Mean: On Temptation and the Devil

The following is the inaugural post of this blog. In the past I have taken it upon myself to interpret and decode the works of literary and philosophical giants such as Dante , J.R.R Tolkien, and Shakespeare. It is with this background that I begin my most challenging of all tasks, the decoding and interpretation of Taylor Swift's songs.  The shear magnitude of this undertaking stands before me as if it were an insurmountable mountain. This blog will be my life's achievement, the very pinnacle of my earthly endeavors. In the face of this task I am truly humbled.

As my first entry I will present the song "Mean" from Taylor's album "Speak Now". In the popular context of this song, it is about a young girl (the protagonist) who is attempting to achieve fame through the music industry. The song is the young girl's answer to a previous encounter with the antagonist. The antagonist is an older man who had belittled the young girl's talent and doubted her ability to achieve fame. Now it is most important to remember that this is merely the popular context of the song. This is the meaning that was imposed upon the song by the secular society's initial interpretation of the song. It will be my job to tear down this facade that has been created by society's ignorance and to unveil the true meaning.  

In the true context of this song the protagonist is a generic human individual fighting temptation and more specifically, a fallen angel. Within the protagonist character is contained many aspects of the fallen human condition. These aspects materialize throughout the song in the form of fear, humiliation, frustration, revenge etc. Not only does the song paint a picture of mankind's faults it also provides the correct response to these faults and delivers a truly edifying portrait of life's end purpose.

I shall start this discourse with a study of the antagonist character. After abundant study and reflection I have come to the indisputable fact that the antagonist is a allegorical representation of of a fallen angel. This fact can be seen throughout the song with abundant references to the purely evil ("mean") nature of the character. However, and this is key, the evil of the antagonist does not manifest itself through physical methods but rather relies solely on words and deception. This method accurately mirrors the characteristics of a fallen angel (see the "Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis). Various non-physical methods are used by the character, the most important being shame and humiliation. The fallen angel constantly attempts to degrade the self esteem of  the protagonist stating that she will never reach her final goal (the "big ol' city"). This method is popular among fallen angels as can be through our own lives.

The protagonist represents the epitome of the human condition. The protagonist is constantly bombarded and belittled by the fallen angel. The temptation to believe the degrading words of the fallen angel and to stray from the path leading towards the "big ol' city" is constantly present in the mind of the girl. In fact, references are made to a previous time when the protagonist did in fact stray: "You have knocked me off my feet again got me feeling like I'm nothing" and again "You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard, calling me out when I'm wounded". In spite of these failings the girl continues to rebound from the despair of sin. She eventually definitively rejects the fallen angel and its temptations "I'll walk with my head down trying to block you out". Throughout the song the protagonist anticipates the completion of her earthly journey with the words "Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city". I believe that this phrase merits an explanation. The reference to the "big ol' city" is a clear analogy to the kingdom of heaven. The "big ol' city" is the end goal of the protagonist, it is truly her life's purpose. This is the end which the fallen angel fought against so vehemently, and it is only after the completion of this end that the protagonist is completely free from the temptations of the fallen angel "Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me".

To summarize, Taylor's song "Mean" is a stirring representation of the fallen human condition. It depicts our tendency to lose hope and to despair from ever achieving our end goal (heaven). It also stresses the existence of fallen angels who actively seek to lead us from this goal. This truly beautiful song can never be fully explained; however, I hope that my words have en-lighted some minds and that more people come to appreciate Taylor Swift and her songs.

Taylor Swift (Mean)
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 I'm nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard, calling 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 living in a big ol' 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'll walk with my head down trying to 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 living in a big ol' 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, talking 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 living in a big ol' 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, living in a big ol' city
(Why you gotta be so mean?)
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
(Why you gotta be so mean?)
And all you're ever gonna be is mean

Why you gotta be so mean?