Taylor Swift has several songs about making the bad guys good. She often sings about using her “Girl-Next-Door” reputation to hold down fast men–making them palatable for a while. Her latest pursuit in that effort is “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)” from The Tortured Poets Department. Check out the meaning behind this Swift track, below.
Videos by American Songwriter
Behind the Meaning of “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)” by Taylor Swift
The smoke cloud billows out his mouth
Like a freight train through a small town
The jokes that he told across the bar
Were revolting and far too loud
Swift makes use of a Wild West motif throughout “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can),” but the content is rooted in her real life. If the rumors are to be believed some of The Tortured Poets Department is about The 1975 frontman, Matty Healy. Healy’s reputation is nowhere near squeaky clean. With that in mind, it seems Swift is trying to make a case for their relationship in this song.
Healy and Swift were rumored to be together in 2023, right at the start of the Eras Tour. Around the same time, Healy was getting flak for his jokes and on-stage persona–both of which were often not very tactful. His reputation made some fans question Taylor’s motives. Swift uses this song to clear the air.
They shake their heads sayin’, “God, help her”
When I tell ’em he’s my man
But your good Lord doesn’t need to lift a finger
I can fix him, no, really, I can
And only I can
Swift doesn’t need anyone to pray for her. She doesn’t need to be set straight. She’s got things under control. She can fix him…no really, she can.
A perfect case for my certain skill set, Swift sings in “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”. It calls to mind a line from “Blank Space”: I can make the bad guys good for a weekend. It’s just one of the many times she’s sung about being a good influence on her romantic partners. Even if they are known for being callous, under her tutelage they can become model boyfriends.
Good boy, that’s right, come close
I’ll show you Heaven if you’ll be an angel, all night
Revisit this track, below.
(Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
More Behind The Song
-
ohn Travolta (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) -
KENT, WA – DECEMBER 06: Country music singer and songwriter Luke Combs performs on stage during The Hometown Holiday show hosted by 100.7 The Wolf at ShoWare Center on December 6, 2018 in Kent, Washington. (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images) -
Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff performs on stage at Porte de Pantin, in Paris. (Photo by John van Hasselt/Sygma via Getty Images) -
Left to right: Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page, of British heavy rock group Led Zeppelin, performing at Earl's Court, London, May 1975. The band were initially booked to play three nights at the venue, from 23rd to 25th May, but due to public demand, two more concerts were later added, for 17th and 18th May. Total ticket sales were 85,000. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images) -
Portrait of country singer Eddie Rabbitt in Memphis, Tennessee, May 31, 1981. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES – FEBRUARY 22: 31st Annual Grammy Awards. Broadcast February 22, 1989. Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California. Pictured accepting award is Bobby McFerrin. His song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" won Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. Also Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) -
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 03: Singers Mike McGuire (L) and Marty Raybon of Shenandoah attend the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 3, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Rick Diamond/ACM2016/Getty Images for dcp) -
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images