William Shakespeare never got to meet Sabrina Carpenter, but if he did, I’d like to think he would’ve complimented her rhyming prowess.
More likely is that he would’ve been jealous of her. Carpenter has become Shakespeare for girls of the 2020s, her verses speaking to the desire to get laid, be sexy, and have fun. The crystallization of these feminine urge-focused lyrics, though? Carpenter’s changing series of horny rhymes that she sings as an outro to her song “Nonsense.”
“Nonsense,” the fifth single from her 2022 album Emails I Can’t Send, is currently Carpenter’s most popular track on Spotify. The recorded version’s final verse, which Carpenter still sings before each new live outro, goes: “This song is catchier than chickenpox is/ I bet your house is where my other sock is/ Woke up this morning, thought I’d write a pop hit/ How quickly can you take your clothes off—pop quiz?” She then immediately erupts into laughter.
As the artist tours both within the United States and internationally, she’s started a new tradition: At each new stop along her tour, she pens a new verse as the outro to “Nonsense” that somehow incorporates the location into the NSFW three-line jingle. She’s been doing it since the Emails I Can’t Send tour began last September in Atlanta—happy almost one-year anniversary to the outro!
For example, this was Carpenter’s first live version of the outro on her tour last year: “Come over tonight my room is spotless/ I’m sorry this outro is so chaotic/ Atlanta, it’s official: You’re the hottest.” This one is pretty tame, when you compare it to the ones she’s performed since.
When Carpenter returned to Atlanta several months later, however, she arrived ready to steam things up a bit more this time: “He hit so hard I’m walking on a slant-a / This body is in super high demand-a / I hear they like my peaches in Atlanta.” Now we’re talking!
My favorite version of the “Nonsense” outro is the one she performed on July 25 in the Philippines: “His ex is a motel, I’m a villa/ He says I taste better than vanilla/ What’s your favorite city? Mine’s Manila.” That one’s been in my head since I first heard it.
In case you want to hear even more of these bops, Buzzfeed has a near-comprehensive ranked list, or you can watch the live performances of some of her best in this TikTok compilation:
Fun as they are, I’ve seen more than a few people call these verses corny. They’re not wrong! The outros do have a tendency to make me wince. At the same time, Carpenter seems to understand that the bit is a little cringe; she’s started making the verses more tongue-in-cheek than sincere attempts at sounding sexy. Plus, the first time she performed the outro, Carpenter literally apologized for how “chaotic” it was. But Carpenter knows how to make chaos trendy, which is why the horned-up verses work so well: They’re goofy. Some don’t even rhyme. But who cares? Each city gets to be in on the fun, adding something special to each live show.
And now, the attendees at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour get to hear new “Nonsense” outro verses on each stop along the international leg of the tour. Carpenter started her gig opening for Swift last Thursday in Mexico City, and she’ll continue to open through next March. Carpenter is slated to perform ahead of Swift in Argentina, Brazil, Australia, and Singapore.
Here’s a taste of what to expect from Carpenter’s new round of “Nonsense” verses, based on what she gave Mexico City during her first show on tour: “I only date him if he pays mi rente/ If you are a Swiftie, you’re mi gente/ Let me hear you make some noise, DF.”
Carpenter’s second night with the Eras Tour came with my favorite new outro: “He said, ‘Where you at?” I said, “I’m busy”/ Sipping on tequila getting tipsy/ Con mis chicas in Mexico City.” I hope one of the friends she’s referring to is Taylor Swift, and that the two of them were enjoying a drink together before the show.
But Carpenter’s final outro on her first run of Eras Tour shows was nothing short of breathtaking. “Felt so good, he made me hit the top note/ Eras tickets, girl, you won the lotto/ Mexico, I kinda think te amo.”
While the outro verse was making rounds on TikTok prior to the Eras Tour, it seems that opening for Swift has really put all eyes on Carpenter’s saucy stanza. The Swift fan accounts have already hopped aboard the “Nonsense” outros train after her first few shows on Eras. It deserves all the attention in pop music, frankly. No matter how cringey the verses may or may not be, to create something original for each new show makes the live performances even more special—especially at something already as special as Eras.
This is the last we’ll see Carpenter performing live for quite a few months. She’s set to return to the Eras Tour in November to open for Swift in Comuna 13, Argentina. That gives us all some time to predict what she may rhyme with “Argentina.” The first word that comes to mind? Sabrina.
