Taylor Swift Taylor Swift - 'Lover' album cover
False God is the thirteenth song on Taylor Swift’s Lover album. It might just be the jazziest, breathiest track Swift has ever released.
One fan summed up their surprise at the sultry vibe of False God, in an album otherwise comprised of very expected Swiftian vibes: “False God is hella sexual and kinky woah okay I didn’t expect that #Lover #LoverOutNow“
False God is about sex, love, and New York City.
Here’s what you need to know:
False God Full Lyrics: ‘The Altar Is My Hips’
Here are the full lyrics to False God, per Genius:
[Verse 1]
We were crazy to think
Crazy to think that this could work
Remember how I said I’d die for you?
We were stupid to jump
In the ocean separating us
Remember how I’d lie to you?
[Pre-Chorus]
And I can’t talk to you when you’re like this
Staring out the window like I’m not your favorite town
I’m New York City, I’d still do it for you, babe
They all warned us about times like this
They say the road gets hard and you get lost
When you’re led by blind faith, blind faith
[Chorus]
But we might just get away with it
Religion’s in your lips
Even if it’s a false god
We’d still worship
We might just get away with it
The altar is my hips
Even if it’s a false god
We’d still worship this love
We’d still worship this love
We’d still worship this love
[Verse 2]
I know heaven’s a thing
I go there when you touch me, honey
Hell is when I fight with you
But we can patch it up good
Make confessions and we’re begging for forgiveness
Got the wine for you
[Pre-Chorus]
And you can’t talk to me when I’m like this
Daring you to leave me just so I can try and scare you
You’re the West Village
You still do it for me, babe
They all warned us about times like this
They say the road gets hard and you get lost
When you’re led by blind faith, blind faith
[Chorus]
But we might just get away with it
Religion’s in your lips
Even if it’s a false god
We’d still worship
We might just get away with it
The altar is my hips
Even if it’s a false god
We’d still worship this love
We’d still worship this love
We’d still worship this love, ah
[Outro]
Still worship this love
Even if it’s a false god
Even if it’s a false god
Still worship this love
False God: Song Meaning & Easter Eggs
Even though so much of the song’s musical tone and cadence is a totally new experiment for Swift, much of which she talks about lyrically is standard. There are the references to New York City, particularly the West Village, which seem boilerplate at this point in Swift’s career, not to mention the whole topic of arguing with a lover then making up with them. Classic Swift.
What isn’t classic Swift are the overt references to sex (“the altar is my hips”; “I go there when you touch me, honey”), which might surprise some Swifties.
As for the actual meaning of the song, this is one of the more cryptic tracks on the album. Is Swift saying that her sexual chemistry is a “false god,” or that it’s a love worthy of “worship”? Is the “blind faith” that she references able to create a sustainable relationship?
So many of the lyrics seem to allude to an unstable or even volatile relationship, which is far from the kind of romance Swift has described in her songs about Alwyn up until now. Of course, the song could just be a cheeky nod to their sex life. Or it could be somewhere in between. Swift’s leaving it up to the fans to decide.
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