Mean – English Lyrics

• By: Taylor Swift

Lyrics & Translation

Learning English with Taylor Swift's "Mean" offers a great opportunity to explore figurative language, such as similes and metaphors, which she uses to express her feelings about being criticized. The song's straightforward narrative and its clear message of overcoming negativity make the lyrics relatively easy to follow, helping learners to understand how language can be used to tell a story and convey strong emotions.

[English]

(curtains lightly rumbling)

♪ You, with your words like knives ♪

♪ And swords and weapons that you use against me ♪

♪ You have knocked me off my feet again ♪

♪ Got me feeling like a nothing ♪

♪ You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard ♪

♪ Callin' me out when I'm wounded ♪

♪ You, pickin' on the weaker man ♪

♪ Well, you can take me down ♪

♪ With just one single blow ♪

♪ But you don't know what you don't know ♪

♪ Someday, I'll be livin' in a big old city ♪

♪ And all you're ever gonna be is mean ♪

♪ Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me ♪

♪ And all you're ever gonna be is mean ♪

♪ Why you gotta be so mean ♪

♪ You, with your switching sides ♪

♪ And your wildfire lies and your humiliation ♪

♪ You have pointed out my flaws again ♪

♪ As if I don't already see them ♪

♪ I walk with my head down ♪

♪ Tryna block you out 'cause I'll never impress you ♪

♪ I just wanna feel okay again ♪

♪ I'll bet you got pushed around ♪

♪ Somebody made you cold ♪

♪ But the cycle ends right now ♪

♪ 'Cause you can't lead me down that road ♪

♪ And you don't know what you don't know ♪

♪ Someday, I'll be livin' in a big old city ♪

♪ And all you're ever gonna be is mean ♪

♪ Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me ♪

♪ And all you're ever gonna be is mean ♪

♪ Why you gotta be so mean ♪

♪ And I can see you years from now ♪

♪ In a bar talkin' over a football game ♪

♪ With that same big loud opinion, but nobody's listening ♪

♪ Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things ♪

♪ Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing ♪

♪ But all you are is mean ♪

♪ All you are is mean ♪

♪ And a liar, and pathetic ♪

♪ And alone in life and mean ♪

♪ And mean, and mean, and mean ♪

♪ But someday, I'll be livin' in a big old city ♪

♪ And all you're ever gonna be is mean, yeah ♪

♪ Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me ♪

♪ And all you're ever gonna be is mean ♪

♪ Why you gotta be so mean ♪

♪ Someday, I'll be livin' in a big old city ♪

♪ And all you're ever gonna be is mean ♪

♪ Why you gotta be so mean ♪

♪ Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me ♪

♪ And all you're ever gonna be is mean ♪

♪ Why you gotta be so mean ♪

(audience clapping)

Key Grammar Structures

• You, with your words like knives

  ➔ Prepositional phrase (with your words like knives)

  ➔ Shows the manner in which the words are used, using the preposition "with" to connect the subject and the descriptive phrase.

• But you don't know what you don't know

  ➔ Negative present simple with auxiliary "do not" + base verb

  ➔ Uses auxiliary "do" + "not" to negate the verb "know" in the present simple tense, emphasizing the statement.

• Someday, I'll be livin' in a big old city

  ➔ Futur Simple with "will" + base verb, contracted as "I'll"

  ➔ Expresses a future intention or plan, using "will" + base form of the verb, with the contraction "I'll" for "I will".

• You have pointed out my flaws again

  ➔ Present perfect tense with "have" + past participle

  ➔ Indicates an action that has been completed at some point before now, emphasizing relevance to the present.

• And you don't know what you don't know

  ➔ Nested negative clauses with "don't" + base verb

  ➔ Uses multiple negative clauses to emphasize the paradoxical idea that the person is unaware of their own ignorance.

• And all you're ever gonna be is mean

  ➔ Future continuous with "gonna" (informal for "going to") + base verb

  ➔ Expresses a planned or inevitable future state using informal contraction "gonna" with "be" + adjective or noun complement.