For example, in folklore’s “The Last Great American Dynasty,” Swift turns her attention to a woman named Rebekah, who marries a wealthy heir and proceeds to inherit his fortune for herself.

“The Last Great American Dynasty,” for instance, was inspired by the life of Harkness. “Rebekah rode up on the afternoon train / It was sunny / Her saltbox house on the coast took her mind ...

Surprise” Perhaps most interesting to Rhode Island readers will be her song, “The Last Great American Dynasty,” where she recounts the history of her Westerly home.

Swift revealed she was inspired to write “The Last Great American Dynasty” when she learned about the previous owner of her Rhode Island house. The song draws parallels between Rebekah ...

Gonzalez went on, “This is a dynasty in the making ... who likes to sing about great American dynasties herself. The pairing has been framed as one of the best things to happen to the ...

“I love that song, and love the story behind it,” Henry said of “the last great american dynasty,” which Swift drew from the real-life saga of Rebekah Harkness, a mid-20th-century ...