Short N Sweet Part 1

Season 1, Episode 43. 03/10/2025

Intro~

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Summary

This episode of RAW-tism is dedicated to Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album, Short N Sweet, the first album I’ve ever listened to that has zero skips. I enjoy every single song, which is a rare occurrence for me. It’s been months since the album was released, but all twelve songs are still on my main playlist. This subject will take place over three episodes, but the full, unabridged version will be available on my Patreon. 

To be completely forthright, these episodes are to help me schedule ahead so that I have less to do while taking my first graduate class for my Autism Spectrum Disorder certification. giggles I hope to have time to write episodes as I’m learning so y’all can learn with me, but these episodes will create a cushion so that I can skip a week or two, if needed, to keep up with my studies.

Content warning: First of all, this episode is more about my fascination with these songs than autism. Special interest! Second, this episode will use explicit language in the lyrics of these songs. I usually bleep out the “adult” words when I’m talking, but clips of Sabrina Carpenter singing would be more complex to do so with.

Track 1: Taste

The opening track to Short N Sweet is “Taste,” Sabrina Carpenter’s message to an old fling’s on/off girlfriend. Instead of talking about how she misses her ex or how he left her, Sabrina taunts the new girlfriend, letting her know that—regardless of her physical location or standing with said ex—her presence will stay in the boy’s life. 

While this song begins the album, it was the third single released, trailing behind “Please Please Please” and “Espresso.” “Taste” (and its corresponding music video, which I’ll touch on later) definitely left fans craving more. You can say she left “quite an impression.”

Oh, I leave quite an impression

Five feet to be exact

This is an epic first line. Fans start belting the lyrics right out of the gate. It’s also very comedic if you think about it. The first line implies a figurative impression and then she mentions her height, which is a physical aspect, changing the meaning behind the first line.

You're wonderin' why half his clothes went missin'

My body's where they're at

Now I'm gone, but you're still layin'

Next to me, one degree of separation

I understand the symbolism she’s going for here, but if you think about it, the girlfriend’s actually lying on Sabrina’s “spot” (unless the boyfriend switches his side of the bed between relationships, which would be strange). I am pretty particular about which side I sleep on so I wouldn’t want to do that, but I can’t control what he does in his bedroom.

I heard you're back together and if that's true

You'll just have to taste me when he's kissin' you

If you want forever, I bet you do

Just know you'll taste me too

Uh-huh

Here’s where the on/off segment of their relationship comes into play. She heard that these two were back together, which led to the song’s creation. Sabrina assumes that the girlfriend wants the relationship to be endgame and taunts her with the idea that her “taste” will remain on his lips for eternity.

He's funny, now all his jokes hit different

Guess who he learned that from?

This line reminds me of Olivia Rodrigo’s song “Deja Vu,” specifically in the refrain where she says, “I made the jokes you tell to her when she's with you.” Lyrics that give the same impression that the ex-girlfriend is why the boyfriend is generally funnier and better. Some of my favorite songs with similar messages are “Thank Me Later” by Kings and “(Don’t Thank God) Thank Me” by Morgan St. Jean. Both songs praise the singer for perfecting the boy for his next girlfriend.

Every time you close your eyes

And feel his lips, you're feelin' mine

And every time you breathe his air

Just know I was already there

This section connects back to the theme of taunting. Sabrina gives the new girlfriend the impression that she will always be a part of the boyfriend’s existence. If she lets Sabrina into her head, jealousy may sabotage the relationship. 

You can have him if you like

I've been there, done that, once or twice

And singin' 'bout it don't mean I care

Yeah, I know I've been known to share

This line might refer to the 2021 controversy between Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo. Olivia’s “Driver’s License” has a line speculating that her ex is probably with “that blonde girl” she was suspicious of when they were still dating. The media ran with this idea and assigned Sabrina Carpenter as the aforementioned “blonde girl”, even though Olivia herself stated that it’s just a line that fits the song and not about anyone specific. Sabrina released her song “Skin” in response, which sent the media into a bigger frenzy over their assumed “feud.” Joshua Bassett, who was assumed to be the boyfriend that Sabrina “stole”, was also thrust in the spotlight just in time for his single “Lie Lie Lie,” which the internet assumed was an accusation that “Driver’s License” was made up using lies about Joshua.

Though both women have denied the existence of the “feud” (and seem to genuinely care for each other), both have profited from the attention. I believe Olivia when she says that “blonde girl”  was just a line. I also think that Sabrina’s song, “Skin,” was a reply to the controversy, but not maliciously. She played off of the attention while sharing her art. 

I don’t know about Joshua; I’ve never been a big fan of him and only know his work through High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, where he played Richard “Ricky” Bowen. Before the events of the show Ricky and his childhood best friend Nina “Nini” Salazar-Roberts (Olivia’s character and Joshua’s love interest) had broken up right before the school year begins where they have a “will they/won’t they” arc that ends with the decision to stay friends as Nini left Salt Lake City to pursue her budding music career (poetically telling the audience why Olivia herself left the show). Their pairing in this show was a big push toward assumptions that Joshua was the boy mentioned in “Driver’s License.” 

My point of this whole kerfuffle of information is that her line, “I know, I’ve been known to share,” is brilliant. It brings up the controversy in a confident, self-assured way. I think it shows that Sabrina has matured regarding the issues she brings up and how she’s grown enough to joke about it. Others may see it as another taunt to the girlfriend in the song, saying that she’s “stolen” boys before and could again. Either way, audiences seem very attracted to the discussion behind this line. 

The official music video for “Taste,” linked below, directed by Dave Meyers and visually inspired by the movie Death Becomes Her, stars Jenna Ortega as the on/off girlfriend while she and Sabrina herself fight in an ongoing battle that kills both women, over and over again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEG7b851Richttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEG7b851Ric

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Track 2. Please Please Please

The second track on the Short N Sweet album and the second single released, “Please Please Please,” is a song about dating someone that your friends and family disapprove of. She describes her insecurity about her judgment being questioned. This song is a plea for the relationship to be better than what it is. She’s asking for empathy, loyalty, and respect. The internet wonders if the song is about infidelity leading to her breakup with Barry Keoghan, even though both celebrities claimed it was due to their busy careers. 

I know I have good judgement, I know I have good taste

It's funny and it's ironic that only I feel that way

This is so relatable. There are moments in everyone’s lives where they feel like the world disagrees with their every move. That was most of my childhood due to undiagnosed ASD, OCD, and anxiety. 

I promise 'em that you're different and everyone makes mistakes

But just don't

I’m going to go sort of off-topic here because it’s my podcast and I can do that. This line “and everyone makes mistakes” reminds me of an important part of being around kids: admitting when you’re wrong. (Clip from Hannah Montana’s “Nobody's Perfect”) Children make loads of mistakes. Half of their little lives consist of being told they’re wrong. It’s an important thing for parents and childcare providers to make it clear that they make mistakes just like the child and how they learn from it. It’s a good message for children to see others treating their mistakes with grace. 

I heard that you're an actor, so act like a stand-up guy

Whatever devil's inside you, don't let him out tonight

I tell them it's just your culture and everyone rolls their eyes

Yeah, I know

The actor line is such a burrrrrrrrn. She tries to make a deal with the devil to save their relationship’s image, but it’s not enough.

All I'm asking, baby

Please, please, please don't prove I'm right

And please, please, please

Don't bring me to tears when I just did my makeup so nice

Heartbreak is one thing, my ego's another

I beg you, don't embarrass me, motherfucker, oh

Please, please, please (ah)

Well, I have a fun idea, babe (uh-huh), maybe just stay inside

I know you're craving some fresh air

But the ceiling fan is so nice (it's so nice, right?)

And we could live so happily if no one knows that you're with me

I'm just kidding, but really (kinda), really, really

If you’re embarrassed by your significant other to the point where you’d hide them away so no one knows you’re together, I would say it’s time to end the relationship. 

If you wanna go and be stupid, don't do it in front of me

If you don't wanna cry to my music, don't make me hate you prolifically

This line gives the same vibes as the quote from an interview with Taylor Swift back in 2015 when she said, “If guys don’t want me to write songs about them, they shouldn’t do bad things! And if they’re afraid, going into the relationship, that they’re going to end up having a bad song written about them… Well, then they don’t have the best of intentions, do they?” (TLDR: If you don’t want a negative song written about you, don’t wrong a songwriter.)

Sabrina ends the song by repeating the title until the music fades out. I’ve cut out the repeated parts for all of these songs unless I have something specific to add about it.

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Track 3: Good Graces

Dictionary.com defines being in someone’s “good graces” as being in someone’s favor or having their approval. This is something that is important within a relationship, and Sabrina uses the third track of Short N Sweet to describe the importance of boundaries and respect. She would rather not be in a relationship than be in one ridden with disrespect. She knows she is a catch and deserves to be treated right, as all women should.

When I love you, I'm sweet like an angel

Drawin' hearts 'round our names and dreamin' of

Writing vows, rockin' cradles

Don't mistake my nice for naïve

I don't waste a second, I know lots of guys

You do somethin' suspect, this cute ass bye-bye

Here, Sabrina asserts that she is a wonderful girlfriend to have, but not to mistake her sweetness as naivety. She knows her worth and won’t hesitate to end the relationship and move on if her boundaries are crossed.

Like ooh, baby, you say you really like it being mine

So let me give you some advice

Boy, it's not that complicated

You should stay in my good graces

She is being insanely direct in this song. It’s so poetic and catchy, yet is flat out about what she means. Staying in her “good graces” means treating her the way she knows she deserves to be treated. Beautiful… 

Or I'll switch it up like that

So fast, 'cause no one's more amazin'

At turnin' lovin' into hatred

Sabrina is so self-assured and knows she can “switch it up like that” if her love isn’t respected. She isn’t someone to be toyed with. If you’re in a relationship with her, it’s all-in or not at all. 

I'll tell the world you finish your chores prematurely

Break my heart and I swear I'm movin' on

With your favorite athlete

The line about chores is confusing because I don’t understand what the chores are, but I assume it's some kind of innuendo. Most songs are riddled with innuendos that go right over my head. The rest makes sense to me. Threatening to move on with his favorite athlete is such a baller move (pun intended).

Want you every second, don't need other guys

You do somethin' sus, kiss my cute ass bye-ye-ye

This line is the most significant part of this song I wanted to discuss because I was so confused for so long. I thought it was repeating the same line from earlier in the song, and I was somehow always hearing it wrong. It’s more of a play on words. The way she says “bye-ye-ye” at the end always gets me. She is adorable, and her voice is heavenly. 

Do you think I have a crush on Sabrina Carpenter? Because I definitely do. I’m recently married, and she’s very clear in “Slim Pickins” that she never had a gay awakening, so her “cute ass” will just stay in my mind. Not to mention that wanting to have a relationship with someone famous is very likely to end in tragedy. I would never put myself in that position, not even for this golden-haired “Short N Sweet” beauty. sigh

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Track 4: Sharpest Tool

The fourth track on Sabrina Carpenter’s fantabulous album Short N Sweet, “Sharpest Tool,” is about a one-sided relationship. Sabrina describes the pain of her seemingly unrequited feelings, complaining about the song’s subject’s frustrating lack of communication. 

I know you're not the sharpest tool in the shed

This is the only time in the whole song where she says this phrase or even mentions the words “Sharpest Tool.” Songs like this bother me to no end. For some reason, my brain just can’t comprehend song titles that are only mentioned once in the song. Titles that are not mentioned at all, like “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” by Panic! at the Disco, don’t bother me at all. But for some reason, having it only said once, especially at the very beginning of the song, irks my soul. 

Track 8 of the album, “Dumb and Poetic,” has the same problem. The worst part is that the line “doesn’t make you a man,” from “Dumb and Poetic” repeats several times with different beginning phrases. It really seems like a better name since it connects with the meaning of the song. At least this song makes sense to me because even though she never repeats those words, the narrative describes the song’s subject as a “tool,” meaning someone who tries too hard to act cool. If I had to name this song, I’d choose the line “We never talk about it.”

We had sex, I met your best friends

Then a bird flies by and you forget

There are two ways that I see this passage taken. The first interpretation is how I relate my ADHD issue with object permanence. Unfortunately, if a friend and I don’t talk for a while, I will lowkey forget you exist until a memory is triggered. Not going to lie, I sometimes forget I have a husband and I see him every day. I’ve made jokes about being single then someone reminds me of my partner and I’m like “Oh, yeah! I love him.” 

The second way I could interpret this is that the subject of the song has the metaphorical attention span of a goldfish, which is actually incorrect due to science nowadays. New research suggests that goldfish actually have a good working memory and can be trained to recognize faces. 

Both explanations aside, I think Sabrina’s intent is that she feels the subject of the song is not clear about how they see her. She meets their best friends, they are intimate, then suddenly it’s like she doesn’t even exist. That would be very confusing for anyone and would cause hurt feelings. 

I don't hear a word 'til your guilt creeps in

On a Tuesday, send a soft "Hey"

As if you really don't recall the time

We were going right, then you took a left

Left me with a lot of shit to second guess

Guess I'll waste another year on wondering if

If that was casual, then I'm an idiot

This section exemplifies the confusion she is experiencing. 

I'm looking for an answer in between the lines

Lying to yourself if you think we're fine

You're confused and I'm upset

But we never talk about it

We never talk about it

We never talk about it

All the silence just makes it worse, really

'Cause it leaves you so top of mind for me

All the silence is just your strategy

'Cause it leaves you so top of mind for me

Here is when she connects the communication difficulties to manipulation tactics. 

We never talk about how you found God at your ex's house

Always made sure that the phone was face down

Seems like overnight, I'm just the bitch you hate now

This is my favorite part of the song. The way she sings it is so chef’s kiss which is why I included a clip from the actual song instead of just saying the lyrics.

We never talk it through

How you guilt-tripped me to open up to you

Then you logged out, leaving me dumbfounded, ooh

After this part, she just repeats  “We never talk about it” until the song fades out.

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That’s all for this episode! The next part will be on streaming services next week. If you want the entire episode with all four parts right now, it is available on my Patreon! To sweeten the deal, while regular streaming services will have mostly me saying the lyrics, the Patreon version will have clips from the songs for every line. 

Outro~