Fans are speculating that Phoebe Bridgers’ new song ‘The Governor’s Waltz’ addresses her former relationship with actor Paul Mescal and may reference his current partner, Gracie Abrams. The interpretation matters because the track, released on Bridgers’ new album ‘Lost Weekend’, has prompted online discussion about its apparently personal lyrics, though neither Bridgers nor those involved has confirmed the meaning.

Listeners have focused on a lyric about someone taking her place “in my bed on that stage”, linking it to a bed used in Abrams’ live show that resembled one Bridgers used in pandemic-era videos. Bridgers was previously engaged to Mescal, and the album’s title track includes lyrics about calling off a marriage; fans on Reddit have variously read ‘The Governor’s Waltz’ as a pointed farewell or a humorous acknowledgement of an unusual situation.