Released: 2024
“I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)” by Taylor Swift can be summed up in a nutshell: It’s a power ballad of a woman painting herself as a torchbearer who can transform a ‘bad boy’ into a ‘good boy’. The song delves into the depths of love, belief, and the delicate dance of self-delusion one might engage in intermingled with good intentions.
The song opens with Swift visualizing her man through the metaphor of a “freight train” and a “smoke cloud”. This metaphor suggests that her partner is boisterously destructive—barreling through life and enveloping everything with his damaging persona. Swift isn’t blind to his flaws. She acknowledges them, just as the observers around her forcefully dismiss her commitment to this man, with cynical repetitions of “God, help her”.
But Swift, in her admirably stubborn resolve, proclaims with certainty, “No, really, I can fix him”. She believes in her power to catalyze a transformation in this man. It’s a classic savior syndrome narrative, where she sees the “halo of the highest grade” in him, seeing the good in him that others don’t and setting herself up as uniquely equipped to foster that goodness.
Swift further reinforces her belief in the third verse with the words, “Good boy, that’s right. Come close, I’ll show you heaven. If you’ll be an angel all night.” That’s a gentler plea communicating her confidence that her love can transform this man into a ‘good boy,’ if he chooses to be ‘an angel all night.’
Then comes the twist. Swift ends her song with the phrase, “WOAH – maybe I can’t.” It’s a stark and abrupt realization that’s a gut-punch for her character. Understanding that one cannot change others, no matter how strong the love or the belief, is a universal lesson we all grapple with. It’s a poignant moment, pulling the facades apart and leaving us, listeners, with a sobering reality.
Swift’s narrative in “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)” presents a deep dive into a profoundly human experience. It’s a beautiful depiction of how love, however noble, should never invade the territory of personal transformation, a task that solely rests on the individual.
