In 2019, Taylor left her original record label after it was bought by a company she did not want to work with. Taylor was not allowed to have the rights to the masters of her first six albums. Masters are the complete recordings of songs. Taylor felt betrayed and like her music was being held hostage. Her song “it’s time to go” is about trusting your gut when it’s telling you to leave. This song was likely inspired by Taylor’s decision to take control of all her own music. Fans also think it could be about the end of her friendship with Karlie Kloss because of the lyrics “when the words of a sister come back in whispers / That prove she was not / in fact what she seemed.”