Anti Hero is a song that addresses feelings of melancholy, anxiety, insecurity, and just plain weirdness. These are examples of an exaggerated sense of self-worth. The song itself has been described as a collision of synthpop, neurotic image analysis, and dense lyricism brought together by “a methodical drum loop” and “simmering synths.” Taken together, they can give a person the impression that other people would never regard them in a typical manner.

Taylor Swift believes that people do not deserve her presence, just as she does not deserve theirs. In addition, she has the impression that her life will remain similar to hers because it seems to be going in circles. Nothing ever changes; things keep going in the same circular pattern.

Who is the Lyrics For?

An individual who does not possess the typical traits of a hero is typically referred to as an anti-hero. Even though they lack the characteristics of a hero, these characters are nevertheless the narrative’s focal point.

When talking about the song, Taylor Swift said: “But this song really is a real guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself. We all hate things about ourselves, and it’s all of those aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we’re going to let be this person”

There are fewer expectations placed on the Anti-hero, and disillusionment might set in when those expectations aren’t met. This is because the lyrics are still focused on bettering herself; Taylor Swift is not trying to help others.

Song Lyrics Meaning in Verse 1

The message of Taylor Swift’s Anti Hero lyrics, which can be found in the song’s first verse, touches on a significant challenge many faces when dealing with anxiety and melancholy.

One of the instantly most-quoted lines: “Midnights become my afternoons, when my depression works the graveyard shift / All the people I’ve ghosted stand there in the room.” Although Swift has spoken openly about going through difficult times, such as thinking her career was over in 2016 after the internet branded her a “snake,” she has never used the word “depression”; she generally speaks about “low times” or “bad” moments. This was a new level of candor from an album that, as multiple critics agreed in early reviews, was pretty dark music for Swift.

They cannot perceive or comprehend that they are becoming wiser as everything appears to operate in a loop. Nonetheless, they can recognize changes in their bodies and grasp that they are growing older.

As a result of the circular nature of her existence, she claims that she has experienced only physical development and not a corresponding change in her mental outlook. Her late nights are the same as her mornings, and the entire world appears upside down.

Chorus Meaning of this Song Lyrics

The lyrical significance of the chorus emphasizes the idea that she is a prisoner of her character.

Simply put, she incessantly needs to devise plans and dream up ideas that sound absurd. She claims that the chaos her vices generate makes it unsafe for anyone to leave her alone with them. However, nobody would stay with her for long unless they hoped to fall for her machinations.

She has no control over the situation despite how much she pushes. No one cares to be near her. Therefore she would be left to her character flaws. She takes others down with her to feel better about herself.

Verse 2 Song Lyrics Meaning

The crux of verse 2 is the speaker’s inability to separate her self-perception from her assumptions about others’ opinions.

Taylor appears in the music video on all fours as a giant monster. We put the other people in the room in their proper perspective. All of that came from her creative mind. The reactions of everyone at the table showed that nobody would dare sit close to her again. Even more so, she wouldn’t want to be around other people.

The Bridge Meaning

Taylor Swift has openly stated that she fears her daughter-in-law is responsible for her death. This occurs in a dream where they apparently get convinced that she has left some wealth.

She feels let down since, ultimately, she is unable to achieve the elusive happily together ever by satisfying everyone’s needs. She represents the antithesis of the hero. Swift lacks the typical heroic traits necessary to rescue herself, so she is barely holding on. Therefore, she cannot save anyone else.

Lyrics

I have this thing where I get older but just never wiser
Midnights become my afternoons
When my depression works the graveyard shift
All of the people I’ve ghosted stand there in the room

I should not be left to my own devices
They come with prices and vices
I end up in crisis (tale as old as time)
I wake up screaming from dreaming
One day I’ll watch as you’re leaving
‘Cause you got tired of my scheming
(For the last time)

It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me
At tea time, everybody agrees
I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror
It must be exhausting, always rooting for the anti-hero

Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby
And I’m a monster on the hill
Too big to hang out, slowly lurching toward your favorite city
Pierced through the heart, but never killed

Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism
Like some kind of congressman? (Tale as old as time)
I wake up screaming from dreaming
One day I’ll watch as you’re leaving
And life will lose all its meaning
(For the last time)

It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me (I’m the problem, it’s me)
At tea time, everybody agrees
I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror
It must be exhausting, always rooting for the anti-hero

I have this dream my daughter in-law kills me for the money
She thinks I left them in the will
The family gathers ’round and reads it and then someone screams out
“She’s laughing up at us from hell”

It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me
It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me
It’s me, hi, everybody agrees, everybody agrees

It’s me, hi (hi), I’m the problem, it’s me (I’m the problem, it’s me)
At tea (tea) time (time), everybody agrees (everybody agrees)
I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror
It must be exhausting, always rooting for the anti-hero

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Jack Michael Antonoff / Taylor Alison Swift

Anti‐Hero lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

Listeners that enjoy songs about Desperation may also be interested in the song Vegas by Doja Cat

This article was first published December 6th, 2022 and last updated May 19th 2023