"The song "Dear John" is sort of like the last email you would ever send to someone that you used to be in a relationship with. Usually people write this venting last email to someone and they say everything that they want to say to that person, and then they usually don't send it. I guess by putting this song on the album I am pushing send."
Dear John
Taylor Swift Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My days once revolved around you
Counting my footsteps
Praying the floor won't fall through again
And my mother accused me of losing my mind
But I swore I was fine
You paint me a blue sky
And go back and turn it to rain
But you changed the rules every day
Wondering which version of you I might get on the phone tonight
Well, I stopped picking up and this song is to let you know why
Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone
Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?
The girl in the dress, cried the whole way home
I should've known
Well, maybe it's me
And my blind optimism to blame
Or maybe it's you and your sick need
To give love then take it away
And you'll add my name to your long list of traitors
Who don't understand
And I'll look back and regret how I ignored when they said
"Run as fast as you can"
Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone
Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?
The girl in the dress, cried the whole way home
Dear John, I see it all now, it was wrong
Don't you think nineteen's too young
To be played by your dark, twisted games when I loved you so?
I should've known
You are an expert at sorry and keeping the lines blurry
Never impressed by me acing your tests
All the girls that you've run dry have tired lifeless eyes
'Cause you burned them out
But I took your matches before fire could catch me
So don't look now
I'm shining like fireworks over your sad empty town
Oh, oh
Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone
Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?
The girl in the dress, cried the whole way home
I see it all now that you're gone
Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?
The girl in the dress wrote you a song
You should've known
You should've known
Don't you think I was too young?
You should've known
The lyrics to "Dear John" by Taylor Swift speak to the emotional turmoil of a young woman who has been hurt by a manipulative and emotionally abusive ex-lover. The song was written about her relationship with John Mayer, which lasted for a brief period in late 2009 and early 2010. The song is a testament to Swift's ability to capture the raw emotions of heartbreak and channel them into powerful lyrics that resonate with her audience.
The opening lines set the tone of the song - the singer is lamenting the fact that her life used to revolve around her ex-lover. She would count her footsteps, afraid that the floor would cave in at any moment. Her mother begins to worry about her mental state but she insists that everything is fine. In this part of the song, Swift uses vivid imagery to convey the sense of instability and insecurity that she feels in the relationship.
The chorus is a scathing rebuke of her ex-lover, John. She accuses him of taking advantage of her youth and naivety. She sings that she "should have known" better than to trust him. In the second verse, Swift takes some of the blame for the relationship's downfall, wondering if her "blind optimism" was to blame. But she also lays into John, accusing him of being manipulative and emotionally unstable.
Overall, "Dear John" is a powerful song about heartbreak and emotional abuse. Swift's lyrics are raw and honest, and her message is one of empowerment - that even in the face of heartache and pain, it's possible to take back control and emerge stronger than ever.
Line by Line Meaning
Long were the nights when my days once revolved around you
I used to spend every waking moment with you and my nights were long without you
Counting my footsteps, Praying the floor won't fall through, again
I was so anxious around you that I counted my steps and prayed the ground wouldn't collapse beneath me
My mother accused me of losing my mind, But I swore I was fine, you paint me a blue sky And go back and turn it to rain
Even though my mother thought I was going crazy being with you, I ignored it because you would make me feel happy and then ruin it by making me feel sad
And I lived in your chess game, But you changed the rules every day
My life with you was like being a pawn in a game of chess where the rules constantly changed, leaving me unsure of what to do or expect
Wondering which version of you I might get on the phone Tonight, well I stopped picking up, and this song is to let you know why
I never knew which version of you I'd get when I spoke to you on the phone, but eventually I stopped answering completely and wrote this song to explain why
Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone Don't you think I was too young to be messed with? The girl in the dress, cried the whole way home, I should've known
Now that we're apart, I see clearly how you messed with my emotions and hurt me unfairly. I was just a young girl in love with you, and I should've known better
Well maybe it's me and my blind optimism to blame Maybe it's you and your sick need to give love then take it away
Maybe I'm partly to blame for believing in you so much, or maybe it's your twisted way of giving love just to take it away that's the problem
And you'll add my name to your long list of traitors who don't understand And I'll look back and regret how I ignored when they said "run as fast as you can"
You'll probably label me as one of your many traitors who didn't understand you, but I'll regret ignoring others who warned me to stay away from you
You are an expert at sorry, And keeping the lines blurry Never impressed by me acing your tests
You're good at apologizing when you hurt me, but you never made it clear where we stood which left me unsure. You didn't care that I did well and passed your tests
All the girls that you've run dry Have tired, lifeless eyes 'Cause you burned them out
All of the other girls you've been with are emotionally drained and tired because you've used up all their emotions
But I took your matches before fire could catch me, So don't look now, I'm shining like fireworks over your sad, empty town
I left you before you could hurt me again, and now I'm thriving without you. You can't hurt me anymore, and I'm living my life to the fullest without you
I see it all now that you're gone Don't you think I was too young to be messed with? The girl in the dress wrote you a song You should've known, you should've known Don't you think I was too young? You should've known
Now that you're out of my life, I see how you took advantage of my youth and innocence. I wrote this song for you, and you should've realized that I was too young and vulnerable to be treated the way you treated me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Taylor Swift
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Random-hahaha
THE MATURE VOCALS WITH THIS SONG IS CRAZY 😭😭
@alyssalou2248
LITERALLY
@wefoundwonderland.13
FR
@Apple-uc4bw
FAXX
@user-mu6wv6yz5x
FRRRR
@lovechoc2249
YESSS💜😭
@sophiaswiftie3659
The high notes, the maturity in her voice I'm crying 😭😭😭😭
@babeshellpardillo8759
sameeee! please send lots of tissueee 💜💜💜💜
@o.allie.o
ME TOO!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭
@aestheticqueen15
Frr