Taylor Swift's "Mean" Takes Aim at Her Critics
NEW YORK (CBS) Taylor Swift is getting musical revenge.
With her new song, "Mean," off her upcoming LP, "Speak Now," the country pop star takes aim at those who've attacked her.
"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 nothing/ You with voice like nails on a chalkboard calling me out when I'm wounded/ You picking on the weaker man," Swift sings in the opening verse.
In the chorus, the 20- year-old sings that she will one day overcome her bullies and will be off doing bigger and better things while they sulk in their misery.
"Someday I'll be living in a big old city, and all you're ever gonna be is mean/Someday, I'll be big a enough so you can't hit me, and all you're ever gonna be is mean."
Swift told E! News that the track was inspired by those who've "crossed the line over and over again" and would say "things that would ruin my day."
"I get that, no matter what, you're going to be criticized for something," the Grammy-winning singer said. "But I also get that there are different kinds of ways to criticize someone. There's constructive criticism, there's professional criticism--and then there's just being mean. And there's a line that you cross when you just start to attack everything about a person."
Swift's third studio album, "Speak Now," hits shelves Oct. 25