𝘛𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴

𝟻 | 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗

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About

"Dear John" is an ode to Taylor's short-lived relationship with fellow singer-songwriter John Mayer. Taylor conveys her feelings of frustration over the way she was treated by John and how she disregarded the warnings from others.

Besides the obvious song title, there are multiple references to Mayer directly, including the mention of their almost ten-year age gap. Sonically, Taylor purposefully added guitar slurring to the background instrumentals, a guitar playing technique seen all throughout Mayer's music.

The two notably collaborated on Mayer's 2010 song "Half of My Heart," which was released 4 months before "Dear John."

Besides John's public statement to Rolling Stone in 2012, Mayer also replied to "Dear John" three years later, in his 2013 song "Paper Doll." In the song, John directly replies to Taylor's line, "you paint me a blue
sky then go back and turn it to rain" with, "and if those angel wings don't fly, someone's going to paint you another sky."

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Lyrics

Long we're the nights when
My days once revolved around you
Counting my footsteps
Praying the floor won't fall through...again
My mother accused me of losing my mind
But I swore I was fine
You paint me a blue sky
Then go back and turn it to rain
And I lived in your chess game
But you changed the rules everyday
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

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

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 look back in 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 shoulda known

You are an expert at sorry
And keeping 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, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, 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 shoulda known

You shoulda known
Don't you think I was too young?
You shoulda known

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