Anti-Hero

• By: Taylor Swift
• Album: Midnights

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
older /ˈoʊldər/ A1	adjective - having lived for a relatively long time.
wiser /ˈwaɪzər/ A2	adjective - having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgement.
depression /dɪˈpreʃən/ B2	noun - a mental condition characterized by feelings of severe despondency and dejection, typically also with feelings of inadequacy and guilt, often accompanied by lack of energy and disturbance of appetite and sleep.
ghosted /ˈɡoʊstɪd/ B1	verb - to suddenly cut off all contact with someone (as by stopping to answer their texts and calls) without explanation
devices /dɪˈvaɪsɪz/ B1	noun - a thing made or adapted for a particular purpose.
prices /praɪsɪz/ A1	noun - the amount of money expected, required, or given in payment for something.
vices /ˈvaɪsɪz/ B2	noun - immoral or wicked behaviour.
crises /ˈkraɪsiːz/ C1	noun - a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger.
tale /teɪl/ B1	noun - a fictitious or true narrative or story, especially one that is imaginatively recounted.
screaming /ˈskriːmɪŋ/ B1	verb - to give a loud, piercing cry.
dreaming /ˈdriːmɪŋ/ A2	verb - experience a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep.
tired /ˈtaɪərd/ A2	adjective - in need of sleep or rest; weary.
scheming /ˈskiːmɪŋ/ B2	verb - make plans, especially in a devious way or with a secret or selfish goal.
problem /ˈprɒbləm/ A2	noun - a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome.
mirror /ˈmɪrər/ A2	noun - a reflective surface, now typically of glass coated with a metallic substance behind it.
exhausting /ɪɡˈzɔːstɪŋ/ B2	adjective - making someone feel very tired.
rooting /ˈruːtɪŋ/ B2	verb - expressing strong support for someone or something.
anti-hero /ˌæntiˈhɪərəʊ/ C1	noun - a central character in a story, film, etc., who lacks conventional heroic qualities.
monster /ˈmɒnstər/ A2	noun - a creature, usually imaginary, that is large, ugly, and frightening.
killed /kɪld/ A2	verb - cause the death of (a person, animal, or other living thing).
dream /driːm/ A1	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep

Grammar:

• I have this thing where I get older, but just never wiser

  ➔ Relative Clause with 'where'

  ➔ The use of "where" introduces a relative clause modifying "this thing." It implies a situation or circumstance. The phrase "just never wiser" uses "just" as an intensifier.

• When my depression works the graveyard shift

  ➔ Use of 'when' to introduce a clause indicating time or condition. Subject + verb + object.

  ➔ "When" here introduces a temporal clause, showing when the described situation happens. The sentence follows a simple Subject-Verb-Object structure: "depression" (subject), "works" (verb), "graveyard shift" (object).

• All of the people I've ghosted stand there in the room

  ➔ Present Perfect (I've ghosted), Relative Clause (that I've ghosted)

  ➔ "I've ghosted" uses the present perfect tense to describe an action completed at an unspecified time in the past that is relevant to the present. "That I've ghosted" is a reduced relative clause modifying "people."

• I should not be left to my own devices

  ➔ Modal Verb 'should' + Passive Voice ('be left')

  ➔ "Should" expresses advice or a recommendation. "Be left" is the passive form of the verb "to leave," indicating that the subject (I) is acted upon, rather than acting.

• I end up in crises

  ➔ Phrasal Verb 'end up' + preposition 'in'

  ➔ "End up" means to eventually arrive at a particular place or state. Here, it means the speaker eventually finds themselves in crises. The preposition "in" is necessary to specify the location or state.

• It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

  ➔ Modal verb "must" (deduction), gerund phrase as subject (rooting for the anti-hero)

  ➔ "Must" expresses a strong deduction or conclusion. "Rooting for the anti-hero" is a gerund phrase acting as the subject of the sentence. The whole phrase means that consistently supporting the anti-hero is likely to be exhausting.

• Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby

  ➔ Expression "feel like" + clause using the verb 'to be'

  ➔ "Feel like" expresses a feeling or impression. Here, it's followed by a clause stating the nature of that feeling. The verb "is" connects the subject "everybody" with the descriptor "a sexy baby." Note the figurative language, where 'everybody' is likened to 'sexy baby'.

• Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism?

  ➔ Past Simple Question (Did you hear), Relative Clause introduced by implied "that/which" (narcissism I disguise as altruism)

  ➔ "Did you hear" forms a simple past question. The phrase "narcissism I disguise as altruism" is a relative clause modifying "my covert narcissism", with the relative pronoun (that or which) omitted. It shows a characteristic of B2-C1 English to omit relative pronouns when they are the object of the clause.