“Bigger Than The Whole Sky” by Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s recent song, “Bigger Than The Whole Sky”
Credit: SoundCloud

When Taylor Swift’s most recent album “Midnights” was released on October 21, 2022, it was an instant hit, spawning No. 1 songs and rave reviews. But one of the lesser known songs is causing waves in a different way, resonating with those grieving pregnancy loss. “Bigger Than The Whole Sky” starts out grieving some unnamed loss, but it is the chorus that brings out the most emotion. Swift sings:

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye

You were bigger than the whole sky

You were more than just a short time

And I’ve got a lot to pine about

I’ve got a lot to live without

I’m never gonna meet

What could’ve been, would’ve been

What should’ve been you

These lyrics poignantly mourn not just the loss of what was, but what could have been. In particular, the last few lines in the chorus, “I’m never gonna meet what could’ve been, would’ve been, should’ve been you,” and their sense of wistful longing for someone they will never meet, have been meaningful to people who suffered a miscarriage. The comments section under Swift’s lyric video are filled with people sharing their own experiences with pregnancy loss. BuzzfeedNews shared a quote from a Reddit user stating that “I miscarried my first baby 10+ years ago and I’ve always said they were my ‘could have been, should have been’ so these lyrics stopped me in tracks and took me back.”

Couples that suffer pregnancy loss mourn the possibility of who their child could have been.

“Bigger Than The Whole Sky” goes on to ask questions of why this might have happened, what could have caused the loss. Swift writes:

Did some bird flap its wings over in Asia?

Did some force take you because I didn’t pray?

Every single thing to come has turned into ashes

‘Cause it’s all over, it’s not meant to be

So I’ll say words I don’t believe

Swift references the struggle to make meaning of the loss, questioning religion and if she could have prayed harder, or perhaps alluding to the butterfly effect by wondering if a random bird across the world caused this to happen. Ultimately there is no explanation fully possible for the losses we experience, and Swift is left with the reality of her sadness. The song then goes on to hauntingly repeat the chorus.

Swift’s songs are notable for their descriptive storytelling and the ability to transport listeners into an emotional landscape. “Bigger Than The Whole Sky” is no different, and has sparked emotions in people who have experienced a variety of losses, both physical and emotional. But given how infrequently pregnancy loss is publicly acknowledged or mourned, it has added meaning for that community. Ashley Fritz, speaking to TODAY Parents, expressed her gratitude for the song in the aftermath of her own miscarriage. “I have never come across anything that has expressed how I felt until I listened to ‘Bigger Than the Whole Sky,'” she said. “I finally get to listen to something that allows me to just cry and feel the emotions and maybe let it go for a little bit.” Fritz is not alone in her feelings, and the song is worth a listen by anyone struggling with or supporting anyone experiencing pregnancy loss.