.AppLing., as

The Head and Secretary of English Literature Study Program.

the draft of this thesis.

in the completion of this thesis.

supported directly in the process of the writer‟s research.

10. The writer herself, for always being open to learning.

Makassar, July 3rd 2023

Indy Christiani Imbo

Table 1. Idioms in „Midnights‟ Album ..................................................................19

Indy Christiani Imbo. 2023. An Analysis of Idiomatic Expression in Song Lyrics

The findings indicate that 88 idiomatic expressions appear in the lyrics of

Keywords: Idiom, Album „Midnights‟, Taylor Swift

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk: (1) mengetahui jenis-jenis ekspresi idiom

Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif

Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa 88 ekspresi idiom ditemukan dalam

Keywords: Idiom, Album „Midnights‟, Taylor Swift

Language is very important, both in the process of thinking and in human

activities. Bloomfield (1933: 149) states that language is an element of human

culture that plays an important role. We usually use language to communicate

tool has an important role in human activity.

Keraf (1997:1) states that language as a means of communication between

reaction in the mind of the listener or reader.

In communicating, both verbal and writing, people usually use idioms,

metaphors, or expressions in their sentences. The purpose of using these

expressions of idioms in communication is so prominent that the other person

Idioms are usually used in everyday communication to express something

idiom that means „surrender‟. This idiomatic meaning is completely unrelated to

the literal meaning of the individual words „give‟ and „in‟.

the most basic way, is usually used to hone English skills.

The concept of idioms are usually used in everyday conversation and

idioms can make the spoken sentences becomes alive.

by the songwriters as a tool to convey their feelings. At times, lyrics cannot be

easily understood or interpreted. Songwriters usually include many expressions

conveyed with a melody with various expressions from the carrier.

very important in enjoying a song.

In expressing their experiences, songwriters play with words and language

to create attractiveness and uniqueness to their lyrics or poetry. This language

Songs are currently growing rapidly following the flow of modernization.

to-remember lyrics, so that it is widely liked by the wider community. One of

releasing the album "Tim McGraw" in 2006.

some lyrics that have no literal meanings.

Midnight Rain, Question…?, Vigilante Shit, Bejeweled, Labyrinth, Karma, Sweet

chose Taylor Swift‟s „Midnights‟ album.

Based on the background above, the writer is interested in doing this

research entitled “An Analysis of Idiomatic Expression in Song Lyrics from

Taylor Swift‟s Album „Midnights‟” to describe the form of idioms in writing

song lyrics in Taylor Swift's latest album 'Midnights'.

According to the explanation above and based on writer personal

observation, the writer investigates the problems that can be identified as

1. The issue of idiom is rarely explored. However, it is frequently used in daily

2. Understanding idiomatic expressions is difficult to be done, especially for