Anti-Hero – English Lyrics

• By: Taylor Swift
• Album: Midnights

Lyrics & Translation

Learning a language through music is a powerful tool, and Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" offers a unique opportunity to explore English through themes of self-reflection and vulnerability. The song's clever wordplay and honest, conversational lyrics provide a window into contemporary English expression. What makes "Anti-Hero" special is its universal message of confronting one's own flaws, making it a relatable and engaging song for language learners to connect with.

[English]

♪♪♪

♪ I HAVE THIS THING WHERE I GET OLDER BUT JUST NEVER WISER ♪

♪ MIDNIGHTS BECOME MY AFTERNOONS ♪

♪ WHEN MY DEPRESSION WORKS THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT ♪

♪ ALL OF THE PEOPLE I’VE GHOSTED STAND THERE IN THE ROOM ♪

♪ I SHOULD NOT BE LEFT TO MY OWN

♪ TALE AS OLD AS TIME ♪

♪ I WAKE UP SCREAMING FROM DREAMING ONE DAY I’LL WATCH AS YOU’RE LEAVING ♪

♪ ‘CAUSE YOU GOT TIRED OF MY SCHEMING FOR THE LAST TIME ♪

♪ IT’S ME ♪

♪ HI ♪

♪ I’M THE PROBLEM, IT’S ME ♪

♪ AT TEATIME ♪

♪ EVERYBODY AGREES ♪

♪ I’LL STARE DIRECTLY AT THE SUN BUT NEVER IN THE MIRROR ♪

♪ IT MUST BE EXHAUSTING ALWAYS ROOTING FOR THE ANTI-HERO ♪

♪ SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE EVERYBODY IS A SEXY BABY ♪

♪ AND I’M A MONSTER ON THE HILL ♪

♪ TOO BIG TO HANG OUT ♪

♪ SLOWLY LURCHING TOWARD YOUR FAVORITE CITY ♪

♪ PIERCED THROUGH THE HEART BUT NEVER KILLED ♪

♪ DID YOU HEAR MY COVERT NARCISSISM I DISGUISE AS ♪

♪ ALTRUISM LIKE SOME KIND OF CONGRESSMAN ♪

♪ TALE AS OLD AS TIME ♪

♪ I WAKE UP SCREAMING FROM DREAMING ONE DAY I’LL WATCH AS YOU’RE LEAVING ♪

♪ AND LIFE WILL LOSE ALL ITS MEANING FOR THE LAST TIME ♪

♪ IT’S ME ♪

♪ HI ♪

♪ I’M THE PROBLEM, IT’S ME ♪

♪ AT TEATIME ♪

♪ EVERYBODY AGREES ♪

♪ I’LL STARE DIRECTLY AT THE SUN BUT NEVER IN THE MIRROR ♪

♪ IT MUST BE EXHAUSTING ALWAYS ROOTING FOR THE ANTI-HERO ♪

♪ I HAVE THIS DREAM MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW KILLS ME FOR THE MONEY ♪

♪ SHE THINKS I LEFT THEM IN THE WILL ♪

♪ THE FAMILY GATHERS ‘ROUND AND READS IT ♪

♪ AND THEN SOMEONE SCREAMS OUT ♪

♪ “SHE’S LAUGHING UP AT US FROM HELL!” ♪

- WHAT?? WHAT DOES IT SAY?

- IT'S THE WORST

- BUT WHO GOT THE BEACH HOUSE!?

- SHE’S HAVING IT TURNED INTO A CAT SANCTUARY

- WHAT!? CATS DON'T EVEN LIKE THE BEACH

- WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE ASSETS?

- I FLEW ALL THE WAY HERE FROM IBIZA

- TO MY CHILDREN, I LEAVE 13 CENTS.

- CURSES, SCREAMS OF PROTEST.

- WAIT. WAIT. YOU GUYS.

THERE’S PROBABLY A SECRET ENCODED MESSAGE THAT MEANS SOMETHING ELSE!

YEAH, YEAH, YEAH THAT'S WHAT MOM WOULD ALWAYS DO.

“PS: THERE IS NO SECRET ENCODED MESSAGE THAT MEANS SOMETHING ELSE. LOVE, TAYLOR”

GREAT, WELL GOOD JOB CHAD. YOU FINALLY PUSHED IT TOO FAR.

WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING BY THAT?

I THINK SHE'S IMPLYING THAT YOU HAVEN'T HESITATED TO TRADE ON MOM'S NAME

EXCUSE ME ?

UMMM, DO YOU NOT REMEMBER YOUR BOOK ‘GROWING UP SWIFT’

AND YOUR STUPID PODCAST 'LIFE COMES AT YOU SWIFTLY'

WHICH I'M PRETTY SURE YOU ARE RECORDING FOR ON YOUR PHONE RIGHT NOW

CHAD, COME ON! AT HER FUNERAL CHAD

OKAY WELL WHY DON'T YOU GO CRY ABOUT IT AT THE COUNTRY CLUB

THAT YOU NAME DROPPED MOM TO GET INTO, PRESTON.

AND KIMBER YOU ARE LITERALLY WEARING HER CLOTHES RIGHT NOW.

NO, I'M NOT.

THAT’S FROM THE FEARLESS TOUR, 2009.

OKAY, WELL YOU KNOW WHAT, WE WERE VERY, VERY CLOSE. I MISS HER.

THEY WERE SO CLOSE.

OKAY, I'M JUST GONNA SAY IT, I THINK SHE KILLED HER.

YOU’VE GONE TOO FAR.

KIMBER WAS THE LAST ONE WITH HER!! SHE DIDN’T FALL OFF THAT BALCONY!! SHE WAS PUSHED.

NOOOO!!! YOU MONSTER!!!

♪ IT’S ME ♪

♪ HI ♪

♪ I’M THE PROBLEM, IT’S ME ♪

♪ IT’S ME ♪

♪ HI ♪

♪ I’M THE PROBLEM, IT’S ME ♪

♪ IT’S ME ♪

♪ HI ♪

♪ EVERYBODY AGREES ♪

♪ EVERYBODY AGREES ♪

♪ IT’S ME ♪

♪ HI ♪

♪ I’M THE PROBLEM, IT’S ME ♪

♪ AT TEATIME ♪

♪ EVERYBODY AGREES ♪

♪ I’LL STARE DIRECTLY AT THE SUN BUT NEVER IN THE MIRROR ♪

♪ IT MUST BE EXHAUSTING ALWAYS ROOTING FOR THE ANTI-HERO ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ghosted /ˈɡoʊstɪd/ B2	verb - to suddenly cut off all communication with someone without explanation
depression /dɪˈpreʃən/ B1	noun - a mental health condition characterized by persistent sadness and loss of interest
scheming /ˈskiːmɪŋ/ B2	adjective - making secret plans to achieve something, often in a cunning way
exhausting /ɪɡˈzɔːstɪŋ/ B1	adjective - extremely tiring or draining
lurching /ˈlɜːrtʃɪŋ/ B2	verb - to move in an awkward, unsteady way
covert /ˈkoʊvɜːrt/ C1	adjective - not openly acknowledged or displayed; secret
narcissism /ˈnɑːrsɪsɪzəm/ C1	noun - excessive interest in or admiration of oneself
altruism /ˈæltruːɪzəm/ C1	noun - the belief in or practice of selfless concern for the well-being of others
screaming /ˈskriːmɪŋ/ A2	verb - to shout or cry out in a loud, high-pitched voice
legacy /ˈlɛɡəsi/ B2	noun - something left or handed down by a predecessor
will /wɪl/ A1	noun - a legal document stating how a person's property will be distributed after death
encoded /ɪnˈkoʊdɪd/ B2	verb - to convert (a message) into code
implying /ɪmˈplaɪɪŋ/ B1	verb - to suggest something indirectly
hesitated /ˈhɛzɪteɪtɪd/ B1	verb - to pause before doing something, often due to uncertainty
funeral /ˈfjuːnərəl/ A2	noun - a ceremony held after someone's death to bury or cremate them
sanctuary /ˈsæŋkʌɛri/ B2	noun - a place of refuge or safety

Key Grammar Structures

• I HAVE THIS THING WHERE I GET OLDER BUT JUST NEVER WISER

  ➔ Relative Clause using 'where'

  ➔ The word "where" introduces a relative clause, referring back to "this thing". It signifies the context or circumstance related to the speaker's habit.

• MIDNIGHTS BECOME MY AFTERNOONS

  ➔ Metaphor / Figurative language

  ➔ This is a metaphor meaning the speaker's nights feel like daytime due to their depression.

• I SHOULD NOT BE LEFT TO MY OWN DEVICES

  ➔ Passive Voice with a Modal Verb

  ➔ "Should not be left" is the passive construction. The modal verb "should" expresses obligation or advice. "To my own devices" is an idiom meaning left to do what one wants without supervision.

• I WAKE UP SCREAMING FROM DREAMING ONE DAY I’LL WATCH AS YOU’RE LEAVING

  ➔ Future Tense with 'will' and present continuous used as future.

  ➔ "I'll watch" uses the future tense with "will" to express a future action. "You're leaving" is present continuous but is used to describe a future arrangement or plan.

• IT MUST BE EXHAUSTING ALWAYS ROOTING FOR THE ANTI-HERO

  ➔ Modal Verb 'must' expressing deduction/probability

  ➔ Here, "must" expresses the speaker's strong belief or deduction that it is exhausting to support someone perceived as the "anti-hero".

• DID YOU HEAR MY COVERT NARCISSISM I DISGUISE AS ALTRUISM LIKE SOME KIND OF CONGRESSMAN

  ➔ Past Simple Tense for a recent action and simile

  ➔ "Did you hear" uses the past simple to ask about something that may have happened recently. The phrase "like some kind of congressman" is a simile, comparing the disguised narcissism to a stereotypical politician's behavior.