What We Don't Know About the New Butterfly Mural in the Gulch (Updated)

You've probably heard by now that there is something going on in Nashville today. No, not that, the other thing. A new wings mural appeared on a wall in the Gulch last week, directly behind the Scene's office. It was made by the same artist as the other wings mural in the Gulch, only this one is smaller, uglier and rumored to be connected to a forthcoming announcement from Taylor Swift. (For what it's worth, we are reliably told that Swift was in town, at the Sony offices, earlier this week.)

The former Nashvillian, who appeared in the 2010 film Valentine's Day, has been teasing ... something. Most notably, she put a countdown on her website that ends at midnight tonight.

This has all led to low-grade pandemonium in the Gulch, where teens have gathered to look at the mural and ... I don't know, think about what might happen. Earlier, the artist was on site to add the word "Me!" to the mural.

When asked if she thought Swift was planning on showing up at the mural, one fan said, “Oh we don’t think — we know.” When asked if the various Swift-esque imagery was what made the crowd so certain the singer would appear, another fan — in town from Michigan for a bachelorette party — said she was convinced by both that and the size of the crowd gathered. Amid all the commotion, a man carrying a cardboard cutout of Swift’s head incited chants of, “Taylor! Taylor!” The chants dissipated quickly.

Here's what we don't know:

— We don't know that this won't end with Taylor Swift appearing at midnight and enthusiastically encouraging the assembled Young People to vote. 

— We don't know that this is not actually a slight against the One True Queen, Kacey Musgraves, for which we will not stand. 

— We don't know that Nashville is even a city anymore, but rather one continuous Event. 

— We don't know that this isn't a guerrilla marketing campaign for a new e-scooter company — Me! Scooter — founded by Taylor Swift.

— We don't know that Sturgill Simpson is not on his way to the mural right now to stage an impromptu performance. He probably isn't. But we don't know that. 

— We don't know if this spot on the wall was sold to Taylor Swift to help fill a hole in the Metro government's budget. 

— We don't know why these kids standing around the mural aren't in school.

— We don't know why we didn't go back to school instead of going into media.

— We don't know that Swift isn't currently camped out inside a suitcase nearby, preparing to spring out.

We will keep you updated on what does happen. Although, midnight is pretty late, so maybe not. 

Update: Shortly before noon, Swift did indeed show up at the mural site. For several minutes, she took selfies with fans, before teasing some more forthcoming content (tonight on ABC) and thanking everyone for coming. "You guys are amazing for figuring this out," Swift told the crowd. "Because no one knew we were coming." Well, not exactly no one. Watch a clip below.