Mert Alas & Marcus Piggot
Knock, knock! Taylor Swift would like the world to know that her extra spicy single “Wood” came from a very pure place initially.
The “Fate of Ophelia” singer, 35, revealed on Monday’s episode of The Tonight Show that the impetus for the innuendo-laden track came from wanting to play on the idea of superstitions and not, well, you know, highlighting the New Heights of manhood.
“I brought this into the studio and I was like, ‘I want to do a throwback, kind of timeless sounding song and I had this idea of I ain’t gotta knock on wood.’ And we would knock on wood, and it would be all these superstitions,” Swift explained to Jimmy Fallon. “And it really started out in a very innocent place.”
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And, to her credit, the song certainly does start off that way, with references to unlucky pennies, black cats, and stepping on cracks. However, it soon diverges into much more risqué territory as she details a suitor, presumably fiancé Travis Kelce, and how he opened her eyes with his “redwood tree,” adding, “It ain't hard to see / His love was the key / That opened my thighs.”
While on The Tonight Show, Swift appeared shy when discussing the song’s lyrics, ducking her head down as the house band the Roots began playing a sensual tune.
“It started out like… I don’t know what happened, man,” Swift deadpanned. “I got in there, we started vibing, and I don’t know… I don’t know how we got here.”
But, through her laughter, she confessed, “I love the song so much.”
Fallon was fully on board (get it?). “It’s perfect the way it is,” he replied.
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While others may be picking up what Swift is putting down, the 14-time Grammy winner explained in a recent SiriusXM Hits 1 interview that her mom, Andrea, thinks (or, perhaps, just wants to believe) that "Wood" really is just about superstitions.
“Which it absolutely is,” Swift confirmed. “That’s the joy of the double entendre. You can read that song for people and it just goes right over their head. You see in that song what you want to see in that song.”
The track also notably sees Swift predict her very own engagement to Kelce when she sings, “Girls, I don't need to catch the bouquet / To know a hard rock is on the way.” And, again, take that as you like.
The “You Belong With Me” singer and Kansas City Chiefs tight end announced their engagement after two years of dating on Aug. 26, sharing a series of snapshots on Instagram with the caption: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”
Now, the pair plan to keep it 100 — a combination of Kelce’s number 87 and Swift’s lucky number 13 — on the land, the sea, the sky, and, soon, down the aisle.
Listen to Swift discuss “Wood” and more tracks with Fallon in the clip above.