Decoding the Meaning Behind Taylor Swift's "Dear John (Taylor's Version)"
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Swifties, the time has come. Taylor Swift has officially released her Speak Now (Taylor's Version) album. The highly-anticipated re-release drew much support from fans after Taylor revealed that she would be dropping the project during a stop on her Eras Tour in Minneapolis this past June. "Dear John" was one of the 2010 album's most talked about songs, largely because fans believed the song's lyrics alluded to Taylor's rumored relationship with singer John Mayer.
Don't remember the tea about their brief ship? Here's a recap. Taylor was 19 when she allegedly dated the 31-year-old singer from December 2009 to February 2010. The song's lyrics about a devastating breakup, references to Tay's age, the inclusion of a guitar that sounds similar to the ones John often uses in his music, and the fact that his name was used in the song's title fueled fan theories that the song was inspired by their short-lived relationship.
On June 24, the Grammy winner asked her fans for "kindness" ahead of the album's release. "I'm 33 years old. I don't care about anything that happened to me when I was 19 except the songs I wrote," she said, "So what I'm trying to tell you is that I am not putting this album out, so you should feel the need to defend me on the internet against someone you think I wrote a song about 14 million years ago."
Check out "Dear John (Taylor's Version)" below if you haven’t yet (tbh, it's been on repeat since midnight), and if you’re still not convinced about the message behind the song, keep scrolling for the full lyrics to Taylor’s "Dear John (Taylor's Version)."
Lyrics provided by Genius.
[Verse 1]
Long were the nights
When my days once revolved around you
Counting my footsteps
Prayin' the floor won't fall through again
And my mother accused me of losin' my mind
But I swore I was fine
You paint me a blue sky
Then go back to turn it to rain
And I lived in your chess game
But you change the rules every day
Wonderin' which version of you
I might get on the phone tonight
Well, I stopped pickin' up
And this song is to let you know why
Taylor uses the first verse to look back on the heartwarming highs and devastating lows she experienced throughout her relationship. She also talked about how her former lover made her feel good about herself but the confusion she felt by the games they played.
[Chorus]
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 shoulda known
The chorus reveals the clarity Taylor feels after the split, the questions she has for her ex, and the red flags she ignored just to be with them.
[Verse 2]
Well, maybe it's me and my blind optimism to blame
Or maybe it's you and your sick need
To give love and 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"
Taylor uses the second verse to discuss possible causes for their doomed relationship. Not only does she call out her ex's habit of giving love and taking it away, but she also wonders if he'll refer to her the same way he does to the lovers of his past. She also expresses remorse for ignoring the red flags people warned her about.
[Chorus]
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 shoulda known
[Instrumental Break]
[Bridge]
You are an expert at "Sorry" and keepin' lines blurry
Never impressed by me acing your tests
All the girls that you 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
Taylor calls out some of her ex's most toxic traits in the bridge and talks about how she used the adversity she experienced dating him to grow.
[Chorus]
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 shoulda known
[Outro]
You shoulda known
Don't you think I was too young?
You shoulda known
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