The Last Great American Dynasty

the last great american dynasty
Lyric – poetry
This is one of the main genres of literature that focuses on the

expression of personal emotions, thoughts, and feelings. I’m talking
about this because many songwriters are essentially lyric poets who
set their words to music, creating a powerful fusion of both artistic
forms. This combination of lyrical language and music can make songs
a particularly potent medium for conveying emotions and storytelling.
Folklore
As you know, the song i’ll talk about today is called “the last great
american dynasty” written and produced by Taylor swift. This song
belongs to her eight studio album released in 2020 called Folklore.
If you’re not familiar with the meaning of Folklore, we could say that it
has to do with the traditional beliefs and stories of a community,
passed through the generations by word of mouth.
Another thing about folklore is that it can actually encompass both

fictional and non-fictional elements, and most of the time, it is a
mixture of both.
Back to taylor swift, this is what the whole concept of her album is
about: FOLKLORE. So know that we know this I thought it would be a
good idea to navigate through her folkloric lyrics and tell you the
stories behind them.
ANALYSIS OF THE SONG
Verse 1
Rebekah rode up on the afternoon train, it was sunny

Her saltbox house on the coast took her mind off St. Louis
Bill was the heir to the Standard Oil name and money
And the town said, "How did a middle-class divorcée do it?"
The wedding was charming, if a little gauche
There's only so far new money goes
They picked out a home and called it "Holiday House"
Their parties were tasteful, if a little loud
The doctor had told him to settle down
It must have been her fault his heart gave out
In October of 1947, Rebekah Harkness (Rebekah West) married William (Bill)
Hale Harkness, the son of William L. Harkness who inherited a large share
of Standard Oil. Before her marriage to Bill, Rebekah was married to Dickson
W. Pierce, a descendant of the 14th President of the United States: Franklin
Pierce.
Upon the death of William L. Harkness, Bill inherited a large share of Standard
Oil, making Rebekah one of the richest women in the United States.
Holiday House is located on a beach in Westerly, Rhode Island. Purchased by the

Harknesses in 1947, it was gradually expanded until it grew to have eight kitchens and
twenty-one bedrooms.
William (Bill) Hale Harkness, husband of Rebekah Harkness, had a serious

heart attack in 1953. A year later he had a second one but did not survive it. He
died on August 12, 1954 in Westerly Hospital.
Here, Rebekah is blamed for her husband’s death, even though she was not
responsible for his demise. This presages the sexist attitudes Rebekah would
be subjected to, and draws an interesting parallel between her and Taylor Swift,
whose experience with sexism is well documented.
CHORUS
And they said

"There goes the last great American dynasty
Who knows, if she never showed up, what could've been
There goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen
She had a marvelous time ruining everything"
Taylor introduces the continuing sexist motif on folklore of women being blamed
entirely for people’s own problems. Rebekah is blamed for destroying the “last great
American dynasty” even though her husband’s problems were his own. For the society
around her however, they find it easy to blame her for his and their own problems since
she is an easy target as an unconventional woman for the time.
Verse 2
Rebekah gave up on the Rhode Island set forever

Flew in all her Bitch Pack friends from the city
Filled the pool with champagne and swam with the big names
And blew through the money on the boys and the ballet
And losing on card game bets with Dalí
Rebekah Harkness was friends with Salvador Dali. She bought or
commissioned many of his pieces, including the famous “Chalice of Life,” a
$500,000 vessel made of gold, diamond, and sapphires.
The chalice eventually became the urn for Rebekah’s ashes, after she died in
June 1982 at the age of 67.
Chorus 2
And they said

"There goes the last great American dynasty
Who knows, if she never showed up, what could've been
There goes the most shameless woman this town has ever seen
She had a marvelous time ruining everything"
This line seems to change meaning between the first chorus and this one. In chorus 1,
this statement is about Bill’s death; here, it might be a reference to how Rebekah “blew
through the money” that he left her.
[Bridge]
They say she was seen on occasion
Pacing the rocks, staring out at the midnight sea
And in a feud with her neighbor
She stole his dog and dyed it key lime green
Fifty years is a long time
Holiday House sat quietly on that beach
Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits
And then it was bought by me
In actuality, Rebekah stole her neighbor’s cat, which may be a reflection on how
folklore and stories get warped as they’re passed down.
Rebekah Harkness died of cancer in her Manhattan home in 1982. However, before
Rebekah’s death, she left Watch Hill, and put Holiday House on the market in 1973. TS
bought holiday house in 2013 for 17m.
Chorus
Who knows, if I never showed up, what could've been
There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen
I had a marvelous time ruining everything
After Swift said that she bought Rebekah’s house, she changes the pronouns to draw a
parallel between them. While all of Rebekah’s actions would most likely be praised if
she was a man, because she is female, she is looked down as as “mad” and
“shameless”. In Rebekah, Taylor finds a compatriot.

The Last Great American Dynasty

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Last Great American Dynasty

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Last Great American Dynasty

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

the last great american dynasty

This is one of the main genres of literature that focuses on the

Another thing about folklore is that it can actually encompass both

ANALYSIS OF THE SONG

Rebekah rode up on the afternoon train, it was sunny

Holiday House is located on a beach in Westerly, Rhode Island. Purchased by the

William (Bill) Hale Harkness, husband of Rebekah Harkness, had a serious

And they said

Rebekah gave up on the Rhode Island set forever

And they said

You might also like