Swift elaborated on some of the stories she created, including that of "an exiled man walking the bluffs of a land that isn't his own, wondering how it all went so terribly, terribly wrong," and her "grandfather, Dean, landing at Guadalcanal in 1942."

Swift added, "A tale that becomes folklore is one that is passed down and whispered around. Sometimes even sung about. The lines between fantasy and reality blur and the boundaries between truth and fiction become almost indiscernible. Speculation, over time, becomes fact. Myths, ghost stories, and fables. Fairytales and parables. Gossip and legend. Someone's secrets written in the sky for all to behold."

The stories Swift shared on Folklore are just the beginning. The singer is counting on her fans to truly turn them into folklore. "In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness," she wrote. "Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory. I've told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve. Now it's up to you to pass them down."