“exile” describes two ex-lovers seeing each other following a break-up. Justin Vernon describes feelings of confusion about how quickly a lover moved on, while Swift offers a perspective about repeated warning signs that the relationship was no longer working. It’s also worth noting the contrast between Vernon’s rougher voice and Swift’s smoother one, which mirrors the contrast between their views of the relationship.

The song prompted many comparisons to Swift’s 2012 track “The Last Time,” another song that discusses the downfall of a relationship. Much like “exile,” Swift and featured artist Gary Lightbody’s voices contrast in tone, highlighting their differences.

“exile” is one of many folklore songs to contain a movie motif — other songs to do so include “the 1,” “this is me trying,” and “hoax.” It’s also her first collaboration with Bon Iver, who she called one of her “musical heroes” in an Instagram post announcing folklore.