Taylor Swift explains the TRUE LIFE STORY behind her song ‘The Bolter’ and WHY…..

Taylor Swift has said her songs are often inspired by her life. But she also sings about other people, real and fictional.

“Marjorie” is about her grandma, opera singer Marjorie Finlay; “The Last Great American Dynasty” is about Rebekah Harkness, the woman who once owned Swift’s Rhode Island house; “Starlight” is thought to be about Ethel Kennedy.

Fans have a theory that “The Bolter,” a song on “The Tortured Poets Department,” is about the socialite Lady Idina Sackville. Sackville’s life — and love life — made headlines. She was divorced five times during the first half of the 20th century, earning herself the nickname “The Bolter.”

Author Frances Osborne, Sackville’s great-grandmother, published a novel under the same name in 2008 about her ancestor’s life. Osborne says she didn’t grow up hearing much about Sackville. A five-time divorcée known for scandalizing the upper class in the 1900’s wasn’t exactly seen as a role model for children.

When Osborne did find out the truth about her relationship to Sackville, she dug into her great-grandmother’s scrutinized life and questioned why it was so controversial in the first place. “Idina was lambasted in the press for her relationships and she didn’t just give up and fall back into a patriarchal role but fought back by holding her head high, dressing to perfection and living life and love on her own terms,” Osborne tells TODAY.com. “This is what Swift has done.”

Whether “The Bolter” is actually about Sackville or not, Osborne is glad Swift is sharing a message about double standards applied to women who leave relationships.
“Women who leave relationships were called ‘bolters,’ which is the term for a crazy horse and implies they are irrational. This term may come from 100 years ago, but women are still all too often blamed in the same way,” Osborne explains.