We’ve all been there. You see a person who is a walking, talking red flag—maybe they’ve got a messy reputation, a history of chaos, or just a look in their eyes that screams "bad idea"—and your first instinct isn't to run. It’s to help. Taylor Swift tapped into this universal, slightly delusional female urge with the track I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) lyrics from her 2024 double album, The Tortured Poets Department. It’s a song that feels like a smoky room and a secret you shouldn't be telling.
The track isn't just a song. It’s a character study. It’s a Western-tinged, low-fi confession about the ego it takes to believe you’re the exception to the rule. When she sings about the "smoke billows from his mouth," she’s painting a picture of a guy who is literally on fire, and she’s standing there with a glass of water thinking it’s enough to put out a forest fire.
What the I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) Lyrics Are Actually Saying
People love to debate who this song is about. The internet immediately pointed fingers at Matty Healy, the frontman of The 1975, given the timing of their brief, controversial 2023 romance. But if you look closer at the I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) lyrics, the song is less about the man and way more about the narrator's internal monologue.
She starts by describing a man who makes everyone else uncomfortable. The jokes are too edgy. The vibes are off. He’s "shaking hands with the devil." But the narrator? She’s unfazed. She tells us she’s the only one who really sees him. It’s a classic case of savior complex. You see it in the way the guitar twangs—it sounds like a desert at midnight, lonely and a bit dangerous.
The most striking part of the lyrics is the parenthetical "(No Really I Can)." It’s the sound of someone trying to convince themselves. It’s defensive. It’s that thing we do when our friends tell us a guy is trouble and we respond with, "You just don't know him like I do."
The Western Influence and the Outlaw Trope
Musically, this track leans heavily into a "Southern Gothic" feel. It’s produced by Jack Antonoff, but it strips away the synth-pop polish of Midnights for something much rawer. The sparse instrumentation mirrors the isolation of the relationship.
The lyrics use a lot of "Outlaw" imagery. There’s talk of a "revolver," and the "dust" of a small town. This isn't accidental. It frames the guy as a classic Western villain—the kind of person who can’t be tamed by anyone but the right woman. It’s a trope as old as time, and Swift plays with it like a pro. She knows we know it’s a lie.
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The Turning Point: "Woah, Maybe I Can't"
The real kicker, the moment that makes the song a masterpiece of self-awareness, happens at the very end. For three minutes, she’s insisting she’s the one. She’s the healer. She’s the fix. Then, the very last line drops like a lead weight: "Woah, maybe I can't."
That’s the "Aha!" moment.
It’s the sudden realization that some people aren't projects. They are just who they are. The I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) lyrics capture that specific second when the rose-colored glasses shatter. It’s quiet. It’s not a big blow-up; it’s just a whispered admission of defeat. Honestly, it’s one of the most relatable moments in her entire discography because it admits to a very specific kind of failure: the failure of our own arrogance.
Why This Song Hits Different for Swifties
Swift has spent decades writing about being the "girl next door" or the "victim" of bad breakups. This song is different. Here, she’s admitting she was part of the problem. She’s admitting she tried to manipulate a situation (and a person) to fit her narrative.
- It acknowledges the public backlash she faced during that era.
- It highlights the "good girl" trope trying to find redemption in a "bad boy."
- It uses a "hushed" vocal delivery that makes it feel like she’s whispering in your ear at a bar.
Fact-Checking the Production and Inspiration
Let's look at the hard facts. The song is the ninth track on the first "half" of the album. While Swift hasn't explicitly named the subject (she rarely does anymore), the imagery of the "messy" man with "scandalous" jokes lines up with the public persona of Healy during their stint.
Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff both worked on the album, but this specific track carries that Antonoff-led atmospheric moodiness. It’s short—under three minutes. It doesn't need to be long. It’s a vignette. It’s a snapshot of a mistake in progress.
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Critics have noted that the song serves as a bridge. It connects the "madness" of the early tracks on TTPD to the more somber, reflective tracks that come later. It’s the transition from "I’m in love with chaos" to "Chaos actually hurts."
The Psychological Hook: Why We Relate
Psychologically, the "I can fix him" mentality is often linked to something called "The Beauty and the Beast" complex. We love the idea that our love is so transformative it can change someone’s fundamental nature.
Swift’s lyrics lean into this. She talks about "the cracks in his soul" and how she’s going to fill them. But as the song progresses, you realize she’s not talking about him as a person; she’s talking about him as a task. It’s a bit narcissistic, right? To think you are the only one with the magic touch? Swift is smart enough to know that, and she writes it with a wink.
The Cultural Impact of the Song
Since the album's release, the phrase "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" has become a meme. It’s used on TikTok to describe everything from dating actual criminals to trying to make a laptop from 2012 work again.
But beneath the memes, there’s a real conversation about "performative" relationships. The lyrics suggest that sometimes we stay in bad situations because we want the "glory" of being the person who stayed when everyone else left. It’s about the optics of loyalty.
Key Lyrics to Note:
"The smoke billows from his mouth" – This sets the visual tone immediately. He’s a person who is burning out or causing a fire.
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"I’ll tell you something right now / I can fix him" – The confidence here is almost delusional. It’s delivered with a flat, certain tone.
"They shook their heads, they stressed their tempers" – This references the "outside world" (fans, friends, the media) judging the relationship.
Navigating the Themes of The Tortured Poets Department
To understand these lyrics, you have to look at the album as a whole. TTPD is a messy, sprawling, sometimes exhausting look at a period of "temporary insanity."
This song is a pillar of that theme. It’s the "bargaining" phase of grief. She’s bargaining with the universe, saying, "If I can just fix this one thing, everything will be fine."
If you're dissecting the I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) lyrics for a deep dive or just to understand your own dating history, pay attention to the silence between the notes. That’s where the real story lives. It’s the sound of someone realizing they’re in over their head.
To apply the insights from this track to your own life, start by identifying "project" relationships. If your internal monologue sounds like a Swift chorus—full of justifications and "no really" statements—it might be time to skip to the final line of the song. Acknowledge that you cannot change the fundamental nature of another person, no matter how poetic your intentions are. Focus on the reality of the person standing in front of you, not the "fixed" version you've created in your head. Look for the "woah, maybe I can't" moment before the smoke fills the whole room.