“no body, no crime” is the sixth track on Taylor Swift’s second 2020 album ‘evermore.’ It is also one of the only three collaborations on the album, featuring HAIM. This is their first collaboration together, despite being good friends for a long time.
Taylor Swift announced her 9th studio album ‘evermore‘ in quick succession to her previous studio album ‘folklore‘ which was released in July 2020. Both albums follow a similar theme and Taylor called them ‘sister-records.’ “To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music. We chose to wander deeper in,” said Taylor Swift announcing the album. The ‘evermore’ album releases on December 11, 2020.
During the livestream leading up to the album release, Taylor Swift added that “no body, no crime” was inspired by her love for true crime/drama shows. She also revealed that she used one of her best friend’s name as the lead role in the song.
Listen to “no body, no crime” by Taylor Swift Ft. HAIM
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“no body, no crime” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
Verse 1
Este Haim is one of the three sisters of the band HAIM. And Taylor starts talking about her, and we know this is not going to end well for Este.
The stories Taylor reveals to us about Este Haim are not so good. She has been losing sleep lately over her husband’s strange behavior. Returning from work, he smells of wine and infidelity. There is no proof and this is getting to Este. So, Este and Taylor meet up in a local bar to share her sorrows and drown them down in a drink. Last they met, Este told Taylor that she might call her husband out and dig deep into her suspicions.
Chorus
Este has a strong suspicion that her husband cheated on her. But there is no concrete evidence to prove it. Hence, the reference ‘no body, no crime.’ This stands to mean that without substantial evidence or proof, one cannot prove someone guilty of a crime. So, in Este’s situation, her husband is as innocent as he can be.
Verse 2
Taylor reveals her and Este’s meeting spot-Olive Garden, a famous Italian restaurant chain. Last Tuesday, Este did not come to meet Taylor, and she had not been to her work either. Her husband has reported her missing. And when Taylor drove by Este’s house later that day, she notices a new mistress moved into the house with him. His truck having new tires may be a subtle reference to Este slashing the tires out of anger, and he has replaced them. This is more than enough proof for Taylor to suspect him, but in a court of law this would not hold up. So she decides to take the law into her own hands?
Verse 3
The third verse of the song turns into a revenge thriller. Taylor Swift sings that she knows how to drive a boat which comes in handy to dispose of a body secretly. She knows how to clean a house so there won’t be any stains left on the floor after she is done. Taylor has a strong alibi from Este’s sisters, and Danielle Haim sings on the verse “She was with me, dude.” And everything is set for the plot. One final check reveals that his new mistress has a good life insurance policy which will come in handy soon enough!
What do you think happens next? Let us know in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics and further meaning breakdown on Genius.