"Mean" by Taylor Swift
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 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 walk-by 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 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, 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 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, living in a big old 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?
Stupid. Ugly. Midget. Nerd. Loser. Yes, I've been called all of these things. And I must admit, I've called some people these things and worse. But just because people do it doesn't mean it's okay. I'll bet that if I walked to school one morning and asked everyone on the street if they'd ever been bullied or gossiped about, at least 9 out of 10 would say yes. And I'll bet if I asked them if they'd ever bullied someone else, chances are that most of them would say yes. Bullying is a problem in every school and even outside of school. Words can hurt. Sometimes an insult can feel as bad as getting punched in the stomach or even worse. I should know, both have happened to me. Kids and teens often don't have very good "filters" for what they say. They don't think about how their choice of words can affect someone else. It can be hard to control the words that come out of your mouth. Bullying is inevitable. Chances are if you're reading this, you've been bullied before or you will be bullied in the future. No matter how "perfect" you may seem, a bully can always find flaws("You, have pointed out my flaws again as if I don't already see them") Some kids are easier targets because bullies are jealous of their good qualities and want to make them seem bad. It's hard to know what to say in certain situations and it can be difficult to tell the difference between defending yourself verbally and insulting someone.
In this song, Taylor talks about how bullying is passed along. Someone who is bullied can become so angry and bitter that they take their anger out on someone else because they're afraid of being that kid again. The kid who feels powerless and small. ("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") Bullies usually don't think about how their victim is going to feel later on. They don't know the affect that their insults have. There have been many stories in magazines and newspapers about teens who've become clinically depressed because of bullies and have even taken their own lives because bullies have hurt them so much. People need to think about what's going to happen to that kid they're bullying when he or she goes home, not just what's happening in the moment. Is it really worth it to hurt someone's feelings just to impress your friends? Friends like that probably won't even be your friends five years from now. Bullying hurts a lot("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.") It's funny how a bunch of words put into a sentence or two can have such a strong effect on someone.
Okay, so the last two paragraphs have been pretty depressing and I've basically been just talking about how bullying is wrong. But the victims aren't powerless. They have the choice to do the right thing by walking away with the satisfaction that they don't have to waste their time with bullies. People need to stop letting bullies get to them. A bully wants to see you fail, but there's almost nothing more satisfying than knowing that you're not going to let some bully get you down. I've been criticized. I love to act, but I've been told I'm not talented or pretty enough to be an actress. I love to write but I've been told I'm too dumb to be a writer or that I wasn't a "real" artist. But I know that a true artist doesn't stop when someone puts them down. I know that now, it may seem like the bullies have all the power, but it's the quirky, unique kids who get called nerds and freaks who come out on top later in life. Like Taylor says in the song: "Someday I'll be living 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." :)
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