Does Taylor Swift's latest masterpiece, The Tortured Poets Department, reveal the name of ex Joe Alwyn's favorite London pub?
Swifties seem to think so. According to Entertainment Tonight, the pub in question is currently receiving an influx of patrons that expect Alwyn to be present due in large part to track 17 on Swift's "secret double album" (The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology) titled, "The Black Dog." The single details a breakup in which one person continues to check the location of the other who never stopped sharing it with them. And so the first verse goes:
"I am someone who until recent events/ You shared your secrets with. And your location, you forgot to turn it off/ And so I watch as you walk/ Into some bar called The Black Dog/ And pierce new holes in my heart/ You forgot to turn it off/ And it hits me."
The Black Dog is also referenced in the chorus as Swift questions why the subject of the song doesn't miss her like she misses him.
"I just don't understand/ How you don't miss me in The Black Dog."
It was only a matter of time before Swifties put two and two together with their master sleuthing skills to uncover the location behind the track. Fans quickly discovered that the song is in fact a nod to Alwyn, who dated Swift from 2017 to 2023, and his alleged favorite local pub.
Using The Tortured Poets Department as a literal roadmap, Swifties found The Black Dog pub in "South Central London's Vauxhall neighborhood," and it has been busy with patrons hoping to spot Alwyn since the album's release on April 19th.
What's more, The Black Dog's social media manager, Lily Bottomley, (kind of) confirmed the rumored information in a recent interview with Sky News stating: "I don't want to give too much away. We do have a certain blonde regular who frequents, let's just say that."